November 1849

-Jonathan Rosenthal-

"No issues for 19 years, Jonathan! Things are happening again, and that isn't a coincidence!"

I hadn't seen Louise this upset since the incident all those years before. If Stacey hadn't been so foolish, she and Hazel would still be alive. Maybe the powers above thought it was their time to go. Personally, I think He had something do with it. Everything had been so peaceful. But as I've learned, things around here don't stay peaceful for long. It's only a matter of time before He pops back into our lives.

"Been hearing such strange sounds. They remind me of those screams we heard shortly after Stacey..." Louise trailed off and stared out the window. "A silver mist has been rising out. It smells absolutely horrid. But it only happens on certain nights. I haven't distinguished a consistent pattern yet."

"You said this has been going on for the last three months?" I questioned. "Why didn't you inform me sooner?"

I watched her face scrunch in irritation. "I don't know. I would not call on you every time something small happened." She turned away and put her head in her hands. "Wanted to see if this was just a onetime thing, but I was wrong. We shouldn't waste any more time."

"We need a plan. This is not the time to go into something like this blindly. When we still know very little." I paused, wanting to choose my next set of words carefully. "Do you think we'll need the Helm?"

Mist began pouring from the opening steadily at the mention of the Helm. Louise backed away from the window cautiously. All I could do was watch as a layer of silvery fog settled over the area. It would have been a breathtaking sight if we were oblivious to its source.

"It IS sentient. Its reaction to the Helm alone confirms this." Louise's tone was one of awe mixed with terror. "Are we sure it's a good idea to consult it? What if that's what caused this crater to appear? We could make things worse by conferring with it."

"It wasn't the Helm that started all of this. That chasm was already forming before we consulted the Helm." But I could see why this would be a concern to her. It was true the mysterious chasm stared to appear before they consulted the Helm. However, once they called on its guidance, it made the situation worse.

"We need to try. Apparently, we must not have given the respect it deserves. There were only three of us in the room when we asked for guidance. Stacey was not there."

"But she was nearby! Doesn't that still count?"

I shrugged. "If we decide to go forward with this, we will need to have someone from the other two families here and aware to acknowledge what is going on. It's only right."

Louise sighed. "Jonathan. I think we need to do something sooner rather than later. We need to sort this out once and for all."

A sharp knock at the door caused us to jump a little. As Louise turned to open the door, I could see it was her son Matthew. He looked flustered as he came rushing over to Louise and hugged her tightly. I got the feeling this was a private family affair. Quickly dismissing myself, I stepped out to the back of the house. I saw the silver mist she was talking about. It smells horrendous; I thought.

I continued to stare into the chasm when an idea occurred to me. What if we gathered up some men to descend inside and go exploring? I'm sure there would be enough volunteers who would help. Or would it be wise to just keep this between the four families? I shook my head.

"We would definitely need over four people. But that means getting more innocent people involved in this mess. There has to be another way."

Like Louise said: the fewer people who knew about this, the better. As much as having Matthew as the Porter delegate would be ideal, that was out of the question. I couldn't ask a brand-new father to go on such a dangerous venture. He needed to be there to provide while his wife was taking care of the baby. I couldn't ask Louise to go either. She was too old, and women didn't need to get themselves mixed up in such affairs.

"Is everything okay?" Louise must have wondered where I'd gone. She came and stood beside me. "Sorry about that. Had to reassure my son he'd be a wonderful father and to be with his wife."

All I could do was nod. "I've been giving this some thought. Since our odds of utilizing the Helm are high, we will definitely need to get someone from each family. But it might not be enough with just four of us."

"Jonathan, you know what I said –"

"I have taken this into consideration. But we don't know what we're up against. At the very least, we need someone to know what's going on. Just in case something was to go horribly wrong." I sighed again. "I don't think it's wise for you to take part in this venture."

I heard her gasp. "You don't get to determine that. This is on my property, and you have no right to stop me!"

"This is going to be incredibly dangerous! Think about your son. Your new grandchild. I would ask Matthew to go in your place—"

"Absolutely not!" Louise shrieked. "Look, I know I'm older and don't get around as well as most. But I can be useful. This can still work. Have you thought of who can be called upon from the Borne's and the Sterling's?"

