"Chief?" Cleo softly spoke as she slowly opened his office door. The chief had been reading the daily newspaper while his warm tea sat restlessly on the right side of his desk. He was watching the district election results on the old television, holding his reading glasses upright every second. "Chief?" she asked again as she entered the office and shut the door behind her.

"What can I help you with?" he asked. He took a sip of his tea, burning his tongue in the process. He placed the cup next to his name plate, which read "Battalion Chief Charlie Barbosa." The chief sat upright, putting the newspaper aside, wanting to hear what Cleo had to say.

"You ordered the four special rescue guys to see you," she continued. "Did you send them to the shopping district fire location for business?"

"Yes, that is correct," the chief acknowledged. "Is there a problem?"

"Well, they haven't called in, nor have they been back yet," Cleo stated. "They've been away for seven whole hours, and not a single call in?"

Chief Barbosa got up from his chair and walked over to Cleo. He had a concerned look on his face as he grabbed his coat and looked outside the window. He made his way out the door, passing Cleo, and walking down the cast-floor hallway. The hallway was filled with pictures of the six generations of Station 6. Cleo trailed behind the chief, pressing him for more information. He slammed the door of his truck, a move that alerted nearly every firefighter in the station. While Cleo didn't know what was wrong with the chief, she wanted answers. The garage door opened, and a gust of unexpected wind flew in. The chief didn't pay any mind and fled down the road with his lights and siren on. Cleo sprinted out of the garage, gazing down the road, just as a splash of substance hit her head. Unable to think straight, the garage door for the ambulance opened up. Driving beside her, both Nina Shellbock and Marcus Boundman called out to her to get in.

They fled down the road as droplets of water fell on the windshield.

"What is this?" Marcus chuckled. "Who's splashing water on us?"

"What is this?" Nina copied. "It's raining!"

Cleo and Marcus were confused. In the Gurn, it rarely rained. The Gurn could get cold, hot, and windy. Many people were unaware of the possibility of rain. In fact, the only reason Nina knew about this was because of the Gurn history books. The Gurn's last rain event remains an unsolved phenomenon to this day. The rain caused numerous problems, many of which had catastrophic consequences. The Gurn has only seen rain twice. This would be its third in hundreds of years. The rain was still coming down as the ambulance entered the shopping district where the fire had happened. The ambulance ride was shorter than usual. People danced in the rain on the street and sidewalk, despite the lack of significant rainfall. Detectives and patrol officers remained positioned outside and inside the burned buildings. All three of them disembarked from the ambulance. There was no sign of the chief's truck. They found a detective who had been standing outside, holding a lit cigarette.

"Excuse sir," Marcus spoke first. "Might we ask you for some answers?"

"About the fire?" the detective asked. "Or about your chief?"

"He passed by here?" asked Marcus. "He stormed out of the station. We're looking for him."

"He came by but didn't get out of his truck," the detective explained. "He didn't sound upset either, but asked where the 12th District Cathedral was. Coincidentally, we dispatched two patrol units to that location due to a large gathering. When they arrived, everyone had already left. All that remained was the fire truck."

"What?" asked Cleo. "Everyone has left?"

The detective nodded before inhaling and puffing out smoke. He gestured with his hands, indicating what the patrol units had radioed back to him.

"They got there, just as the day was ending," the detective stated. "The bishop and his priests were the only ones remaining. Oh man, those guys were angry. They wanted that black fire truck removed. The officers were on the verge of having it towed, but dispatch informed them that there was an ongoing investigation, leading the officers to leave the scene."

"Can you give us that address?" asked Cleo. "Quickly please."

The friendly detective smiled as the three of them walked back toward the ambulance and fled down the road. He stared at the flashing lights until they disappeared. The rain kept falling as he puffed once more, then dropped the cigarette on the ground, crushing it.

The bumpy, speedy, drive toward the cathedral was filled with dispatched calls. Nina was quietly looking at a brochure. Cleo, unaware of its contents, stood up and peered into the ambulance's cab. Marcus glanced at Cleo, prompting him to grab the brochure and toss it to the ground. Nina sat in silence for the remainder of the ride.

