Set watched as the younger teen landed beside him in the dimly lit caravan, the floorboards creaking underneath him from the sudden weight.
"Don't steal anything kid, I mean it.", he warned turning on the wall lantern, "Or I'm personally gonna toss ya out the window." He stared down the blonde, "I mean it."

Hugo scoffed and crossed his arms, "There's nothing worth stealing here anyway, I don't want your shit. All I want is to get out of this hell hole. That's it.", he pointed to the small kitchenette, "Weren't ya supposed to give me some water or something?"

Set glared at him annoyed and shoved a cup into his hand, "Get it yourself kid, I need to find the matches and extra lanterns."

"I'm not a kid.", he retorted heatedly, "You're barely older then me anyhow."

"I'm seventeen, I'm way older and more mature then you kid. You haven't even grown into your voice yet, you're like 12 and you're an idiot who decided to explore this cave for fun, that makes you a kid.", he then pushed him towards the kitchen corner, "Just get some water and clean yourself up."

Hugo stood there stubbornly, staring down Set, "I'm almost sixteen you asshole, and I didn't just wander in here for the enjoyment of it. I was being chased so I went in here knowing the punks wouldn't follow me."

"And now you're trapped. So how did that work genius?", he then turned his back to him, "I could care less where you came from or what you do, just behave yourself and do what I told you."

Hugo for a minute considered grabbing the older boy's bowstaff and hitting him over the head with it, before huffing and walking away cup in hand.

Muttering under his breath he scooped up some water from the barrel and drank it. Realizing how much he missed clean water, he gulped down several more cups before finishing, hearing the sliding of drawers as Set looked for the matches in the background.

"Stay there kid, I'm searching the other rooms real quick.", Set ordered rushing across the caravan, "I MEAN IT."

"MY NAME'S HUGO, BITCH!", he retorted glaring at his disappearing figure.

Set didn't reply back as Hugo checked the cabinets himself, stuffing a roll into his mouth as he searched through the food and dishes.

A chill then went across Hugo's back, the slight breeze blowing in through the shuttered windows making him turn around in fear.

He swallowed and shook himself, trying to stay calm. They couldn't be anywhere near here. He looked at the warm glowing light on the wall in relief and back to the closed window before turning back to the cabinets. He was safe-

Knowing that they needed those matches he checked the packed tiny kitchen. He was then rewarded with a small bag and box at the back, which turned out to be candles and matches.

Right as he was about to call out to tell Set he had found the matches, the cold chill settled around him again. Cold unsettling whispers came out of the shadowed cabinet making him freeze in shock.

"You'll never escape...", a voice whispered from the dark cabinet, "No one ever does."

Hugo slammed the cabinet door shut terrified, only to feel its presence get stronger, radiating through the wood.

"Foolish human... oh poor little boy.", it mocked as it pushed against the door, "I will claim you once again making you relive everything you hate and fear..."

Holding the door shut, Hugo felt his face whiten, "GET THE HELL OUT!!", he yelled weakly, "I'm not dealing with your shit again!"

The door rattled as he pressed against it harder, the cold voice sickening him as it laughed. "That's what I'm trying to do HUGO. Give you your ticket out."

"Now why in the fuck would you want to do that?! You think I'm stupid?!", he spat as the wood creaked threateningly from the creature's pounding.

"We got two new souls to bother now.", it soothed, "There's not a lot more we can do to you. You've grown boring to play with as you've screamed and cried... there's not much more to tear apart.", the voice cackled, "So I'm offering you the way out."

"GO AWAY!!", he screamed angrily, his hands feeling the cold through the boards, "SET!!"

"Don't bother with that. He can't hear you.", the voice hissed. "I don't make this offer often human.", it warned, "And I promise if you turn it down you'll be stuck here for the rest of your short, insignificant and miserable life."

Hugo shook as he held the door closed, the, thing, inside terrifying him as he thought back to the pain he had been plunged into not long ago.

"Leave them to us here Hugo. Destroy the lights and leave.", the darkness inside the cabinet hissed, it's disturbing voice almost feeling sticky and wet to his ears, "You've got the supplies and we know you have the skills to easily pull that off or just set this place on fire, once you do that simple task we'll let you leave."

"LIAR!! You'll only take me back!!", he yelled, "YOU WONT LET ME GO!!"

"An X-cult member of Zhan Tiri and exorcist are much more interesting then you boy.", the voice said, "I've already told you there's not much that's useful from you. We'd happily let you go for the promise of those two staying here."

"Why are you so interested in them anyway? What even is your fucking purpose torturing the people who come in here, huh?!", Hugo questioned, "Answer that!!"

