The Catacomb - A Short Novel
By Mike of NH

The note says "If you ever want to see your wife again come to the graveyard at 11:58 p.m. sharp on the thirty-first of October. I also recommend coming prepared for anything."

This is the last thing I would expect for my second year of marriage with my wife. I would have liked something more romantic but I guess the life of a Demonologist never has its perks, I always have to drive them away or cure someone. The best thing that has ever happened to me was my wife. She loves me so much, she doesn't care that I study demons and that I read books older then her grandmother. So, it hurts me greatly to think that someone has kidnapped her.

The note was written on a scroll made from some kind of animal hide. It was rough and thick which gives me the idea that this is no ordinary animal hide. I have never seen such an irregular way to pass information. It leads me to the question, who is this person anyway? And why would he or she want my wife?

Today is Hallows Eve, I'm nervous about what to do. The weather outside really sets a mood for this night. Overcast clouds, a low settling fog and freezing temperatures makes me want to roll over in my grave, if I had one. Speaking of graves I am now at the cemetery and the time is 11:57 p.m.

As I wait for the kidnapper, I check my pack for things I may have forgotten. As I look, I notice that all the lanterns about the cemetery have gone out and the only one left is my own. In the light of my lantern, I watch in amazement, and fear, to see the light go from fire orange to a bright green.

The clock tower rings for midnight and I make my way to the gate as I am filled with fear. Before I reach the gate a loud deep voice says "leaving already? Don't you want your wife? Why don't you stay, the fun has yet to begin." As I tremble in fear I see a bright blue light come towards me from the other side of the cemetery. When it comes closer I see it has a white center and is in an oval shape. The colors swirl as if it were rotating to a force unknown to myself.

I watch this glowing, swirling mass of light then the voice says "step into the light." I ask the voice, "What is this thing?" It replies, "Do you want your wife? Then step into the light." So without hesitation I step towards it. As I step I'm engulfed by this white light and the next thing I remember is waking up on a cold, damp, rocky floor with what feels like some kind of moss or slime on it. I sit up and look around. I notice that the walls are green with slime and the ceiling has, what seems like, small spikes littering it. As I stand up I notice that my pack is strewn apart on the other side of this large hollow room with one door that has no handle. The door looks as if it has scales like a snake.

I start to make my way to my pack and at the middle of this room a ball of light appears before me and stops me in my tracks. This glowing sphere lights up the room like the flash of a camera. I watch this sphere when that voice says, "To save your beloved you'll need more then just your dinky little toys." I reply, "But these are the best I have!" The voice says, "grab the sphere, it's a gift". I reply "What gift is it?" He says, "I have granted you the element of fire, to help you try to defy my challenges. Right now you stand upon the 1B level, which is basement level 1. Every level you pass through takes you deeper into my catacomb. Each level has an end challenge, and in between the end challenge and the portal entrance point, there are demons that I have unleashed to make your travels entertaining". I stand in amazement to see that one of the subjects that I've studied diligently on, is alive and of all things kidnapped my wife. In my studies I've learned that he is the most powerful demon whom has ever set foot in Satan's realm, the kingdom of death. He's been known to use dark evil magic to his advantage, but that's only in my books. I'd never thought that he had existed. That means that.... "Hello, are you going to take the sphere or not? Do you still want your beloved?" he said. 

"Oh, yes. I still want my wife. But tell me are you the one they call the Devil's Sibling?" I asked. He said, "If you must know, yes I am, and are you going to take my gift or not?" Now in my studies, it shows that the Devil's Sibling has been known to be very immature, volatile, and worst of all extremely devious with what he does. He has also been known to add a twist to his complications, which ultimately got him kicked out of hell. So, going on that initiative I've decided to take the sphere. I'm engulfed again but by a reddish-orange light, like fire.

After it dissipates, I find myself outside of the scaled door. I'm wearing my pack but it's been emptied, all except for my water and my knife. The voice comes back and says, "you've been moved to the entrance to my catacomb. You're on basement level 2. The catacomb begins. To use your element, you only need to think of using it. Imagine it doing whatever it is you want it to do, and it happens, try it!" I take his advise and I point my finger at the slimy disgusting wall and imagine a ball of fire flying out of my finger and hitting the wall. To my amazement it works, but it disappears into a bunch of steam when it hits the wall.

