Penrose Games

Part Two

Frank drove quickly; winding his way through the ever busy streets of the city on his way to what Elijah called a safe house. It was some motel on the outskirts of town, but they first had to survive getting there. The hell hounds were after him again, he could see them as they leapt through the shadows of the alley ways. More and more headlights were replacing the dying daylight of dusk and he knew that those lights would help somewhat keep the hounds at bay.

Joe and Sam meanwhile still were trapped by the Death Child, and Joe suspected that there were more. He questioned Maria, trying to find if there is anyway to defeat or stop the Death Child, but could not accept that killing the host body was the only way. Eventually, as the threat grew, they hoped that holy water, used by someone with faith, might weaken the being. They prepared themselves, knowing if they were wrong, they would most likely run into their doom.

Frank headed for the bridge, weaving left and right whenever Adam told him too. The hounds, smarter than Frank expected, where jumping up through the shadow of the vehicle itself. Frank knew that Adam could sense the creatures, and that gift was saving his life. Frank drove across the bridge, the creatures risking dim light to get closer to the van. Coming at him from the left at one point, the right from another, and Frank realized, he was being herded. He reached the other side of the bridge and based on the last attack, they were herding him to a park, a nice dark park. Frank took a chance and drove towards the next attack, suddenly the creatures vanished. Adam reported, they were headed back.

Joe watched as Abraham, who had volunteered to use the holy water, walked towards the image of the boy, rosary outstretched, as if it were his shield against the evil of the Death Child. The boy mocked Abraham in Latin, calling in to question his faith, his strength, even his manhood. Abraham doused the boy with holy water, and it merely laughed. Suddenly, Abraham pressed his rosary into the forehead of the boy's image and a scream like no other pierced through the church. All of them could hear it, even feel it at it clawed at their skin.

Joe yelled at them to run, as they ran out the side door towards the remaining vehicle. Joe paused, as he could see several childlike images, screeching out in pain, none of the others could see them. Joe called for Abraham who jumped into the van just in time for them to start fleeing. They don't know why, but the children did not follow. They received word that the others had made it to the safe house and they followed suit.

Everyone reunited at the motel, informing each other of what had happened and trying to decide what to do next. Meanwhile, Adam stayed by his mom's side as she still had not recovered from the attack by the Death Child earlier. Frank, feeling a sense of unease and hoping to make sure everything was alright, decided to walk around the motel. He had begun to hear a strange squeaking noise, like a broken gate or a rusty swing. Joe meanwhile had decided to speak with Adam. He knew the boy had gone through a lot, and though he was strong willed, he was still a boy, and he knew that he had to explain some of what has happened in the last few hours, and why.

Frank, sure that the noise was getting worse, and fearing the children had somehow followed them, rushed back to Sam to inform her of what was going on. Joe exited the room, leaving Adam and his now awake mother, a few moments of privacy. They spoke only moments, before Sam and Joe both felt a cold pit in their stomach. Something very evil had just entered into their midst. As if on cue, a loud yell came from the upstairs room where Isaac and Abraham had gone to settle for the night. Suddenly Isaac's body was thrown out of the room, taking the door and himself over the railing and crashing on an SVU parked below.

Joe went to make sure Adam was alright while Frank rushed upstairs. He discovered Abraham on the floor, his rosary raised against another child, but this one was different. Her skin was pale and gaunt, as if she were nothing but skin and her bones. Her matted black hair barely covered her face, and unable to hide the deep black orbs that were her eyes. She stood there and stared at Frank. Her movements, jerky and sudden, each time accompanied by the noise of a rattle and crack, as if her bones were ancient and hollow.

Joe, finding the door locked, called out to Adam, telling him it was time to go. Adam, as if unaware of the situation, called out he needed a moment. Joe, feeling something wrong, tried again and again to call Adam out of the room but the boy would only delay, and finally refused to go. He and his mother were staying, they weren't going with them.

Frank, his weapon raised, asked if Abraham was alright, and what was this thing in front of them. Abraham did not know. Suddenly the girl's attention was drawn away as she stared at the ground, Frank realized it was in the direction of Adam's room and opened fire. The girl screeched, angered by the attack, she opened her mouth and a loud wail filled their ears as her mouth revealed rows of razor sharp teeth. Frank fired again and again, the bullets seeming to disrupt the girl's image, her body seeming to barely contain some wild shadow or darkness.

Joe could not wait anymore, with the help of Elijah, busted down the door an entered the room. Adam stood there, his mother seated on the bed, facing Adam but away from the others. Again he told Joe to leave. He wasn't going to live this life. He wasn't going to go with them; he was going to stay with his mother. Sam entered the room. She pressured the boy, pleaded with him in regards to the situation, and she pleaded with Adam's mother whose face she could not see. Adam's mother reached out, and pushed her son away, who did not want to go. Finally though, he left his mother's side, and into Sam's arms bawling. Sam watched as the body of Adam's mother fell backwards, her eyes rolled up. She was dead, and had been for some time.

Frank grabbed Abraham and started to run as Joe, who had heard the gun shots, was running up to help them. Suddenly, he, Sam, and Elijah all felt a great weight they didn't notice vanish. It was the same time that Sam felt Adam pass out in her arms. Frank and Joe turned around in time to see the creature that had attacked them, flee out the door, all shadow and light, back towards the city. Knowing this was unsafe, and that heading away from the city would be in their best interest, everyone gathered into their vehicles and fled even further out.

As they arrived at a small farmhouse, Sam, Frank and Joe all were told by Maria what she and Elijah had begun to suspect at the motel. Adam's power was extremely unusual; its strength was almost staggering. They knew as each soul born closer to the end was stronger than the last, they suspected that Adam was indeed the last soul ever born.

The revelation was staggering, because that meant that it was on Adam's shoulders' that all of humanity would be judged. It was on him whether the or the Torture of Hell would rule the souls and fate of all humankind.