The cold darkness seemed to keep his hands glued to the cabinet door now as it no longer banged against it. It was laughing again, it's voice filled with amusement, "Because messing with pitiful humans is what we do best, getting inside their head, gathering their memories and everything that they are while pushing them to insanity. It feeds us, we thrive off of it.", it said, Hugo knowing with a sick feeling the thing inside was smiling, "We've already done and collected what we did out of you boy, and we know you'll have no moral issues leaving them behind."

"You don't a thing about me, you bastard.", he said gritting his teeth, "You're disgusting!"

"Then all the more reason to accept my offer, human. We have no problem driving you to madness if you refuse, but like I said, the promise of those two being left behind makes us willing to let you go.", it hissed, "Also there's a reason you've never been able to leave this cave, it's only forward, no turning back. Unless.. unless of course new victims come in. And they have, you can leave and you'll leave untouched by our special gift.", it promised, "As another enters one can leave in their place. So you can try to run and you'll be able to escape, but you won't get far. That is unless you do what we want."

"How do I know you'll keep your word?!", he questioned glaring at the shadows in the cracks, "Why would I ever douse all the light?!"

The gas lamp's light then flickered and sputtered out at his words, throwing him into darkness as he felt the creature around him, it's sickening skin touching his shoulders.

"Because if you don't,", it laughed, "I'll make the rest of your life living hell and drive you into madness."

Hugo reared back, his hands ripping off the wooden cabinet door with biting pain. His back slammed into the wall as he felt it breathe on him, the chilly air coming from it smelling of death and moisture, "LEAVE ME ALONE!!", he screamed his face ashen.

"HUGO? Everything alright in there?", Set called from the next room.

The shadowy and dark creature hovered over him, "What will it be little human? Decide now.", it hissed as Hugo felt the darkness press over him.

It was too much. He couldn't go back. Why sacrifice his sanity for some people he didn't even know? It wasn't worth it. He hated how the horrible shadowy creature in front of him was right, but he couldn't live another minute of that torture and fear.
"FINE!! I'll do it!!", he screamed out as his vision started to fill with fearful images.

The thing laughed and then disappeared as Hugo clutched the matches tightly in shaking hands, his heart beating fast.

"Kid!! Hey, what were you yelling about?", Set ran into the dark room to see what was going on just as Hugo lit a match, his light reflecting off his glasses eerily. "Hugo, what happened?!"

Set then watched in shock and horror as the skinny teen threw the match into the box and floor, the caravan floor immediately catching fire.

Bright yellow and orange flames greedily consumed the wood, smoke suffocating Set as he watched Hugo climb out of the caravan to the front with a dagger drawn.

"HUGO!!!", Set screamed, coughing as he tried to go after him but the blaze cut him off from that point.

Running from the fire, he threw himself at the boarded windows, trying to break out as the flames came after him mercilessly.

Ramming his bowstaff at the shutters, they broke open letting more of the smoke pour out into the damp and cold cave.

He then jumped, yelling in pain as he felt fire catch to his pants, burning his leg and eating away at the fabric.

He rolled along the hard and freezing stone desperately as he felt the heat from the fire intensify.
Looking up hearing horse screams and Andrew shouting, he watched as Hugo jumped onto Fuego, cutting him free from the caravan with the dagger he had seen moments before.

Andrew was screaming and trying to see what was happening as Hugo rode off with the stallion in the opposite direction of the cave.

Fire ate away at the caravan as Set scrambled to his feet, running over and trying to free Fidella from the harness.

"HUBERT!! HELP ME!!", Set screamed, coughing as more smoke billowed.

He pulled at it, his hands raw from the ropes, as Andrew leapt off the flaming caravan and ran over to help him. Both men pulled and rushed to undo the harness as the heat beat against their bodies.

The satisfying snap of the harness finally gave way, freeing the terrified horse as Set and Andrew pulled her away from fire in panic.

Stumbling and coughing, they watched as the bright fire completely consumed the caravan, washing them in harsh light.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!", Andrew yelled angrily turning toward him, "Why the hell is the caravan on fire?! I just FIXED IT!!"

"It isn't my fault okay?!", he retorted, "It was that Hugo kid! He just threw down the matches and left! I told you we couldn't trust him Hubert, yet you wouldn't listen to me!"

Andrew stopped, taking a deep breath trying to calm himself. He looked back at the flames, his hand holding Fidella's bridle tightly, "He needed help Set. I couldn't just ignore him. Whatever happened, that made him do this, he ultimately was just trying to escape."

"How can you say that?! He stole your horse and destroyed all of our supplies! And once that fire burns out we're dead!", he gestured to the yawning darkness ahead, "With those shadows or whatever they are!!"

"You don't think I've realized that?", he said raising his voice again, "I know how bad the situation is Set and I know it's only going to get worse, thank you!", he kneaded his brow, "Im trying to figure out what to do here!"