"Not sure who would be a good option from the Sterling's, but I thought of Stacey's nephew, Carl. He's a miner by trade and would know the safest ways to get around."

Louise nodded. "He would be ideal. Does he still live here in Norwich?"

"I can ask his mother. I'm sure she'd know."

"I had someone who crossed my mind from the Sterling's. He is known for his studies in the supernatural –"

Holding my hand up, I stopped her from saying anymore. "If you suggest Merle, then don't bother expecting me to show up to help."

I heard Louise huff in disagreement but didn't press the issue. "Regardless, we need to get this underway. No sense in dallying."

"Shall we meet again in a week's time to proceed?"

Louise nodded. "Yes. That will be more than enough time."

"I shall contact Carl in the morning and see what his thoughts are on this."

"Don't see why he would oppose. You know the Borne's; always thirsting for knowledge. I shall try to see if there is someone from the Sterling's who can aid us."

I bid Louise good night and made my way back home. Before I knew it, a week had gone by. I had told Carl to meet me at Louise's house a little after 10:00. He seemed intrigued in knowing more and happily obliged to help. As 10:15 rolled around, I saw a figure approaching the house.

"Why is he here?" I scoffed. "You knew about my circumstance with this."

I saw Louise roll her eyes at me. "He is going to be extremely valuable with the supernatural elements of this. I had tried contacting a cousin of his, but he refused. Merle is the only option we have to do this." She crossed her arms. "You're just going to deal with that Jonathan."

Before I retort back, Merle had moved toward the two of us. He gave Louise a quick hug and talked to her for a few seconds before he turned his attention to me.

"Jonathan. It's been a while. I hope all has been well with you." Merle had always been friendly, but I could tell he was trying to be careful with how he addressed me.

I curtly nodded before I diverted my attention to an unknown person approaching the house. They were taking in their surroundings before seeing the house and made a dash to it. As they got closer, it appeared to be a young man. But upon a second look, he had very feminine features, and the clothing he was wearing were too baggy.

"Hello."

I was more confused than before. His voice was higher pitched and sounded gentle. There was something about him that was familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on it.

Louise, however, knew exactly who this was. "Bella! It's been quite some time!"

It finally dawned on me I was not looking at a girlish male, but a woman disguised as one! She had some nerve dressing herself like this. Did she have no respect? I knew Carl Borne well. Not only did he not have a sister, there was no way he would allow her to leave the house dressed so poorly.

"So, you're wearing pants? I really hope no one saw you dressed like this."

Bella laughed lightly. "Even if they did, what does it matter? Most think of me as a man anyway with this short haircut and confident demeanor."

I cleared my throat. "Who are you exactly? Why are you here? We are waiting for someone so we can take care of some personal matters."

She turned to me; her eyes narrowed slightly. "Jonathan Rosenthal, right? My brother wanted me to tell you he cannot make it. He expresses his most sincere apologies."

"Your brother? Carl Borne does not have a sister! I would know if he did as I am a close friend of his."

Bella rolled her eyes at me. "You must not be as close to my brother as you think if you weren't aware that he had a sister. Shall I fetch him for you to confirm this?"

Instead of waiting for my response, Bella directed her attention to Merle. As they engaged in conversation, I could feel Louise's questioning stare on me.

"What was that about, Jonathan?" She whispered harshly. "You're the one who said we needed the help. We have someone from each family here. Don't turn them away from helping us!"

Deep down, I knew she was right. The initial display I had toward Bella was a tad rude, and I hoped to correct that. Taking a moment to collect myself, I interjected myself into their conversation. "That won't be necessary. We have little time as it is. For now, I'll just take your word for it, Ms. Borne."

"Just Bella, Mr. Rosenthal." She turned to the chasm and began examining it. When I arrived this morning, the activity had exploded from a week ago. Louise had questioned if it would be a good idea to proceed.

"Is this what has everyone riled up?" Bella interrupted my thoughts. "Doesn't look abnormal at all." I watched her walk closer and peer down into the opening. Merle had joined her near the edge as well. They were engaged in a rather animated conversation while observing the silver mist that arose.

"Careful!" I shouted. "You don't know what's down there, you dolts!"

Merle and Bella both turned toward me. He had a look of concern while she seemed aggravated; even Louise was irritated with how I was acting.

