A/N: Hey there, fellow Loud House fans. The next chapter of this horror story is up. In this chapter, Lisa learns a few new disturbing details of what happened in the basement, but as for Lucy... well, things aren't looking so bright. Read on to find out more!

Disclaimer: My OC characters are all that I own


Chapter 3: Dark Times Ahead

"Lucy, please! You have to come out! Your not well" Lynn Jr urged the goth sibling.

Lucy ignored Lynn and continued trembling in fear. It was clear to both Lisa and Lynn that Lucy wouldn't budge, so they concluded that they'd have to try dragging her out of the large vent.

"Lynn, I don't think Lucy's gonna listen to either of us. Whatever Lucy witnessed going on down here traumatized her to the point where she's nearly lost her sanity. We're probably gonna have to drag her out" Lisa said.

"Good luck trying that. Lucy tried attacking us when we reached into that vent, and she managed to scratch you in the process" Lynn pointed at the scratches on Lisa's hand.

"I'm well aware of that," Lisa replied, glancing at the scratches on her left hand which began scabbing over. "So there might be only one way to get her out".

"And what's that?" Lynn asked.

Lisa whispered something in her ear, and Lynn's eyes widened.

"What?! Is that really necessary?" She asked in shock.

"We have no other choice, Lynn. Lucy won't come out, and she needs some serious help. Not to mention a bath since she soiled herself as well. Lucy will get very sick if she isn't treated soon" Lisa replied.

Lynn glanced back at Lucy, who was still trembling and whimpering while also crying blood. She realized that Lisa had a point, so she sighed in defeat and nodded.

"Your right," Lynn said. "Should I go get it?".

"No, I'll fetch it myself," Lisa replied. "I'll need to inform our parents about this as well, and I can tell you right now that they're not gonna be happy about this once they see the state Lucy's in".

"Do you think Mom and Dad can help Lucy? She might listen to them. We should try that before… you know" Lynn stammered at that last part.

"I honestly don't know if she'll listen to anyone. Lucy's pretty much lost her sanity from seeing whatever went on down here, so it might not make much of a difference" Lisa answered doubtfully.

"Well, we should at least try. Can't you see the state Lucy's in?!" Lynn snapped.

"I can see quite clearly," Lisa shot back sternly. "As I said, our parents might not be of much use getting Lucy to come out of the vents anymore than we are, so plan B is our only option".

"Fine! Have it your way" Lynn snapped, folding her arms.

"Then I shall go fetch the solution. You stay and watch Lucy" Lisa ordered, then headed out of the basement.

Once Lisa was gone, Lynn turned back to Lucy with a worried expression. Seeing her sister in this state really upset her and worried her. Lucy continued trembling and mumbling in some unintelligible tongue, and this tempted Lynn to try and at least pulled Lucy out of the vent. Lynn knew Lucy would try to resist, but she didn't care. She approached the vent and began to reach inside it.

"Sorry about this, Lucy, but you need to get out of there" Lynn said apologetically, then grabbed Lucy's wrist.

She instantly reacted in a very hostile manner and began struggling while also trying to bite her. Lynn grabbed her other wrist and began pulling her out of the vent, yet her constant struggling and hostility made it much harder to do so.

"NO!" Lucy roared in an insane manner, struggling madly against Lynn's tight grip.

Due to being an athlete, Lynn was far stronger and easily pulled Lucy out of the vent. She fell on the floor, rolling a few inches away from Lynn as she shut the vent and locked it. She turned around just in time to see Lucy charging at her with an insane yell, her bloodshot eyes fully revealed, and they sent fear through the athlete. Bloody tears ran down Lucy's face as she charged at Lynn with the ferocity of an enraged honey badger. Her face was completely devoid of any humanity, and this was the one thing that absolutely terrified Lynn. As much as Lynn hated the idea of fighting back, she knew she had no choice. Whatever Lucy had seen going on in the basement, it had driven her to the very depths of insanity, and Lynn could tell by her expression that Lucy fully intended to kill her. Lynn quickly did a spinning kick and sent Lucy flying across the floor and into the blood covered washing machine. Lucy had been stunned slightly by the force of impact, but her adrenaline filled rage caused her to ignore most of the pain.

"Stop this, Lucy! I don't wanna fight you!" Lynn pleaded, but Lucy ignored her.

She got back up and glared at Lynn, panting aggressively with eyes full of hate and insanity. Lucy charged at Lynn again, but got kicked off to the side again. Lucy landed near one of the toppled computer terminals just next to the body of Dr. J. As Lynn was preparing to defend herself, she felt her heart skip a beat when she saw Lucy's eyes fall upon the hand gun next to the dead female scientist. Lynn rushed towards Lucy as she grabbed the gun off the floor and aimed it at her. Lucy let out an insane yell as she fired off several shots at Lynn. Luckily, the athlete was able to roll out of the way right before Lucy opened fire. Lynn knew she was in trouble now. It was clear that Lucy had no intention of listening to anyone, and she had clearly been driven insane by whatever she had witnessed in the basement. Lynn had to find a way to stop this madness before Lucy ended up killing her or one of her family members.

"AGH! PERISH!" Lucy yelled, firing at Lynn again.

