The stairs seemed to go on forever. After a long time, they came to a small wooden door. James took a breath, grasped the knob, and opened the door.

The room was cavernous. It extended on for hundreds of feet in all directions, it seemed. Eileen wondered idly just how far down they had gone, that such a room could fit under the hill. At the far end was a flat wall that gleamed golden from a hidden light source. In front of it was a large semicircular area, also golden, with lines radiating out, and a heavy border at its edge.

"What the…" Henry said.

"The Womb of God," breathed John.

Something was happening over there. James ran, and they followed him.

Frank was there, at the other end. He sat on the floor, facing a figure that Eileen had never seen before. It wore a long, white smock, stained with blood and dirt. It held a long spear in its hand, and on its head it wore a huge, red pointed helmet that came down to its shoulders.

James looked like thunder. "You."

The figure's head turned to face him, but remained silent.

"What do you want from us?"

"He doesn't want anything from you, James," Frank said, getting to his feet. "It's me he wants. Actually, I offered myself to him."

James was aghast. "Why, Dad?" he asked softly. "This is the man who tortured me all through everything years ago. Why?"

Frank looked at his son with a gaze full of love. "A bargain, my boy." He smiled at Mary, who stood quietly by her husband. "I've made a deal. I give myself to him, and he lets you and Mary go free."

The room was silent. The faint echo of something dripping far away was the only sound in the stillness.

James fell to his knees. "Dad, no…don't…"

Mary moved forward. For once, she seemed upset. "Frank, we're very happy here. We have everything we need…we have each other. Please. You don't need to do this."

Laura ran up to them. "Don't do it, Grandpa Frank," she said. "I like you too much. You're nice to me. First Mary went away, then you too? Don't do it!" She started crying. "I'll stay if they want me to, I will, just don't do it!"

Frank shook his head. He stroked Laura's hair. "Why shouldn't I? I have nothing left now. There's nothing for me outside. If I leave here, I leave behind everything I care about."

He turned to his son, who was still on his knees, looking up at his father with tears running down his face. "I never got the chance to tell you how sorry I was. I failed you, Jim. If I had been there more, if I had been a better father to you and to Mary, you wouldn't have done…what you did. I've lived with that for years now. This is the only thing I can do. I want you to get out of here, to have a chance at a normal life."

James stood up shakily. "Dad…" He approached his father, and the two men embraced. "I can't let you do this. I couldn't live with it. You didn't do anything to deserve this, you never failed us, I don't even know what you're talking about!" He was panicking. "Dad, please!"

Frank looked at his son, and Eileen could see his resolve waver. "Jim? Are you sure? Are you truly happy here?"

James turned to Mary, who was looking at the two of them with near-panic on her face. He turned back to Frank. "I love it here, Dad," he said. "I have my Mary."

"Sunderland," a bass voice boomed. James and Frank both turned to face Pyramid Head.

"There is one here who seeks his sister."

John froze.

Pyramid Head nodded toward him. "He has come here seeking to bring her back. He would do anything for her. If you come with me, Frank Sunderland…I will return that man's sister as well."

"Dad…" James cried.

Frank looked at his son for a long moment, then took James' head between his hands and kissed him softly on the forehead. "That's what I thought," he said. "You were always a terrible liar." Before James could react, Frank turned to Pyramid head, and squared his shoulders.

"Do it," he said.

There was a flash of movement. Eileen saw the end of the spear sticking out of Frank's back before she heard the horrible squishing noise. Frank sank to his knees with a groan, and blood gushed across the stone floor.

James fell to the ground. Mary stood, unmoving. Eileen rushed to James' side and pulled him up. His head fell back over her arm, and he screamed soundlessly.

She stared at the rapidly spreading pool. Who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him…or something like that…odd that that should come to mind now...

Steam was coming from the hot blood as it hit the cold stone floor. It rose and filled the room, blocking out the others from her view. The steam darkened and changed...she smelled smoke. The room was full of hot, choking smoke. She coughed, and her eyes watered. She felt James coughing as well.

Then, the smoke retreated, away from the little group.

A figure slowly materialized in the haze, and walked slowly toward them. John gave a strangled cry, and stepped forward. Out of the smoke walked a young woman with dark hair, in red pants and a light-colored sweater. She seemed tired and drawn. She looked around for a moment, dazed, then saw John.

"Johnny!"

"Angie!"

They ran toward each other, and clung together like two kids. John cried into her hair.

"Is it really you?" he sobbed.

She nodded. "That girl, there," she said, pointing into the smoke. "She brought me here." In the haze, Eileen could just make out the figure of a girl in a blue dress, with dark hair. She nodded once at Angela, then disappeared into the smoke.

