The Tower of Sacrifice

She got up from the step, looked up the metal, winding stairs and wished for it all to be over. She dragged herself up the stairs. She was too wounded to be walking properly, her body aching all over, she had fought this place with only a little bit of rest. Her body was ready to give in, to just lay down and rest, but she felt if she did she'd never wake up again. Not only fighting against the darkness but also against the fatigue that washed over her. The first steps up the stairs felt heavy, as the room below did, but then all of the sudden, she could feel warmth, and maybe even the sun? 

As she neared the top she could feel a breeze coming down the stairs. There was a old wooden latch door with rusty metal hinges, it looked as if the door had nail prints in it, like someone clawed on it before. As she slowly opened it the sunlight blinded her for a moment, it had been so long since she had seen any light. The last time was downstairs in the room, that turned to darkness. She would have given anything to be in that light again and now she was, surrounded by warmth sunshine she felt hopeful. But then she remembered what happened in the sun room, how everything turned to darkness so quickly. She decided to see what awaited her up here. As her eyes adjusted to the light she could make out where she was. She was in some sort of tower, with open windows on all sides. As she looked up she could make out what seemed to be a bell, this looked like a normal bell though, nothing like what she'd imagine. "Is this the thing that's been tolling all along? she thought to herself. As she walked around she couldn't see much but the vast gardens around the mansion. She still couldn't see a way out. She looked down to see if she could climb her way out from this tower but besides the roof the mansion itself was surrounded by thorny vines. The vines crept all along the walls of the mansion, like a barrier protecting it. And so it began, the tolling off the bell, she looked up but the sound didn't come from the bell above her, then where did it come from? As the tolling made her fall to the floor she shifted reality once again. 

All of the sudden she found herself in a meadow field, the field stretched out as far as she could see, then the bell tolled again and the mansion appeared behind her in the field. She could hear people talking but one voice stood out to her the most, it was Emily, her sister's voice. She started to look around, walking towards the direction of the voice. She approached a little pond with a beautiful willow tree next to it, that's when she saw Emily sitting underneath the willow tree. She ran towards her, this time she was actually able to hug her. As Lily held Emily in her arms she felt overwhelmed with emotions and started to cry. Then Emily whispered in her ears "I knew you would find me, but you have to go" as she said that tears started to roll down her eyes. With a stutter in her voice Lily replied "What...what do you mean? I'm not leaving you here". At that point she looked closer to Emily, who seemed to be covered by the injuries of the car accident. "There's no time to explain, you have to choose to leave me behind" Emily replied.

The bell tolled once again a shadow like portal appeared, something stepped out of it. A sinister demon with wings emerged from the portal, its form twisted and malevolent. Its towering figure was cloaked in darkness, muscles rippling beneath its midnight coloured skin. Its eyes, glowing with an unholy intensity, pierce through the gloom with a menacing glare. Jagged horns protrude from its skull, curving back like the talons of some infernal beast. Its wings, tattered and leathery, stretch out with a span that seems to engulf the very air around it. Each feather is like a shard of obsidian, sharp and gleaming with an eerie iridescence. As it unfurled its wings, a sulphurous scent fills the air, a harbinger of the malevolence that radiates from its being.

Its claws, elongated and razor-sharp, drip with a viscous ichor that sizzles upon contact with the ground. With each step, the earth trembles, as if recoiling from the touch of such profane evil. A cruel smirk twists its lipless maw, revealing rows of serrated teeth glistening with malice.

This demon was a spectre of nightmares, a creature born from the darkest recesses of the human psyche, and its presence was a chilling reminder of everything this mansion had thrown at Lily. 

As the demon spoke it's voice resonated throughout the meadow, again Lily couldn't make out where it was coming from, she knew it was the creature in front of them, but it somehow seemed to be coming straight from her mind.

The demon spoke "So Lily, you have been throughout the mansion, you have released one of my souls, the weeping widow, and now you have come to the end" as the demon spoke the very air around them grew heavy and cold. "But now you have a choice to make, you see your sister here has been trapped in this realm, never been able to cross into the realm of the living nor the death, but always in-between. I believe you humans call it purgatory". Despite knowing this creature was evil and had put her through literal hell she felt drawn to it, like a moth to a flame, she felt like she was where she needed to be, like her destiny was to free Emily from this place. The demon continued to speak "You have proven yourself to be a mighty warrior, one to overcome her own pain over and over again, you even rejected drugs" Emily grabbed Lily's arm and tried to speak but the demon wouldn't let her. "Now you have one more choice to make, you or your sister" as the demon spoke those words you could see a smirk on his face, this was his plan all along. Lily looked at Emily and her words made sense now, but she already failed Emily once, she would not let her live in purgatory for eternity. She stood on her feet and looked straight into the demons eyes. She could feel the fire burning in her heart as she said "Set her free, whatever you want from me I'll do it, but release my sister, she has been through enough". The demon seemed pleased with her answer and reached his hand out to her, Lily noticed there was a small vial in the palm of his hand. "Drink this and I will even return your sister to the realm of the living, where she will be reunited with your parents, all your deeds will be forgiven, come on now, what's one final drug?" Hesitant about what drug this would be she reached out to the demons hand and took the vial. She opened it and drank it with one sip. Laughter started to echo throughout the meadows again. 

Lily's vision blurred with tears of agony as she collapsed to the ground, her body wracked with pain. She watched in horror as the sinister demon fixed its gaze on Emily, a sense of helplessness washing over her as she saw the malevolent creature snap its fingers. In an instant, Emily vanished into thin air, swallowed by the darkness that emanated from the demon's power. Lily's heart pounded in her chest, a mixture of fear and despair gripping her soul as she realized the extent of the demon's cruelty. 

As Lily jolted in agony on the floor, something within her snapped. A primal force surged through her veins, twisting and contorting her form into something monstrous and nightmarish. Her screams of pain morphed into guttural roars as her body underwent a grotesque transformation.

Her skin became ashen and mottled, resembling cracked and weathered stone. Spikes erupted from her back, tearing through her clothes with a sickening rip as her limbs elongated into twisted, claw-like appendages. Her eyes, once filled with fear and despair, now burned with an unholy fire, casting eerie shadows across her newfound visage.

Lily's transformation was complete. She had become a creature born of nightmares, a twisted reflection of the darkness that had consumed her. No longer human, she prowled the shadows with a hunger that could never be sated, her every movement a symphony of terror.

As she gazed upon her distorted reflection, a wicked grin spread across her monstrous face. She was no longer the prey; she was the hunter.

Meanwhile in the realm of the living, Emily woke up, she was in her bedroom, the room her parents never changed. But she remembered everything, she now had to live with the guilt that her sister gave her life for her. As she approached her parents they seemed confused but relieved to see their daughter again. "She gave her life for me" Emily whispered. Her parents ran over and hugged her, but Emily, scarred by what seemed a lifetime in purgatory would never be the same again.