As they approached the cathedral. The chief's truck was spotted, parked in front of the black fire truck. Moments later, they spotted him gazing up at the majestic cathedral. The circular windows of the cathedral were situated directly above the numerous large doors. Three towers surrounded the cathedral's main frame. It's murals on the side. It was a gorgeous cathedral.

"Chief?" screamed Marcus. The rain had gotten worse. "What are you doing?"

The chief turned around. He walked over to the three of them, asking for tools to help investigate the cathedral. His voice trembled with anger, but his facial expression was difficult to see.

Crrrrk

Marcus forced the door open with a saw. Despite the illegal nature of their actions, the chief demanded answers. They all received flashlights and ventured into the vast, pitch-black cathedral. They looked around, unaware that all four of them had separated from each other. The quiet atmosphere made even the sound of breathing audible. They could hear each other's footsteps and constant murmurs. Cleo continued investigating, falling over a small table and landing on the altar. Her flashlight spotted dried blood where she had landed, causing her to gasp, alerting the three others.

[Chapter Three: The 12th District Cathedral]

The oddity flew down once again, destroying the floor and everything in its sight. Its large claws tore Micah's jacket completely and gave him a wound on his arm. It hurt so bad, but he kept fighting. His arms were shaking uncontrollably every time he engaged with this monster. Its frowning face gave him goosebumps.

"Fuck this thing!" screamed Xavier. The oddity had targeted him next. The oddity leaped at him, swung its claws, and slashed the pillar Xavier had been leaning on. Xavier got a clean cut on one of its arms as it shrieked and leaped back toward the circular window behind the altar. It let out a giggle, which prompted everyone to hold their weapons tightly.

"It's going to happen again!" Spencer screamed. "Get ready!"

The oddity started twisting its head. Every twist would be a snapping and cracking noise, as if someone were breaking their neck over and over again. It started moving its limbs slowly before vanishing from sight. Within an instant, it reappeared in front of Jordan, swiping at him and hitting him so hard that he lifted off from the ground. The force of the hit propelled Jordan toward the circular window directly above the main entrance. Once he made contact, Jordan's body reacted irregularly. His eyes widened as the wind knocked out of him. He fell face first onto the floor and didn't move an inch. Spencer swung his sledgehammer, striking the oddity's long torso, causing it to jolt and become enraged. The oddity limped back, jumped onto a pillar, and stared at the three firemen. Micah, Spencer, and Xavier covered Jordan but didn't stand too close to each other.

The oddity dropped toward the ground, sending a gust of wind and dust toward the three of them. The rapid stomps of the oddity heightened their awareness as it pushed its way through the dust. Its target was Micah as its head swung low, smashing onto the ground and destroying it in the process. This spooked Micah as Xavier started screaming for him to try and ignite his axe. Spencer quickly turned his head yelling the same thing, but Micah couldn't hear him. Micah was so terrified that he drowned out all sounds except for the oddity. As it got closer and closer, Micah began moving his feet in place. Once it dragged one of its hands across the floor, Micah dodged out of the way. The oddity's gust of wind swept him up and flung him down the aisle. He pressed his finger against the axe's ignition button midair. He swung rapidly, but no ignition happened. Landing on his back, after getting flung, he got up quickly, swinging the axe once more.

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"Is it broken?" Micah screamed. The oddity swiftly sped down the aisle, flipping its body and smashing its face toward the ground once more. It then simply vanished. Micah backed up toward the altar, continuing to swing the fire axe rapidly in an attempt to ignite it.

"You're shaking too much!" Spencer shouted. He was bleeding from his head and arms. "You turned it off!"

Micah looked down and back up. He had hovered his hand over the button without noticing. The oddity had now materialized right in front of him, its mouth stretched out. He could see its saw-like silvery-white metal teeth dotted with dried blood and crushed bones. Micah moved out of the way but was still in its radius. He blindly swung his axe, hitting the oddity, and then swung again as his axe finally ignited. He inadvertently struck his axe against the oddity's teeth. The oddity swiftly swatted him away as he collided with a pillar and fell on the carved floor. The oddity turned its head and screamed in a low voice, causing the cathedral to tremble. Its mouth was on fire, and its rage had gotten to an all-time high.