"Where am I?" Angela asked, looking around the area. "The last thing I remember was walking up the stairs, away from James…he wasn't Mama…" She saw him on the floor, and ran to him.

"James…" Her hand reached for his face. "Did you ever find your wife?"

He nodded mutely, and pointed at Mary. Angela stood, and walked right up to Mary. They stood nose to nose.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but this man," she said, pointing at James, "went through hell and back again to get you back. I know…I was there. He helped me too. I don't know what happened before, and I don't care. You owe him everything."

Mary said nothing. Angela returned to John, and took his hand.

The smoke was clearing, and Frank's body became visible, lying on the floor. Pyramid Head stood over it, arms crossed, silent.

James struggled to get up, tried to move toward his father, and fell forward on his hands and knees. A cry rose from his throat, and his howl filled the enormous room. Pyramid Head stood impassively.

Eventually, James' keening died out, and he sat back on his heels, slumped in exhaustion.

Eileen helped James to his feet as the little group prepared to leave. He turned a pleading face to Pyramid Head, but the monster just shook his head slowly, and James' shoulders sagged.

They had walked several steps when James said, "Mary…where's Mary?"

They all turned back around. Mary stood where she had been before, by Pyramid Head, next to her father-in-law's body.

James walked over to her. "Mary, honey, we can leave now," he said softly.

"No," she said. Her expression did not change.

"No? Why not? What is it?"

"I'm not going anywhere," she said.

"What do you mean?" James was turning red with anger. "Dad gave up his life so we could leave, and now all you have to say is 'no'? What are you thinking, Mary?"

She looked at him with a small smile. "I don't know why you keep calling me that," she said slowly. "I'm not your Mary."

The blood drained from James' face. He backed away from her, slowly. Pyramid Head shuffled toward the area beyond the semicircular border, dragging Frank's body with him. Mary followed him, never losing eye contact with James. She left dark footsteps in the smear of blood.

As she was about to step over the border, she stopped. The smile was now an evil grin.

"I was never your Mary. It's like I told you. I'm whatever you want me to be." She started to shimmer, then to change. Her hair grew shorter and blonde and tipped with red, and she wore black boots, a spotted miniskirt and a red sweater.

Eileen felt Henry by her side. "Jesus," he whispered to her. "It's Maria."

Maria's head turned to him. "Very good, Mr. Townshend," she said. "You figured out what it took this fool so many years to discover…and after all that, I had to show it to him."

She turned back to James, who stood like a statue.

"After all of that, all the killing and blood and agony that we put you through, you decided you didn't want me. You still wanted your Mary. Dumb, boring, whiny, wishy-washy Mary, who you were fixated on for some incomprehensible reason. That hurt, James," she said, putting her hand to her heart in mock indignation. "That really hurt.

"So, I knew that my job wasn't done. I wasn't done with you yet. You wanted your Mary back…fine. You were ready to pay any price…fine. But I was going to make sure that what you got tormented you for the rest of your pathetic existence. I was going to bore you to tears, make your life into an eternal living death. You were always free to leave, of course, but you never realized it."

She moved forward toward him. James stood still as a stone, staring at her.

"And it almost worked too. But, see, James," she said, stroking his cheek, "you can still have me…I can still be yours. I can be Mary, I can be me, I can be her," and she pointed at Eileen. "I can be anyone you want me to be. Just stay here with me…"

James leaned like a zombie into her touch.

"No! You're not Mary!"

"Laura! Stop!" Henry yelled, but he was too slow for her. Laura streaked forward and started hitting Maria with all her might. "You're evil! You hurt James! Mary would never have wanted that! Mary was nice. She loved James!"

Without breaking eye contact with James, Maria swung her arm and knocked Laura several feet across the room and to the ground. She continued caressing James' face. He seemed mesmerized by her spell…

Laura sat up, unhurt but too astonished to cry for several moments. Then, she screamed.

That sound broke James out of his trance. He pulled back, horrified.

"I want nothing of yours," he said slowly. "You're a demon."

Maria laughed. "So, there we are," she said softly. "As it happens, you're absolutely right for once." She stepped over the semicircular border.

She started to grow, to change. Her arms grew longer, and wings sprouted from her back. Horns grew from her head as her flesh grew red and bloody. A tail sprouted from behind, and her knees bent backward as her feet turned into hooves. What had been Mary, then Maria, was now a ten-foot-tall flying demon.

The little group walked backward, John shielding Laura from the demon's reach.

James threw his rifle to Angela, and pulled out the biggest knife Eileen had ever seen. He raised it over his head, yelled "Cover me!", then stepped forward a few steps and swung the knife downward. It sliced through the creature's arm, and its hand dropped to the ground. The demon swiped the stump at James, knocking him across the room and out cold.