Lynn jumped behind one of the other computer terminals to avoid being hit.

"LUCY, STOP THIS! THIS IS CRAZY!" Lynn screamed.

"NO! NO! SHUT UP! ALL SINNERS MUST PERISH!" Lucy shouted back, firing the gun in Lynn's direction.

Sparks flew from the computer terminal as the bullets struck it. This was the only thing preventing Lynn from being shot dead by the insanity stricken goth sibling. Thankfully, the gun ran out of bullets, causing Lucy to growl in frustration. She charged towards the computer terminal and began crawling over it to try and reach Lynn, but Lynn forced her off the machine with her foot and caused Lucy to roll across the blood stained floor where she hit the probe still parked near the portal. Lynn stood up panting as Lucy lay stunned against the probe, but she began to slowly get back on her feet with a death glare towards Lynn.

"Quid resistere?! Et mox satanas faciem omnis ira est scriptor!" Lucy hissed in Latin.

Lynn had no idea what that meant, but she honestly didn't want to find out. She knew at this point that there was no reasoning with Lucy. The goth sibling had completely lost her mind and wouldn't stop attacking Lynn until she was dead. The athlete wondered just what was taking Lisa so long upstairs as Lucy prepared to attack her again, but Lynn had enough. She sidestepped and struck Lisa hard on the back of the head in an attempt to knock her out, but it had almost no effect. While Lucy ended up dazed and dizzy from the blow, it didn't knock her out. It also seemed to piss her off even further, because she turned around and attempted to grab Lynn's throat. Lucy missed and instead jumped on top of Lynn, pinning her to the floor. The crazed goth then grabbed Lynn's throat and attempted to choke the life out of her, but she suddenly stopped when a loud gunshot rang out. Lucy's eyes widened as she fell off Lynn, groaning as she lay on the floor. As Lynn sat up, she saw a tranquilizer dart protruding from the back of Lucy's neck, which caused the goth sibling to grow drowsy. Lynn glanced up and saw Lisa standing at the top of the stairs holding a tranquilizer gun in her hands with a sad expression.

"Forgive me, Lucy," Lisa said sadly as she walked down the stairs. "You left me no choice".

Lucy had just enough strength left to glare up at Lynn and Lisa before falling completely unconscious. Lori and Leni had followed in behind Lisa to assist her in bringing Lucy upstairs. As Lynn got back on her feet, she looked down at Lucy with a saddened look on her face as the insane goth lay asleep near her feet. Lynn couldn't understand why Lucy suddenly went full psychopathic killer on her own family, and what Lynn also didn't understand was what Lucy meant by saying those horrid things. She had said that all sinners should perish, but that one phrase Lucy said in Latin made no sense to Lynn as she didn't know that language.

"Sure took you long enough" Lynn commented.

"Our parents were against the idea of me using tranquilizers on Lucy, but after we all saw her starting to attack you with that gun on the security cameras, they gave me the go ahead" Lisa informed the athlete.

"I can't believe Lucy did that. I already figured she had been driven mad by seeing whatever went down in here, but I never thought she'd go this far and start attacking Lynn like that, especially with a gun" Leni said, glancing at the bullet holes in the computer terminal which sparked every half second or so.

"I don't like this one bit," Lori added, glancing at Lisa. "How long will Lucy be out? After seeing everything she just did, I don't think letting her wander around freely is a good idea. Lucy might attack all of us once she wakes up".

"The drugs will be in effect for about an hour, then Lucy will wake up," Lisa replied. "I also agree with you on the topic of Lucy wandering freely. For all of our safety, I'll be placing Lucy in a strap jacket until we discover what caused her to completely lose her sanity like this".

"What about this mess, and the bodies? We gotta call the cops and report this" Lynn gestured to the dead bodies of the scientists and the heavy amounts of blood covering the basement.

"But what about the portal? What do you think the cops will say about that?" Leni pointed out.

"Leni's got a point there," Lynn added. "And given how serious this is, they might choose to get the FBI or even the friggin CIA and the government involved. Not to mention what they might do to Lucy once they learn that she was a witness to everything that happened down here".

"What are you implying? Are you suggesting they might experiment on Lucy like some lab rat?" Leni questioned.

"They might try to interrogate her for any information on what she witnessed in the basement, but I doubt they'd do anything serious to a child" Lynn replied.

"Well, whatever happens, we gotta do something. We can't just leave the basement like this" Lori pointed out.

Lisa gazed around at the horrible sight once again, still filled with sorrow and shock over all of it. She knew for a fact that Lori was right. They'd have to notify the police about the dead scientists, and the basement would need to be cleaned up. Lisa feared for what would happen once the police saw the portal in the basement along with the probe and the computer terminals. She was pretty sure they'd be confiscated as evidence, but what she feared most was what would happen once the police viewed the footage. Lisa had a few theories as to what went down in the basement once the cameras went dark. What Lucy had said about the gates of Hell being open led Lisa to believe that the footage of whatever the probe had recorded might have been the cause of her madness. The hole in the basement wall and the vicious unseen attacks on Dr. J and her two scientists was still the one big mystery that Lisa still had no answer to. The only thing Lisa could think of was that something on the other side of the portal came out and brutally attacked the scientists, then left the basement by digging it's way through the wall and escaping into the outside world. She was pretty convinced that something came through since she and the whole family had clearly heard what sounded like animalistic growling, snarling, and roaring. What this creature was, no one knew, and the cameras had been dark at the time of the unseen attack which prevented anyone from seeing it.