Set clenched his jaw and stared into the black tunnel ahead, the firelight not going very far into the hollowed stone and being swallowed by the shadows ahead.

They couldn't just sit there waiting for whatever those things were to get them. They had to take action and escape-
He mounted Fidella swiftly, before offering an arm to Andrew, "We've got to keep going, man. We can't wait for the fire to burn out and let them get us. We'll take the fight to them."

Andrew looked up at him, his face lined with stress, "If we go out there right now with no light, they'll attack us kid. We need to think here."

"And if we stay here, they'll just jump on us. You have a mission! You can't do it here and you definitely can't do it if all you do is think instead of act. Sometimes you just got to take a chance, even if you know there's danger waiting.", he extended his hand forward, "Just do. See what happens next."

The older man thought for a moment before taking the hand and climbing on, sitting behind him. "Alright..., we'll try it your way."

Set took a deep breath, "Good, 'cause if you didn't I would've dragged you onto the horse myself.", he said giving him a small grin, "You think too much, man."

"So we're just going to run into there then?", Andrew sighed holding onto him as Set grabbed the reigns tightly, "And hope we make it to the other side?"

"Yep. Not much else we can do.", he replied kicking off the mare.

The men held onto the mare as Fidella burst off into the dark chilly tunnel, the bonfire behind them growing smaller as they left its protective warm glow.

The cold was intense as she galloped through, swerving around stalactites and natural jutted rocks as their eyes strained for light.
Set clung to the leather straps and felt the pit in his stomach grow as he felt somewhere in the darkness eyes watching him.

Then just like he knew they would, the shadows attacked filling his vision with blood and fear.

He didn't even hear Andrew's alarmed cry as Fidella continued to carry them through, unaffected by the dark unnatural creatures ravaging their minds.

Angry voices filled his mind as he felt like a kid again. Becoming a small child again in those nightmarish visions. Except it wasn't a bad dream. None of it was. It was the truth.

The blood and chains. The anger and fear... it was all his fault. He had messed up, ruined everything.

His grip tightened as he clung onto Fidella's mane, trying to snap out of what he had felt before. Fear circled and encased his heart and thoughts as his body shook.

Unnatural laughter filled his ears as he watched the claws take against his face, scarlet liquid going down his cheek and eye.

He was getting lost, going underneath the influence of those things. The chilly air around him made him feel like he was being plunged underwater, as he saw his mom's eyes open in pain and shock.

Watching, feeling everything from before, he screamed. Pain from grief and fear tore at his throat as he saw himself, his hands holding the bloodied knife and his mom fall to the ground.

Instinctively grabbing the bowstaff behind him as he screamed, he held onto it tightly, forcing himself back to the present. Tears stinging his eyes as he yanked the reins back and jumped off as Fidella skidded to a painful halt.

She whinnied in protest as Andrew just clung onto her neck now, in crash position lost in his past.

Set held the inscribed bowstaff in one hand upright as he brought his hand in front of his face chanting, his two fingers upright.

His anger from the dark creatures making him see his mother again kept him gripped on reality, as hot tears ran down his face. His bowstaff now lighting up, he grabbed it with both hands and swung it the air, golden light radiating around him.

Symbols glowed underneath him and expanded on the ground, as he created more light.

These things that tortured them, they were something he had never dealt with before, but that didn't matter. He knew they needed darkness. The void of black mentally in the human mind and of the physical world.

He had them though. He was ready to fight. They had made a mistake making him watching him murder his mother again.

Yelling out the last bit of the foreign chant, the light exploded outward as he slammed the end of his staff on the ground.

Bright yellow light shot everywhere, making the creature's hold on his mind release him hissing in pain.

He only saw them for a moment, but their distorted bodies and hollowed eye sockets burned into his memory. Shaken, he watched as they flew off and disappeared, his bow-staff still glowing with golden light as he hurriedly went back over to Andrew.

He pulled him up and climbed back on, urging Fidella to run.

Heart in his throat, he knew he only bought them a few minutes as she galloped through the hellish cave. Her hooves pounded against the damp rock and it echoed around them as he finally felt the freezing chill turn warm.

He then heard angry screams and hissing as he saw the pinprick of light at the end, the exit from the tunnel finally in sight.

"FASTER!! C'MON!!", he screamed as he leaned forward trying to make them more aerodynamic.

The mare whinnied and rushed forward, the things chasing them and grabbing at them now.
Set felt a jolt as he realized their hands were now visible, glistening black and twisting into sharp claws.

Just as he was sure they weren't going to make it. Then they burst through.

Warm sunlight and the smell of earth enveloped them as Fidella broke out of the cave, rushing through the trees panting, mane and tail flying.

Set didn't dare look back as he felt Andrew's hands clutching his side, both of them hearing the hissing and curses being yelled after them as they ran through the forest.