"Good work, Micah!" screamed Xavier. Both he and Spencer ran toward the oddity, dodging its barrages and hitting it simultaneously. After Xavier got a last-second stab at it, it collapsed and vanished.

"Is it over?" Spencer wondered.

Micah got back up. His body ached, and his legs and arms hurt so badly that he wanted to rip them off. His axe was on fire and had scorched the wooden floor. Spencer walked over to him and slammed his sledgehammer on the ground.

"You alive?" he asked.

Micah walked over to the one remaining seat and sat down. He pressed the button to extinguish the flames of the axe and slouched over. Jordan was still unconscious but had been murmuring gibberish. Xavier looked through the bag he had hauled with him and found a first aid kit. They remained trapped in what they believed to be Hell, as the cathedral lights continued to gleam.

"I can't fight that thing," Micah gasped. "I feel like it's playing with us."

"You got a good hit on it, and Xavier and I finished it off," Spencer sighed. "We'll get out of this somehow."

Xavier dragged Jordan toward the entrance of the cathedral and sat him upright. He dragged his eagle hook as he wobbled down the aisle. The sharp eagle hook cut a line through the remaining floor.

"I am so tired," Xavier yawned. "My head hurts so bad." He stood up, looking around the cathedral's destroyed nave. He scanned the entire area, swaying his body until he abruptly stopped. His body slouched, and his arms started to twitch.

Micah had slowly closed his eyes.

"Is that the devil?" Xavier squeaked.

Spencer directed his sight toward the spot where Xavier had been looking. Above the cathedral doors, the oddity reappeared. Its appearance was different. Its eyes were now red. It had a stitched mouth, its body grew larger, and its arms appeared muscular. It stood up on two feet as its head almost touched the ceiling. It had six arms in total as it slammed onto the ground, sending everyone into the abyss of what lies below the nave of the cathedral.

Blink Blink

Micah's eyes expanded upon realizing that the nave had become completely fixed. Spencer rose from the ground, stunned by the sight. The oddity was at the altar. It wasn't facing them, but its head and neck swayed around as if it were looking for something. Jordan awoke with a blast of energy. Jordan's sudden awakening startled everyone.

"He's awake!" screamed the oddity.

"How is it speaking?" Micah asked.

The oddity hurled itself onto the floor, causing the chairs to collapse once more. Its head banged on the ground before an ear-bleeding shriek had vibrated throughout the cathedral.

"Run!" it screamed, speeding up so quickly that it lost control and plunged its sharp claws into the main doors. This spooked everyone in the cathedral as it pulled the claws out, leaving a huge hole in one of the doors.

"We've got to end this quickly," Spencer ordered. The oddity spun around and leaped toward a pillar. Micah watched as it bounced from one pillar to another. He ignited his fire axe, waiting for it to lock onto him. As it made its final leap, it locked its eyes on Micah but quickly diverted to Xavier. Xavier aimed his eagle hook high as if it were a javelin. Jordan expanded the use of Xavier's eagle hook. This modification resulted in the eagle hook becoming longer and bigger.

Xavier aimed high, pressing a button near the eagle hook's rake. He drew his arm back and hurled the hook with all his strength toward the oddity. With a quick dodge, he managed to get away. Instead of hitting the oddity's face, the hook flew fast into one of its eyes and into the red abyss. Xavier ran alongside Jordan, while Micah and Spencer retreated, uncertain about the outcome.

"Die!" the oddity screamed. It turned around, letting out an eerie laugh as it clawed the floor.

A low-toned noise was heard. The oddity approached them, confusing all four of them. As the oddity came to a halt, the noise intensified.

"What's it doing?" asked Micah.

Pmpfh Pmpfh Kleeeeeeeeeeem

A bright light shone, blinding the four of them. The end result was a wounded oddity, with metal poking out of every inch of its body. Laying right below was half of the eagle hook that Xavier had thrown. The oddity released a high-pitched scream, its limbs mangled. The oxygen levels in the cathedral had dropped significantly. Everyone was having trouble breathing. It was a do-or-die moment as they went all in.

