In the Catacombs

For many minutes, they walked cautiously in complete darkness. Carefully, they tested the stone floor ahead of them to prevent stumbling, to find walls, to prove to themselves that they were still in the catacombs, not some eternally dark level of damnation. Still, they kept walking. Still, the darkness remained complete.

The dank stonework corridors were a maze. They had taken so many turns, there was no chance they would be able to retrace their steps, even if they found illumination.

An hour, maybe two, maybe more passed. They had progressed thirty or forty paces without encountering another wall, when they noticed that the space around them echoed a bit more, and the air felt increasingly damp. The foul odor, present since their arrival, was more pungent with each step; vomit mixed with rotting vegetation and sulfur. Their stomachs turned. They considered turning around, trying to retreat from the stench.

And then, it happened.

Bright green fire flashed from somewhere ahead of them. Their eyes, so long deprived of light, winced in pain at the sudden shine. Their minds were struck in sudden horror as the fire showed them surrounded by a horde of writhing creatures, each being lit by the eerie flames and advancing towards the new victims with intent as certain as the darkness that would enclose them one final time.