“This place isn’t all powerful. It’s just one of the other worlds that exist alongside ours. You don’t belong here. You never should have been brought here. Crucible controls this place. He is the one playing these games with you. His affinity for games is what will give you a chance to get out. To beat him. He lives closest to the gap in the worlds. That’s where you can get out. His game requires someone to make it to him. That’s the end of the game. That’s also how you will get to the gap. By yourself you can’t beat him. Not down here. This is a world of evil and monsters and it will take a monster to remove Crucible from his place of power. Everything down here eithers fears him, or works with him. There’s one that despises him though. You know which one. For now you have others things to worry about. I’m not supposed to be here. He can sense there’s something wrong with the game. He’s leading them straight to you. You have to listen to me closely to survive this.”

The power to the diner cut out. We all looked away from the recorder and back to the street outside. About fifty yards away were The Rotten Ones. In the light, the definition of their decrepit features was clear and unsettling. They started moving towards the diner.

“These things again? Have any ideas?” Henry asked.

“Yeah. Block the door and then hide. I need time to hear what the plan is.” I said.

Jenny sprang into action first. She was at one of the tables and was pushing it towards the front door. Henry and I followed and began stacking chairs on top of the table. The Rotten Ones were closing in though and the debris would only slow them down. They were getting in regardless. They were almost to the door when we threw the last of the things we could find into our makeshift roadblock.

“Now what?” Henry asked.

“Hide!”

The three of us all ran towards the kitchen of the diner. There were two swinging doors that we went through into the back area. The recorder had turned off on its own when the lights went out. I clicked play again hoping my father would have a way out of this mess. As he started talking I heard a crash from the front of the diner. The others had already found a place to hide. I had one thing left to do before I could hide. I finished what I needed to do then closed a door in front of me and sat in a dark room. We were on the clock. Death was coming.

The diner was almost silent. The only sound was the dragging, sloshing feet of The Rotten Ones. I listened as they made their way through the diner and towards the kitchen. The swinging doors squeaked as they were pushed forward and then fell backwards. That happened twice. The Rotten Ones were now in the kitchen with us. The gross sound of their steps was getting closer. They walked past the other doors. They were heading straight for the door. They were right outside.

The sound of the door ripping off its hinges echoed through the kitchen. The rotting, melted skin sound accompanied it. Also accompanying it was the sound of my father’s words coming from the recorder I had placed in the walk in fridge at the end of the kitchen. I busted out of the supply room and found them directly in front of the recorder. My father was reciting something. Words from another place. Words that would bind them to the recording. Make them a horrifying story and nothing more. There was power in the stories that the recorder held. But only when they were being told. Until then the recorder was a prison, and my father was the warden now.

The Rotten Ones turned to run but it was too late. Their legs began to break into pieces and melt into sludge that was being drawn into the recorder like a vacuum. Jenny opened the door to the pantry and peeked out to see what was happening. She was too close. One of them reached out and grabbed onto her leg. She began to scream. She was being pulled with them towards the recorder. Henry came from behind her. He looked at me, then at her. There was no way I would be able to reach her in time. He knew he could end up trapped just like her. He didn’t care. He ran towards them with his bat and began swinging with deadly intent. He was screaming and smashing and trying to sever the grip the rotten hand had on Jenny. Black muck from The Rotten Ones lashed out like a whip and wrapped around Henry’s throat. His throat started sizzling and bleeding as he took one last swing at the hand that was gripping Jenny. The rotten hand disintegrated, freeing her. I saw a chance and took it. I ran over and pulled her towards me. Henry collapsed down. I held Jenny and covered her ears so she would have to hear the choking sound coming from Henry. There was blood filling his throat now. I would like to say he died before being pulled into the recorder with The Rotten Ones but honestly I had turned away before it was over. I didn’t look back until it had been quiet for a bit.

I loosened my hold on Jenny. She had fainted. I got up and walked over to the recorder that was in the walk in fridge. It was cracked and dirty now. A side effect of taking The Rotten Ones into it. My father had told me that he would be able to hold them for a long time. He also told me there was still more work to do. I needed to find the one who would be able to get us out of here. The only monster in this place that would be willing to fight Crucible. He said I knew which one he was talking about. I did. He said I needed to hit play for directions on where to go. I hit the play button. Then I waited for my father to tell me where to find Hellequin.