This was it, finally, after all this time, we had made it to the centre. I looked at the flight of stairs that led down to what appeared to be an underground bunker and realized many would not be able to follow me because of their size.

What awaited me at the bottom more traps, another battle? Hernado, himself?

It had to be, the resistance here was stiff even now our left flank was being attacked to take back this location. However, I highly doubt they would make it past Zikshita alive.

In the far background, I heard the desperate fighting taking place in some areas. The lobbing of shells that whistled in the air and thud as they hit some of the buildings in the area near me which either was decimated as if its face was pushed in or blown apart. There was also crunching and screams as some were eaten dead or alive by the ogres. The scraps as they fell to the floor were being either rushed for or grabbed by the rest.

The man himself had to be down these stairs. This was---

"My lord, Samael is moving," Brad relayed in my mind.

There was not much time to think, I turned my gaze at the smaller creatures that were gathered nearby these little gremlins that were busily playing with dead bodies swaying their flesh like children in the air. Then my eyes went on to the rest, the freaks were also nearby these half turned humans that seemed to have lost most of their minds and only wandered around, unlike the others they didn't seem to need any other substance. I had watched before that most that turned like this died shortly after because they had no mouths, their arms were deformed and they were barely able to move. The ones that were capable of such a feat usually walked or ran in such a weird manner, it wasn't surprising to see them fall over themselves running after prey.

Lastly, there were the ghouls, they were few in numbers, but at least they were here. They took the shapes of the ones that they killed and as I looked at them now, they were useful in creating problems for the enemies not being able to distinguish themselves. They were useful, too useful, and I couldn't treat them like a pawn, a knight perhaps?

It brought my attention back to the goblins, the first five that were not too far from me.

"Go in there now," I said to them, pointing to the entrance of the stairs that lead down to the bunker.

They gleefully screamed their delight as they rushed forward, I had many days of running into traps and ambush. These sacrificial fools were given a far higher purpose. As soon as they left from the very first step upon the ground.

Click!

It seemed to trigger a chain reaction as the explosion rang off, causing their bodies to splatter and their blood shot right back up the chain of stairs like a fountain barely missing my face.

They were dead already—all of them.

What a waste. Perhaps I shouldn't have sent them all at once. I looked around to see who I had next to send, the freaks? They might die before they even get inside, but they were useless all the same, even the enemy knew that.

I pointed at a few this time. However, I would have them move in a single file who knows how big or long that this bunker would be? They passed me wobbling as they walked and as the first one went to take the first step it tripped over itself and tumbled down the stairs. I wasn't even surprised when almost all the rest followed suit. It was necessary, I told myself as I tried not to look at their shameful display.

They faded into the darkness as I waited for a while, hearing absolutely nothing coming from below. No explosions and no gun fire, it was far too quiet yet I still sensed that they were down there, some were still moving and others had stopped.

Were there more of those creatures we had seen earlier down there as well? It would make sense why they had come to a halt. Too much time had passed and I couldn't wait any longer as I decided to step down these stairs myself, leaving the rest of my own troops at the top. Their faces almost begged me to take them along with me to fight this battle, but I did not know what to expect.

I took each step slowly, not knowing if there was some trap on them. I looked at each one for any tell-tale signs of change. The freaks hadn't exactly touched all, but they had landed upon the ground. Nothing strange happened as my feet landed on the ground.

The grey mossy walls of the bunker were small and narrow. It looked old and pipes ran at the side of them, one in particular was opened, it spewed short burst of water onto the floor. I continued pushing forward, finding parts of the walls and dripping from the ceiling was the blood of the goblins that had passed through here.

Disgusting things, if you had served your purpose well, I wouldn't have to walk through this filthy place. I came to a fork, on both sides I sensed the freaks, the ones on the right had come to a halt, but the ones on the left seemed to be moving at a very slow pace.

Which way should I go? I flipped a coin in my head and decided to go right. Something had to be there. I was greeted with more of the same long corridors that would make a person that was claustrophobic catch a fit. A few scant rooms with nothing of quality in them, a few beds a kitchen and bathrooms before I came to a door that looked completely different from the rest. Outside this door were the freaks that had stopped either seemingly out of place or unaware of what to do next.

A door had defeated them—useless.

This door, however, was quite different from everything else at the side of it looked like what appeared to be a code box.