"Mr. Rosenthal." I could tell she was trying to maintain composure in her tone while speaking to me. "This is nothing more than an unusually large chasm. I can see the concern because of its sheer size, but there doesn't appear to be anything else out of the ordinary."

Merle looked at her with genuine intrigue. "How does this even come to be? I can say I know little on the subject personally, but always like to expand my knowledge."

She gave him a soft smile before continuing. "If rocks below the ground are made of minerals that are easily dissolved by water, that water can get trapped beneath said surface. This will cause natural underground currents, and those currents could easily dissolve the rocks and create a hole underground."

"How does that make its way up to us?" Merle asked.

"The top of that chasm will slowly grow toward the surface. This will make the surface layer thinner and thinner until it becomes too weak to support whatever is above it. When that happens, it creates a chasm. Science will prove this chasm is natural and not something unearthly."

More silver mist curled from the opening. I watched Merle pull out a small bottle and collected some of it. He was careful not to let any of it touch his skin. "What about the silver mist? As an occultist, seeing silver mist has been tied with the spectral form of someone who has passed on. That definitely isn't something traditional science can explain."

Bella opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. "Mr. Sterling—"

"Just Merle. Please. I'm not big into formalities."

"The mist you collected is just vapor. And those wails you're hearing? It's merely friction between rocks beneath the surface. Everything going on here has a sound reason and has nothing to do with superstitions." She glanced at Merle. "No offense there, I hope."

If he seemed offended, I didn't register any on Merle's face as he continued to collect samples of mist. "Not at all, my dear. I am aware not everyone is ready to face that reality." He gave her a wink. "But the occult and science really go hand-in-hand with each other. Let me know if you're interested in learning more. Maybe we can collaborate on a project together."

Bella gave him a rueful smile before turning to Louise and I. "You two saw the 'birth' of this chasm. Is there anything more you can tell me more—"

A guttural growl cut her off. We all looked to the chasm and saw the mist was now an ugly green color. Before any of us could react, Merle began pushing all of us away from the opening and toward the house. Once we were inside, he said an incantation and sprinkled red powder at the bottom of the door. The three of us watched him as he stood still for a few moments before facing us. He had a serious and scary look in his eye.

"Why didn't you say we were dealing with Him?"

Louise seemed unconcerned with Merle's behavior. "I knew you would be hesitant to come here if I bluntly told you what was going on. Given what happened to Hazel, I understand. But you are the only Sterling still around this area who could help figure this out." She took a step forward and tightly embraced him. "I'm very sorry I wasn't honest with you from the beginning."

Accepting her hug, they remained that way for a moment before he stepped back and looked out the window as the mist became thicker outside.

"Red brick dust is very effective regarding home protection and against evil beings. For good measure, I placed a powerful defense incantation on this space." He turned toward me. "Where is the Helm? We need to act fast."

I went to fetch the leather casing from my bag. Carefully pulling it out, I placed it on the kitchen table. Louise, Merle, and I each took a spot around the table. Bella, however, took a step back.

"What is that thing?"

Louise looked bewildered. "You don't know?"

"Know what? I'm not even sure what's going on right now. Talks about Him and that strange-looking piece of metal –"

I quickly covered her mouth from saying anything further. She fought against me, but it was no use. I made a motion for Louise to come over and help me.

"Bella." She cautiously whispered. "I must implore you to say nothing negative about the Helm. This all must be strange for you. Now that I think it about it, it makes sense. Of course your father wouldn't mention anything." Louise gave me a look, and I quickly let go of Bella.

"Mention what? What is even going on?" Her eyes widened a little, and she panicked. "Is my brother part of some secret cult?"

Louise shook her head quickly. "No. But your father shouldn't have kept you in the dark about this. Your family is cursed and will continue to be that way until we figure out a way to stop Him."

"Who's we? Who is Him?"

"He is the entity we think is solely responsible for this curse. There have been terrible things He has done against our families. Everyone in this room is affected by the same haunting. It's been going on for hundreds of years. The Helm is a powerful artifact that can help or hurt us while trying to solve what's going on." She took Bella's hand into her own and looked deep in her eyes. "Please trust me and help us."

"There are forces here at work more powerful than us. There's something trapped in that pit, and it's something much bigger than our differences. Please stay and help." I pled.