"You must finish all challenges on each basement level to reach its portal. Each level has something different and something the same. The changes can be good or bad, they can help or destroy you. There are 13 different levels to my catacomb, I am on the thirteenth. But your wife may be a little bit more of a challenge to just find and take home. You will always start at the beginning of a level after finishing the one before it. You are safe until you take a step, then the level starts and the fun begins. If by some chance you succeed and reach the thirteenth level you will face me and die at my feet. If you don't make it to my level or you speak out, 'Have mercy on my soul' you will be transported back to the cemetery to never see your wife or family again and a demon spirit will haunt you forever." Now if only I could find the end to this level, I could..... "Don't forget you've already taken your first step", he says.

I stop dead in my tracks, then I hear a sound. It sounds like a water filled boot or boots. I go up to the corner in front of me and look around it trying not to be seen, when I lay eyes upon the most hideous creature I've ever seen. It's skin is made of a rotting corpse and its eyes glowing red. This weird thing is so disgusting, horrid, and gruesome and yet it wears an orange T-shirt and green shorts. I step back and I say to myself, "What have I gotten into this time". So I step back away from the corner, as to find some defense for myself.

I watch this thing walk past the corner and stop. Than it faced me and it looked like, it smiled. In a panic I screamed, then I realized that I had the power of fire. So I try to use it but I'm too scared. All the while, step by step, this thing, this creature is getting closer and closer and closer. So, finally I relax myself and imagine a stream of flames shooting from my hand and engulfing him with flames. I watch the flames shoot straight out from my open hand and overcome this foe.

Then the voice says, "Well done, well done. One down, only who knows how many more to come. Oh, and do watch out for the big green one, he's a doozy". I said, "What big green one?" And suddenly, a big green thing that looks like a troll steps out from behind the corner and says "F-O-O-D". I hesitated to torch him but, I did. It took a little bit more effort than before but I think I'm getting it. I start to make my way down the corridor, when I notice a scroll like the one from the last night. It reads, "leave no stone unturned". I have no idea what it means, but I take it and move on. I've gone through about three corners and ran into one of the things I first battled, I think it's called an orge. An orge is a humanoid type demon with basic fighting and magic capabilities. I go around the fourth corner to see two big green trolls and the portal. I try to get the attention of only one by throwing a pebble but they both came.

To beat them I imagine a big fire wall coming from my hands and incinerating them. Well, the wall worked but one of them used water to put out his half. So, one down one to go. I try to think of some way to get him, when I finally think of a multi-fireball barrage. He tries to tries to put them all out but he's still burnt to ashes because he is too slow. I reach the portal when I'm stopped by the voice, it says, "Bravo, bravo, you made the first level. Now try the third." So I walk through and now I'm on Basement Level 3.

* * *

Through his travels from level 3 to level 9 in this massive maze, or better said Catacomb, he runs into huge bats, vampires, green trolls, orges, snakes, warlocks, demons, blood trolls and the fire level, level 7, with a demon that has the power to control lava. He also runs into energy traps that bounce off walls, lava pits, ooze covered walls, walls that beat as is they were alive, an Ice level, a level with imaginary walls, and finally the portal level that's next or maybe after? Who knows? Lets find out.....

* * *

"Hey, what's with this I finished level 9 fair and square and I end up in a black void. What type of trickery is this?" I yelled. "Oh, I thought you could use a rest in my vast space of nothingness. Ya know, if you want to give up I could send you home and give you my word of protection spell for free" he says. "What is the word of protection spell anyway?" I asked. He responds, "It's a spell that would protect you from all evil until the day you die." "Well, I don't want it OK? Now send me to the next level" I said firmly. "OK" he said. And with a thump I landed hard in the next level, but what level is this? From where I'm seated I can see two portals on either side of this wall in front of me, this just doesn't make sense. There's usually only one portal per level, I think. "Hey what level is this?" I ask. He responds, "This is the Portal Level, where you have to choose the right portal to go to the next level. But if you choose the wrong level you'll be plunged into a world of death, fire, nothing, or you'll be sent to the next level. There is no way to tell the difference between them. So, it's all about pure guess and I like that. Have fun! Ha ha ha ha ha", he chuckled. Ok, so what can I do? I'll see if I can tell the difference between these four portals. The first portal looks normal enough, maybe I could just put my hand in it without my whole body going in. I'll just slip my hand in here while holding on to the corner.... Here goes nothing. OK, this is a little weird I feel nothing at all, hey maybe this is the portal to nothingness yeah that's it. I'll mark this portal off with a piece of my clothes.

