Warning(s): Skinning, Limb removal, Eye trauma, Rotting body, Stomach bursting, Satanic ritual, Mentions of Hell, Beast from Hell, Implied person being eaten alive

Medic tightened his grip on his Amputator and sucked in a long, deep breathe. He listened carefully for any sound, his heart thumping in his ears as his fingers trembled and he swallowed thickly. There were no noises; not even a voice to guide him across the dark hallway. All the German could do was keep a hand on the wall and walk; slow and hesitant. He walked a few more meters down the large corridor before stepping in a dark lukewarm puddle of liquid, soaking his white sock. He bent down to dip two fingers in the unknown fluid, brought them up to his nose and took a long sniff: human blood. He knew this smell all too well and judging by its temperature and consistency, it was still fresh.

He was getting closer.

Medic picked up the pace and swiftly crossed the hallway in a few quiet steps. He spotted a line of light on the floor coming from the crack under a nearby door and approached carefully, placing his hand on the smooth wooden planks. A blood curdling scream suddenly pierced the silence and he had to keep himself from crying out. He jumped back and held the saw in front of himself defensively as the howling and shouting continued relentlessly. When nobody actually came after him he approached the door again, slowly turning the knob and peering inside the room.

Spy was lying just in his line of sight, sprawled out on the floor in a large puddle of blood. His priceless pajamas were torn apart and soaked in gore. His eyes were rolled back as his mouth hung wide open, blood and drool pouring down his chin as he breathed weakly. But his grotesque position wasn't the worst to the good doctor, no. The worst was his skin or, rather, his complete lack of skin. The Frenchman was left with his flesh bare; every single movement shooting like a vivid fire down his mangled mess of a body. He squirmed and whimpered helplessly, his salty tears burning him even further.

Medic held his breath and carefully leaned forwards as another scream echoed. Merasmus came into his line of view; stepping forwards without noticing the spying doctor. He was busy tearing the BLU Sniper's limbs apart as the gangly Australian screamed and thrashed in his grip. A green tendril slithered around the man's thin waist and began crushing the bone effortlessly, spilling blood across the cold floor. The sharpshooter hiccupped and shouted as his left arm popped out of its socket and the skin all around his shoulder tore and ripped. The bone broke with a disgusting crack and his limb was tossed away next to Spy who flinched and cringed, whimpering softly.

As the wizard went for his victim's other arm Medic decided it was time to attack. He burst into the room and went straight for Merasmus. The old man heard his desperate cry and turned around, a fraction of seconds too late. The doctor put all of his weight on one leg and leapt forwards; smashing his shoulder right into the wizard's solar plexus and pushing him hard into the wall, forcing the air out of his lungs and leaving him gasping. Without a second of hesitation Medic swung his saw and aimed for his opponent's throat with a smirk. The cold, rusted metal sliced into Merasmus' flesh like butter, painting the wall with warm blood as the man gasped for air.

"Die, Schweinhund!"

Medic swung the blade again and slashed his chest open; stabbing into the cavity repeatedly as more and more gore gushed out of the wound. He wasn't aiming for any organ in particular. His only focus was to cause as much pain, blood loss and general damage as possible. Merasmus coughed and whizzed; blood gurgling in his throat. The blade was brought up to his face and cut easily into his thin skin and right eye. A green fluorescent fluid dripped out of the mutilated organ before turning to steam and vanishing into thin air. Medic was hysterical, screaming as he stabbed and sliced and cut into Merasmus' flesh.

He had to stop him.

For Dell. For Misha.

The wizard coughed and spat out more blood, slumping back weakly against the wall. Medic dropped his saw and ran for Sniper and Spy. He helped the Australian up as the man winced and cried; trying desperately to stand on a broken waist and dislocated legs. They took one step further but the sharpshooter fell over and clung to the doctor with his only arm, crying softly as his body shook in agony. Medic grabbed Spy's skinless hand and tried to help him up but the simple contact had the rogue screaming and trying to jerk his hand away; convulsing violently.

"-H-Herr Sniper, herr Spy; schnell we must-

-You… Foolish… MORTALS!"