Lisa then thought of something she hadn't. The security cameras had gone dark only in the basement, but all the other ones had still been online, which meant the exterior cameras outside the house were most likely up and running when the horrible nightmare had ensued in the basement. Lisa then remembered that there were two cameras positioned near an area of the house where the basement port window was, and that was where the large hole in the ground was. Lisa realized that this meant the cameras must have recorded footage of the creature that attacked and killed the scientists.

"Before we do that, I want to check the security cameras outside the house" Lisa said.

"Why do you need to do that?" Leni asked curiously.

"Because the only cameras that went offline were in the basement, but all the other ones were still working, including the outdoor cameras. There are two cameras outside positioned in an area of the house where the hole in the ground is, and that means they most likely recorded whatever it was that attacked the scientists" Lisa explained.

Lori, Leni, and Lynn understood where Lisa was going with this and realized what this meant.

"No way… I didn't think of that before" Leni said, eyes wide.

"That means the cameras probably recorded footage of the creature escaping the basement" Lynn realized.

"Exactly," Lisa nodded. "I want to see just who or what was behind all this before I contact the police".

"What about the probe's footage?" Leni asked.

"I'll copy it to a flashdrive, but I don't want to view it just yet," Lisa replied, glancing over at the dead body of Dr. J. "When I tried looking at the probes footage on the computer terminals, Dr. J went crazy and told me not to look upon the sights of Hell, then warned me to save myself from Hell as well".

"Yeah, I remember that. She started yelling in Latin and then blew her own brains afterwards. I couldn't understand a word she said" Lori replied.

"Well, I did," Lisa informed. "I'm well fluented in foreign language. Latin is a bit tougher, but I can easily understand it, and what Dr. J told me is very concerning".

"Concerning in what way?" Lynn asked.

"The first thing Dr. J said when she spoke in Latin was a warning," Lisa began. "It was when I tried looking at the footage that the probe recorded. Dr. J was saying that I mustn't look upon the sights of Hell lest I suffer Satan's wrath, and the last thing she said in Latin before blowing her brains out was to save myself from Hell".

"Yeah, I remember her saying something like "Liberate tutemay" something. I can't pronounce it right" Lynn said, scratching her head.

"It's pronounced as "Libera Te Tutemet Ex Inferis". That's Latin for "Save Yourself From Hell" Lisa corrected.

"Save yourself from Hell? Why would Dr. J say that?" Leni wondered.

"I don't think it's that hard to figure that one out, Leni; look around us. The whole basements a bloodbath" Lynn pointed out with a hint of humorless sarcasm.

"I don't think that's the reason, Leni. Or at least, not all of it" Lori speculated.

"I don't believe Dr. J was referring to what went on in the basement, not directly at least," Lisa theorized. "I think she was referring to whatever it was the probe recorded. There must be something in that footage that drove her and the other two scientists mad before they were attacked by that unknown creature".

"Well, if that's the case, why are you even bothering to save the footage of whatever the probe recorded on the other side of the portal if it'll just make you lose your sanity?" Lynn asked in confusion.

"I don't know if the footage was what caused the scientists to go mad, at least not for certain, but I still want to backup the footage so that I can view it if it turns out to be safe" Lisa replied.

"How will you know if it's safe?" Lori asked skeptically.

"I honestly don't know just yet," Lisa replied, glancing down at Lucy. "Before we do anything else though, we need to get Lucy upstairs and cleaned up. She'll be out for two hours thanks to the sleeping drugs in the darts, so there shouldn't be any problem getting her changed out of her soiled clothing. We'll need to place her in a strap jacket afterwards though. Lucy's clearly been driven insane, so we can't risk letting her move about freely".

"Me and Lori can carry her upstairs since we're a bit stronger" Leni offered.

"No problem," Lisa replied. "I'll need to fetch a flashdrive from my room so I can download the footage from the probe. After I do that, I'll view the security cameras and see who's behind all this carnage".

Leni and Lori then scooped up Lucy in their arms as Lisa pulled the tranquilizer dart out of her neck, then the two eldest siblings carried her up the stairs. Lynn followed them as Lisa tagged behind last, but glanced back briefly at the probe and the glowing red portal on the wall. She wondered just what it was the probe had seen on the other side, and more so, what the creature that attacked the scientists looked like. Lisa was a bit nervous about what she'd see once she checked the outside security camera footage, but even more so over what the police would say about the horrific murder scene in the basement. Lisa had no doubt that the feds would probably get involved once the police saw the portal on the wall, and they'd most likely confiscate all her equipment as evidence. Another thing that worried Lisa was that Lucy might end up in a mental asylum due to her insanity. The whole situation left Lisa filled with sorrow and fear.

"How could this happen? Everything seemed to have been going so well, but the second the probes recording system came back online, all Hell broke loose" Lisa thought sorrowfully as she turned back around and followed her siblings upstairs and out of the basement.