Bella's face went from confused to determined. "You will explain more of the finer details later, but if you say this is important… then I shall believe you and help. Just tell me what I need to do."

"Stand over by Merle." I spoke. "We all need to be touching the Helm when we ask for its guidance."

"We really should do this near the chasm." Merle commented. "I strongly feel it will help matters."

We made our way outside to stand near it. The silver mist was so thick, it was hard to see where everyone else was. Standing in a small circle, all of us placed our hand underneath the relic as I asked for wisdom and what we needed to do to stop this. I closed my eyes to focus on the task at hand. When I opened them, I was alone and no longer in Louise's backyard.

"Hello?" I called out. "Somebody?"

I was met with silence. I looked around and nothing was familiar except for the Helm at my feet. I breathed a sigh of relief as I picked it up carefully and placed it inside my jacket pocket. When I looked up, I could just make out what looked like blue sky. But it was so far away. Not to mention that the silver mist seemed to be at its thickest so far. It almost felt like I was in a deep hole. It dawned on me: was I inside the chasm?

I heard a quiet pop to my left, and I saw a black door. It had an intricate design, and the silver mist dissipated from around it. The door appeared to be open slightly; it felt like it was tempting me to get closer. Calling out to my companions once again and still receiving no answer, I walked to the door and pulled it open. There was a staircase that led to complete darkness. There didn't seem to be anything else. Taking a deep breath, I proceeded forward down the stairs.

"What is this place? Maybe I should go." I continued into the darkness. Suddenly, the area filled with a glowing red light, and I was in an unfamiliar room. Sitting on a lone table was a bottle. It looked similar to the one Merle was carrying, but the only difference was this bottle held a golden mist. I wondering if taking this would result in a fatal consequence.

"I'll take my chances." I picked up the bottle and immediately heard a voice. It sounded like Louise, but it was too far away to be sure. However, the message was clear: they were calling for help.

Another set of stairs materialized to proceed further down. My curiosity grew, but I decided to go back through the door out of here to look for my missing companions. As I made my way back to the stairs, a note fell from above me. It read: Bottle of Mist: Drink from it or suffer a consequence. What kind of consequence? Being ambiguous was something that irritated me.

"What would I suffer? You can't hurt me!" Maybe mockery wasn't the best approach, but there was no way in hell I was drinking whatever was in that bottle. "Give me your worst!" I was losing it. There was no one else here but me as far as I could see.

I made my way up the stairs, still carrying the bottle of mist. Maybe Merle could analyze this or something. Once I went through the door, a scream pierced the air. Whoever produced it was nearby.

"Who's out there?!" I shouted. I heard running footsteps. I pulled out my pistol just in case it was something unsavory. Doing a quick rotation of the immediate area, I didn't see anyone.

"Jonathan! My God!" Bella crushed me into a hug. It bewildered me. Where did she come from so fast? I hadn't seen her at all. I hesitantly hugged her back.

"What is this place?" She asked me. Inspecting her appearance, she was in rough shape. She had a nasty cut on her arm; her pants ripped along the bottom. There was something in her hands that she tightly clutched. "I'm so glad I found you. After we consulted the Helm, I was all alone in this strange place. It almost looks like we're inside that chasm."

I nodded. "Yeah. I came to that same conclusion. You have seen no one else, have you?" I was hopeful she knew where Louise and Merle were. She shook her head.

"I haven't seen them. Was about to ask you the same question. Hey, did you find a black door?" My heart stopped for a second upon hearing her question. "It probably wasn't wise of me, but something was beckoning me to come inside. While I was there, I found this strange timepiece."

She showed me a small pocket watch. It was gold and appeared to be brand new. It had a peculiar design inscribed on the back. But as I studied it, I noticed something strange. The hands were going the wrong way. When I tried adjusting it, the watch refused and continued to tick backward.

"There was a note next to it, saying it was a mystical clock," Bella took it back from me, "and that if I wanted to take it with me, I had to provide a small sample of blood in its place. That's how I got the gash in my arm."

"Let's go find the others. They have to be around here somewhere." We started walking in the hazy landscape in search of Merle and Louise. Occasionally, we would hear someone shouting, but never came across anyone else. Bella and I would take turns calling out to them. But we were always met with silence. As we continued looking, I had this unsettling feeling as though we were being watched, and not just by the usual horrors of these subterranean worlds. There was a part of me that just knew it was Him. He was there, just out of sight, in a land we can't reach.