Before he could move the slightest Medic felt a powerful blast force him to drop Sniper; sending him flying across the room and crashing into the wall. Merasmus had gotten up and his entire form was draped in bright light. His wounds seemed to be healing rapidly and by themselves, with the exception of his right eye which he kept tightly closed.

"MERASMUS is IMMORTAL! How DARE YOU believe you could DEFEAT ME with a MERE WEAPON OF YOURS?!"

Medic groaned and got up, wincing as he felt blood trickle down the back of his neck -his head had hit the wall pretty hard, and there was probably an ugly open wound back there. His Amputator was floating next to Merasmus in mid-air. Light was being reflected off of the blade and partially blinded him, forcing him to squint his eyes. He tried to move but a sudden; vivid pain in his chest and a force pushing him back stopped him. He trembled; looking down; feeling blood soak his pajamas.

Medic's saw had brutally impaled him into the wall; piercing through his abdomen and having probably cut through multiple vital organs. He coughed and moaned in pain, watching as Merasmus approached him silently.

"Tabescetcarotuianimam tuametnonest pax." The wizard murmured slowly, tracing ancient arcane in the air.

A putrid smell filled the doctor's nose, followed by a strong nausea and excruciating pain shooting from his chest. He thrashed and whimpered before finally gaining enough courage to look down. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in a silent scream of horror.

His flesh was rotting away, falling off of him in chunks. His skin was slowly turning black before peeling off of his body. Unable to even cry he tried to reach for the weapon and pull it out but found himself unable to. The flesh was falling off from his fingers in slimy globes of red and pink; leaving only yellowing bones. He coughed again and retched, throwing up violently as his body convulsed.

On the other side of the room Sniper had crawled up to Spy with his good arm, shaking and trembling wildly. His eyes were red and full of tears, his face white as a sheet. The rogue laid bloodshot eyes on him and began to speak as his voice was cracking and barely audible.

"It… Hurts…, he rasped, Hu-rts… Kill me… Hurts… Kill… Me… Please… Hurts…"

Sniper's lower lip trembled as big, round tears rolled over his cheeks.

"I'm sorry…, he whimpered pressing his lips to Spy's pulsing throat, I'm so sorry…"

A horrific scream echoed as Medic's eyes began to melt into a mush which dripped out of their sockets and down his slowly rotting face. He was barely conscious by now as his brain had also started decomposing and could only produce strangled, gurgling sounds. Merasmus sighed and raised a hand, murmuring yet another silent incantation. Medic felt his stomach rumble and start to swell. He brought a fleshless hand to it weakly; feeling the skin crack and tear. His belly grew harder and rounder with every second until it suddenly burst, spraying blood, bile, organ and other unmentionables across the floor and finally killing the German.

The wizard briefly admired his handy work before turning towards his two other victims; only to find one of them was already dead. Sniper was leaning over Spy's form, trembling all over with his eyes full of tears. Blood was pouring in steady streams down his chin as he had just taken a huge bite out of the rogue's throat; ripping out his carotid and ending his sufferings in the only way he could at the moment.

"You can't hurt him where he is now, he said defiantly, not anymore…"

Merasmus didn't respond and approached in silence. He opened his wounded eye, revealing it had been cut in half and damaged far beyond repair. His top eyelid fluttered and flickered over the split organ; drops of intraocular fluid, blood and liquid magic rolling over his bony cheek. Sniper felt his body stiffen and go rigid as the wizard stopped just before him. Merasmus brought his fingers up his own face, poking at his mutilated eyeball. He plunged them into the socket without even flinching; pulling out the now useless organ easily and twisting the optical nerve until it snapped. Sniper starred and began to breathe heavily. He tried to back away; squirming; crying out and shaking his head as Merasmus reached a hand towards his face -to no avail. The old man stuck his thumb into his left eye and slid two fingers in his right eye socket, wiggling them in as deep as he could. The Australian screamed and tried desperately to jerk his head away as he felt gore gush down his cheeks and chin. He was being completely blinded, which only reinforced the booming waves of pain rolling inside him and added up to the horror.

With a sudden, violent tug Merasmus managed to snap the optical nerve and extracted the eyeball from the Aussie's skull. He turned it over, inspecting it briefly before pushing it into his own empty socket. The nerves instantly began to reconnect; the foreign eye turning around randomly before Merasmus squeezed it shut, pushing it back and settling it in its right place. When he opened it again the blue/grayish pupil took on a vivid green color and he was able to see through his new eye perfectly. This was definitely a useful spell.