It had taken only a few minutes to fully undress Lucy, and with Lori and Leni's help, Rita was able to easily wash the unconscious goth sibling in the tub. Rita was trying so hard to hold back tears the entire time she washed her young daughter. She had seen the whole incident between Lynn Jr and Lucy in the basement, and it left Rita absolutely heartbroken and fearing for Lucy's life. She couldn't understand what could have driven Lucy to such a state of madness that she'd attack and attempt to kill Lynn. Rita had realized that if Lynn hadn't been so lucky, there would've been three dead people in that basement. She absolutely hated the idea of Lucy having to be knocked out cold like this, but after seeing the insane goth grab the gun off the floor and start shooting at Lynn, Rita had no choice but to give Lisa the go ahead to use the tranquilizer gun to stop Lucy's savage rampage on Lynn. When Lynn, Lori, Leni, and Lisa arrived back upstairs approximately ten minutes ago, the rest of the family was absolutely terrified at the state Lucy was in. She had dried bloody streaks running down her face, paler skin, and she had soiled herself in extreme fear. Lisa had then explained that she'd backup the footage from the probe onto a flashdrive and then check the security camera footage to see what it was that attacked the scientists down in the basement, then she'd call the police to report everything that had happened. Of course, the rest of the family was quite terrified at the thought of the police seeing the carnage in the basement, but they didn't have much of a choice; they couldn't leave the basement a bloody mess forever.

"This… this is just terrible," Lori said sadly as she helped Rita wash the blood off Lucy's face. "What could Lucy have possibly seen back there that would reduce her to this?".

"I… I don't know," Rita replied in a sorrowful tone. "All of this is… just too much to take in".

"You don't think that Lucy will have to be locked up in a mental hospital, do you?" Leni asked worriedly.

"She may have to for a time if she doesn't recover from… whatever she saw in the basement" Rita replied, not wanting to speculate what caused all the carnage.

As the three of them cleaned Lucy up, Lisa was currently in the process of downloading the recorded footage from the probe onto a flashdrive in her room. The long cable running from the probe all the way from the basement and up to Lisa's laptop had miraculously been undamaged by all the carnage in the basement, and she had been able to copy the footage from the probe onto a flashdrive. It took about a minute to download the footage from the probe, then Lisa removed the flashdrive and placed it in her pocket. Lola and Lana had retreated back to their room in fear earlier when Lucy had started shooting at Lynn Jr, so Lynn Sr had gone to comfort them. That left Lynn Jr, Lily, Luna, and Luan in the room with Lisa.

"The probe's footage has been successfully downloaded onto my flashdrive," Lisa informed her siblings. "There's about three minutes worth of recorded footage on it, but I'd highly advise any of us viewing it until we know what it is we're dealing with".

"And just what do you think we're dealing with?" Luna asked.

"We're about to find out," Lisa replied as she began typing on her laptop. "I'm going to pull up the security footage taken from the outside security cameras to see what it was that caused all the carnage in the basement. One of the cameras is positioned just near the spot where that unknown creature dug its way out of the basement, so the cameras should have captured the creature as it climbed out of the hole".

The clip began playing as Lisa hit the play button on her laptop. The sound of gentle wind could be heard in the background along with the sight of a few trees swaying, and nothing seemed odd. However, once the clock hit 11:31 AM, the sounds of distant screams and gunshots could be heard. Right after that, the camera began shaking violently as if there was an earthquake, then the ground just beside the house began to wriggle about. Seconds later, an enormous amount of dirt shot straight upward like a geyser erupting, then everyone saw something climb out once the dirt settled. It was hard to see at first, but as the dirt fully settled, the creature was fully revealed. Up until this point, Lisa had always been a person of science and never really believed in God, but all of her beliefs were completely shattered the moment she laid eyes on what had just climbed out of the pit in the ground. It was an enormous humanoid beast that stood almost as tall as a stop sign. Its skin was what appeared to be pitch black armored scales that covered its entire body. It's appearance was something like that of a Xenomorph and the final boss of the game known as Majora's Mask named Majora's Wrath. The massive beast had large reptilian hands with razor sharp claws and feet that resembled that of a T-rex. It's head resembled a Xenomorph's head with razor sharp fangs in its wide opened mouth, and it had glowing red eyes that shined brightly. In the center of its enormous chest was the symbol of an inverted cross that also glowed red like its eyes. Two long horns extended from the top of the monster's head as it glanced around the area, with a long scaly reptilian tail to go with it.

"W-what is that?" Luna stammered in fear.

Lisa was too horrified to even answer as she gazed at the massive monster on the screen of her laptop. She gazed at its bright red eyes and the bright red inverted cross emblem engraved on the beast's chest, feeling her heart race with fear, but something else caught Lisa's eye. She had almost missed it until Lori pointed it out.

"Lisa, there's something on the monster" she pointed at what appeared to be large white rags covering parts of the monster's shoulders; there were traces of blood on them.

Lisa zoomed the camera in and noticed something pinned to the remains of the white rags, and upon zooming in close enough to see what it actually was, Lisa felt her heart skip a beat. It was the name tag of the third scientist missing from the basement.

"No… that looks like a lab coat and a name tag" Lynn said in shock.

