Chapter 14: Alone in the Dark
By X-treme X-taggano (backfire@subdimension.com)

It wasn't any more pleasant of a moment when I reached the boat. Time was still locked in place for me. I didn't want to move for some reason . . . maybe it was because I was afraid of whether or not Cybil had returned. If she hadn't . . .

I shook my head. If she wasn't here, she was either dead or had found something. I slowly reached for the door knob, praying she was either inside or had found something. I sighed heavily as I turned the knob and opened the door.

She wasn't on the main deck, however.

I growled. She hadn't come back yet, and that creep Alessa was sure to show up sometime. I hung my head. I knew Alessa was out to stop me from finding Cheryl and knew Cybil was helping me . . . her arch nemesis, in finding my daughter. So Alessa was probably heading towards the carnival . . . to get Cybil!

I had to stop her! There was no way I was going to let Alessa take Cybil away from me. I had to get to the carnival before it was too late!

Let me be on time.

I walked up to the door on the opposite end of the deck, listen to the sand slip beneath my shoes. I opened the door and stepped into the main hallway the lead to the rear entrance of the boat. I tried not to look at the body that hung from the bulkhead as I continued to make my way to the door. I could here the tiny footsteps of insects as they skittered across the dusty wooden floor beneath me. I then walked up the door and opened it.

I stood still for a moment on the rear end of the boat. I didn't want to go back where I came from. The carnival was just down the street and to the left. I didn't want to go back there . . . because I knew exactly where it lead and where it would take me.

And it was more dangerous a place then I wanted to go.

I started to walk slowly across the plank and back onto the dock. Through that darkness . . . was the path I had to take. I sighed as I started to run. Hopefully those creatures wouldn't be waiting for me. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to clear my thoughts. I continued to say a repeated prayer to myself as I ran down the stone floor. It just went on forever in this pitch black void.

I stopped where the dock ended and the street picked up. I looked to my left, staring at the long path down the road. I walked down it nervously, hoping nothing would find me . . . or that I wouldn't run into anything. My eyes darted left and right to every sound I heard . . . even my own footsteps! I didn't want to die. Not until Cheryl was safe.

The road ended abruptly after a while and was blocked off by a large, metal barricade. I glanced at it curiously and tried to find a way around it. There was none . . . I couldn't climb over it and I could go around it. So how was I supposed to get to the carnival? Cybil might be in danger and needed my help . . .

I kicked the barricade, angered, as I turned around. How did Cybil even get to the carnival with this thing blocking to road . . . or did she even get there at all? My guess was that she probably did somehow or else I'd have found her at the boat or I'd have found her dead body on the street. I was thankful I hadn't . . . but where would an alternate entrance be?

I looked to my left, realizing there was some sort of path the lead to a chain link fence. I examined it from a distance. I couldn't see what was beyond it because my flashlight didn't shine that far . . . but from what I could see, it looked as if the gate was open. I walked closer to it slowly. It lead to a small, fenced in area. But what would they keep locked out from the public here?

I gasped as I saw a manhole that had been torn open.

Another waterworks facility . . . probably the only way into the carnival. No doubt the way Cybil got in. Who else would have torn this open? Hopefully, she had found something there . . .

I looked into the dark hole in front of me. I could hear water dripping from the pipes below . . . and some sort of creaking sound below me. The only way to the carnival was through the water works . . . through hell once more.

I kneeled down and grabbed ahold of the ladder. I swung the rest of my body over the concrete and into the hole. I then slowly descended the steel ladder and made my way to the bottom.

I don't want to die . . . I don't want to die . . .

I stepped to the floor, realizing more blood was covering the floor . . . on top of a huge stone tile. I gasped, realizing it was that mark . . . the mark of Samael! I started to walk passed it, feeling uneasy when I was around it. This place was infected . . . no doubt about it. Hopefully none of the creatures I would find would be real . . . hell, hopefully, I wouldn't find any creatures to begin with.

I started to walk down the stone floor covered with soft moss. There was no flowing water, however . . . perhaps this was just an ordinary sewer. Or maybe this place had changed after Samael had passed through here. I shook my head, continuing down the almost familiar passage.

I finally lead to a chain linked floor. I stared at it for a moment, realizing there was some sort of liquid flowing beneath me . . . like the waterworks. I looked down through the chain links, wondering what it was below me.

I gasped as I realized it was blood.

A river of blood was flowing beneath my feet. As the not so calm realization sinked in, I started to smell it . . . and it made me sick.

I instantly stood up. I wasn't sure if I had completely lost my sanity, but I lost control of my body. I was overwhelmed with fear and it felt like my body was acting impulsively to the adrenaline that was pumping through my veins. I felt like I was going to pass out as I started to run, and I wasn't sure where my body was taking me.

Suddenly, the nightmare world was starting to feel like a hallucination again . . . but perhaps only because I was losing control. I felt more like I was on some sort of train ride . . . and I didn't know where I was going. I felt like I was being controlled by someone . . . and that someone was laughing at me. He was laughing at me for not being able to find my daughter. He was laughing at my struggles.

Even though I didn't feel fully conscious, I still had one definite thought running through my head.

What kind of sick human being could possible enjoy watching a man aimless trying to find his daughter and consider it amusing?

I suddenly gasped as I saw something crawling towards me . . . but for some reason I was still running straight at it! I tried to regain full consciousness, but I couldn't stop! It was like I was on a runaway train. I ran right passed the thing, only barely catching a glimpse of it.

It was the same creature that had attacked Kaufmann!

Thank God I had avoided that one. I tried to look back, but wasn't able to move my head. I was completely insane now. I continued to run. I only caught glimpses of what passed me by . . . or what I had passed by. I wanted to scream as I saw blood run along the floor beneath me . . . or the mutilated body I saw torn apart in a small pit filled with barbed wire. I felt my heart stop as I heard something crumpling apart, but my body still didn't stop. Nothing stopped.

And then I blacked out. The last thing I remembered seeing was a ladder in front of me and a destroyed carousal drifting in the lake.

That was my final journey into the deepest gates of hell.