The Raven Part 4: Devil of the Falls

Chapter 7

Pam walked back down the halls of the second floor. She was furious and frought with worry. She was nearing the stairwell to the main hall of Abigail's house of horrors. She knew what she was looking for, but she hadn't the faintest idea of where anything was in this town. A map would be helpful, but she wasn't about to waste time searching through this hellhole for one. It would have been nice if someone in this wretched place wasn't completely under the influence of Abigail's disgusting powers. She couldn't trust anyone, though, even the girls who served as playthings for the community were likely to turn on her.

She half expected some sort of commotion after her explosive exodus from Abigail's quarters, but the air was silent and still. Not even any of Abigail's Defects had awoken. The stillness was more unnerving than if these monsters had stirred and given her chase. She could feel the eyes behind the cameras on her back as she hurried down the stairs and towards the door. She glanced around the room at the destruction she had wrought not long ago. There was no feeling of pride or guilt for what she had done to those poor souls; everything was being overshadowed by her growing fear. She wasn't afraid of what might come for her, but she was afraid of what horrors Jake and Beth were enduring. She knew that for every bit of pain she brought down on these people Abigail would repay it to her friends with sadistic glee. Any victories she had were bittersweet when compared to that thought. She turned the handle to the door and exited the home.

Rebecca sat in the study of her and Jake's apartment. She had been trying everything to keep from thinking about Jake's trip to Ravenfalls. She'd tried and failed to immerse herself in reading, alchemical experiments, studying, and she'd even attempted to learn about Jake's tinkering hobby. Some things worked for a time, but in the end she continually came back to fretting over his safety, Pamela's, and even Elizabeth's. Abigail and her filthy squalor of a town may have been simpletons, but they were conniving and ruthless. What they lacked in brains they more than made up for with savagery.

She had decided to try browsing the internet on Jake's laptop as a means of escaping her troubles. She had started with some simple shopping, and try as she might she couldn't help herself from looking up exploits of her beloved. It stirred feelings of guilt within her as she read about his former triumphs. She hadn't realized just how much she had taken from him all those months ago. The further she dug on the web, the deeper and darker the results got. Articles detailing his turn from a hero to a villain, the fall of his company due to her collars, and sites where women professed their love for him. Then she came across one particularly disturbing link. It was titled Birdboy Barf Bag on a pornagraphic site of all things. She clicked on it and her stomach turned at the sight. Jake was being held in the clutches of the very woman she had sent him to steal from, and she forced herself to vomit and forced him to take it. She felt a mixture of outrage, guilt, and newfound fear after watching the short video.

Who did this woman think she was?! She couldn't stop herself from digging further into the site. Apparently this inbred woman had founded herself an OnlyFans page that was doing surprisingly well. The title of her page was laughable: The Immortal Mistress of Tomorrow. It had already angered her that she was a pretender, but this was infuriating. The fact that she was using Jake as a means of bolstering her viewership only added to her anger. She felt the urge to break something, but she stopped when another video caught her attention. Catgirl's Asstastic Afternoon! A quick glimpse of the preview and description revealed that Elizabeth had indeed been captured and was being tormented by that wretched woman. As much as she disliked Elizabeth, it was painful to see someone else torturing her.

She wondered if Pamela had been captured as well. Surely not, she had taught the girl too well. She had half a mind to find a way to Ravenfalls herself and deal with this woman, but then she recalled her absence of power. If she were to go then she would only be a liability or worse. She would have to trust Pamela to save her beloved and Elizabeth. The girl had once been her right hand, and while she was loath to admit it, Elizabeth had helped her come into her own. Her prowess with magic was leaps and bounds above where it had been. She hated having her hands tied, but there was nothing she could do except wait. Pamela was one of her brightest students, and she had no doubt that Abigail would get under her skin just as much as hers.

She closed the laptop and decided to try immersing herself in another book. It was doubtful that it would do much good, but she had to try something. Her mind wandered to what other horrid things that vile woman was doing to her beloved as she looked over her selection. She knew, deep down, that it was a vain effort. It would most likely be another sleepless night for her.