After some time had passed, Bella suddenly stopped. "Um, Jonathan? Have we been going in circles?"

Perplexed by her reaction, I told her we had been talking in a straight line since she found me. I followed her gaze and saw nothing that could be cause for concern. "What's gotten you into such a bewildered state? There's nothing but more trees and mist."

"Where did that door come from then?" She pointed just off to my right. I took a step back, my breath catching in my throat. The same black door we encountered was there. However, we heard voices coming from inside.

"Should we call out?" Bella whispered, but the door opened wide before I could answer her. Walking from the doorway was Louise, followed closely by Merle. Her eyes blinked rapidly at us as though she couldn't believe we were there. I watched her tug at Merle's arm to get his attention. He whipped around and rushed at us. Grabbing me by the shirt collar, he pinned me against a tree and pointed his revolver to my head.

"State your full name, your occupation, and the names of your children. If you don't answer me in five seconds, I'll shoot!" He growled.

Confused and annoyed at Merle's behavior, I humored him. "Jonathan Richard Rosenthal, bartender at Fonseca's, and the names of my children are James, Jebediah and Jezebel."

He released me and did the same interrogation to Bella. Merle put his gun away afterward, his face relaxing.

"I'm sure you're wondering what that was about—"

"You're damn right I am! What the hell was that?" I shouted. "You know who we are. Was that dramatic interrogation necessary!?"

"It was necessary, Jonathan! Needed to make sure you were who you say you were!"

Louise came between us. "But you have proven it is Jonathan and Bella. Everything is fine."

"What did you see?" Bella asked.

Merle glanced over to her. "A demonic being posing as an innocent child. That's all I'm going to say."

A shudder ran through my body. "You're right. I'm glad neither one of us encountered that. Did you see this demon while exploring what's behind that door?"

"I'm surprised we didn't seem more. But Louise and I found some valuable items while we were exploring. She found this amazing amber sphere that will heal nearly any injury you receive."

"But I did have to leave behind my father's revolver in order to get it. I felt it was a fair enough price to pay. That old revolver was on the brink of falling apart. Merle, however, found this amulet. It's definitely something to behold."

Merle pulled on the chain and revealed the gorgeous charm There was a red stone in the middle; the casing resembled a star, and it was being held by a silver chain. I could definitely feel an aura of how powerful this amulet was, and I was never one to believe in any of that. But there was certainly a feeling of intense energy as soon as I laid eyes on it.

"What did it cost to acquire that?" Bella asked, still in awe over the amulet.

The expression on Merle's face twitched slightly, but I seemed to be the only one who caught the strange spasm of movement. "It cost me dearly, but it was still worth it. I will know when He comes to collect on it, but I will take the advantages I have now." He jerked his head toward the door as he tucked the amulet back into his shirt. "Speaking of that doorway, do either of you know where it leads to?"

Bella and I shook our heads. I had assumed it was another part of the chasm and had given little thought.

"Those doors are the opening to the Realms of Hell. I was getting negative energy when I first saw the chasm, but wasn't expecting this at all." Merle's voice was cautious, and it felt he was choosing his words carefully.

"What are the Realms of Hell?" Bella was skeptical. "We're still talking about the same Hell taught to us when we go to church, yes?"

"It's more complicated than a straight yes or no. Have you read 'Dante's Inferno' by Dante Alighieri? He mentioned the nine circles of Hell. The Realms of Hell are like that, but they're very much real and extremely dangerous."

"This is no coincidence that the doorway to the underworld appeared. We must be getting closer to where He is. He's trying to lure us here. I'm sorry to get you all involved in this. By entering this chasm, that must have set off unlocking this accursed doorway."

I could feel the others staring at me. Louise finally spoke up. "How could we have known by exploring this chasm, we'd be unlocking it? We were trying to do our due diligence and learn more about it. I think it's safe to say we did that."

"Now it's time to decide what we should do next to make sure He is sealed away and stop the curse on our families. This might sound messed up, but this is a blessing," explained Merle. "Imagine if we didn't explore the chasm, we would have never found this doorway. He could have come through while we were oblivious and killed us with no warning."

