Following the pleasant smell, he went room after room; trash and broken furniture have been left everywhere, making Seth get used to it at this sight. Not only was the modern building entirely abandoned, but he also encountered several of those lost souls he saw on his way.
Most of them are unrecognizable by their own identities because of their blurry forms from their appearances, wailing in pain and agony at being trapped in this eerie place by a powerful demon. Ranging from men to women, all have dirty or missing clothes from being spent in this horrible place.
Some were aggressive; others didn't mind him. But in the end, none of this matters as he absolves them of their suffering and sins altogether, freeing them from torment by casting the holy light upon them with his divine weapon on easy display. One by one, whatever demonic influence they have on them has been completely cleansed by the swift raising of the crucifix as the white fire consumed them into oblivion.
No traces were left behind by their disappearance, but it didn't matter to him, for he had saved them from this hell. While this place doesn't seem too bad compared to being tortured, Seth isn't sure how, where, or what will happen if he himself has his own soul trapped here.
Looks can be deceiving; this was certainly the case when he entered a new room once more; this time, however, it was a massive labyrinth he entered without warning or any indication beforehand. "It is like a maze," he said in realization. "How long is this going to take for me to get out?" Questioning his own luck in solving these puzzles alone.
But his worry didn't last long when the smell of perfume still lingered in his mind. She told him where to go and that "she is helping me." He was relieved by her constant presence. Muriel, even if she isn't with him physically, is still guiding him nonetheless, saying, "Thank you, Mother," showing gratitude for the kind woman that is giving him the hope needed to continue onward.
The labyrinth is a confusing and sinister structure. The walls and ceilings are made of stone; corridors twist or turn in seemingly random patterns, and the floors are covered in a layer of thick dust and decay. The air is cold and heavy with foreboding, as if the very shadows are watching as the only sources of light are torches flickering on the walls along with his own breathing.
He dropped to his knees with his right hand gripping the cross, as, despite all the help he got from her, the exhaustion of being sleep deprived and constant worry about his friends were taking a toll on his mind. In fact, seeing this difficult maze-like structure had made him ever more stressed. "Why is this so difficult?" Expressing his exasperation.
What's next if he escapes this labyrinthine? Another complex puzzle or room to solve? A greater enemy to face or battle in order to obtain his freedom? Or something else entirely unknown to him that he shouldn't know in the first place, "so tired..." His body felt like giving up, wanting to sleep and forget all this madness.
Nevertheless, he refuses to let this be the end and relents. So, Seth picked himself back up, shook his head, and kept on walking, following the perfume leading him to his right path: "God is with me; keep going," encouraging himself with deep breaths in and out, "do not give up, not now, not ever," pushing onwards for his loved ones.
Continuing his trek throughout this labyrinth, he noticed how empty and silent it is with only his movements, and the moving fire on those torches were the ones making a noise. "Is there even anybody in this place?" Asked to himself, wondering where all the tormented souls are located, "I should have seen anyone if that is the case," weirdly, he wouldn't mind seeing them again.
For regardless of whether he sees those trapped souls, at least they weren't demons. That would be more unnerving, as they would not hesitate to kill him without a second thought. Then he heard the voice of Billy calling out to him from a different hallway, shouting his name in a cry of help.
"Seth!" His voice spoke of fear and worry: "I'm stuck! Aaahh! Help me, please!" The voice grew louder than before, echoing within the vicinity: "I can't die here, you idiot!" Shouting at the top of his lungs, "Do something!" Continuously begging for his assistance.
As he turned to the source, he was ready to rescue whatever Billy was stuck at. "Hang on! I'll save you!" Responding in a hurry as he walked forward, "I'll get you out of there, okay?" Promising to him in a loud, high-pitched voice, "Just give me a minute, alright?" He gained faster momentum with the increased tempo of his feet.
In the back of his mind, it is suspiciously strange how his friend managed to get here all alone. Especially at a place like this, all reason and doubt have been overtaken by the desire to save his pal from imminent danger. "Please don't be dead, please don't be dead!" I am praying with closed eyes that Billy is unharmed.
With his legs pumped and sweating on his face, he continued moving down the corridor with every bit of strength he got. "Hold on!" Determination fueled by the hope of saving his life, "I'm almost there," feeling his heart racing in his chest with adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Not slowing down, not faltering. Seth has come too far to quit now, and if saving his friend meant risking his own life, then so be it. This is the most important thing in his life to him at the moment: "I'm coming!" Almost there, "I'm not too far from you, now!" Yelling out to him with a positive tone of voice
Eventually, he reached where his supposed friend was, stopping just in front of a darkened hallway with no torches in sight. The torch on the walls at both sides was the necessary light that Seth used to his advantage. "Billy?" Calling out for him, "Billy, are you there?" Cautiously calling him to come out
Something is wrong, as he took a couple of steps back from where he ran, and the atmosphere has become as cold as ice. Immediately, the smell of perfume wafted in his nostrils, signaling Seth to turn back and run away from where he was standing.
However, it was already too late when he saw it emerging from the darkness, showing the beast's all of its glory by revealing its appearance, horrendous in appearance that is too hard to describe the monster that is in front of him, making Seth hold his breath for a moment.
The beast was a huge, spider-like creature with a humanoid torso towering over Seth; its body was a mass of oozing, pulsating, writhing, and bleeding flesh. The face was a monstrous fusion of human and arachnid, with eight beady eyes that reflected the firelight and mandibles that dripped with acid and venom. Its hands ended in razor-sharp talons, and its movements were jerky and erratic, like a marionette puppet on a string.
