The ground rumbles and groans, like it's in pain. Stalact.i.tes hanging from a non-visible ceiling fall and shatter. Even the fire-ball nightlights flicker angrily, like p.i.s.sed off fireflies.

I stand, feeling a little more confident in myself at seeing this thing's reaction to my last declaration.

"My will is to deny you," I say calmly.

You cannot deny me, peasant. I am The End and I shall rule this wretched world.

From out of nowhere, hurricane force winds swirl around me like I'm in my own personal storm. The only thing I think to do is to start repeating the same thing over and over again. Like a chant.

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."

I remember this Bible verse, Psalm 23:4, from my youth. I learned it in church and it always stuck with me. It taught me never to be afraid.

The wind intensifies and I almost lose my concentration, but I grit my teeth and grunt out another chant.

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil!"

RARRRGH!.

A roar like a hundred grizzlies mixed with a freight train bellows in my ears. The firelight brightens ten-fold. The heat is so intense that I actually feel the burn from the hovering torches on my skin.

I kneel down, cup my ears and continue.

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."

You will be mine eventually, slave! I will own you and the rest of this miserable race! And you...shall be my pet!

Slave? Miserable? Pet? This b.a.s.t.a.r.d has a lot to learn about me, and the human race! I think to myself through closed eyes and gritted teeth.

I stand and stare into the obsidian rock.

A face emerges into the side of the anomaly. It ripples like water and moves about freely, never disconnecting, like a Pin Art toy. The face is like an impression in its surface.

It's vaguely humanoid just like the statues of pain outside of the pyramid except, there's no mouth. There is however a slit where the mouth should be and the eyes are like an insects, never blinking. It almost looks like an armored mask or helmet, I think.

But what really catches my attention is the symbol burning red hot in the middle of the face's forehead.

A Greek omega? That's the second time I've seen that symbol a.s.sociated with this place. The first was up top on the hatch of the trap door entrance, the one with the Latin inscription.

Omega has several meanings depending on its context. Its literal translation means the end, with it being the last letter in the Greek alphabet.

Huh, I think. I guess we know where he got his name from...or...where they got the name for the character from.

I will own you! Your very existence will belong to me! The voice booms again in my mind.

Now, I'm getting really, really p.i.s.sed off.

"Own me? You want to own me? Not happening! You see we here in the modern world have a little more information at our disposal than the poor saps you subjugated back in your day," I take a step forward. "Like for instance, I know we are in my head-in my subconscious-which means I can control everything if I want too. It's called lucid dreaming."

Another strong wind buffets me, trying to knock me to the floor, but it doesn't have any effect on me what-so-ever.

I c.o.c.k my thumb in my direction feeling as bold as ever. Knowing that I have full control over my surroundings has given me renewed strength and a major confidence boost. "You're in my world a.s.shole!" I say adding a little extra to the ownership part of the exclamation.

I take another step forward, staring daggers into the expressionless face, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear...YOU!"

I bring up my hand and will my gun to appear.

It does.

I raise my Glock and aim it at the face shimmering in the rock, right in the middle of the fiery symbol etched in its forehead.

I pull the trigger I fire and imagine that my advancing bullet is made of the same fire that lights this h.e.l.lish place. Time seems to slow down to a crawl, like it's trying to push through mola.s.ses. My bullet, which should be traveling faster than I can see is also moving at a crawl. Then, it suddenly bursts into flames, glowing white, searing hot. The flaming projectile slams home and pierces the monstrous face.

A sinister voice shrieks in agony and the lava rock explodes throwing me back into reality...and into a whole new world of pain.

30.

"Hank, you okay?" A voice asks. "Come on man, wake up!"

Something strikes my cheek. Did somebody just slap me? I think, my mind still spinning.

"What the h.e.l.l!" I yell flinching awake as I get struck again, finally stirring from my very real, very horrible dream. I blindly swing a fist, intent on punching whoever is attacking me, but it comes out as a disoriented flail and I fall on my a.s.s feeling like I'm going to vomit.

I flop onto the ground, smacking the back of my head on the stone platforms unrelenting surface. My breathing is quick and shallow and I'm on the verge of hyperventilating. Sweat covers my skin, rolling down my face and into my eyes, stinging them. And I feel hot...really hot.

The floor rumbles, making my teeth chatter in time with the shaking, capping off the worst awakening I've ever experienced. Even worse than the hospital bed in Algiers.

"Get him up, we need to go," says another voice.

I feel someone try to lift me and then drop me, spilling me to the floor...again.

"s.h.i.t!" Yells the first voice. "He's burning up!"

The fire, I think and sit up, feeling my head clear with the sudden movement.

"I'm fine...I'm fine," I utter and stand, then stumble.

Finding my balance I lift my eyes and take a look around. It looks like a war just took place.

