A haunting, distorted, yet somehow somber melody filled the stale, dead air of the abyss that the demigod and the teenager he'd rescued now took sanctuary in. Kate and Firebrand sat in the dirt on opposite sides of a makeshift firepit, the warm glow coming from the dull blaze succeeding in little more than brightening the immediate area. The pitch-black void surrounding them devoured any and all excess light, making it impossible to see anything beyond the protection offered by the dancing flames. Perhaps her eyes would've eventually adjusted to the darkness had she decided to go investigate what was out there, but she intended on doing no such thing; Kate knew better than to leave their safe haven, for she'd been warned of the horrors that existed in this unholy plane of existence. Her unexpected savior had told her very little about the realm he'd taken her to, only instructing the girl not to venture off on her own; not that she'd needed any warning. "This place doesn't take very kindly to strangers," he'd said while doing his best to tend to her concussion and set her broken nose, both of which she'd gotten during her collision with The Administrator. Despite the shadow man's efforts to make her comfortable, she felt far worse taking shelter in the void than she ever had while wandering RiverView Park. This realm of reality was no place for human beings, so while Firebrand sat there calm and collected, his glowing pinhole eyes staring thoughtfully into the glowing embers, Kate only grew more paranoid by the second. She found herself constantly looking over her shoulder, her flesh crawling with goosebumps as she had no choice but to listen to the disturbing, near-constant noises coming from the other side of the black curtain. Every snapped twig, creak or crack of a branch, and even the occasional footfall tugged at her sanity, and as she looked back up at Firebrand to observe his nonchalant behavior, a great deal of irritation built up inside. He'd said next to nothing since tossing her those painkillers and curious white pills from across the firepit, choosing to contemplate the flames instead. Suddenly, the sound of something huge entering a body of water rang out from somewhere nearby and Kate let out a yelp of fear, earning herself a bemused look from Firebrand. She scowled back at him and finally snapped, fed up with his silence;
"Why are you looking at me like that? This might be an everyday thing for you, but I've never actually visited Hell before now," she spat.
"You seemed pretty eager to try it just a few hours ago," he commented, ignoring the glare she was giving him; "Besides, you're safe as long as I'm around, which makes this the best-case scenario. I don't blame you for hating it here, but there was nowhere else I could've taken you."
"You could've taken me home, did you ever consider that?" she snarkily replied.
"And what do you think would've happened if I did?" Firebrand retorted, receiving the same foul look in response; "Did you pay any attention to what I told you back in the forest? They would've slaughtered everybody you love and made you watch, so be very grateful that I didn't take you back home because you'd be begging for death right now if I had."
"What the hell is wrong with you? You're supposed to be the hero who comes in and fixes everything, not a cynical jerk who treats me like I'm just some dumb kid," she said, raising her voice.
"Who just saved your naive little ass?" Firebrand growled. "I don't think you fully understand the gravity of the situation; This isn't some low-budget monster movie or video game where everything magically works itself out in the end, I'm not your knight in shining armor who comes riding in to slay the beast and save the day, and you certainly are not some modern Ellen Ripley. What were you thinking coming out here on your own like that? Even if it had been a vengeful spirit, do you honestly believe that you would've stood any chance against it? How shortsighted are you that you think picking up a few tips and tricks from a mediocre television show makes you capable of fighting monsters?" the exasperated entity lectured.
"I was trying to save my mom's life!" Kate shouted, mixed emotions welling up inside of her.
"Well, a lot of good that did! If you don't manage to pull this off, you'll die out here and nobody will ever see you again! How do you think your mom will feel about that after she's already lost so much?" Firebrand responded, earning a shocked look from Kate. She stared at the annoyed daemon for several moments before what he said finally hit home, and she felt herself starting to tear up. She buried her face in her hands and cried silently, imagining what her mother's reaction would be if she never saw her daughter again. Firebrand let out a remorseful sigh upon seeing the teen's reaction to his outburst, cursing himself for losing his temper with her. "Listen, Kate, I'm sorry… I just…" he started, struggling to put his thoughts into words. "It's easy to forget that you're just a kid, especially after everything I've seen you go through tonight. I didn't mean anything by…"
"No, you're right. I'm not ready for this… It was stupid to think I was" she interrupted, wiping tears away with her sleeve. "But that doesn't matter because I have to be; I have to be for my mom's sake, and I'm going to finish this no matter what it takes," she said, her shaky voice filled with determination.
