The doom of Saint Lawrence

As a man of the church, I always thought we were the sole creations of God... How foolish we were.

I now know that there are things we cannot comprehend. Things that have no logic. Nightmarish things that defy God. There are things amongst the stars that defy our beliefs and mock the ignorance of our ilk.

To whomever finds these writings. My name is Father Thomas Greenwich and this will be…my valediction.

We were en route to a monastery in the Pyrenees mountains. The monastery had stopped answering our messages two months ago, so I was sent to investigate. My party was made up of 5 companions. Herkimer, Deniel, Siegward, Parsifal, and myself. Herkimer and Siegward were Crusaders who defected from the battlefield but were captured after killing a pair of guards who recognized them.

Herkimer was a German lad, taller than all of us. Sky blue eyes, a perfect chin, and blonde hair. He wore a black gambeson, a chain mail, and his tunic of the Teutonic Knights, battle-scared and dirty. Wielding a sword and shield. Siegward on the other hand was chubbier. He was an average-sized man with a big belly showing his love for beer. Long black hair, amber eyes, and arms as thick as tree trunks. He wore a thick white gambeson, chainmail, his tunic from the Knights Hospitaller, and an oddly looking helmet; wielding a Halberd as big as Herkimer.

Deniel was a mercenary who knew the way to the monastery. He was a young Spanish lad. White skin, tall with brown almost honeyed eyes. Wearing only his ragged clothes; a short sword, and he carried many knives with him. And finally, Parsifal. He was a young priest under my wing. Pale skin, green eyes, thin and quite frail in body. He wore a brownish tunic, a deep blue coat, and on his belt, a well-crafted dagger, holy water, and a reliquary.

Days before we arrived at the monastery, we stayed at the closest town to the mountains before our climb. We were having dinner at the local inn when suddenly, I overheard Siegward ask the Innkeeper about the monastery and the monks’ whereabouts.

-We haven’t seen any of them in over two moons. We didn’t give any thought to it at first but now it’s concerning. –

-Do you know what might have happened to them? –

Siegward asked but the innkeeper only shook his head.

-They only came to buy supplies twice a month. Julius, Timothee, and Marcus were the monks that usually came to buy stuff but they didn’t talk much. Last we saw them they looked normal to meself.

It’s quite odd cause they weren’t the kind that only stays up there. The monks came at least once a week to take care of the ill and watch the church. I hope they’re all right up there. –

-Has no one gone up to investigate? –

The Innkeeper thought for a moment and said:

-Yes. A young lad named Hugo. He’s the blacksmith’s apprentice. He climbed up there as soon as the monks stopped coming but after he went up there; he hasn’t spoken about the matter. Only God knows what he saw. –

Siegward thanked the Innkeeper and was going to see the lad when I asked if I could join him. He looked at me with a deep stare and gave me a gentle nod.

The autumn night was rainy and it was getting cold and colder as hours went by. As we walked through the muddy streets of the little town, we began to hear metal hitting metal. We walked inside the blacksmith’s shop and asked for Hugo. The blacksmith called the lad and a thin yet muscle young man walked out the back. He was covered in soot and sweat. He looked baffled at us and asked:

-What may I help you with, sires? –

I took a moment to see him. He was in his early 20’s. Black hair, stout hands, some scars on his arms, and red eyes from so much heat. I asked:

-We were told you were the last person to go up to see the monks at the monastery. We are investigating what…-

-Don’t. Don’t go there. The monastery is…No. Just…don’t go. –

Suddenly, he turned around and walked back inside. I turned to see Siegward and we both followed him. Hugo grabbed his hammer and got back to work.

-Lad. –

Siegward said.

-Tell us what you saw up there. We need to know what might have happened to them before we do the climb. You’re the last one that saw…-

-I didn’t see…them. I couldn’t. I…I only heard it. I…I didn’t dare to gawk inside. –

Said Hugo, interrupting abruptly.

-What happened, lad? Tell us. What did you hear? –

Hugo stopped working and hung to his anvil for a moment. He took a deep breath and said:

-My little sister was sick and one of the monks always came to see her. Dominic. He brought her medicine and helped us when we needed it the most.

One night, I was finishing up work when I saw a star falling from the sky and landed somewhere in the mountains. That’s when the monks stopped coming.

I began to see my sister’s health decline and the monks were nowhere to be found so I climbed to the monastery to get some medicine and… there was smoke coming from inside the temple. I rushed to the door but before I opened it…I heard screams. –

-Maybe there was a fire…-

-These were not human screams, my sire. –

Said Hugo cutting me off quickly.

