Chapter 8: Sacrifice

Adrian pulled his hood closer around his ears. Was it him, or was the air getting colder the closer he got to the building? He moved through the shadows, silently praying he wouldn't be noticed. He ducked down an alley, moving into the shadow of the building. He found a service door near the back of the structure. He was relieved to discover that the old door opened easily and silently. He peered around the dark room, looking for any sign of movement. He took the box out of his pocket and solved it quickly. Pinhead appeared in the darkness beside him. Adrian had never been so happy to see the cenobite.

"Stay with me," Pinhead commanded. "The room they are keeping Dimitri in is somewhere on the floors above us. We will find him while the others cover us."

Adrian looked around to discover that several other cenobites were with them in the room: Chatterer, Butterball, the nameless female, and the horrendous Siamese Twins. The Chatter Beast had been left behind with Victoria and the twins.

Pinhead left the room, Adrian following close behind. The other cenobites spread out around them, heading in different directions. The inside of the building was dark and dirty. The scent of years' worth of dust and mold clogged the air. Pinhead pushed open a door which led to a staircase. He wasn't sure if the electricity was functioning in the building, but he wouldn't risk the noise from the elevator.

Adrian was filled with anticipation. He longed to see Dimitri again, but this building terrified him. Death waited behind every corner, in every shadow. After climbing several flights of stairs, Pinhead muttered something to himself before pushing open a door that led into a hallway. He turned right and headed toward the end of the corridor before stopping. He put his hands on the door he stood before.

"Here," he said.

He grasped the door handle, not at all surprised to discover that it was locked. He removed one of the hooked blades that hung from his hips and positioned it at the handle, using it as a lever to rip out the lock mechanism. No longer held in place by the knob, the door swung inward. Dimitri was huddled as far in the corner as his chain allowed, sleeping or unconscious. His clothes were in rags and his long hair was matted with dirt and blood. He was horribly thin and he breathed in hitching gasps. He held his left arm close to his body; it was clearly broken.

Pinhead took hold of Adrian's arm to restrain him. Pinhead did a brief, but thorough scan of the room to be sure that Merchant or his lackeys weren't lying in wait. He released Adrian with a nod. He tore across the small room and fell to his knees at Dimitri's side.

"Dimitri," he whispered, tears welling in his eyes. "Wake up, baby."

Dimitri groaned, his bloodshot eyes turning up toward Adrian.

"Adrian?" he gasped. "It can't really be you?"

"It's really me," Adrian replied, placing his hand on Dimitri's scruffy cheek. "We're gonna get you outta here. You're safe now. It's gonna be okay."

Pinhead stalked to Adrian's side. He motioned at the chain which bound Dimitri, causing it to release his ankle. The wall behind them slid open to reveal the Labyrinth. Victoria jumped at the sight of them. She'd known to expect it, but it surprised her nonetheless. She ran to Adrian's side.

"Victoria?" Dimitri sighed. "You're not pregnant anymore."

"No, I'm not," she smiled. "Abraxas and Acheron are only a few days old. They're beautiful."

"I can't wait to see them," he managed a weak smile, revealing several missing teeth.

Adrian and Victoria helped him to his feet. His legs were shaky and he could barely stand. They half-carried him into the Labyrinth.

"I knew you'd come for him eventually…and you've brought some friends."

Jack Merchant leaned against the doorframe, a sneer on his face. Adrian filled with rage at the sight of him.

"Well, now isn't this interesting? I knew you had to know something about the whereabouts of the box, but I didn't expect all this."

Merchant stalked forward. Victoria took a step toward Pinhead.

"Go, Victoria!" Pinhead yelled. "Our sons need you."

"They need you too! I need you!" she yelled back. "I won't leave you to face him alone!"

Pinhead put out an arm and forced her back into the Labyrinth.

"No!" he roared. "I promised you I would return and I mean to keep that promise. Now go!"

The wall slide shut with a snap before Victoria could protest.

"NO!" she bellowed, pounding her fists on the wall. "Pinhead, don't do this to me!"

She collapsed to the floor in tears. Adrian put a hand on her shoulder.