"And I will do everything in my power to help you get out of this mess, I promise you that. But you need to have trust in me for this to work, and that goes beyond simply taking those painkillers I gave you," he said, having found a whole new sense of admiration for the girl. "Understood?"
"Yes," she sniffled, nodding to her inhuman ally.
"Good. Now that we're on the same page, I need to know if you're ready to go back to the forest. We're running out of time, and believe me when I tell you that you'll like The Administrator even less when He's angry," he said, getting up onto his feet.
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Those meds you gave me really did the trick, whatever they were," she stated as she too stood back up.
"Those little beauties are called Preaxin," he said with a grin; "Fighting off Sigma Radiation Poisoning isn't their intended purpose, but for some reason, the things have an element or chemical compound in them that works wonders for people in your situation; and before you even ask, no, taking them won't have any nasty side effects. I think their official purpose is to help with schizophrenia or seizures or something."
"Well I guess I was right about the effect that The Administrator had on me and my equipment being radiation-based," Kate stammered, amazed that she'd guessed correctly. "But this Sigma Radiation, how does it work exactly?" she questioned, hoping to untie some more knots before being dumped back into the fray.
"To put it in layman's terms, the stuff rolls off of Him like some kind of anomalous body odor, only instead of smelling bad it ravages your physical health. It's not something you want to be around for very long and avoid it altogether when possible. Looking back on it I really should've warned you about this sooner, since the amount of time you're exposed to this stuff can mean the difference between life and death. Also, keep in mind that Preaxin isn't a permanent solution, especially if you get too close to the source. Think of it as a supernatural painkiller," Firebrand explained.
"So it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to invest in some of these things as soon as possible then, considering you told me before that He's still going to follow me around after this is over," Kate said.
"Bingo," the demigod responded, satisfied at the progress they were making together. Then, his tone shifted back to serious again as he remembered the tight schedule he was on; "I hope you're ready because it's time to go."
"I am," Kate confirmed, fear setting in again as Firebrand took her hand in his own. After only a short moment of dizziness accompanied by the same rushing sensation as before, she found herself blinking rapidly as she adjusted to the new surroundings. No longer were they in the twisted crawlspace between worlds, but back in the concrete tunnel standing almost exactly where she'd been knocked to the ground. The tired teenager instantaneously felt the familiar chill of the forest, but this time she relished in it, grateful that she no longer had to breathe in the foul abyssal air. She heard the fierce wind picking up outside of the passage, and when she turned to look out at the tunnel's exit was pleasantly surprised to see the first glimmer of dim morning sunlight shining down on the hiking trails.
"Catch," Firebrand said as he tossed her the fallen flashlight and camcorder, which had been laying in the dirt since she'd dropped them. "I hope those still work. Believe it or not, Sigma Radiation is worse for electrical equipment than it is for people."
"Let me check," Kate said, searching for the power button. The camera booted up slowly, and when first turning on emitted a shrill burst of static as video tearing and discoloration flashed across the now-cracked screen. At first, she feared the worst, but after a few painstaking moments of waiting, the device seemed to get ahold of itself and went back to working normally. After checking to make sure all of the footage she'd recorded hadn't been erased, she hit record again and pointed the camera at Firebrand, doing her best not to worry about the near-dead battery. She then switched on her flashlight, which still worked alright, but the battery was so depleted that the beam was barely visible. "Everything's up and running," she announced.
"You still have those notes on you?" he asked. Kate dug around in her jacket pocket for a moment to make sure she still had all six before nodding her head. "Well, in that case, this is where we part ways. I wish I could do more for you, I really do, but now my help must come to an end… for good."
