Night Dreams #7: Underworld

How far will one go to set things right?

In the final episode, Joseph and Father Lombardi battle their own inner demons while trying to prepare for a showdown with the real evil behind the chaos in their lives.

Guilt and the need for revenge drive the two men blindly to a fate worse than they could have imagined.

The gates of hell are closer than they think.

The sounds pounded in Joseph’s ears like a massive sledgehammer beating down on the roof of his house. This attack on his mental and physical being was the worst by far. Joseph knew, as he crawled towards the front door, there would be no easy way to get closure with Andrea, much less, kill the demon.
The pain in his head rattled his teeth and blurred his vision. He reached up with a shaking hand for the doorknob. The door shook and bowed in and out, the gold knob elusive to his hand in its movement. With resolve, he pulled himself together from his fetal position and slammed his hand on the door at first, then the knob. He twisted. The latch gave way. The door burst open.
Fire and flames rushed inside.
He lowered his hand quickly and lie flat on the wooden floor, catching a glimpse of the fire racing into the house above. The intense heat burned his face. He felt his flesh begin to melt.
Silence came next.
The fire vanished. The smoke was gone.
One thunderous step after another came from deep inside the house. The steps shook the floor and grew louder, moving closer. The demon making his way to his prey.
Joseph looked towards the darkened house, then looked through the open door to the peaceful night outside. Life and death separated by the smallest of invisible margins.
But this time, he would not run. This time, he could not run. This time, he would take the battle to the demon and any others along the way.