Micah ignited his axe while sprinting toward the oddity. The oddity raised its injured arm and swung at Micah, inadvertently causing the floor to rise. Micah swung at the arm, inflicting a deep wound on the oddity's wrist. The metal chunks sticking out ignited within an instant, causing the beast to release a trembling scream once again. Spencer slammed his sledgehammer with such force that it broke the metal plating and ignited electricity, halting the beast's attempt to retreat. The situation was so dire that he had to switch off the electricity to prevent himself from accidentally killing himself. The shock heavily wounded the oddity as Xavier and Micah attacked from the front. They dodged hits or took the impact. Nevertheless, they couldn't stop fighting. They became more tired, their eyes became droopy, and their muscles started to fatigue. Still, they kept fighting. They had no other thought in their mind but the commands given by a short-of-breath Spencer.

The oddity, adorned with burning wounds and scattered limbs, violently collided with the ground, causing complete destruction and plunging both it and Micah into a realm of complete darkness. As Micah flew toward the oddity, the bright white flamed axe shone, brightening his path. Oxygen was completely cut, and he knew it as soon as he fell through the hole.

"So this is hell," he thought. "So this is how it ends?"

He swooped down, clutching the axe as its flames dwindled, eventually extinguishing in mere seconds. Micah hadn't noticed the oddity until its figure got closer. Its flames extinguished quicker than Micah's axe. His axe was scorched as he began to swing it at the silhouetted figure.

"So this is hell?" it mimicked. "You're like the devil. Is that the devil? So this is how it ends? What's it doing? Has my eye gone back to normal? Let me read you a bedtime story. I can see demons with that eye, kid. Is this real life? I can't fight that thing. Rest in peace, mother! I always live, friend."

Dmpfh

With a rough slam onto the ground, Micah breathed in as much oxygen as he could. It was dark, and he believed he had reached the bottom of Hell. His body trembled as he coughed numerous times. He was winded from the fall.

"Hello?" someone called out.

In his hand was on his fire axe. His mind was racing, wondering what beast would pop up now. A light gleamed from afar as it got closer and closer. He rapidly pressed on the ignition button, but it didn't ignite after swinging the axe.

"Micah?" the feminine voice spoke once again. The flashlight blinded him as Cleo popped her head into view. He looked around, realizing where he had been. His vision settled on revealing the silhouettes of the pillars of the cathedral. The whole world came back to his perspective. Cleo supported him as he fought to stand, swaying but remaining stable. They walked toward the entrance of the cathedral as bright red and blue lights lit up the sky.

Micah had nothing on his mind. His exhaustion hindered his ability to think clearly. As Cleo supported him outside the cathedral, he slouched. His head was facing downward. His wounds remained open, and the darkness obscured their significance. An ambulance rushed him toward the 12th District General Hospital. The streets were dark as the paramedics diligently treated him en route to the hospital. He was unable to speak or think clearly. All he could do was look up at the bright light that was above him. Mumbled words surrounded him, while numerous medical tools were in use. He could see what was happening. Two individuals were diligently tending to him while the ambulance rapidly sped up. Once they got to the hospital, the transfer from the ambulance transpired swiftly. Nurses attended to him during his transfer to the trauma center. Nurses placed their hands on his eyelids, causing him to flinch, but he did not actually flinch. Once on the operating table, they hooked him up to numerous machines, as if he were a test subject. These machines all had weird displays on the screens but no noise. In fact, Micah thought it was strange that he couldn't hear anything after leaving the cathedral. Fear still hadn't set in. More people entered the big room. They all wore blue scrubs and looked menacing as they hovered over him. Their masks shifted as they touched every part of his body. He couldn't move his head all the way to his feet. A mask stretched down, covering his nose and mouth. The light slowly dimmed. Micah thought he was dying. He couldn't move his body.

Everyone around him appeared concerned, but he couldn't see what was happening. His world swiftly faded away.