Crash!

Pling!

Pling!

I heard a noise coming from the next room as my eyes turned towards the source. Was it a trap?

The freaks seemed to pick up on it as well as they struggled back to their feet. With the look of my eyes alone, they pushed across the walls and stumbled into the room. To my surprise, the fools sprang no traps or gunfire. I walked back and slowly entered the room. It was a mess and small, some clothes seemed frantically tossed around bunker beds that could hold six men. The walls had that same look as the outside without the pipes and there was a pungent smell of a raw odour coming from the room.

Squeak, squeak.

A black rat passed my foot as it complained. What was on the ground appeared to be a plate broken near a bunker bed, but how had it fallen?

I watched the freaks shaking and twitching as they stood up, walking around the small area of the bed. I had this feeling that someone was here in this room, but I could not explain it. The plates don't just break themselves from out of thin air.

I stepped forward, as I knelt and started to check under the bed. They were three of them and each one was clear. My eyes turned from the bed to the strange piles of clothes that were lumped around. They were three of them and they looked suspicious.

The first one I started to pull at, I threw all the clothes in the air, but nothing was there and before I got to the second. I heard a noise coming from the third as I caught in the corner of my eye a boy frantically running towards the door.

He was far too slow, and in seconds, I caught him in my hand. He had a youthful face, but by his beard and slight moustache, he had to be now into his adult years. He didn't have on the standard military clothes. Instead, he was dressed in all white as if he were some form of a scientist or maybe a doctor.

The freaks behind me reacted with snarls and taunts. The way a baby brother would act when their big brother has caught the bully.

"Please don't kill me," he said as he squirmed in my hand.

"I won't kill you, but you have to promise not to run away. Okay?"

He nodded as I let go.

I was quite surprised that he had not killed himself or tried to attack me. He was the first that I came across that didn't want to do either.

"Why aren't you attacking?"

"What?"

"Nothing, is Hernado inside that room with the codebox?"

"Yes, he has locked himself in there along with some of the guards that entered to protect him."

I walked outside as he followed behind me as well as the freaks.

"Do you know the code?"

"I..." he paused, "I do, I can open it."

That was unexpected, I thought.

"Please don't kill me."

"I don't have a reason to do that at all. Would it be possible to stop those outside from fighting as well? Like a loud speaker for them to surrender?"

"No, they won't give up. They don't know any better."

"I see, well, it was worth a try."

"When you open it, stand back rather behind me, I don't want you dying unnecessarily, you might still be useful."

I watched him type in the code and heard as the door clicked in response before making a creaking noise as it was opened. He rushed back behind me, as I readied and the monsters made a hissing noise as if expecting the worse. I heard him, saying prayers as I expected to be shot instead, however, all I heard was a crunching noise.

"Wait here," I said to him.

"Wait, don't leave me with these things," he said, as I saw in the corner of my eye, he was holding his head and closing his eyes.

I stepped forward as I pushed past the door, to find a very sizeable living room, it seemed that some positions had been taken up for the last stand but they all laid empty. The guns were still there, but the men were not, I still heard that crunching sound and another slurping noise.

I approached the sound, picking my ground as I took light steps. Not sure of what trap lay next, from the corner, I peer into the bedroom had they committed suicide, in the end?

I looked completely in and found the answer to everything.

Seated there in the corner next to an enormous bed was a creature that resembled a Venus flytrap. On the ground were the remains of what looked like the soldiers that were here, military shoes and clothes were covered in goo like remains. There were also what looked like Dog tags the words barely legible read Martin Smith.

It's trapped like mouth seemed to be looking at me as it slowly devoured the last man stuck inside. The man's face that was stuck inside told the horror of his own surprise as his body seemed to be digested by a concoction of juices. Its Stems resembled elongated arms and the leaves resembled and folded like hands.

I stepped cautiously closer towards it expecting to be suddenly attacked.

"Domenic?" the creature called to me.

 Its voice was dull but still easy to recognize. It was Hernado so this was what the bastard had become.

"Yes," I said as I got closer, feeling the stem moving and the leaves twitching as they seemingly drew near to me.

"You are like me. I can feel it but why are you here have you come in his steed to give me another offer?" he asked. The words seemed strained from his mouth.

"No," I replied as I stood right before his mouth, "I have come to end you."