"He won't leave you," he comforted. "He won't break his promise."

~[ ]~

Pinhead turned to face the advancing Merchant.

"It has been a long time, Merchant," Pinhead said coolly. "You have grown quite a lot, and may I say that the resemblance to your father is striking."

"Oh, it's been too long, demon," Merchant retaliated. "And I will have my revenge."

"Your father was meddling in affairs that he had no business being involved with," Pinhead said. "Hell has its own set of laws."

A cruel smile crossed Merchant's face.

"That's a great little family you got there, demon," he sneered. "Twin sons, right? A couple days old? It would be such a shame to have to cut their lives short."

"You bastard!" Pinhead snarled. "What have you done with them?"

"Oh, only what you did with me," Merchant replied. "Live bait is always the most effective. I mean, it brought you and your little faggot friend right into our hands."

Pinhead turned back toward the wall, creating another opening. Victoria, Adrian, Dimitri, and the twins were no longer there. He turned back to Merchant.

"Where are they?"

Merchant let out a cruel laugh.

"We never touched them, you idiot! How would we have gotten into your world if you'd closed the opening? But now it's opened," Merchant laughed. "I can't believe you actually fell for it."

Pinhead spun back around to see several people disappear into the mist. A cleverly concealed door in the small room now stood open. Pinhead loosed an enraged cry. How could he have been so stupid? His concern for Victoria and their children had overshadowed his better judgment. With a violent arm gesture, a chain flew out of the mist, its pointed tip piercing Merchant's throat. The man's eyes widened in shock and his hands went up to grasp the foreign body that impaled his throat. He choked and sputtered, his own blood running over his lips and staining his teeth red.

"Now where have I seen this before?" Pinhead asked, placing a finger to his lips in mock concentration. "Ah, yes! I remember."

Pinhead slunk to the dying man's side.

"Send my regards to your father."

With another gesture the blade spread apart and the chain withdrew, taking Merchant's head off with it. Pinhead glared down at it for a moment. Chatterer and the other cenobites entered the room.

"Merchant's men have entered the Labyrinth," Pinhead said. "We have to do everything in our power to detain them before they can accomplish whatever it is they have set out to do, and whatever you do, keep them away from Leviathan."

The cenobites took off into the opening. Pinhead closed it behind him; he wouldn't risk more people entering and he didn't plan on letting those already there escape. He ran through the foggy corridors in a panic, calling Victoria's name repeatedly. An all too familiar woman stepped into his path.

"Kirsty Cotton," Pinhead said, narrowing his eyes. "I should have known you would be involved in this."

"It's about time someone put a permanent end to your reign of terror," she sneered.

"If you're looking to avenge your father, you're channeling your anger toward the wrong person. If I remember correctly, your uncle Frank killed him. And it was your stepmother who set him free. They are both here, being tortured under my command, so you should be thanking me."

"You're a goddamn monster!" she yelled. "You don't deserve to live!"

"But would you really rob two baby boys of their father?" he smirked. "Could you live with yourself if you did that?"

"What are talking about?" she questioned. "You're full of shit!"

"Oh no, Kirsty. Why would I do that?"

He glanced over her shoulder. Chatterer and Butterball stood behind her, awaiting their superior's command. Pinhead nodded ever so slightly and the duo was upon her.

"Wait!" she gasped.

"I am done with your deals, Kirsty!" he bellowed. "You cannot bargain your way out this time. This is far overdue."

The pair of cenobites dragged her off kicking and screaming. Pinhead continued his search for Victoria. He saw Leviathan from the corner of his eye and froze. Another woman was standing in His shadow; something was clutched in her hand. He began to run toward her, but before he could reach her she cocked back her arm and hurled the object toward Leviathan.

"NO!" Pinhead roared.

The object, Merchant's perfected and compact model of the Elysium Configuration, fragmented in midair, the pieces scattering in the air around Leviathan. Several beams of bright light entangled around the floating deity, squirming and writhing like a mass of illuminated serpents, crackling like thunder. The woman, Joey Summerskill, let out a triumphant cry. Suddenly, the lights began to flicker before going out entirely. Leviathan emerged, smoking slightly, but seemingly unscathed.

