Ancient Evil

The shadows of the cave shrouded Elena. The darkness crept into her mind as she made her way forward, only a small lighter in hand to guide her. Her heart thumped and pounded heavily with each step. She covered her face as the smell of brimstone grasped her nostrils. She only knew to move forward and she could do nothing else. She heard a whisper from behind her. She turned to see nothing there. Footsteps skittered from her left but nothing could be seen. Silence overtook the cavern. She raised her lighter to see a little further ahead of her, her hand shaking profusely. She squinted as she saw a shape in front of her. A man stood, hunched over, facing the wall. She wanted to turn heel and run, but she wasn’t in control. She took a step closer and paused. One more step, then another, before she was within an arm’s length. He was unmoving. Elena was unsure if he was even breathing. She raised her empty hand to place it on his shoulder. He turned slowly and his face became visible in the firelight. His skin was rotten and peeling. His teeth were yellow and shattered. And his eyes glowed a malicious blood-red hue. He screeched and lunged for Elena before she woke with a shudder, falling out of her hammock onto the sandy floor with a thud.

Covered in sweat, the sand stuck to her arms and face. She took a deep breath, and stood to her feet before laying back in the hammock. She tried her best to relax despite the ever-ceaseless heat that surrounded her. There was no escaping it or the frustration of the sands that filled every pocket and snuck between every strand of hair on her golden head. To wash she reached for a wet towelette that lay in a bowl of water just next to her, fumbling through a handful of scattered items before she found it. Carelessly she slapped the soaking, dripping cloth on her forehead allowing the water to stream across the fair skin of her face. Three months, she thought to herself. Is there no end to this God damned desert?

She had been searching for what seemed to be a fruitless waste of time. Her father spent many years of his life strengthening his knowledge of history, specifically involving artifacts. Thumbing through many old books and excavating ancient tombs, he found only evidence of something almost mythical. A skull made from a flawless ruby crystal. He claimed that not only was it beautiful, but that it was also worshipped for an ability it possessed. It had some sort of mystical power. Of course, she knew his words to be the ramblings of a madman, but the evidence he supplied piqued her curiosity. It was only days after his disappearance that Elena made her way into her father’s study. Books lay messily across the floor and papers pinned to various walls within his chamber. She found his mess to be unhealthy, to say the least. It was the first time she had entered the room, very much because her father gave her strict instruction to “Never enter under any circumstance!” The words echoed through her mind even now as she lay in her hammock.

Silly old fool, she thought to herself. For many hours, Elena had spent tirelessly reading through his notes, articles and hand-drawn scribblings before concluding that all her father’s research pointed to one location. The middle of the Egyptian desert. Of all the God-forsaken places to go. There was something there that her father was looking for.

He’s got to be here somewhere. I’m so close, I can feel it. Surely, it’ll only be a matter of time before-

Suddenly, the tent around her whipped and warped aggressively under a sudden burst of air. Her thoughts became abruptly interrupted and she sat up in a panic as the heated winds suddenly attacked the tent before once again falling silent. She sat so very still for the next few moments before taking a deep breath and standing to her feet.

“God!” she said loudly to herself in frustration. She slammed the wet towel back into the bowl of water next to her, sending a splash of water over her clothes and her hammock. Taking a moment to breathe, she stood to her feet.

“Well, that was long enough I suppose. Best see how the others are getting on.” Approaching the exit of the tent, a figure from outside made its way in. Her brother stood proudly, wearing his black uniform, complete with boots, breeches and his “Very fancy cap,” to describe it as he did.

“Fraulein?” he called as he entered the tent. His thick German accent underlined this term of ‘endearment’. And he knew she hated it.

“Yes Ludwig, I am coming. You need to stop calling me that.” She responded with her head down. A grin stretched across his face as Elena approached and stopped her. He raised her head with his hand beneath her chin to meet his gaze.

“I could have you arrested for insubordination, little one.” He said slyly. “It is my division that is funding this little expedition of yours.”

“We both want to find father.” Elena snapped. “Let’s not make this any more difficult than it needs to be.”

“Very well.” He responded, removing his hand. Something sour made its way into the relationship of the siblings when Ludwig joined the military. Elena had been sent to school in England by her father before the war had started and Ludwig had fantasized about joining the military since he was but a boy, opposing his father’s wishes. Despite their relationship, Elena needed funding to assist her in finding her father. Reluctantly she mailed her brother for assistance. The first letter of her plea was given no response. In the second letter, Elena casually mentioned something about an artifact made of a very large gem. This quickly grabbed Ludwig’s interest. A little too eagerly Elena thought. Ludwig cared very little for his father so she had to give him some sort of motive. “The explosives have breached a hole into the excavated site. They have found a doorway of some kind. I suggest you come supervise before these fools make a mess of things.” Elena nodded and headed for the exit, with Ludwig holding the flap of the tent open for her.