"This path should not have opened! We should have been more careful." It irritated me they weren't taking this as seriously as I was. We were in real danger if we stayed much longer. "I think it would be wise for us to leave here now. All those items we took from the Realms? Let's just leave them here. We don't need to create any more trouble."

I felt a hand on my shoulder, causing me to tense up. "Jonathan," Louise softly said. "It will be okay. Maybe it would be best for us to leave here. Merle already has a suggestion he wants to run by you when we leave here."

"If the Helm can bring us here, I think it can bring us back to the surface as well. But just to be sure, we'll all have to leave our mark on it."

Pulling out a small blade from its holder, I removed the Helm from my pocket and placed it gently onto the ground. I popped my blade open and sliced my finger. Bright red blood trailed down my finger as I let a droplet fall onto my family crest. Passing the blade around, the others repeated my actions until we filled four new sections on the Helm.

"Can you show us the way out of this chasm and back to the surface world?" I whispered as we picked it up.

The glow from the Helm became brighter, and I had to avert my eyes so I wouldn't blind myself. I heard growling coming from Merle's direction. I briefly opened my eyes to see a pair of red eyes behind him, staring right at me. In that moment, I couldn't move at all as the figure got closer. I couldn't tell what it was, but whatever it was, it was massive and threatening in appearance.

"I can feel His hunger has almost been sated. He is almost strong enough to act. His hate is everywhere."

I didn't recognize the voice, but their words unsettled me. Was it a warning what was about to come, or was it another trick to get me to let my guard down? Either way, I would not take any chances. I continued to focus on getting us out of this place and away from whatever threats were down there waiting to strike. A loud scream broke my concentration, and I looked to my companions for answers. They were all staring upward to the top of the chasm; back to a safe haven.

"Thank you for your sacrifice, Jonathan Rosenthal. I shall see you again shortly."

A raspy voice whispered into my left ear. When I turned to see who was there, there was no one except the same glowing red eyes as before. I turned to my other side to warn Bella, but all I saw was Louise's house. Realizing we were back on the surface sent a wave of relief rushing through me. For the time being, I forgot about the unknown voice that threatened me; I was just happy to be back here. Surveying the others, I saw Louise hugging Bella close and Merle was back at the opening of the chasm.

"What you doing Merle?" I asked.

Swiftly but carefully, he turned to face us and held a finger to his lips. Louise and Bella came to stand next to me as we watched Merle take out a small kit filled with vials of different colored powders and liquids. He was reciting something in Latin while taking three of the vials with pink liquid and popped them open. Merle stood up and made his way around the chasm while tipping the contents of the bottles onto the ground. When he completed the loop, the pink liquid on the ground sizzled aggressively. I could hear screams from the bottom of the chasm as Merle continued to speak Latin; the liquid continued to bubble.

"The hole is getting smaller!" Louise whispered.

Once again, Merle took three bottles of orange powder from the small kit and repeated the same process as before. The screaming intensified and I could hear a low growl. A black paw lurched from the opening and took a swipe at Merle. I heard Bella scream in terror and reached out for him as Louise and I kept her back. However, Merle seemed unfazed by what had happened as the appendage continued to swing in the air before getting a strike on his arm. As soon as the paw vanished in the hole, the chasm disappeared entirely.

Something cold hit my cheek, catching me off-guard. It was snowing; large flakes danced in the air and quickly covered everything in white. It brought a sense of peace to my mind despite what we just went through.

"I have never been happier to see snow in my entire life," I heard Merle say. I could see that his arm was bleeding, but it didn't seem to distress him.

"Thank God you're safe!"

Bella ran toward him and grabbed him in a tight hug. When she went to examine his arm, he picked her up and spun her around gently. They were lost in their own little world, so I gave them their privacy and joined Louise.

"At least something good came from this." She was staring where the chasm once was. "It might seem insignificant, but we did something momentous tonight by sealing the cavern. I can rest easy for the first time in a long time."

I nodded in agreement. "Do you think we finally stopped Him?"

Louise shook her head. "No. We need to find all the cursed items and destroy them. But for now, we can appreciate this moment. I have this feeling He will have a hard time trying to surface soon."

"Then allow ourselves to rest easy. Let's be grateful for what we have and cherish it."