-I have never heard a man nor beast scream like that. There’s something unholy inside the monastery. Something evil now lurks there. I tell you, if I were you, I would go back from whence I came before I followed their fate. –

Hugo sighed deeply and continued hitting the metal again and again, muffling his thoughts with each hit.

As we walked out of the blacksmith, I turned to Siegward and asked:

-Do you think the kid’s telling the truth? That there’s something evil lurking inside the monastery? –

Siegward took a moment to think and said:

-I know the face of a man that lies and I know true fear when I see it. The lad is not lying. There is something up there. –

We both stood in silence, thinking to ourselves until Siegward uttered:

-Should we tell the others? –

I kept quiet for a second as I looked up to the heavens and caught a glimpse of the top of the mountain.

-No. We’ll go and see what happened by ourselves. Whatever it was that happened, we need to know. –

***

We began our climb at dawn. There was already snow covering the mountain tops. It was mostly a silent trip to the monastery. None of us spoke. We all investigated by ourselves what might have happened to the monks and we all had our theories. “A disease. A fire. Seclusion.” But none of us were prepared for what awaited us…there.

As the Sun was setting, we finally arrived at the monastery and as we saw it, we all knew something was wrong…very wrong. I took a moment to see it for the first time. The monastery was built of cobblestone. A stone wall surrounded and protected the temple, however, something more important caught all our attention. The observation tower that rose 15m from the floor, was destroyed and an oddly looking blue moss grew all over the walls, like an infection.

As we walked closer to the main gates, Deniel grew warier and uneasy and once we stopped, he said:

-I am not going in. This is as far as I will go. I won’t go inside. –

-You cannot turn back tonight, Deniel. Nightfall will freeze you to death or you might end up lost in these hills. There’s no alternative but to stay here for the night. –

Said Herkimer.

-Are you not seeing this? This is…I don’t even know what is this. And don’t you feel it? My gut is saying: “Don’t go there!” and that’s what I’ll do. –

As Herkimer and I discussed with Deniel, Parsifal, with Siegward’s help, climbed the wall, and suddenly he yelled:

-Father! –

We all looked up and saw his face pale and confused.

-Look…. –

He said as he pointed at something inside. I started climbing desperately, consumed by curiosity. I’m not sure what I was expecting to see… but it was not what I saw.

As I climbed to the top of the wall, I saw the inside of the temple and there was a hole in the middle of the church. As if God had pierced the land himself. The church had been destroyed and half of it was gone, and from the destruction, the blue moss extended all over. As an infection. A corruption. More than half of the temple was now covered with it.

-What in God’s name happened here, Father? –

Asked Herkimer as he stood next to me. I couldn’t turn to see him but I knew they were as confused and as stunned as me.

-Father. –

Said Siegward as he grabbed me by the shoulder, snapping me out of thought.

-The monks. We must look for them and leave this place tonight. Understood? –

I had traveled beside this man for weeks now and then and that was the only time I felt fear in his eyes. After Deniel saw what had happened, he refused to go with us and left immediately. Unfortunately…that was the best decision any of us could have made.

As we delved deeper into the castle, the moss grew thicker and thicker and a stench unknown to any began to lurk everywhere. We had to light torches and lanterns as we advanced for darkness grew thicker with each step.

Herkimer and Siegward were our guides and walked in front of us the whole time. As we walked through the halls of the temple, an eerie feeling grew amongst us. As if we were being…watched.

The deeper we delved the more the temple felt as if it didn’t belong to us anymore. We didn’t want to split apart, none of us was brave enough to do so. So, we explored the temple together. We began in the kitchen but we found nothing. We moved to the rooms of the monks but found nothing but moss beginning to creep inside the rooms. As we walked into the dining room, we all stopped as shivers moved down our spine at the sight. Moss covered everything; from the floors to the ceiling. Tables, frames, knives, chairs, everything was covered in moss.

Neither of us dared to speak or utter a sound. We were all…afraid. You could feel it. As we walked closer to the church, we stumbled upon a blocked entrance. A little door was still visible through the mossy walls. We all tried our best to open the door and finally managed to walk inside. As we entered a little chapel, we finally found the body of a monk. The moss crept through the cracks on the door and his body was somehow fused to the door by it. Herkimer knelt next to the corpse and saw a book and a pen on the hand of the monk. He opened the book and began reading in silence as we pondered how in god’s name was it possible when he simply said:

-Father…–

We all turned to see him. His face was pale. His eyes showed fear and his expression utter confusion. He handed me the book and I grabbed it from his shaking hand and began to read it aloud.

- “March 24th of 1109, the year of our lord.