Leaving the tent, Elena became momentarily blinded by the sudden burst of lighting as the sun beamed down upon her. Elena took note of her surroundings. The excavation site in front of her was littered with workers and German soldiers. The workers carried rocks, bags of sand, shovels and pickaxes. All of them dressed in their sweat covered, torn clothing, stained around the necks and armpits. Walking lazily behind the workers the soldiers followed carrying firearms of various types. Looking to her immediate left and right, two soldiers also stood guard.

Nazi bastards. Elena thought to herself. So unnecessary.

Walking past the soldiers, every one of them gave a signature salute. Elena initially thought the gesture was intended for her, but quickly remembered the pompous prince behind her. Elena thought who had the brilliant idea to promote this idiot to Oberfürer had far too much to drink. Elena and Ludwig continued through the site and made their way toward the grand cave entrance that lay before them. They passed by many men with faded expressions of exhaustion carrying large, heavy rocks. Many looked to Elena for some sort of comfort, but there was little she could do. It was not her intent for them to be treated this way. She was promised the workers would be treated fairly. Looking to Ludwig, she noticed his crooked smile, as if he was content. She could tell he only cared for his progress. He didn’t care for the physical state of the men.

Lost in thought, it was only when she reached the opening of the cave that Elena felt a sense of excitement as she looked into the blackened maw in front of her. Elena took a deep breath and reached into her satchel to pull out a flashlight. Elena took a single step inside the cave when, from within, a blast of hot air blew sand directly into her face forcing her to cover herself with her hands. The wind blew quickly before immediately stopping again.

“It would seem that God does not approve of our actions Fraulein.” Ludwig joked from behind her, resulting in multiple snickering sounds. Only then, Elena noticed the two soldiers flanking Ludwig, one with a large satchel with a stick of dynamite sticking out of it.

No doubt for his protection. Coward.

“Now,” he continued, “onward, little one.” Placing one foot in front of the other, Elena vigilantly crept into the darkened interior of the cave. The buzzing of her flashlight seemingly got louder as the sounds of the bustle and chatter of the workers behind her began to fade. The sand crunched beneath every step as the sweat from her forehead dripped furiously.

Looking to the cavern walls and ceiling, the natural look that predominantly consisted of jagged rock began to become smooth and shaped. Carved even. Her eyes started darting back and forth, examining every intricate detail before something suddenly captured her gaze. A large slabbed door stood in front of the group made of hardened sandstone. It was decorated with an array of glyphs resembling birds, beetles and a predominant human skull etched into the centre.

A hand gently pushed Elena from behind to the side as Ludwig stepped forward ahead of her, along with his two bodyguards.

“Oh my, this is beautiful,” Ludwig said as he approached the door. Removing the black leather gloves from his hands, he brushed his fingers against its surface, tracing the glyphs gently.

“You know how to open this, yes?” Ludwig said, turning to Elena. She said nothing. Her mind was overcome with exciting thoughts of what could lay behind the door.

Could this be what father was searching for? If it is, why didn’t he make it this far? Elena’s thoughts became interrupted by one of the soldiers handing a stick of dynamite to Ludwig. Before Elena could shout for them to stop, Ludwig lit the fuse with a maniacal grin.

“Auf Wiedersehen!” He cackled before tossing the stick in the general direction of the sandstone door before slipping into a small alcove to stand in alongside his soldiers.

Elena’s heart skipped a beat as she gasped. She turned on her heels and began to run but immediately slipped and fell to the floor, dropping her flashlight and hitting her head on the sand. Looking up in a daze, her eyes darted around before finding a speck of daylight from the direction she had come from. Attempting to stand up she stumbled. Breathing heavily, her heart raced and she felt anxiety crush her lungs. It was then that she felt a hand pull her to her feet and tug her toward the light. Even though her body was telling her to stop, her mind screamed at her to survive. She pushed as hard as she could before she noticed a growling light source emitting from behind her followed by an explosive sound. A wave of air and dust shoved her and her companion forward and toward the ground, forcing Elena to brace herself against the floor. She felt a body cover her as rocks scattered past her. Finally, the dust around her began to settle and silence once again took the cave.

“What the hell is wrong with you!” Elena shouted as she shoved the body off of her. Turning around and looking into their face, it wasn’t Ludwig, but one of the soldiers.

“I apologise.” His voice cracked as he spoke. “I only intended to help.” Elena looked at his face and took in his details. Her initial reaction of anger subsided and she became confused. He looked to be just a boy.

“No, don’t apologise.” She said gently. “Thank you, um?” Elena said, waiting for his name. She began rising to her feet

“Viktor.” He responded promptly.

“Thank you, Viktor. Now, if you’d excuse me.” She coughed as she turned to the darkened hallway toward her brother.