"Still think it's wise to talk back to your mistress?!" Abigail taunted over Jake's pained cries.

She had a pair of pliers in her hand with blood dripping off of them. She'd taken Jake into the back room sometime ago, but he honestly wasn't sure how long it had been. She had spent the majority of her time beating him with various tools, most notably a crowbar that rested on a table behind Abigail. The red light from the camera indicated that she was indeed recording all of this. She had never undone his restraints, but she had made good use of them. His right hand's fingers were twisted, mangled, bloody, and immovable. Tears streamed down his face, and his throat hurt from screaming in pain. His face was covered in bruises, and his eye had swollen from one of the more powerful blows. The blood on his face was starting to dry, but he was sure he looked like a mess.

In spite of the astronomical pain he was in, he spit at her, "Fuck you, you demented lunatic!"

A look of unbridled rage flashed across her face for a second, and he prepared himself for another beating. It melted away and was replaced by that frighteningly smug face of hers. She sauntered over towards him, "Tsk, tsk, whatever am I to do with such a naughty bird?" she asked before flipping the pliers in her hand and driving them into his arm, "I will not tolerate such disrespect from a has-been hero! You will give me the devotion that I deserve!"

He howled in pain as she twisted the tool in his arm before ripping them out. He sucked in air and glared up at her, "Go to hell," he spat, "I'm going to enjoy watching Pam break you!"

She clenched the tool in her hand and back handed him across the face, "That little stick isn't going to save either of you, you miserable little shit," she said, "If she gets here, there won't be anything left to save. I promise you, Bird-bitch, I'm going to make you submit and then I'm going to make her watch while I kill you both! Then, once I'm done with you two she's going to serve me. Once she's served her purpose, I'll kill her too!"

"Keep telling yourself that," Jake wheezed.

She smiled down at him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and drove her knee into his groin. He yelped in pain and she kissed the top of his head, "Just you wait, Jake, you'll see," she whispered into his ear before slowly moving away and back to her torture table, "Why don't we move on from the foreplay, and get started on the main event? Let's see how tough you are after a little knife play, shall we?"

Pam had been wandering the town looking for something that looked like an archive. How anyone could distinguish anything in this shithole of a town was beyond her. She had already dealt with a few unfortunate imbeciles who thought it wise to ambush her. She had spotted them trying to rush her after exiting the house. She'd made good use of her pet's pistols, and after expending a few rounds had dropped the four of them with relative ease. The recoil had caught her off guard, but she had been able to compensate after a couple of missed shots. The smell of gunsmoke had made her miss her little Kitten, though. The experience of shooting Beth's pistols made her admire the girl's ability to wield them with such expert precision.

She was nearing the square when a voice caught her attention, "Over here, stranger."

She aimed one of the pistols in the direction of the voice, but refrained from firing. In the distance was a strange sight. A man wearing a cloak of sorts with half of his face wrapped and the other half covered by a hood stood with his hands up. A quick reading told her that he didn't have any ill intent towards her, but he also didn't seem to have any fear. "Give me one reason that I shouldn't kill you," she said.

He let out a strained chuckle and spoke in a raspy voice, "Got something that might interest ya, follow me."

It went against her better judgement, but she slowly lowered her gun and walked towards him. She watched him carefully as he looked around before hobbling off in the direction of some shack. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Enemy of your enemy, stranger," he rasped out without turning around, "Someone who might be able to help ya take down the headmistress of this here place and save your friends."

"Why help me and how do you know about them?" Pam asked as they entered into the shack.

"Secrets cost money, stranger, but I'll tell ya this much," he said as he flipped a switch to reveal a large case on the ground, "I'm no fan of women who take advantage of their gifts. You're different than most, a former servant of a fallen Goddess who looks to help those in need. A hero to those who need ya."