When the wizard finally returned his attention to the Sniper, he suddenly realized the sharpshooter was dead –from blood loss probably; or maybe a cardiac arrest somewhere during the 'eye-extraction-process'.

Oh well.

Only one more to go.

The wooden cupboard slid across the floor with a shrill squeal, finding its place in front of the locked door. A collection of heavy, thick chemistry books were thrown atop it followed by a chair, more books and pretty much anything the BLU Soldier and Demoman could find. They barricaded the entrance to the Scotsman's room in haste, hoping it would be enough to keep the crazed wizard out. Demoman suddenly stopped stacking the items, slowly lifting his hand and signing for his friend to stop as well.

"-Solly wait…, he whispered.

-What's wrong?

-Listen… It stopped…"

The American went silent, listened and shuddered. The demolition man was right; the screams they had been hearing for the last ten minutes had stopped. As a few more seconds passed, soft fabric could be heard rustling in the corridor and the two held their breath. Soldier's face went white and he backed away, grabbing a table lamp, ripping the cable out of the wall and holding it in front of himself defensively.

"I-It's him; he's coming!"

The Demoman waved a hand and shushed his friend.

"Shut up!" He whisper-shouted.

The Scotsman leaned towards the door slowly, kneeling to be at eye level with the lock. He peered through it carefully and was met with a vivid, neon green pupil already looking inside from the other side. The Demoman yelped and jumped back. He grabbed a chemistry book and held it up, shouting for the other BLU but it was too late. Their makeshift barricade did nothing to keep Merasmus from busting into the room; the door, books, chair and every other item being blown away and the heavy cupboard being pushed back a few feet by a powerful blast as the wizard shouted an ancient spell. Demoman was struck in the head by one of the flying book and stumbled back with a groan. Soldier immediately stood in front of him protectively and held the lamp up, trying to look as threatening as possible –which, considering the weapon he had picked and his opponent, was quite ineffective.

Merasmus' eyes filled with green light dangerously and the two mercenaries swallowed hard, sweat rolling down the back of their necks. They stayed completely still, only flinching when the wizard raised a hand and began to speak in Latin again. Demoman immediately charged him; crying out and slamming his chemistry book across the old man's face before the light struck him. He was thrown against the wall with such force and speed the brutal collision actually knocked him out and left him unconscious.

"TRAVISH!" The BLU Soldier shouted but his friend didn't respond, lying completely limp.

Something slithered around his throat and before he knew it the American was chocking and being pushed back against the wall. He thrashed violently and glared at the wizard; groaning and spitting furiously as the man approached, looming over him, observing him from all his height and leaning menacingly close. Merasmus reached a hand out and gripped his victim's throat, pressing his square black nails into the skin. One squeeze and surely, the man would be dead.

But Merasmus stopped.

And starred.

He observed that strong, square jaw clench and unclench; those deep blue eyes shining ever so gently and the oh-so-familiar face he was so attached to. This man… This man was Jane. This man was Jane; or rather he was identical to him; from his love for 'The Great Free Land of America' down to his physical appearance. If it wasn't for the blue attire and the look of hatred painted on the man's face, Merasmus could've just sworn he was holding his precious RED Soldier.

But unfortunately he was not; and he knew he could definitely not harm someone who looked like his Jane so much. Not himself.

With a shiver the wizard drew his hand back all the while keeping magical control over Ja- over the BLU Soldier's body, and picked up a book lying nearby. He meticulously ripped out a page and brought his own thumb to his mouth, biting it hard until he managed to draw blood. The American starred at him in confusion but stayed alert nonetheless.

"-What are you doing?! … Hey! Answer me when I speak you worthless piece of magic trash-

-SILENCE!" the wizard shouted aggressively.

He began tracing a large circle in the middle of the page with his own blood before adding lines, symbols and other scribbles the Soldier could not see. When he was finished he set the page down and took a few steps back, revealing the pentagram he had expertly drawn.

"What's that? A kid's drawing?" the Soldier mocked, obviously unaware of the purposes the said kid's drawing served.