"That… that's because it is" Lisa replied in a stammering voice with evident fear in her voice.

"Did that thing eat the scientist? There's blood all over the remains of that lab coat" Luan asked, pointing at the blood visible on the remains of the lab coat.

"I don't know," Lisa replied. "There doesn't seem to be evidence that the scientist was eaten by that beast. I don't see any blood or bits of flesh near its mouth".

"Then why are the remains of the lab coat on that monster?" Lynn Jr asked, confused.

Lisa had no answer to that question. She gazed closely at the horrifying monster on the screen, trying to figure out why the bloody shredded lab coat was on the beast's shoulders. What could this mean? Lisa reflected back on what she heard over the camera's audio feed, then on what she saw in the basement after all the screaming and gunfire had stopped. Dr. J had been the only one alive after that hideous monster killed the other scientist, and as for the third one, only the remains of his lab coat could be seen on the monster's shoulders, chest, and arms.

As Lisa remembered how the probe seemed to be the only piece of machinery that remained undamaged as opposed to the computer terminals, she glanced at the monster on her laptop screen, then glanced at the remains of the third scientists lab coat and began to piece together a new and very frightening theory that sounded almost insane. Then again though, everything that had happened up to this point defied all explanation or logic, so this theory couldn't be any less insane.

"I… I… I don't think this monster killed the third scientist," Lisa stammered, her face turning pale. "I…. I think I know what happened".

"What do you mean by that?" Lynn questioned in confusion.

Lisa took one last glance at the horrid monster on her laptop screen before speaking.

"Either I'm going crazy, or I'm forced to admit that there are dark forces at work I never even thought existed until now," Lisa began. "I think…. somehow in a way I don't even know, the third scientist was somehow transformed into that monster we're seeing on my laptop right now".

"WHAT?!" Lynn, Luan, and Luna all exclaimed at once in surprise.

"Think about it," Lisa pressed. "There was absolutely no damage done to the probe, and on top of that, the third scientist was missing from the basement when we went down there afterwards. I know it sounds completely insane, but given everything that happened the second that probe went through the portal, I wouldn't deny it being possible".

"But how? What could have caused such a transformation to occur?" Luna wondered, completely at a loss for any logic in all this.

"I don't know," Lisa replied, shaking her head and glancing back at her laptop. "But if I had to guess, I'm guessing that whatever the scientists saw from the probe's recording might have had something to do with it".

"That can't be right," Luan objected. "If that were the case, wouldn't have Dr. J and Lucy transformed into monsters as well?".

"Like I said, I can't confirm if this theory is right or not," Lisa answered. "But I don't want to test that theory by viewing the footage myself. Until we have a better understanding of what forces we're dealing with, I advise that none of you view the footage recorded from that probe. If that's what caused the third scientist to transform into that horrible beast, just looking at it alone could mean risking your own life".

"But what about Lucy? She practically lost her sanity down there, so she must have seen the footage as well, and so did Dr. J. I mean, she blew her own brains out after shouting out all that Latin stuff" Lynn wondered.

"I've been thinking about that as well, but I still have no answers. Remember, this is all just a bunch of theories," Lisa replied. "Once Lucy wakes up, I'll try to communicate with her and find out what it is she saw in that basement. I'll have to be sure she's fully restrained in a strap jacket before I do it, though".

"Assuming she'll even speak," Luna speculated. "Lucy went crazy down there in the basement and tried to kill Lynn. I don't think her mind is in the right place right now".

"I'll still have to try," Lisa insisted. "She's the only one still alive that witnessed what happened in the basement. If anyone has answers as to what went down, it's Lucy".

"What are we gonna do if the police want the footage? If your theory about the third scientist is true, that means the cops might turn into the same thing that third scientist did if they look at the footage" Luan asked worriedly.

"I'm aware of that," Lisa replied. "If it comes down to it, I'll delete the probe's original footage and keep the backed up footage hidden so that no one else runs the risk of seeing it".

"But what if the Feds get involved and search the house? If they find the flashdrive with the probe's footage on it, they'll view it and transform into monsters like the one in the security camera footage" Luna pointed out.

"If that happens, I'll destroy the footage entirely to ensure everyone's safety" Lisa replied.

"Do you really believe that whatever the third scientist saw from the probe's camera caused him to transform into that hideous monster?" Lynn asked.

Lisa glanced at the laptop screen, then back at her sisters.

"That's the only thing I can think of," Lisa replied. "Believe me, these forces we're dealing with are like nothing I've ever seen in my life, so I honestly have no answers to any of this. I just don't know how to explain any of this madness".

"Well, we gotta do something about it" Luan said.

"Like what? We obviously can't go after that monster. We don't even know where it is," Luna scoffed. "And even if we did, we have no knowledge on how to fight it. I'm pretty sure man made weapons won't work on that beast".

"Actually, I think they might," Luan inquired. "When the scientists were shooting at it, we all heard the monster roaring in pain over Lisa's laptop, so that means that guns must have some sort of effect on it".

"She has a point there," Lynn said. "The monster sounded like it was in pain when it got shot".

"That doesn't necessarily mean that guns will effectively kill that beast," Lisa replied objectively. "While they might slow the monster down and wound it, they may not actually kill it. Until I know more about this monster, I wouldn't advise going out looking for it".