"What?" Joey gasped in shock. "It didn't work."

She turned to see the furious cenobite barreling toward her. Victoria, hurrying toward Leviathan to discover the source of the commotion, arrived just in time to see the man she loved plummet over the edge and into the abyss beneath Leviathan.

"Pinhead, no!" she screeched. She ran to the edge, dropping to her hands and knees and peering over the edge. Pinhead and the woman were nowhere to be seen. An anguished wail escaped her lips. The Chatterer appeared at her side. She looked up at the blind cenobite. He dropped to one knee and put a hand on her shoulder. She heard a young man's voice in her head.

I'll go.

She nodded, knowing that the creature at her side was the source of the voice.

Go to your friends and your sons.

He pulled her to her feet. She was barely able to support herself. She watched Chatterer disappear in the opposite direction, heading down into the lowest levels of the Labyrinth to find his fallen leader. She shuffled back to Adrian, Dimitri, and the boys. Dimitri lay on the bed, now clean and sleeping, Adrian at his side.

"Is it over? Where's Pinhead? He's gotta help me set Dimitri's arm…" he trailed off at the look on his friend's face. "Oh, god no."

Victoria scooped up her sons and held them against her chest. She sobbed hysterically. Adrian's mouth opened and closed stupidly; he was unable to form the necessary words. He looked over at his sleeping lover. He was injured, but at least he was alive. Pinhead had seen to that. Adrian couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. Pinhead had sacrificed everything to save Dimitri; he'd left his infant sons without a father and Victoria without the man she loves. Adrian put an arm around Victoria's shoulders, tears springing to his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Tor."

Victoria stood, leaving the room with the boys in her arms. Adrian looked back at Dimitri, before following. She returned to the shadow of Leviathan.

"He did it all to protect you," she whispered up at the deity. "I hope you're happy."

Unsurprisingly, Leviathan didn't answer. She turned toward the sound of approaching footsteps. Chatterer had returned carrying Pinhead's motionless body in his arms. A fresh series of sobs wracked Victoria's frame. Chatterer gently laid his commander on the ground at Victoria's feet. She handed the twins off to Chatterer and Adrian before dropping to her knees beside her fallen love. She cradled his head in her lap; blood seeped from his nose, mouth, and ears.

"You promised me you'd come back," she sobbed. "You promised you wouldn't leave us."

Words failed her as she sat there, desperately clinging to the broken body of her lover, the father of her children, as though she could somehow pull him back into existence. Adrian began to cry himself, the scene unfolding before him almost too much to bear. The cenobites had gathered around them, each coming to pay respect to their fallen leader. Even Angelique made an appearance. Adrian knelt beside Victoria, Acheron in his arms. Chatterer handed Abraxas down to his mother. She stroked the infant's hair and turned to Adrian, taking Acheron into her arms as well. Her sons were all she had left of Pinhead.

She took hold of her lover's hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"I love you," she whispered, tears falling onto their joined hands.

Overwhelmed by her grief and still in shock, she could've sworn he squeezed back, but she knew it was nothing but wishful thinking. How would she ever go on without him? She looked down at her sons. She had to go on, for them.

ENDNOTE: Oh, God, I'm a terrible person! It broke my heart to write this, it really did. How could I do this to Victoria? How could I rob poor Abraxas and Acheron from ever knowing their father? I guess that's life. Shit happens, no matter how heartbreakingly horrible it is… and this is pretty damn horrible. I'm sorry. PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! At least he managed to kill Merchant and protect everything he found important…and Kirsty Cotton finally gets what's been coming to her. You can only make so many deals with the cenobites.

So as I was reading over this chapter after writing it, I realized that when he kills Merchant, Pinhead used pretty much the exact same lines that Scar used in The Lion King when he was going to push Simba off the cliff at the end of the movie. That totally happened on accident and I found it so amusing that I had to keep it. It is strangely appropriate though…

Probably only one chapter after this one, but the third story is still waiting in the wings. Hopefully things will start looking up for our heroes and that the death of their patriarch won't tear this little family apart…only time will tell.