Merasmus chose to ignore him and spread his arms, chanting in an unknown language as his fingers twitched. The pentagram on the paper began to glow bright red before suddenly bursting into flames which consumed everything within the circle. The fire subsequently grew stronger and rose into a burning whirlpool; bright, furious and menacing. The BLU Soldier instinctively tried to back away when he noticed a glowing red circle spread around the original blaze almost reaching his feet and the flames filling it near-instantly.

"-I will not go down without a fight you magical bastard!, the American shouted, You won't burn me alive this easily!

-This is not my intention."

The ground suddenly trembled and the floor crumbled to pieces just before the Soldier's eyes. He watched, petrified, as a hole large enough for a human to pass through it formed beneath the fire. It was filled with flames immediately and a foul odor of sulfur erupted from it along with screams and unrecognizable sounds.

A portal to Hell.

The bastard had just opened a portal to godfucking Hell.

But before the BLU Soldier could say anything he froze and starred at the hole, eyes wide. A black paw covered in fur had arisen from the flames and was resting just on the side of the hole. It was then followed by a second as the creature climbed out of the pit and turned towards him. The beast was around the size of a Doberman. It was covered in a thick coat of black fur minus a few fleshless patches scattered randomly across its body. It growled loudly while looking at him; opening its maw filled with yellow teeth of different size and shapes; dripping with saliva and foam. Its back was adorned with three thick bone spikes while its head sported a pair of red horns and five glowing eyes. Its legs were robust and sturdy; its claws a four-inches. It sat next to its creator and waited patiently, fleshless tail swatting the air.

Merasmus gave its head a pat as someone would with a beloved pet before turning around and sighing softly.

"Eat."

The horrified screams of the BLU Soldier and the ghastly barking of the hellhound subsequently filled his ears but he didn't look back. He grabbed Demoman by the shoulder and dragged him out of the room, using his magic to put the door back into place once he was in the corridor and propping the knocked out man up against it. A human like the BLU Soldier was enough to feed a hellhound for a few decades and he knew the beast would just go back through the portal once finished with its meal. He sighed again and closed his eyes, smoke and fog forming around him before he vanished into the air, taking all the magic away with him.

The RED Pyro was the one who stumbled upon the Demoman. For some reason his body had not been mangled or mutilated in any way. He looked perfectly fine actually, aside from the huge bump on the back of his head. The firebug crooked their head to the side in confusion and gently reached their fingers towards the Scotsman's throat to check his pulse.

He was alive.

Immediately the Pyro called for their teammates and the two other BLUs who joined them rapidly. They had stumbled upon the bodies of Spy, Sniper and Medic as well as Heavy and Engineer already and the idea of finding someone still alive had become more of a fantasy to them. But Demoman was very well alive; the groan he let out when the BLU Scout gently shook him proved it. He whimpered softly as his senses came back to him and shook his head.

"Demo… What happened?" the runner asked slowly with an almost whispered voice, as to not hurt his probably throbbing head.

The Scotsman didn't respond at first, turning towards the door and slowly, weakly reaching a hand to the handle.

"Solly… Solly is…

-He's in there?" the Scout asked.

The Demoman nodded his head slowly. The RED Heavy and Soldier carefully helped him up and the RED Pyro proceeded to open the door, jumping inside the room with their fire axe up before freezing in place. The spectacle inside the Demoman's room was gruesome, to say the least. Human remains were everywhere; scattered across the floor and splattered on the walls. Bits of guts were sprawled before what looked like a half eaten human body; bones broken to shards and flesh torn to shreds. Blood seemed to cover absolutely every inch of the floor and parts of the walls. There were scratch marks everywhere and the mercenaries were quickly met with the horrible stench of Death, mixed with the odor of sulfur.

"Oh god… O-Oh fuck…"

Alan barely had time to get out of the room before throwing up violently on the floor.

"I'm quitting this job, he gasped in between retches, I'm fucking quitting this job…"

The BLU Scout ignored the RED Soldier's complaints and kept starring. He noticed blood dripping from above and looked up.

There was a message written in gore across the ceiling.

'This is only a warning, mortals.'

Next time shall be a nightmare far worse."