"I'm no hero," Pam said before adding, "How do you even know all this?"

"Tell ya what, miss, a secret for a secret," he replied, "What brought you three to the Falls? Nothing here 'cept pain and suffering for those who don't follow the devil, so why bother stopping by? Wouldn't have anything to do with a certain book by chance, would it?"

"You know an awful lot for a man who looks like he's on his last legs," she replied, "The book, yes that's why we came here. I need the power within that tome."

"So you can be ready after you hand it over to its rightful owner," the man said, "Makes sense, although it might be smarter to just get rid of it."

"You sound like Beth," Pam grumbled, "I answered your question, now you answer mine. Who are you and how do you know all of this?"

"Patience, stranger, patience," the man said as he walked over to the case, picked it up, and then headed to the back where he began looking for something, "Easier to show ya rather than to tell. Gimme a moment and stay close. Oh, and don't worry about the villagers finding us. Abigail has no idea what this place is."

The archaic wooden wall opened to reveal what looked like a freight elevator. Pam watched as the man hobbled onto the platform and motioned for her to follow. She hesitated for a moment before stepping onto the steel platform, "And what, pray tell, exactly is this place?" she asked.

The man chuckled as he pulled the lever and the elevator hummed as it began descending, "A remnant of a time long since passed. Ravenfalls may have been a prosperous agricultural town in the past, but like many things there was more going on then what most people thought. I'm curious, does a sorceress keep up on current events, or are you only interested in magic?"

"You're trying my patience, little man," Pam spat, growing annoyed at him, "Don't presume to know me and who I am."

"You were the top student of the Goth Goddess, Pamela Lavely," he said, "Don't think me some commoner, stranger, I'm more familiar with you than you realize. Your girlfriend, Jake, and the woman you still serve in the shadows are all too familiar to me. However, that's a story for another time when you don't have more pressing matters to attend to. I'll take you scathing reply as a no then. Follow me, stranger."

The more he talked, the more curious she became. She wondered just how he knew as much as he did. He didn't look like anyone she had met in the past, but then again it was hard to tell with what he wore. The elevator had stopped in a cold and dark area, but he raised another lever and the room was filled with fluorescent lights. Dust coated the area, but from the looks of things they were in some kind underground laboratory or observation center. It wasn't near as small as the shack above, but wasn't quite as expansive as the catacombs or Abigail's dilapidated home. She looked around with morbid fascination at the odd instruments, old tech, and strange furnishings that littered the place. On one of the tables was a name that seemed somehow familiar and yet foreign at the same time: Brunswick Co.

"What has been going on here?" she asked aloud.

"Nothing dealing with this old place anymore," he said as he continued to lead her, "This place, this town, was once home to a research center. All of it done without the knowledge of the townsfolk. Consent of the former mayor of Ravenfalls, of course, but the head of the company felt it better to conduct business from the shadows. Felt they might have better results if the citizens were unaware of what was going on. A futile effort, in the end, and one with an unfortunate and unexpected side effect."

"Brunswick," Pam muttered, "Why does that sound so familiar?"

They came to a large console with monitors everywhere. He flipped a few switches and let then power up before turning to answer her, "Because it was all over the news years ago. The head of the company disappeared shortly before everything went belly-up. All that's left of the Brunswick Empire are scattered remains like this one here, and those that fell victim to the company's...experiments."

"What about you?" she asked.

"What about me, miss?" he asked, "You want to know where I fit in, what I am?"

"Obviously," she replied, "Nevermind everything you know about me, my past, and my friends. You mentioned the experiments, is that what you are?"

"Clever, clever, stranger," he laughed, "Some things are best left unknown for now. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, and besides you have bigger problems right now. Your friends are being held in the church basement north of town, but I'm afraid you won't be able to get into it without the key."