"And how do you intend to find out more about that monster?" Luan asked in a sarcastic manner.

"Simple," Lisa said, then pulled open a drawer near her nightstand and took out the black grimoire that Lucy used for her ritual the other night. "I'll translate the Latin text in this grimoire and see what I can find out. Maybe it'll help us learn more about what forces we're dealing with".

Just then, Rita called out to Lisa from in the hall. She informed her that Lucy had been washed and dried off. Rita, Lori, and Leni had also put clean goth clothes on Lucy, so all that was left was to put the strape jacket on her.

"Oh man," Luna exclaimed with a sorry sigh. "Lucy isn't gonna be happy when she wakes up".

"Not like we have a choice," Luan said. "Lucy's mind isn't exactly in the right place, so we can't have her running around freely".

"Luan's right," Lisa said, opening her closet. "Until I find a way to talk some sense into Lucy, she'll need to stay restrained".

She then pulled a white strape jacket out of a large metal case in the closet, then headed for the door. As Lisa headed into the hall, she found Rita holding Lucy in her arms, now dressed in clean goth clothing. She was also still asleep from the tranquilizers, so this would make things easier for Lisa to slip the jacket onto Lucy. Leni and Lori stood sadly next to Rita as Lisa approached them.

"Do we really have to do this?" Lori asked Rita sadly.

"We can't risk our safety after seeing how badly Lucy lost her sanity, so it's for the best" Rita replied sadly.

Once Lisa reached them, Rita helped slip Lucy into the strape jacket, then Lisa fastened the restraining belts tightly so that Lucy had no way of escaping. Lori and Leni assisted them with the process.

"This… this is just so awful," Leni said, almost on the verge of tears. "Just what dark forces could have reduced Lucy to this?".

"I don't know, Leni," Lori replied. "But whatever it was, I don't wanna know".

"I have a theory on what I think actually happened in the basement when the cameras went dark" Lisa informed as she slid Lucy's arms and legs into the enforced sleeves of the strape jacket.

"You do?" Rita asked, now intrigued.

"Yes," Lisa nodded. "It's a crazy theory, but it's the only logical answer I could come up with given all the evidence we currently have on what happened".

"We? What do you mean "we?" Lori asked, one eyebrow raised.

"All of us witnessed the horrible screams on the security cameras' audio feed once the screens went dark, and we all saw the aftermath in the basement once the camera screens came back on. Dr. J and Lucy went insane, and then Lucy tried to kill Lynn. I can't say it any simpler than that" Lisa explained sarcastically.

"Okay? What does that have to do with your theory?" Leni asked in confusion.

"Everything," Lisa answered with a hint of frustration in her voice. "Also, I was able to finally see what that thing that killed the second scientist and attacked Dr. J. I pulled up the outside security feed and saw the monster digging it's way out of the ground".

"No way! You saw what that thing that made those horrible roaring sounds was?" Lori exclaimed, eyes widened in shock.

"Yes, I did," Lisa replied grimly. "And I can tell you all right now that this thing is not of this world, and what's worse, I noticed remnants of the third missing scientist's lab coat on the monster's shoulders and arms".

Rita, Leni, and Lori exchanged uneasy glances at each other.

"What are you implying?" Leni asked worriedly.

Lisa paused as she reflected on the sight of that horrible monster, then continued.

"I don't know if I'm right, but I can't think of anything else," Lisa began. "I think the third scientist that was missing from the basement ended up transforming into the monster I saw on the security camera footage when he viewed the footage sent from the probe on the other side of that portal in the basement".

"What?!" Rita gasped in shock.

"Yes," Lisa nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but think about it. The third scientist was missing from the basement once the camera's visual feed returned. The probe was undamaged apart from the computer terminals, the second scientist was slashed in half, and Dr. J was driven to complete madness so badly that she killed herself on the spot. Not to mention that Lucy also lost her sanity like Dr. J did from seeing what that monster did in the basement. Why was the probe undamaged, you might be wondering? Well, the answer is simple; it was still on the other side of the portal while all Hell was breaking loose in the basement. The monster clearly didn't come out through the portal, as it would have most likely destroyed the probe if it had".

"Then.. where did the monster come from if it didn't come out of the portal?" Lori questioned fearfully.

"Simple," Lisa continued. "The third scientist transformed into the monster himself. I don't know how it's possible, but after recalling what Dr. J said to me before she blew her own brains out and what Lucy said after witnessing everything in the basement, I believe that the probe ended up entering some other dimension that they referred to as Hell. I don't know if it's the actual Hell as mentioned in the Bible, but everything I've witnessed is making me question that theory".

"Lisa, do you even hear yourself? What you're saying is complete madness," Rita exclaimed. "Are you actually suggesting that the portal in that basement leads to Hell itself?".

"Like I just said, I don't know for sure. However, considering the fact that Dr. J told me to save myself from Hell and told me not to look upon the sites of Hell, I won't deny that theory being a possibility" Lisa explained.

"What was Dr. J saying in Latin?" Leni asked.

"When I tried to view the recorded footage on the probe and Dr. J tried stopping me, she was warning me not to look upon the sights of Hell unless I wish to face Satan's Wrath, then she told me to save myself from Hell right before ending herself on the spot" Lisa answered.

