My breath hitched.

I wanted to scream but I couldn't. I grabbed ahold of my throat and I felt as if my windpipe had been crushed. Sweat accumulated all about my body, drenching me in a fear that no man could replicate. This wasn't your everyday situation. I did something unspeakable, something I would be punished for, for all of eternity.

I awoke The Devil-- Cravok The Tormentor.

My knees were possessed by jackhammers as they refused to steady themselves.

The dark silhouette stood like a giant before me. I needed to but I could not look away. The void holes in place of its eyes drew me in, far too deep, and then spat me out with nowhere to run, only to be sucked in all over again.

An endless loop.

Its presence stole away at my life, draining me of my will to go on. I craved the sweet release of death, but I was denied this gift. I could not bear it any longer, this torture was far too great.

A long, white gown covered its enormous figure and around its neck was a broken chain, swaying from side to side, slowly, like a clock ticking away its life. Its fingernails were stained with my blood from what happened before this, thinking about it now shot a deep, sharp pain through my stomach.

I was strapped to the cold steel of a table just moments ago. My eyes were forced awake by clipping my eyelids and attaching them to wires running in different directions. I could not blink, a never-ending staring contest in an eternal nightmare.

A collar laid snuggly around my neck, plotting a constriction to steal my breath every time I uttered an inevitable groan. I felt the ice-cold steel of the devil's knife as he carved away the flesh of my stomach, digging away at my skin slowly with its dullness. I remember clearly, its fingertips dived deep into me and uprooted my intestines. It pulled at my internal organs, one by one.

How did I get here?

~Two Hours Ago~

I turned the doorknob slowly to avoid making any noises. I opened the door and scanned the room for my target. I stepped in, locking the door behind me. There was only one objective of this break-in; upload the program.

So far, I evaded all the security measures. All that was left to do was to locate the drive and leave. Easy enough.

I walked across the red carpet and observed the paintings and various vases that decorated the office. To say the least, the archeologist who owned this office had good taste.

I stood in front of his silver laptop and opened it. Quickly, I took a flash drive from my black pants' pocket and injected it into the laptop's USB port.

A blinking black window came up and after it vanished, a download bar appeared. Now all I had left to do was wait until the program downloaded and cash out on a half a million-dollar cheque.

I continued to look around the room while I waited for the barely audible beep that indicated the download completion.

I trailed my fingertip along the line of books on the bookshelf, stopping at the weirdest of the collection; "Cravok-The Bringer of Torment".

I chuckled at the ridiculous title. Clearly an old myth used to scare children into behaving. It amazed me how idiots believed in these kinds of things, so much so that I just had to read a bit of it for entertainment.

I drew the book from next to the others and opened it. A brass object fell from between the pages and onto the floor. Luckily, the landing was cushioned by the carpet. I swiftly retrieved it from the floor and inspected it briefly.

It was about the length of a pen and held an unusual weight for its size. It was a rectangular prism, with a skull indented on all four sides. At one end was a small opening that almost looked like a single straight line and at the other was a weird symbol that resembled a coffin.

I held it in my hand, caressing the metallic object as I started to read the book.

The first line was not English but a strange jumble of letters that I felt compelled to sound out. It demanded to be called out and I felt my lips silently making it out.

"Evigilare faciatis dormienti tortorem," I said and for some reason it just rolled off of my tongue effortlessly. 

I heard a click and I rotated to face the door, thinking someone was there but it was still locked. I raised my eyebrow and was about to put back the book and strange object when a blade emerged from the opening. It ripped away the flesh of my palm, staining the steel of the blade with a bright red.

I cursed under my breath and wiped the blade into my pants before fidgeting with it to retract the steel. I twisted it, but that did nothing. I pressed down on the weird coffin symbol and I was met with the sting of a needle breaking through my skin. Despite my pain, I was delighted to see the steel retracted and I wasted no time putting it back into the book and returning that stupid thing to the shelf.

I heard the signal for completion and hopped back over to the laptop, removing the flash drive and closing it back.

Easy!

Suddenly, the doorknob turned and I...

                                                                         ~Present~

I felt the intense pull of the blackholes in its eye, pulling the first layer of skin from my hand. The second layer followed and finally the third. I could feel every strip peeling away with no hint of mercy.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head and I tried to scream but I regretted it instantly. I felt my vocal cords, breaking free from my throat, each fiber ripping away before it clawed its way upwards and out through my mouth.

My insides rotated and swirled around, cursing me with the feeling of each movement. 

WHY CAN'T I DIE?!

The air flushed from my lungs as they churned around inside. I gasped for the stolen oxygen but it was pointless.

The last layer of skin finally gave away from my body, peeling from me even slower than before to ensure I felt every last cell rip away.

The valves of my heart exploded, splattering the endless room of darkness with a crimson that lingered in the air.

I could not die...

I could not escape...

I am...

I am cursed...to eternal damnation.