"Wait, what are you," Kate began to ask, confused at this sudden turn of events. However, it only took one wink from the eye on his left hand, the one that wasn't in view of the camera, to understand what was happening; He was putting on a show for those who might be listening, whose eyes were definitely fixated on the two of them now that the game was about to resume. "Well… thanks, I guess," she responded, playing along with his scheme.
"Oh, and just for the record, I find your actions tonight far more brave than stupid," he said, earning an amused grin from the girl. "Good luck out there, kid," he said, preparing to leave.
"Wait!" Kate exclaimed, needing to get one more piece of information from him; "You said before that I was part of something that began a long time ago, and it kind of sounded like I'd have an important role to play in the future. What was that all about?" she questioned.
"You'll find out when the time is right. Just know that everything happening tonight is only the beginning," Firebrand stated, a neutral look on his ghostly face. "Best not to worry about it now, though. Go make your mother proud." With that, the living silhouette gave one last glowing white, toothy smile before vanishing.
"Thank you, for everything," Kate whispered. She'd wanted to say much more to this strange being to whom she owed her life, but hadn't found the right words in time. He'd never been obligated to guide her along the right path, deceive The Administrator into letting him help her escape, or even do so much as speak to her at all. He may have had ulterior motives for assisting her rather than just doing it out of the kindness of his heart, and she fully expected to learn more about what those motives entailed in the years to come, but for now, she was just grateful for his help. Without Firebrand, she'd surely be dead… or worse. Holding her head high, Kate finally exited the tunnel and stepped out into the windswept morning, noticing right off the bat that the suffocating fog from before was all but gone. Her best guess was that the tempest had either blown most of it away, or it had dissipated on its own as the morning grew brighter. Beams of bright golden light from the rising sun shone through the trees like rays of hope, finally putting an end to the oppressive darkness and allowing the teenager to put her flashlight away in a jacket pocket. According to the camcorder's clock, it was roughly 7:00 in the morning, and in any normal forest, she'd be able to look forward to seeing the wildlife waking up from its collective slumber. However, in this cursed place, the only thing she had to look forward to beyond the rising sun was being hunted by a demon. More determined than ever before to finally end the nightmare, she started sprinting down the trail as fast as she could while fighting hard against the wind, doing her best to ignore the fact that she could see The Administrator much more clearly in the sunlight. It took longer than she would've liked to reach the next landmark thanks to the unrelenting gale, but she still made it there at a decent time. However, it turned out to be nothing more than a heavily rusted, blue oil truck parked in the grass to the left of the trail, and much to Kate's annoyance, there wasn't a note to be found. Letting out a frustrated groan, she glanced to the right and saw The Administrator standing in the road, much closer to her position than she appreciated. She knew that if He could physically smile at her misfortune, He would be doing so, and thought of flipping the creature off but ultimately decided against it. Going through with that idea would've been like prodding a bull, only this particular bull was capable of effortlessly reducing her to a bloody mess.
Instead, she simply turned around and got away from the area as fast as she could, refusing to let the creature's scare tactics get to her head. The sun steadily climbed higher in the sky and illuminated more and more of the landscape, which ultimately proved to be both a gift and a curse. While it was far easier to see where she was going now, aside from the wind stinging her eyes, it was also much easier to see The Administrator in her peripheral vision, who was constantly teleporting from place to place, trying to make her slip up as He slowly got closer and closer. Feeling her heart rate increasing and knowing that she couldn't ignore His presence for much longer, she pushed herself to keep going, her legs burning as her lungs struggled to take in enough air. She soon stumbled across a new path that branched off to the left, but took one look down it and passed it by, now able to see that it led back to the field that held the propane tanks and bathhouse. Kate eventually managed to reach the penultimate landmark; a red, rusted pickup truck parked next to a small, run-down blue and yellow building in the shape of a cube. It took only a few moments of investigation to discover that the vehicle held nothing of interest, but there was, however, a tattered scrap of paper stuck to the shed's single boarded-up window. A more detailed, yet still simplistic drawing of The Administrator stood at the center of the page, and scribbled around it dozens of times was the word "No." "Seven of Eight," the voice announced with a nervous tone.
