Into the Heart of Darkness

As the midnight bells toll, I find myself once more slipping into the cloak of night, ready to confront the evils that fester in its depths. Tonight, whispers carried on the wind spoke of a den of fiends, far beyond the pale of civilized society – a place known only as 'the Pits'. There, they say, the worst creatures gather, feasting upon the wretched who dare enter their lair. So off I went, cross gripped tight and holy fire burning in me belly.

I descended into that hellish maw, my companions close behind, determined to root out the rot that infested it. What we saw there would haunt even the most steadfast of hearts. Bodies hung from rusted chains, twisted and broken, the victims of unspeakable tortures. Creatures shambled amidst the filth, howling at the sight of us, hungry for our flesh. But we stood fast, steel and faith united, and we sent the spawn of Hell screaming back to the pits whence they came.

Yet no victory comes without cost. As we emerged from the bowels of the earth, battered and bruised, I looked upon the face of Sister Mary, her eyes lifeless, her body rent apart by the teeth of the damned. Another good woman taken too soon, another candle extinguished in the eternal struggle. But her death shall not have been in vain. I swear, on her grave, that I'll continue the fight until every corner of this godforsaken world is cleansed of the vermin that plague it.

So here I sit, now dawn's first light peeks over the horizon, my mind reeling from the nightmare I'd just lived. My hands still smell of sulfur and spilled blood, but I'll wash away the stain, don me habit once again, and return to the sanctuary of the convent. For though the darkness rages outside, I'll always find solace in the Light, knowing that the Lady watches over me, guiding my hand in the service of her Son.