On to the next portal. I'll hold onto the corner again with this portal, too. Here goes... Wow, this feels the same as the last one. Wait, I think I feel something... It feels, it feels like, like warm moist...... Oh my..... It's definitely the death portal. I'll mark this one too. Now on to the next one, I'll reach in and here goes again.... OH HOT HOT, that is definitely the fire portal which means this one the last portal is the right one. But before I go in I'll reach in first and see if I've been tricked or not. Here goes nothin'.... Ok I feel a slight chill, some slime and wait what's this this fuzzy thing. It feels like a shaggy dog or a large mammal like creature, hey OW that hurt. I quickly take my hand out to see what happened and it looks like an animal bite. So, that must be some kind of beast across the portal to the next level just sitting there waiting for me to jump into his arms so he can eat me. I know, I'll send a fireball through the portal to vanquish the beast, yeah that sounds good. Ok, here goes I'll power up to a large ball to make sure I've gotten him and there it goes.... I'll put my ear up to the portal to listen to see if he's gone. Grrrroooowww thump, WOW sounds like he's dead. OK, now on to the next level.

Finally I made it through all levels, except level 13. Right now I'm at the end of level 12 and I'm battling 5 killer bats, 2 green trolls, 2 orges and one vampire. I've come up with a fire explosion technique to destroy many things at once but it tires me out very quickly so I need to weaken them enough to use it efficiently. I let out a scream and the explosion wipes them all out, except for one bat. So I take out my knife and stab him. As soon as I reach the portal, suddenly it goes from blue to red as I step through.

I wake up in a yellow skull-brick room that's very small. Then the voice says, "you fool, you actually think I'd let you get to me that easily. Well, now I've given you to a good friend of mine, his name is 'The Phantom'. He's very smart and tricky. Have fun, and uh, watch your back".

Great I've been deceived. "Welcome friend", said a mysterious voice. "Do you want to play, hide and seek?". Then a vague figure of ghostly shape with a red hood, gray shirt and a scythe appeared. I cringe and launch a fireball. He dodges it. I launch 2, 3 and 5 more yet he dodges them all. Now he's coming straight for me. "Do you want to play?" he says. I shout, "NO!!!!" and fire off 3 more balls of fire, but they went right through him. Then I started to panic. As he came closer I backed away until I hit the wall and he went right through me. When this happened a sudden chill raced through my body.

I went back to the middle of the room. I waited to see him again. Then I would let out a full attack, yah that sounded good. He reappeared, and he started going in circles around me. Then he started going faster and faster and faster until there seemed to be many of him. These multi-Phantoms stopped moving and started to point at me and laughing. Then I snapped, and said "That's it, now you're going to die", I let out a loud scream and filled the small room with fire. As the smoke settled I smirked and said, "I knew it would work". Then all the walls disappeared and a large maze appeared. The voice came back and said, "Well.... you managed to vaporize my best demon. Now, if you make it through this maze you can fight me. I warn you, if you explode in here you have a good chance of killing your wife. At the center of the maze is myself and at the end is your wife. You can only choose one though, so choose wisely. Oh, and one more thing, your wife has consumed a mushroom capable of killing her within 48 hours. Have fun choosing".

Now if I go for my wife then we can go home and I can cure her from the mushroom's poison and we can live in peace. Or I could kill this prince of evil once and for all, so no one will ever have to deal with him again. "I choose to fight you", I said, "now let my wife go!" He replied, "I never said I'd let her go now did I, oh well too bad. She's going to die anyway. As we speak she is being tortured by skeletons in my chamber, so even if you were to try to save her, your effort would be futile. Now get over here", as he teleports me to his location. "You can never defeat me. You see, I gave you fire. Oh, you've forgotten already, don't you remember I control fire" he exclaimed. "Oh I didn't forget I've been conjuring up a trick just for you" I said. "You can't kill me with fire you idiot" he demands. "Yes, I know. That's why I'm using liquid fire" I exclaimed. No, but how?" he says. "You remember level 10?" I asked. "Yes" he says. "Well I stole it from lavaboy and now I'll get you with your own created powers" I said. "If you get me, then you'll die too" he said as he magically closed all exits from the room. "Fine with me as long as you're dead" I said. So I gathered all my strength. and with one throw of my arms the whole maze was engulfed with molten rock or liquid fire. So all my research back home never finished now gone to waste. I hope my family understands. With my last words I say, "Here it comes! I bet you never thought you'd be beaten by a mere human, and have a nice Hallow's Eve". He screams, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, my kingdom!!"
END

Read another Article

Be sure to read the Common Sense Rules!

Copyright © 2001 ItsAboutUs.org. All rights reserved.
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy