Nothing To Fear ....

It's Now Or Never

      Crane , with Jenny close at his heels , hurried through the subterranean darkness towards the sound of the anguished scream they had just heard . As they moved , he realized that the cellar extended far beyond the confines of the house above , which meant that either the building had been constructed atop a previous excavation , or the demon had attempted to escape its imprisonment by digging its way out . 

      Rounding a corner , they spotted Jake , Jesse , and Jon , who fortunately appeared to be unharmed , if perhaps a bit chilled . Jenny let her arm drop , to release the drawstring bag she carried on her shoulder . She let it fall to the dirt , and kicked it toward the three , pausing just long enough to see Jesse's arm shoot out and snag it , before continuing to follow Crane .

      Mere seconds later , they heard , almost directly behind them , a voice snarling , "Get out of my way , fucker !" . This was almost instantly followed by a trio of gunshots , and Jenny cast a knowing glance at her companion . "What do you bet I know who that is ?"

      "I'm not foolish enough to accept that wager , Miss Jenny ." he replied , as he sought to use his thumb to open the metal - bound book to the proper page . "But all things considered , I don't believe that either of us are in a position to chide her . We have both done things equally ill - considered , if not more so ."

      "Yeah , I know . Like I said before , more guts than common sense . But I guess that applies to us , too ."

      More gunfire echoed behind them , and they heard muffled conversation and footsteps , then Crane touched Jenny's shoulder , directing her attention to a sickly greenish light which had become visible ahead of them . Clutching the book , he removed an ornate lantern from the bag , passing it to Jenny as they walked . "It's most fortunate that we were able to acquire another lantern , after the first was destroyed . Otherwise , we would have a much more difficult time containing this abomination once it is forced from its host ."

      At that moment , Faith joined them , gun still in hand . "Keep your eyes open , there may be more of them . I just put down something that looked like it'd had the skin peeled right off of it ."

      Jenny's eyebrows went up , and she inquired , "Was it sort of glowing ?" . At Faith's nod of affirmation , she informed them , "I ran into one of those in Indonesia once . Try not to get too close , the bastards spit acid . And I'm guessing that might at least partly explain that light up ahead ."

      At that moment , they heard a scuffling sound ahead of them , and then a harsh , raspy voice said , "Why do you continue to fight the inevitable ? You are only prolonging your suffering "

      Faith let out a low snarl , and Jenny placed a hand on her shoulder , and turned to Crane . "All right , how do you want to do this now ?"

      "Miss Jenny , you and I will proceed as planned , and perform the ritual to expel the demon , containing it within the lantern afterward . Miss Faith , if you would be so kind as to watch for the creature you described , or more of the floating creatures , and prevent them from disrupting the incantation until the others arrive to aid us ?"

      She stared at him for a moment , then nodded . "All right , but promise me , if that thing has gotten into him , you'll get it out . Don't hurt him , please ?"

     Crane looked her in the eye , his expression solemn . "I give you my word , dear girl , that no one will harm him if there is any way that it can be avoided . And we will do our utmost to return him to his normal state if this happens ."

      "I guess that's all I can expect . Let's do this ."

      They continued on , and heard the sound of their companions drawing closer to their position . Crane marched resolutely down the center of the passageway , while Jenny and Faith stayed near the walls on either side of him , kicking bits of random debris out of their way as they moved . Focused on her part of the plan , Jenny barely registered the moment when Faith paused , then reached down to pick up something lying at her feet , shoving her weapon back into the holster , and fumbling with the object as she walked .

      The rest of the group caught up to them just as they entered a small natural cavern , which it appeared to have been used as a makeshift pantry at some point in the past . Crude shelves had been placed against one wall , and leaned drunkenly to the side , with only a few dusty jars still inside , the others having long since fallen out , lying broken on the floor . Beyond this , at the far end of the chamber , they saw Ashley , being restrained by a skinless creature , which dripped a luminescent greenish fluid , inside a circle of peculiar symbols which had been scratched into the floor. The smaller gray demon stood in front of him , reciting a series of incomprehensible syllables , which caused Ashley to jerk and twist in the monster's grip , as if in pain . As they watched , blood began to trickle from his nose , and he let out a tortured groan .

      Crane opened the book , and began to read the words of the ritual , causing the demon to break off its chant with an aggrieved snarl . Turning its head toward them , it hissed . "Contain them for me , my friends , until I am renewed . Then I shall wish to feed ." And as they watched , various members of the party momentarily saw something other than what they knew was actually there - a clown ; a snake ; a raging column of fire . Then , they were gone , and the demon stood before them again . 

      Andy's voice cut through the cavern as he pointed his gun toward their left . "Looks like we've got company , everybody !" As he fired his first shot , the others saw several smaller creatures shambling toward them . Resembling humanoid spiders , the things had multiple arms and oversized mandibles which dripped a clear , sticky - looking fluid .

      Diana , who had been bringing up the rear with Yanni and Jon , shouted , "Form a circle around Jenny and Crane , so they can finish the spell !"

      Everyone except Hawley and Faith rushed to follow her instructions , and Crane resumed his recitation , as did the demon . Hawley maneuvered around the wall of the cave , attempting to circle behind the creature which held Ashley , while Faith moved toward the spider - things which stood between her and the demon . One of them darted at her , stopping less than a foot away , almost as if it had slammed into a wall . Hawley noticed that she held a long , white object in her hand , which intermittently appeared to sparkle in the dim light available . She swung it at the small brown thing , striking it in the face , which caused it to immediately shriek in pain , as noxious smoke wafted from the injury . 

      As he fired at the things , he saw that the others gave her a wide berth , concentrating on him , and the others surrounding Jenny and Crane . He began to grow more concerned as he watched her move ever closer to the demon , until she stood directly behind it . Glancing at the others , he saw that Crane and Jenny had noticed as well , but were unable to take action , as interrupting the incantation would most likely allow the demon to force itself into Ashley's body , and possibly to kill one or more of the others .

      The demon stood before Ashley , confident that it would soon have a strong new body , when it was surprised by the voice directly behind it , saying , "Shut the fuck up , you cowardly little bitch !" This was followed by searing pain across its back , causing it to spin around , to see the female who had injured it previously , glaring into its eyes , her lips curled back in a contemptuous sneer . 

      Hawley watched in alarm as she raised her hand , and he finally recognized the object she held for what it was : a long - handled toilet brush , with her necklace twined around the bristles . She pointed it at the creature , causing it to screech and flinch back . "If you're so bloody damn hungry , I can fix that for you right now . You can eat this , you worthless piece of shit !" 

      As she spoke , she brought the makeshift weapon down , ramming it into the demon's open mouth , using both hands to force it in as far as possible . The thing keened in agony , and lashed out at her , striking her forcefully enough to send her flying several feet , to land on the icy floor , motionless . 

      Crane's voice increased in volume as the demon reached for the brush , in an attempt to remove it , but appeared to be unable to do so . The creature's eyes widened in astonishment as its hands refused to obey , the fingers stiff and unmoving , unable to get a hold on the object . The thing turned toward Hawley , and as he looked into its eyes , he had a sudden epiphany .

      "The host is fighting against it ! Keep going , guys , it's now or never !"