"The sights of Hell," Lori said in a grim tone. "I probably don't wanna know what the probe saw on the other side if it was that bad enough to drive Dr. J and Lucy mad".

"But what about that monster? Lisa said that she thinks the scientist transformed into it. How's that even possible?" Leni wondered.

"If I had to guess, I'd say that it was from gazing at the camera feed of whatever the probe saw on the other side. Somehow in a way that I still have no answer to, the scientist must have looked at the screen, then transformed into that horrible monster and attacked Dr. J and killed the other male scientist" Lisa said.

"What?! That's crazy!" Rita exclaimed in disbelief.

"I know it sounds insane, but think about the facts I just mentioned," Lisa began. "I personally find all of my theories on this subject insane myself, but it's clear that we're dealing with forces I never even thought existed until now. If my theories do in fact turn out to be true, then that means the probe has been beyond the boundaries of our dimension, and possibly even our own universe. Wherever it's been, it's clear that whatever dark forces exist on the other side have found a way into our world using the probe as a gateway".

"A gateway? How could the probe act as a gateway?" Leni asked in confusion.

"I think whatever resides in this unknown dimension Dr. J claimed to be Hell, it can't enter our dimension physically, so it used the third scientist as a host for itself," Lisa explained. "When the third scientist looked directly at whatever the probe was recording in the other dimension, that beast entered our dimension by going through the footage itself. To put it simply, the footage acted as a gateway between dimensions which allowed that thing to come through".

"Wait, are you saying that the reason the scientist transformed is because this monster thing you saw possessed him by coming through the computer screen in the basement?!" Lori asked in shock and disbelief.

"As insane as it sounds, yes" Lisa replied.

"That can't be true! There's no way something like that is even possible!" Rita protested.

"Like I said from the very beginning. All of this is based on facts, but I don't know just how much of it is accurate or not. One thing's for sure though, I can't allow anyone to view the probe's footage, and even I won't dare gaze upon it. If my suspicions are correct, then that means whoever looks at it will end up transforming just like that scientist did" Lisa replied.

"Then what do we do now?" Leni asked.

"First things first," Lisa fastened the strape jacket together with Lucy now fully secure inside it. "We need to get Lucy back inside my room. Once she wakes up, I want to see if there's any possibility of getting her to speak, assuming she still has enough sanity to do so. Lucy is the only one who knows what went down in the basement, so she's our only hope of better understanding what we're dealing with. Afterwards, we'll need to get the police down here to deal with the scene in the basement".

"Lisa, you do realize that when the police see all the high tech stuff in the basement along with the probe, they're gonna want to know what was going on" Lori pointed out.

"I'm aware of that," Lisa replied. "And I'll be telling them the full truth. They may not believe me at first, but when I show them the security camera footage of that horrid beast escaping the house, they might take me more seriously".

"But what if they get the FBI involved, or even the freakin CIA?" Leni asked worriedly.

"If that happens, then we'll have to be as honest as possible. I don't like the idea of the CIA or even the Feds getting involved with this, but it is what it is" Lisa replied.

"What if they look at the probe's footage though? If your theories about that scientist transforming into the monster that attacked Dr. J and the other scientist are true, then whoever looks at it will end up transforming as well" Lori asked.

"They won't," Lisa said, shaking her head. "Because I'll be deleting the footage from the computer terminals and hiding the backup copy of it somewhere where they won't think to look. I don't want anyone viewing it until I know just what dark forces we're dealing with, and Lucy's the only one who probably knows more about it than the rest of us".

"But what if she doesn't? What if Lucy's mind is too far gone to reason with us?" Leni asked fearfully, glancing at Lucy who was now fully secure inside the strape jacket.

"Then there won't be much we can do, but either way, we need to be very careful. These forces we're dealing with are clearly dangerous, and I have a feeling that what happened in the basement is only the beginning" Lisa answered gravely.

"What are you applying by "only the beginning?" Rita asked, clearly unnerved.

"Lucy said in Latin that the gates of Hell had been opened and that all of us are at the devil's mercy. After everything that happened, and after seeing what actually happened to the missing scientist, I have a feeling that Lucy's ritual may have unleashed dark forces we've yet to fully understand. If that portal really does lead to the actual Hell itself, humanity may be in far more danger than I thought. The only way to try and undo whatever it was that Lucy did is for me to study that grimoire she used to perform that ritual of her's last night" Lisa explained.

"Wait a sec," Rita said. "What did this grimoire look like? I've seen Lucy with quite a few grimoires in the past, but I don't think I saw the one she used to perform that ritual of hers last night".

"It was black with what looked like a pentagram on the front cover. It was certainly not like any other grimoire I've seen before. It was much bigger and thicker than the other ones I've seen Lucy own in the past. She told me that she found it under some floorboard in the basement" Lisa replied.

As soon as Lisa mentioned the full description of the grimoire, Rita's eyes widened in shock.

"N-no! Lisa, tell me you're lying! Are you absolutely sure that's what it looked like?!" she demanded in a shocked voice.

"Yes, it looked exactly like I just described it," Lisa answered, now worried. "I take it from your reaction that you seem to know something about it".