Last night, a star fell from the heavens. It destroyed the observatory along with the church. None of us were injured thanks to our Lord. Tomorrow, we will begin the repairs of the temple and discuss what will be done. –

March 26th of 1109 the year of our Lord.

Brother Lucas has disappeared from the temple. We don’t know what has happened. His things are still here but he is nowhere to be found. The last thing I knew, he was eager to see what fell in our temple and said he was going to investigate even though Father Maxxwel had prohibited us from doing so, but we were all so excited to see what it is.

I…I. We screwed up.

We went at night to see the rock and there was a blue moss growing from it. Oliver thought it was smooth and decided to cut a piece of it…but the moss screeched in pain and from it, spiky bones spawned, piercing Oliver’s hand and arm. We tried to pull him out of it but…the moss began creeping up his arm, drinking his blood and growing, and…we saw Oliver be eaten alive by the moss but…he was still alive. The moss had grabbed him and embedded him into the wall, still conscious. He screamed in agony as the moss drank from his insides. Jonah pushed me aside and threw some oil and burned the moss away…but it only made everything so much worse.

The moss…it. Run…”

Herkimer knelt back to see the corpse and pushed it away from the door, revealing whiteish roots spawning from the moss directly into the corpse. We all saw the roots drinking from the corpse, eating it little by little. We all crossed ourselves and Herkimer said:

-We must go. This is no longer safe. –

-No, we must push forward. We need to know what we’re dealing with, Herkimer. We need to reach the church. –

I spoke.

-The church? Father, look around you. This place is no longer a monastery. We don’t know what we’re dealing with. This is dangerous. –

-We cannot leave without proof. They’ll lock us up claiming we went mad. You know the church as well as I do. You know what needs to be done or we’re as good as dead. –

Herkimer lowered his face as he swallowed his words. Siegward sighed deeply as he stepped out of the little chapel, followed by Parsifal and myself.

-We’re all going to die…-

Uttered Herkimer as he followed me. As we delved deeper and deeper into the temple, we finally reached the church. Half of it was destroyed and all of it was covered in moss. Moonlight shone upon the destruction revealing the core of it all.

-Very well, Father. We’re here. Now what? –

Asked Herkimer. I thought for a moment as I gawked at the black hole on the ground that spawned the corruption.

-We cannot take the moss, so we’ll need to get a chunk of the rock itself. –

-We cannot go down there. We don’t know how deep it is nor what’s inside. –

-Listen. If we do not get a piece of whatever this thing might be, we’re as good as dead, do you understand, Herkimer? –

There was a slumber silence that filled the room for a moment when suddenly Parsifal spoke.

-I’ll do it. –

We all turned around and he continued:

-I can climb down there and get a chunk of the rock so we can all go back. I’ll do it. –

Parsifal grabbed his lantern and put it on his belt. He tied a rope around his waist and began to descend.

We all gawked, skipping heartbeats as we saw the lad go deeper into the abyss. I turned to Siegward and he was looking behind us with a wary look.

-What is it? –

He thought for a moment and said:

-I heard something. Like a frog croaking. –

-I have it! Pull me up! –

We all heard Parsifal faintly yell and we all went for the rope and began pulling the lad up, however, as we were about to pull him out, the rope slipped out of my hands and the lad fell for a moment. Siegward and Herkimer caught him…but the lantern fell off his belt and hell was unleashed.

As we pulled him out of the hole, we heard the lamp break, and a screech louder than anything we’ve ever heard broke the silence of the night.

We all looked confused at what had happened when we heard a rumble and the floor beneath our feet trembled. Siegward grabbed his torch and walked into the dark when we suddenly saw it rise from the dark.

A demon. A monster not from this world. Made of flesh, bones, roots, and moss. Faceless. Claws made of bones. Ribs poking out of the back of its arms like spikes. Skulls sticking from his back. It was as tall as the monastery’s gates.

We all stood in silence as the monster towered over Siegward and saw him screech like an animal before using its tail to pierce Siegward’s chest and bite off his head.

Parsifal screamed as the beast devoured our friend and he took off running, however, the monster screeched once more and ran after him.

I stared in disbelief at the lump where Siegward once stood when I felt Herkimer’s hand pull me up and say:

-We need to go, now! –

As we ran from the church, I heard the screams of Parsifal being silenced in the blink of an eye, when we heard the screech of the monster once more. As we ran through the temple, we heard it come closer and closer as the feet beneath our feet trembled. I stumbled upon something as we ran blindly through the church and got separated from Herkimer…but I know he’s dead for I heard his screams but a moment ago.

As I hear the beast creep closer and closer; I write this as a warning.

Abandon all hope thee whom enters here. God bears no power in these halls.

He has forsaken us.

God has forsaken all of us…