"I know, something about an alloy that can negate my magic," Pam said, bitterly, "If you've called me down here to speak in riddles and tell me things I already know-"

"I know where the key is," he cut her off, "Won't be an easy trip, but I can tell you where you need to go. Not many people know about it, but this town got its name from the waterfalls coming off of Ravenside Mountain. There's a series of tunnels that run behind the falls and and beneath the town. That's where you'll find the key, but be wary, stranger, those tunnels are where Abigail conducts her experiments."

"The metals that line the walls of the church are enchanted iron. Abigail thinks she's pulling the strings, but she's little more than a means to end for a larger party. Whether you succeed or fail, you all serve a purpose to them."

"And who are they?" Pam asked.

"Spoilers, stranger," he replied, "I'd be more worried about your current problems, but I can see you're worried about my allegiance. Consider me a businessman, I'm not your enemy here."

"What exactly do you get out of this if you're a businessman?" Pam asked.

"For now, a good show," he replied, "But I've got other things that might interest you and yours, for a price of course. Information, weaponry, and even a few shreds of knowledge far beyond my means."

He opened his coat to reveal a small arsenal of pistols, ammunition, explosives, blades, and bundles of parchment. She moved closer, but he closed his coat. She frowned, "How much?"

"Everything's got a price, but I'm guessing your a little strapped for cash now, stranger," he replied, "Tell ya what, there's a particular gem I'm interested in the archives where the keys being held. Ya bring me that, and I'll make it worth your while. Perhaps something nice for your feral little girlfriend, or maybe one of these scrolls for yerself."

"What's so special about this gem?" she asked.

"Nothing special, just pricey," he replied, "I'm a bit of a collector, and this gem is older than this town. Best for me to hang onto rather than have it to to waste in a cave."

"Fine, I'll see if I can't keep an eye out for it," Pam replied, "Cross me and you'll regret it."

"Wouldn't dream of it, stranger," he said, "Oh, and ya might want to keep an eye out for anything labeled Project S.T.A.T.I.C. Might be particularly interesting for ya."

"Project S.T.A.T.I.C.?" Pam repeated, "Want to fill me in as just what that is?"

"See for yourself, stranger," he replied as he sat down in an old desk chair and reached into his coat to retrieve a whethered red book, "This one's on the house, stranger, a token of my good will. If you'd have done a little digging before torching her room, you might have found that."

"What is this?" Pam asked looking over the cracked leather.

"Abigail's diary," he answered, "The woman as old as time had been keeping that a closely guarded secret for a long, long time. Give it a read when you get the chance, stranger, but I suggest you hurry along. You've got quite a bit of ground to cover, and Abigail isn't going to have any mercy on either of your friends."

"Thanks, I think," she said, "What's your name?"

"Just call me the Wanderer, stranger," he replied, "That's the name I've chosen for this life. Before you ask, the name from my past is the name of a man long since dead. Go, save your friends and show me that you're not like these other women."

She stared at him for a moment before nodding and walking back through the abandoned lab. She looked the small book over as she walked, and decided to give it a read while she waited for the elevator. Just looking over the dates confirmed the madwoman's age. The earlier entries were dated as far back as 1988, but skimming over them revealed little more than the musings of a young girl who despised her hometown. She continued flipping through the pages until she came across an entry dated July 13th of 1998. This one was longer and held some interesting content. She stood under the lights and paused to read over the entry.

July, 13th 1998

Dear diary,

The most astounding thing happened last night! I met up with Regina, Josh, and Will to see if we could score some grass and booze. Will said he found a neat cave behind the Falls that we could use as a new hangout, so we agreed to meet at the lake and head over. I swiped what was left of Dad's whiskey, less than half a bottle the drunk asshole, and went to meet them.

Josh managed to score us a dime and he had it all rolled up by the time Regina and I got there. I thought it was gonna be another boring night of smoking a few joints and finishing off Dad's booze, but boy was I wrong!

Will led us into an opening behind the waterfall and into this weird cave. There was this stuff growing on the walls, but none of us thought anything about it at the time. We came out in this room with a bunch of weird science shit everywhere, didn't think nothing of it at the time though. We sat down, sparked up, and took turns passing the bottle around. I don't know if it was the weed, the whiskey, or something in the air, but I got this idea to start messing with that sciencey stuff.