Its lower body was a mass of dripping, pulsating flesh and spider-like appendages that skittered and twitched, and its rear was coated in a sticky substance that stank of rot and decay. The only piece of clothing it wore was a tattered skirt, which hid the hideous bulk of its abdomen.
The aura was foul and oppressive, like a cloud of sickness and corruption that choked the air, and the skin was slick with slime and pus. It's body was twisted and grotesque, with jutting bones and bulging veins, and its odor was overpowering, like the scent of rot and decay.
As it had already emerged from the darkness, Seth was paralyzed with fear, unable to move or think clearly, and he was dimly aware of a terrible scream ringing in his ears before it finally called out the boy's name using Billy's voice, this time distorted and malicious in its own way, "Seth." It shrieked menacingly at his prey.
Instinct pushed him to pull up the cross and face the weapon towards the spider monster, resulting in the monster painfully howling in a deep voice as holy fire began to appear on its body, causing it to flee in a different direction to be away from the grace of God's radiance.
The smell of Muriel's perfume has once again grown stronger, bringing Seth's senses back to reality. "Thanks, mother..." Sighing in relief. His small victory against the nightmarish abomination isn't over; the monster has fled, and he must continue to follow where she is leading him.
Quickly turning around, he walked back to where he had moved; this time, his speed is slower now because of his low stamina. He knew that a monster might come back for him or something worse could happen to him, but he wasn't the type of person who would give up in a time of need. "Keep moving; that is all I can do at this moment," he said, reminding him to never give up.
He can try to do a fast walk, but Seth has wasted most of his energy from it, leaving him with the slow-paced speed: "Get a grip on yourself," gripping his cross firmly to remind himself, "Get it together and keep walking; do not stop," scolding at his body, desiring rest, "There's nothing you can do at this moment," and trying his best to remain awake.
Rounding the corner, he continued walking without stopping where everything seemed normal, to the point of wanting to not be worried about it coming back. But he knows better when his eyes begin to slowly close themselves as the sweet release of darkness begins to return.
Only to snap back opened when he heard loud, reverberating footsteps from his left, hearing the spider monster returning to take its revenge, "LORD!" Shouting out of fright, he turned to the source, where he saw it dashing towards him like an angry and frantic animal.
Raising his crucifix to channel the holy powers, the divine weapon has once again brought the screeching screams from the demonic entity, commanding it to leave him alone as the fiery flame starts to engulf the monster.
Like before, the beast then ran backwards in a brutish manner, allowing Seth to give himself space and a breath of fresh air from being jump-scared by the monster's sudden appearance. "My...my heart," he said, placing his available hand onto the beating organ in his own chest.
Its rhythmic sound and soft thumping were enough to let him know how terrified he was as he lowered his dominant arm after the threat was gone. "This tells me I need to be aware of my surroundings from now on," looking around where he was, "looks like I'm still not done yet," figuring out the fact of him not being finished.
He then pressed forward, even though Seth wanted to lie down; determination, hope, and faith are the only reasons why he is still walking and standing alone. No matter what obstacle gets in his way, he will eventually prevail and escape this hell in order to save everyone.
Nothing will help him because he is determined to fix this mess as soon as possible. "Focus, focus," pushing away troubling thoughts from distracting him from achieving his goal, "remember the task at hand," repeating his reason to motivate, "don't lose hope," he said to himself.
A few minutes passed, and the comforting silence was gradually broken by the spider monster, albeit the growls and moans are the noises the creature was making from a distance. "When will it learn to leave me alone?" I already knew the answer to his question when it finally returned again.
Hearing it coming from his back, Seth turned to see the monster having burns all over its body; although it wasn't deterred in the slightest, instead, the monster dashed to Seth once more to attack him close so the creature could have his revenge.
Seeing this sight, he felt remorse for it, as perhaps the spider thing was an animal only looking for food. But knowing any animal or person, they have the right to defend themselves, and they are just doing that. Seth cannot reason with it, for the monster has already set on consuming him entirely.
With no choice but to raise his crucifix once again, the towering spider abomination roared in pain before forcing itself to once again retreat back to where he came from. "Please leave me alone," showing his concern with the recurring behavior of the same action, "don't make this harder than it should," praying that the spider thing will eventually leave him alone.
Hours passed after he had resumed his walking, and no sight was the vengeful spider coming back to attack him. He now landed himself in front of a wooden door placed in the middle of a spacious hall, finally leading him here to another room. "This must be it," he whispered to himself under his breath. "Hopefully this will lead me to where I need to go," he said as he reached to open the door.
Turning the knob, he was ready to push when he heard it coming back. He was far angrier than before as Seth slowly turned his head back to look at the dashing, severally burnt and injured spider, using Billy's voice to scream bloody murder at him out of desperation to kill and devour him.
As if time slowed down in his perception, Seth felt a surge of revenge for tricking him into believing that thing was Billy. He was compelled to use his crucifix in order to finish the monster once and for all, but something stopped him from doing so.
Mercy was the will to have mercy in sparing his enemies, for he had none. There is no hatred in his heart against whatever this thing is and its intentions; the problem has been concluded, and no further conflict is necessary to be resolved. "I'm sorry," he quietly said before quickly entering inside to shut the door from behind.
