The source of Heaven’s Peak still evaded the world, yet eleven years ago, the large state emerged from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean near Florida and Cuba. Kane ignored the news chatter and took a sip from his beer can as he logged into his laptop—two million dollars had been placed on whether or not he would survive, and another five million if he could take down the infamous demon dwelling in Heaven’s Peak: The Rag Doll.
For his daughters’ future, for a chance to buy them a house and pay for their university, and for any hope of convincing his wife to come back to him, Kane felt almost obligated to win this bet. Regretfully reminiscing about his former life, which he had managed to ruin, Kane grabbed his backpack, glanced at a photo of him taken during his service in the army, and gazed at a picture of his family. He muttered quietly,
“I’ll make you all proud,” he said before departing from the motel to board the vessel that would take him to Heaven’s Peak.
A few hours later, on the dock waiting for the ship’s arrival, Kane checked his gear. The rules were clear: no guns or any other kind of hot weapon were allowed, and he had abided by them.
He brought one handy camera and two more spy cameras attached to his old dark blue baseball cap, one on his hunting vest, and a set of night vision goggles.
His cold weapon collection was complete with an array of knives, a handy crossbow, a hunting crossbow, a teaser, and sleeping darts, just in case he had some competition as he hunted for Ragdoll. After all, he wasn’t the only one trying to get rich by killing demons; sleeping darts were his preferred way to get ahead of them. But if it came down to it, Kane was prepared to fight back against anyone who tried to stop him.
As he looked around, Kane saw about a hundred people of all sorts gathering on the dock, ready to board the ship. ‘How many will come back alive?’ was the first thought that crossed his mind.
The vessel was modern and rusty at the same time, looking like it had survived an apocalypse while still sailing smoothly across the ocean. Its name was Hope.
‘Seemed reasonable enough’ Kane thought, and as Hope docked, the survivors slowly got on board as a massive crowd of families, friends, fans, and tourists gathered on the beach to wish them all luck and bid their farewells.
Kane couldn’t help but be impressed by how popular some of these survivors were; they got famous on social media for being handsome, pretty, or weird, certainly, not things most would associate with someone who could survive hell.
Perhaps Heaven’s Peak and the events surrounding it were like a joke to them, or they were too ambitious, or maybe they simply wanted more attention. Kane hoped that, whatever it was, they would make it for their parents’ sake.
He hopped on Hope and cracked open a beer as they made the journey to Heaven’s Peak State. He knew it would take 8 hours if the weather cooperated, so he decided to do the only thing he could do: sleep.
Eight hours later, one of the staff members shouted out, “We have arrived!”
Kane opened his eyes groggily and got up. He collected himself and walked off of Hope.
He couldn’t help but wonder who had captured Hope—was it a demon or a man?
As Kane and the other 100 survivors disembarked from the dock, they were welcomed to Moon Land. This was the starting point for all of them as they explored HP. Filled with small shops offering essential supplies such as cold weapons, canned foods, batteries, chargers, and various trinkets like dolls representing the region’s most notorious demons and survivors, Kane pondered if HP was as dangerous as some made it out to be; it seemed just like any other town except for a few demons with red eyes, small horns, and sharp teeth who didn’t seem particularly malicious either.
People referred to them as PD AKA (peace demons), and they enjoyed bartering and exchanging goods from outside of HP. Some humans chose to establish their own lives here, even marrying a PD. However, it was forbidden for them to have children or reproduce with each other at all. Love was still most welcome in HP.
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Kane exchanged his American currency for HP coins and then set off on his mission to Ragdoll’s house of terror.
As he strolled along the way, Kane passed numerous travelers who documented every step of their journey by taking selfies, going live on social media, and sharing it all with the world.
For Kane, though, the endless road seemed dull, so until he arrived closer to Rag Doll’s destination, he wouldn’t turn on his cameras.