"One to go," Kate muttered as she pocketed the note, well aware of how serious things were about to get. Just as that thought was going through her head, a new ambiance tore through the forest to signify the final stage of the game; There was no coherent explanation for what she was hearing, as it could only be described as a strange, repeating audio frequency that shifted in pitch throughout its duration, accompanied by something that vaguely resembled the sound of raspy breathing thrown in at the end of the loop. Unfortunately for the exhausted teenager, this new cadence operated differently than the previous ones; Instead of replacing the fearsome tempest, it joined in with it to create something far more unsettling than any of the others. Snapping back to her senses, Kate barely had time to shift her thoughts away from the new sound and back to her objective before The Administrator abruptly appeared right in front of her, His tentacles writhing ferociously in the air. She immediately ran for her life, sprinting down the trail as fast as she could and dodging her foe at every turn. The demon was moving around more rapidly now than it ever had before, frequently teleporting directly in front of the girl in the hopes that she'd finally slip up and run right into its waiting arms. Due to her enemy's erratic movements, she was often forced to backtrack or even leave the path entirely, which made progressing much slower than she would've liked, but the effort proved to be worth it as the last landmark was finally within sight; A great tree stood tall in a grassy patch at the center of the dirt road, its dead, deformed branches reaching toward the sky like misshapen lightning bolts. She was so close, so close to reaching her goal, but the faceless monstrosity was relentless and had no intentions of letting her win. However, her determination to survive far outweighed The Administrator's resolve to ensnare a new victim, and when Kate laid eyes on the final page, she pushed herself further than she'd ever thought was possible to reach it, nearly colliding with the tree in the process. She snatched the eighth page off of the petrified bark and fell to the ground with the note clutched in her fist, taking in deep, raspy gulps of air as her body recovered from the physical torment she'd just put herself through. Eagerly, she waited for the game's disembodied commentator to announce her victory, and when at long last the devastating wind died down, the unnerving ambiance faded into silence, and the eerie voice she'd come to know so well uttered the phrase; "Eight of Eight" in a disappointed tone, she let out a cheerful laugh, hardly able to believe that it was finally over.
Scrawled haphazardly on the final note was the word; "Follows," and accompanying the obvious hint was a picture of The Administrator standing beside a tall pine tree. After taking a quick glance at the tattered artifact, Kate stuffed it in her pocket and headed back toward the gate at a steady pace, enjoying the new day. A triumphant smile spread across her face as she approached the now-unlocked gate and slid it open, but did little to camouflage the tired look in her eyes. RiverView Park turned out to be far more beautiful in the day than she ever could've expected; The bright morning sun cast its golden brilliance across the vacant landscape as a warm breeze gently blew through the overgrown grass and rustled the vibrant green leaves. Finally able to sense the departure of the dark presence corrupting their forest, the inhabitants of the woods cautiously trickled out of hiding, beginning with the brave birds and squirrels who came down from their nests to forage for food. She even saw a family of deer walking around by the fence, and a warm feeling built up inside of her as she watched the doe and her two fawns lazily grazing without a care in the world. At that moment, she truly felt on top of the world. However, the good vibes were abruptly cut short when the doe's head snapped over to look at something behind the teenager, and as she and her young fearfully fled into the woods, a familiar chill crept back up Kate's spine. She spun around and came face-to-face with The Administrator, whose tentacles writhed in the air like a nest of black serpents. The battered girl was immediately felled by the unholy power emanating from the beast; the very same radiation that Firebrand had warned her to stay away from, and as she kneeled on the ground clutching her head with both hands, she felt tears of pain rolling down her face as blood began to drip from her nose again. Her trembling body felt as if it were freezing solid, and a fierce migraine ripped through her skull, partially thanks to the loud electronic screeching coming from her camera. "Why are you doing this? I already won your stupid game!" she sobbed, praying for anything to make the unbearable pain go away. Sadly, no help came, and as she felt herself slipping into the sweet release of unconsciousness, an ominous response invaded her mind;
"I have plans for you, Kate."