Dad has a cut over his left eye, Nicole is holding her arm and Omar is cleaning up our gear, which has been flung everywhere. Kane seems to be the only one unscathed, but I see him holding onto the platform's makeshift railing, keeping himself steady.

The damage isn't exclusive to our small camp site either.

One of the lava outlets in the wall has cracked and burst. It now flows at a much faster, stronger pace.

Great, I think.

A broken zigzagging pattern can now be seen through the stone forest and the molten river bank is broken and burning, all but impa.s.sable.

I look back to my team with confusion, "Did I miss an earthquake or something?"

All I get is the same confused look directed back at me along with a couple of gasps. Four sets of eyes stare me down, looks of shock on their owner's faces. I'm not sure why they are staring at me.

"What?" I ask.

"Your...skin..." Nicole says.

I look down and see that not only am I sweating...I'm steaming too. My skin is giving off steam like a boiling pot of water on a stove. Oookay.

I touch my skin and feel nothing wrong-minus the extreme moisture rising from my body of course.

"See, I'm fine," I say poking my skin again.

Kane steps over and touches the same part of my arm I just did and flinches away cursing and shaking his hand.

"Fine my a.s.s, Hank. You're broiling!" He growls. "What the h.e.l.l happened just now? You were asleep for 20 minutes before you started kicking and screaming. I had to knock the gun out of your hand so you didn't accidentally shoot someone, caught an elbow in the face for my trouble!"

I think back to my dream and try to figure out what exactly did just happen.

I retell the events that took place in my nightmare.

"You're kidding, right?" Kane asks with a raised eyebrow.

"It was a dream-a seriously disturbing one for sure. But still..." Dad says trailing off looking around at the ruined surroundings, all of a sudden not so sure of himself.

"When did all this happen?" I say motioning to the destruction.

"During your little...episode," Kane says, waving his hand towards me and then to the broken landscape.

I close my eyes and breathe, reliving the dream-or whatever the h.e.l.l it was.

The pulling.

The pain.

The heat.

It felt too real. It was too vivid to be just a cerebral counterfeit.

"It was real," I say confidently. "I could actually feel the tug on my body. When the fire licked my skin I felt burned." I hold up my still steaming hands. "The pain in my ribs is still there too." I lift my shirt, surprising everyone including myself.

"Those look...fresh," Nicole says with a hand to her mouth, reacting to the sight of my bruised body.

"Believe me," I say as I struggle to pull my shirt back down. "They are."

Wincing in pain, I grunt and bend over, picking up my weapon, tucking it back into my pack.

"And the voice?" Dad asks.

"It was him-The End," I answer. "He wants to use my body. He wants to control me somehow, like a parasite. He means to destroy everything...through me."

"All of us?" Omar asks gesturing to our group.

"No," I say.

His shoulders relax a little.

"He wants to exterminate ALL of mankind and enslave his enemies," I add.

Omar's shoulders stiffen in fright and then sag, defeated.

What can we do against a being that can use the very Earth itself as his sword and strike down the entire human race that inhabits it? What weapon can defend against that?

"You may not be permitted to leave until the chosen has claimed his prize. Please pray you are he," says someone.

We look over at Omar, shaking his head in disbelief. "The chosen one-you, Hank-must claim your prize." He points back up to the stairs, "So far these cryptic messages have been pretty spot on...If you believe this to be more than just a coincidence and-"

"That's just it," I interrupt. "I'm still confused about where exactly we are. The tunnel drawings show Atlantis to be a thriving metropolis of peace and prosperity..." I look around not being able to put together my thoughts. "This...place...isn't even recorded in their history. Why?"

Kane answers my question, "Pearl Harbor, Auschwitz, the Civil War-j.a.pan, Germany, and the States. Every major nation has its dirty secrets that it wishes it could hide. Maybe this civilization actually hid theirs."

We stand in silence contemplating where we actually are, not sure of what to do next.

Surprisingly, Omar takes the first step.

He slips on his bag and starts off towards the left stair case, obviously ready to leave. Then he thinks better of it and stops and turns back towards the rest of us. "So, the right path is out of the question now I a.s.sume? And we can't go back that way," he says pointing back towards the now blocked tunnel.

Kane speaks up, "He's right, we need to keep moving. We may have enough supplies to last down here for a week, but I'd rather not have to find out."

He hefts his pack onto his shoulders, walks over to me and in a low tone asks, "You okay, Hank?"

It's as sincere as I've ever seen the guy. Normally he's either deadly serious or joking around and stepping on his own toes.

"Yea man, I'm fine," I lie.

I feel like absolute c.r.a.p, I think being honest with myself.

BOOM!.

I'm knocked on my a.s.s and almost tumble down the set of steps on the right, leading to the blazing riverbank. I stop short of the top step thanks to a hand on my arm. I look back and see my savior.