Henry looked at John, and they started forward, Henry with the spade and Richard's revolver, John with the baseball bat and his service revolver. Henry went forward first, swinging at the creature's knees, as John, Eileen and Angela provided cover fire from behind. Henry got in a few good hits, but he didn't see the demon's remaining hand coming at him.

"Watch out!" Eileen screamed.

The hand grasped Henry around the waist and squeezed. He screamed in pain, arms and legs flailing. As Eileen looked on, horrified, it raised him to its eye level, and seemed to inspect him curiously for a moment, turning him one way, then another.

Then, its curiosity sated, it raised him above its head and flung him to the ground. He crashed down in a heap at their feet, silent and unmoving, limbs twisted at unnatural angles.

For a long, terrible moment, Eileen faced the unthinkable. Then, Henry groaned, and his leg twitched. He was still alive.

This had to end, now.

Eileen reached around her back, under her jacket, and pulled out what she'd been saving just in case. Well, this was "just in case", now…

She caught Angela's eye, and the young woman nodded in silent agreement. Then, she walked forward in front of Henry, and looked the creature straight in the eye. The thing stared at her with contempt. She lifted up the submachine gun, aimed it at the creature's head, and pulled the trigger.

The bullets swept up and down the demon's body. It froze, and stood still for a moment, then flailed and screamed as Angela's gunfire joined Eileen's. John reloaded his service revolver and joined in. Blood flew everywhere as the creature writhed under the assault. Its wings flapped, but its feet stayed on the ground. Eileen felt the warm blood hit her face, tasted it on her lips.

A shot boomed out from behind her. She turned her head, and caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Henry had pulled himself up onto his elbows, and his revolver blazed as he fired another shot, then another.

After a few minutes that seemed like hours, the creature stumbled. Its head lolled back, and its wings drooped. A long, rumbling groan filled the room. Its knees buckled, and it dropped heavily to the ground.

For a few moments, Eileen, Angela and John stood there, panting, looking at each other. The creature twitched. Then, Eileen walked forward to the beast's head, lifted her foot, and brought it down. Her boot crunched through blood and bone and flesh. The creature twitched once more, then lay still.

They stood silently for a moment, looking at the demon that had nearly killed them all. Then, Angela ran to James, and John turned to check on Laura.

Eileen hurried back over to Henry. His revolver lay on the ground, and he lay on one side, head down, breathing heavily. Blood flowed from a cut to his head, and matted his hair.

"Where are you hurt?" she asked.

Henry moved his hands and then his feet. "Nothing broken," he said, then winced. "I think my shoulder got twisted around, but it'll be OK."

"You're lucky," she said. He pushed himself up to a sitting position.

"I know," he said, then looked her straight in the eye. "Damn lucky."

She pulled her jacket off and tied it around him to keep his arm from moving, then helped him to his feet.

They looked around. John was holding Laura, who was clinging to him, looking with wide eyes at the demon that used to be Mary. Angela and James were walking back over to them; she was under his arm to support him.

They stood looking at the enormous bloody body.

James spoke first.

"Years," he said slowly. "So many years…everything's gone now."

Laura went over to him and took his free hand in hers.

"I'm sorry, James," she said simply.

He nodded down at her. "Me too," he said.

They became aware of Pyramid Head still standing in the back of the room, over Frank's body. Frank lay, white and still, as he had before.

Something shimmered. A figure appeared…Mary's figure. She stood next to Pyramid Head, hands clasped in front.

"James," she said.

James looked at her, wide-eyed.

"It's really me," she said. "Maria's gone. It's me."

They looked at each other across the chasm of time and love that would forever separate them.

"I don't know what to say," James said.

The figure shook her head. "This is the end, James. You have suffered enough. It's time to end this."

She nodded at Pyramid Head, who raised his hand and gestured over Frank's body.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, Frank stirred, and coughed. They all stared in shock at him.

James tried to speak, but no words came out.

"Thank you," he finally said.

"Goodbye, James," the figure said, and started to fade. Soon, both she and Pyramid Head were gone.

"Goodbye, Mary," James whispered. He hid his face behind Angela's head, and his body shook. Angela held him tighter, and Laura looked up at her.

"Who was that?" she asked. "Was that really Mary?"

Angela smiled at the little girl through her tears. "I think so."

James untangled himself from Angela's grasp. He stood unsteadily for a moment, then limped slowly, painfully, toward his father, who was coughing and struggling to sit up. There was no sign of the horrible wound that had killed him. James bent to help his father to his feet, and they propped each other up as they moved unsteadily toward the group.

"What happened?" Frank croaked.

"I'm not sure, Dad," James responded. "But it's time to go home now."