The air hung heavy as we ventured deeper into the woods. The chill snaked into my bones, and my breath rose in ghostly tendrils against the biting cold. The flickering flame of the leader's lantern was a fragile bastion against the overwhelming darkness, casting elongated shadows that danced like phantoms along the tree trunks. A blanket of snow coated the ground, muffling their footfalls, while icicles hung like sinister, bare fangs from the skeletal branches above.
It was eerie here, too quiet, with only the wind's mournful howl accompanying us. Occasionally, I could hear the baying of wolves in the distance. We navigated through the labyrinth of gnarled trees until we reached a clearing nestled in the heart of dense woods.
A tower? Was this one the cultist mentioned?
It stood against the faint, moonlit backdrop ahead of me like a sentinel of forgotten ages. Its stone walls were weathered and cracked by the scourge of time. The bitter wind howled once more, and I felt it—that prickle of dread crawling up my spine.
I've heard rumors about an abandoned tower. I dismissed them earlier, but the giant that pierced through the clouds loomed before me, disproving my convictions.
When we approached the stony leviathan, I noticed a dragon's skull engraved in the massive stone gates in the flickering light. A crack coursed through the middle of the draconic head. My heartbeats escalated as the hollow sockets of the monster stared deep into my soul.
The man in black pressed his palm on one of the dragon's protruding fangs, and it nudged a bit. The caving eyes gleamed with a bright green flare. Before I could blink, the glow spread, rushing across the crevices and illuminating the stone gate momentarily. The skull split in half, and the gates groaned in protest as they opened with a sluggish swing.
This is it.
The moment we stepped in, the heavy gates creaked shut behind us, sealing off any hope of retreat.
Ugh! What a foul smell!
The air reeked of stale blood, imitating that of an abattoir, while the putrid stench clawed at my throat with each breath. The darkness pressed in on me, broken only by the quivering light of torches mounted in short intervals along the stone walls.
The arched corridor ahead stretched on. The rough walls, with occasional tufts of moss, boasted the impression that they had been carved by desperate hands rather than shaped by tools. Ancient tapestries hung in tatters, their once-vibrant colors faded to murky shades of brown and gray. I could make out faint figures in the fabric, but their features were distorted and twisted into expressions of agony and despair.
As we pursued the corridor to its end, an expanse of thickening darkness greeted us. The lantern's flame proved itself to be a futile source of light. The only inhabitant of the void I could observe was a narrow path that led to a circular platform. On reaching it, the cultist flung me onto the floating stone disc.
Ouch! So… c-c-cold!
"Hey, careful!" the black one boomed. "We need the boy unscathed!"
The platform plunged with a swift jerk. My ears popped as we sank deeper and deeper into the pitch-black bowels of the cold tower.
The near-endless descent ended with a considerable bump. The leader gestured at his accomplices. One of them untied me and removed the gag.
Finally!
I gasped and tried to get to my feet, but it took three efforts before I could stand.
"Lock him up," the leader said. "Be quick; I don't want another lashing from that ass."
As the gray men pushed me, I was on the verge of collapsing.
"Watch it!" I snarled.
One of them grunted, ignoring me. Stacks of skulls and other skeletal remains lined the walls of the passage. In the distance, I could hear water dripping, breaking the stagnant silence with each drop. Or was it blood? The morbid scent irritated my nostrils; however, it differed from the reek I caught from above. This one was mingling with the warm, musky aroma of an animal's body. There was also a hint of iron and a slightly obscure odor.
The premonitions budding in my mind bloomed into reality as we reached the end. My eyes bulged when I witnessed the display behind the sturdy bars of iron.
Shackled corpses!
Some of them were missing their heads, while others had their limbs ripped apart from their torsos and scattered across the floor. Dark crimson streaks painted the cell.
They unlocked the gate and tossed me into a stifling hell. I landed on my chest but flipped over in a moment.
"Ugh!" I said as I glanced at my palms. They were smeared in the viscous, red fluid.
"Enjoy the feast!" the leader said. His laughter thundered across the chamber. "There's more meat than you'll ever sink your teeth in."
I glared at the black voice.
"Hell awaits you, bastards! All of you!"
"God'll be the judge of that," he replied.
They locked the gate, turned their backs, and departed, except for the shorter one in gray, who rooted his feet in the damp ground.
"Hey, get your ass here! Stare at that piece of crap tomorrow."
He stood quiet, his silence revolting against the leader's command.
"I said, get your damn ass moving!" The black one boomed as he clasped onto his henchman's shoulder.
He still observed utter silence, responding with a crushing grip on the leader's hand.
"Hey! Let go, you son of a-"
"I need a fresh face to entertain me. I'm sick of these white masks covering up those ugly mugs." He said, releasing the tenacious grip, "I'll deal with Dyruk later."
"Don't come crying to me after you taste the whip."
He laughed. "You don't know me now, do you?"
"We should head back and report; there's bigger fish to fry," the taller gray cloak said. "Let him have his share of lashes; he'll learn soon."
"Yeah, I will."
The leader seethed and turned, attending to his wrist as they left.
"Why the hell did you stay?" I asked.
"Ah! You'll know all you need; let time unravel your fate."
"Hmph! Fate? I don't believe in lies!"
"Who said I'm lying?" His voice turned stiff. "It is fate that we met. It makes the job easier."
"Job? What job?"
"Like I said, time will tell."
He was meek as my stomach churned and I spewed vomit.
"You alright?"
"Yes," I spewed another mouthful.
He sighed and resumed. "Consider yourself lucky. Not everyone's spared to be an offering. You see those corpses? They're failed experiments."
"Experiments?"
"Yeah."
What a mess! This… this is insane! Who the hell would have such a messed-up mind to perform these?
"I should get going. It was nice chatting with you. By the way, you'd better suck the blood. Chow down on some limbs while you're at it."
"What the hell do you take me for, huh?"
"It'll come in handy. Trust me."
Trust? That demon? Heck, I'd rather bite my tongue off than trust anyone again.
He turned and trod away, blending into the sea of shadows.
I stood up and clutched the hefty bars. Tears streamed down my cheeks.
Is this the end of me?
I leaned against the gate, slipping down at a leaden pace.
Darkness engulfed me, and I befriended it. It was the only companion I had. The rotting bodies were mere spectators of my misery.
Maybe… this is the end.