The sky was a deep red as the twilight hours faded away when Kane stumbled across Granday Restaurant. The sign outside the door promised breakfast at any hour, even on the bloodiest nights. Kane had enough supplies for dinner, but his stomach demanded something more substantial than canned food. As he entered, a couple was making a ruckus, and the young man was crying like a baby while his mean girlfriend scolded him in public. ‘So much drama,’ Kane thought to himself. He felt sorry for the lad and remembered how he too had been through a similar heartache when parting from his beloved Eli. Taking a seat as far away from the couple as possible, he tried to forget what had happened in the past and just enjoy some warm pancakes.
A handsome waiter approached Kane’s table with a smile. “What can I bring you, sir?” he asked politely.
“Pancakes with whipped cream on top and no butter, and a cup of coffee with no sugar or cream.” Kane had ordered the same meal every day for years.
“OK, I’ll be back with your order shortly,” the waiter said before leaving.
Kane glanced across the room, where a mean-looking girlfriend was berating the cashier. He felt some relief knowing that none of the staff here were demons; they all seemed to be humans, though there was always a knife hidden somewhere in his clothing just in case.
When the waiter returned, Kane was presented with a plate of fluffy, soft pancakes, which were topped with a generous dollop of peach marmalade. The waiter smiled warmly as he set it down before him. “It’s our house’s special marmalade; I hope you like it!” he said.
And enjoy it, Kane did. That peach marmalade was quite refreshing for Kane’s mouth. ‘I must try other toppings for pancakes once I get back,’ he thought, and he tipped the waiter handsomely.
* * *
Nights were never dark at Heaven’s Peak. Always bloody red and dark clouds hung low in the sky above. Kane trudged along the long, lightless road, knowing he was just one day away from his destination—Ragdoll—and that the seven million dollars would bring him all he ever desired.
The wind swept through the gnarled pines that lined either side of the path, carrying ghostly creaks and moans from the depths of the forest. But this was no ordinary forest; alongside those ancient sounds came cries of infants, screams of women, and cackles of hags. It seemed like Heaven’s Peak had its way of playing mind games with anyone who ventured there.
Kane spotted a campfire and a group of people busy collecting firewood and moving sacks of cotton. His instincts told him something was wrong. Before they noticed, Kane quickly readied his crossbow and handy crossbow, loading them both for use at any moment. As he approached closer, he saw them—psychopaths—mutilating two dead bodies hanging upside down from trees, ripping out their organs with frenzied glee.
Kane could feel the anxiety coursing through his veins as he crept closer to the campers. He watched as they worked diligently, stuffing the corpses of two young adventurers with cotton and thread-like rag dolls. His crossbow raised in hand, Kane felt one bead of sweat trickle down his face as he aimed at the tailor’s head by the campfire.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment before the arrow was released from its bowstring, swiftly piercing its target’s skull with a sickening thud.
Panic ensued as three other campers looked at Kane with soulless eyes, their faces stitched together like grotesque masks. They moved with purpose towards him, brandishing knives and shouting wildly.
Kane quickly fired off another shot from his crossbow—this time into the heart of one camper—before throwing a knife at the shoulder of another. The third was only moments away when Kane reached frantically for the nearest rock and let fly, hitting the camper square in the nose, stunning them momentarily, and giving Kane enough time to seize his combat knife and shove it deep into their throat.
The final result? A trio of doll-like creatures strewn across the ground, no blood spilling out from their wounds but pieces of cotton instead.
Kane knew then that weapons were not enough to defeat these monsters; there was only one thing that could stop them: fire. With an inner strength rising within him, Kane turned to face the campfire.
Kane’s eyes blazed with fury as he decapitated the living dolls one by one, their heads rolling grotesquely across the floor. He threw them into the roaring fire without a second thought, knowing they would never resist again. With cold efficiency, he cut down the two unfortunate victims hanging limply from the ceiling and dug them a grave at the foot of a nearby tree. Kane whispered a prayer for their souls, then covered their bodies with dirt before collapsing onto the ground, exhausted. As he drifted off to sleep, his mind raced with thoughts of destruction—more flames, more burning. He would make sure Ragdoll and his cursed house were nothing but ash when he reached there.