“Ludwig!” Elena shouted into the darkness, carefully finding her way back into the cave toward her torch that lay flickering in the sand. “You crazy bastard! You could have killed us all!”

“I did not do a very good job,” Ludwig said stepping out from the alcove and brushing the dust from his coat.

“I will not be the next casualty of this damned war!” Furiously Elena looked to her flashlight. The glass lens was smashed and the bulb inside began to fade. Reaching down to grab it, a black boot rested on top. Ludwig leaned down coming eye to eye with Elena.

“Once again you seem to think you can disrespect my authority. Speak to me like that again and you will be sorry.” He placed his finger under Elena’s chin and lifted it. “It would bring me much pleasure.”

Staring into his eyes, Elena furrowed her brow. “Tell that to your buddy in the corner there.” She said, gesturing to the alcove where Ludwig previously hid. Inside, the other soldier lay with his satchel of explosives. Taking his lighter out of his pocket he flicked it and walked gingerly toward the body. When the firelight touched the body, Ludwig only saw the horror of the soldier’s head crushed beneath a large boulder that fell on top of it.

“Pity.” Ludwig sneered as he looted the satchel from the corpse. “It would seem you have been promoted, little Viktor.” Ludwig tossed the satchel toward Viktor who fumbled it as he caught it. Elena winced as she expected something to explode.

“Well?” Ludwig asked, gesturing to the newly opened doorway. Elena looked carefully from a distance into the passage. Her gut churned with anxiety. Something inside of her heart told her not to enter, but a feeling grew. An impulse. In the back of her head, she heard a tiny, mad voice saying: Go on, go on. What are you waiting for? You want to know what lies within. Elena searched through Viktor’s backpack finding a wooden stick, a rag, and alcohol. After crafting herself a torch she lit it and began to walk through. Behind her, Ludwig and Viktor followed.

Inside the chamber, the air became thick and stale. The cave began to take a shallow, narrow descent before gradually becoming steeper. The temperature within the chamber dropped significantly as they traversed deeper within. Elena looked to Ludwig with confusion, and he at her, noting their breath becoming visible in the cold. Chills began to caress the back of their necks. Rubbing their hands together they attempted to generate what heat they could, to little avail.

The torch in Elena’s hand had burnt to half its original size before they made it to the bottom of the incline. The floor became flat and the narrow hallway became broad. They had entered the main room. The walls glistened, gilded with gold that shocked along the surface, spiralling and weaving misty patterns. The torchlight could not reach the roof or the back of the room which gave the impression that it could go on forever. Stepping forward the room continued. Taking a handful more steps Elena noted a glint in the room in front of her. Swaying her torch, it glistened the light reflection. Her heart pounded with excitement. Moving closer she saw a pedestal in the centre of the chamber, and resting on top of it was a blood-red gem in the shape of a human skull. Six chains of blackened iron anchored the skull to the floor. The room was filled with utter silence. A deranged smile stretched across Ludwig’s face.

Finally, Ludwig thought to himself. We now actually might win this war.

A booming, raspy voice echoed through the chamber, bouncing from the walls and into the mind of Ludwig.

“I know what you want,” the voice said. Ludwig looked to Elena and Viktor. They only looked to the gilded walls in awe as they made their way through the chamber toward the pedestal, as if they didn’t hear it.

“I see your heart and your mind,” the voice continued. “Come child. Let me show you your true potential.” Ludwig found himself ecstatic. A grin stretched across his face that could only be seen as maniacal. He briskly walked into the chamber, past Elena and Viktor, shoving them both to the side.

“Wait!” Elena shouted. “We don’t know what that thing is, we must be careful!”

“No. I know exactly what this is Fraulein.” Ludwig said getting closer to the skull. “The beginning of the end of the war.” Ludwig placed his hand upon the skull. The ground beneath them began to shake and audible to all, a loud, cackled laughter emitted from the skull that encompassed the chamber. A shock of red energy crackled from the skull and shocked erratically around Ludwig’s arm. The blackened chains attached to the skull cracked and shattered, sending shrapnel flying in all directions. Elena instinctually tried to cover her face, but a shard of metal quickly sliced her cheek causing blood to ooze across her face. Looking back to Ludwig, Elena saw him standing beside the pedestal with the skull in hand.

“Now, be my witness and see what it means to have true power.”

Baring his teeth, he raised the skull and pointed it toward Elena. In an instant, Elena fell to the floor gasping for breath. She clawed her throat in panic, trying to draw any gasp of air she could before she fell silent. Unmoving. Horrified, Viktor stood frozen and stared with widened eyes toward the unmoving body of Elena.

Ludwig tossed the skull to the floor and stepped toward Elena, grinning from ear to ear. Standing over her he reached out his hand. Elena’s arm raised and clasped Ludwig’s. She stood to her feet and opened her eyes which emitted a bright, blood-red hue.