Rita was silent for a full minute before finally speaking up, and she sounded far more serious than ever before in her life.

"Your father and I should have destroyed that horrid book when we had the chance, but I can see now that it's too late," Rita said gravely. "I never thought Lucy would actually find that horrid book given how well we hid it, but I was wrong".

"What?! You know about that grimoire Lucy used to open that portal?" Lori demanded in shock.

"Yes, I do," Rita nodded. "It was passed down to us by Aunt Harriet a long time ago, and she warned us to never read the grimoires contents, let alone perform any of the spells in it. Harriet said it was extremely dangerous and told us to burn it the first chance we got. Of course, your father and I never believed in that kind of stuff, nor did we even consider the fact that any of it was actually real. That was the reason we just kept it locked up in the attic and hidden away instead of destroying it. We just figured that one day, we could just pawn the book off, but it seems that Lucy got to it first".

"Wait, you knew about that book all along and never said anything?" Leni questioned in surprise.

"Yes, I did," Rita replied with a hint of regret in her voice. "But I didn't even believe that the powers in that book were actually real, and neither did your father. The both of us thought it was just some satanic bible filled with dark stuff, so we kept it hidden away in the attic. If we knew then what we know now, we would have destroyed that horrible thing, but I guess it's a little late for that now".

Leni, Lori, and Lisa were absolutely livid at this shocking revelation. They had no idea that their parents knew about the grimoire Lucy used to open that portal in the basement.

"Yes, it is a bit late for that now," Lisa said in a rather cold tone of voice. "I'm surprised you neglected to inform us about this earlier. Three of my best colleagues are now dead because of that ritual Lucy performed. Had I known about that book earlier, I might have been able to stop Lucy before it was too late".

"Lisa, it's not mom's fault, and we can't blame Lucy either. None of them knew that the stuff in that book was actually serious, so don't be so hard on them" Leni protested.

"I'm well aware of that," Lisa replied. "It's just… this is so much to take in. All this madness… all this death. This wasn't what I expected. I never thought in all my life that dark forces like this actually existed, and it's really scaring me".

"None of us did, Lisa. But the fact is, they do," Lori inquired. "And believe me, we're all just as freaked out about this as you, but we'll find a way to get through it".

"I… don't know… I just don't know" Lisa said gravely.

"In any case, we should probably get Lucy to your room. We don't want her to be in here when she wakes up" Leni pointed out at Lucy, still asleep on the floor in the strape jacket.

"Also, something fell out of the pockets of Lucy's soiled clothing before we began bathing her," Lori informed, then picked something up off the bathroom sink. "I think this must be Lucy's".

Lisa noticed that the object Lori held was a Christian cross necklace. It was gold colored with specks of black all over it as if it had been burned.

"What are those black marks on the cross?" Lisa asked, pointing at the black marks on the cross.

"I'm not sure, but the strange thing was that when the necklace fell out of Lucy's pocket, it was hot to the touch. I had to pick it up with a hand towel and run it under cold water to cool it off" Lori replied.

Lisa took the cross necklace from Lori and gazed down at it, wondering why something like that would happen. She then pocketed it and lifted Lucy up.

"I'll need help moving Lucy to my room" Lisa informed.

Lori and Leni helped carry Lucy back to Lisa's room as Lisa and Rita followed close behind. It had been twenty minutes since Lucy had been knocked out in the basement, so Lisa knew that she'd wake up in about forty minutes. She hoped that Lucy would still have enough sanity to answer many of the questions she had, but Lisa had a feeling it wouldn't be easy. While she now had some knowledge of what caused all the carnage in the basement, there were still many things Lisa still had no answers to. The grimoire would hopefully provide her with some of the answers she sought, and if Lucy still had enough sanity, she might be able to provide Lisa with even more answers to all of her questions. However, she also knew that once the police were involved, that would complicate things even further.

"Not like we have much of a choice" Lisa thought as she followed her mother and siblings back to her room.

All of this madness was slowly taking a toll on Lisa, and she feared that dark times were just around the corner. She reflected on everything Dr. J had said in the basement before ending her own life, reflected on Lucy's insanity, and the sight of that horrible monster that killed the one scientist and attacked Dr. J. Lisa never thought she'd experience something this gruesome and evil in all her life, but she knew she had to be strong. As terrifying as the whole experience had been, Lisa knew that panicking would get her nowhere. She planned to study the grimoire to the fullest extent and learn about just what type of power it possessed, and maybe even find a way to close the portal in the basement.

"Assuming the police don't confiscate the grimoire as evidence" Lisa thought worriedly.

If the police decided to take the grimoire as evidence, it would pose a problem, but Lisa would deal with that problem later. What mattered right now was Lucy. Once she woke up, Lisa would attempt to question her about what she saw in the basement, then she'd notify the police afterwards. Lisa entered her room as Leni and Lori set Lucy on her bed, awaiting the exact moment she would awaken, wondering just what horrors Lucy would reveal.


A/N: Man... Lucy's really lost it! Just what do you think she witnessed in the basement, and will she have enough sanity left to provide more details to Lisa once she wakes up? And what of the monster that escaped? You'll find out more soon enough...