At first I was just doing it for laughs, and boy was it working! I had those three laughing their asses off, but then I found a bottle with some funky looking liquid in it. I showed it to everyone, and they dared me to drink it. Told 'em I'd do it for twenty bucks, but I didn't think they'd actually pay it! The stuff was this nasty greenish brown color and stunk SO bad. The label on it was scratched to shit, but once they handed me the money I held my nose and turned it up. Holy fuck did it burn! I've drank straight shine before, but this stuff was on a whole other level!

It killed my buzz pretty quick, though. I was fine for a second, but then I fell over and everything inside of me started hurting like crazy! Next thing I know, my feet start to get really, really hot! I hadn't showered this morning so I knew if I took my shoes off it was gonna be bad, but I didn't care. I threw my shoes off to try to get that burning sensation to stop, and I couldn't believe what I saw. My toes have always been kind of...gunky? I guess that's the word, anyways! The stuff between them was, like, growing or something. I stared down at it for a minute, but then I heard Will and the others yelling at me.

My head was hurting, and I really wanted them to be quiet for a minute. I don't know what happened, but the stuff between my toes started moving and next thing I know they stopped! I looked up and watched as some of that funky stuff crawled towards the three of them. It was pretty freaky at first, but then it got super weird. One of the little moving things crawled up Josh and into his mouth! He gagged, can't say I blamed him, and tried to spit it out. Will tried to help him, but Regina took off running. I wanted to see how this played out, so I hollered at Regina to come back. She didn't listen, but I heard her scream in the distance.

I started to get real annoyed at Will for bothering Josh who by this point had fallen down to his knees. I yelled at Will to give him some room, and that's when things got awesome! Josh grabbed hold of him and pushed him back, but then he just froze there. Things were really tense for a second, and I was curious to know what had just happened. Will was trying to talk to Josh and was getting ignored, so I spoke up and called over to Josh. He looked straight at me with this wild look in his eyes for a second before they took on this dreamy look. It was like he was in love with me or something. I told him to come over to me and he did. I asked him if he was okay and he said he was great as long as he was near me. Now, Josh has always had a thing for Regina so I thought that was weird. Then he asked if he could lick my feet! I asked him if he was sure, and he said that it was all he could think about. Weird as it was, I said sure and he got down on his hands and knees and started licking between my toes. Not gonna lie, it felt really fucking good!

Will got grossed out, and that's when Josh got mad. He started arguing until I told him to stop. Don't know where it came from, but I got an idea to see if Josh would force feed Will some of my toejam. Will was disgusted by it, but Josh didn't hesitate. He said yes mam and wrestled Will to the ground. The stuff in between my toes kept growing, and I figured what better way to get rid of it than to have Josh make Will eat it straight from the source! Josh held his head down and I walked over to him. It took some work, but eventually we had Will sucking on my toes. Next thing I know, Will is going to town! The whole thing was nuts, but it got me thinking. I wanted Regina to have a part of this, so I told the boys to go get her. They found her with a sprained ankle or some shit, and they dragged her back to me. She was crying and acting like a baby, but they didn't even care! She was begging them to help her, to let her go, and asking me what was going on. I told her I didn't know, but things would be better if she sucked my toes! She told me to fuck off, and that's when Josh hit her. She started crying and yelling, so to shut her up I jammed my foot in her mouth.

I thought she was gonna throw up. Eventually some of the jam must have dripped down her throat because she settled down, but she was still crying. It was kinda cute, in a weird way, and I had this urge to mess around with her. I took my foot out of her mouth, and she told me I was sick. I thought it would be funny if I sat on her face, but holy shit it actually felt good. I turned around, dropped my jeans, and sat my big ass on her face. She thrashed under me, but all that did was wedge her face deeper into my crack. I let out a fart and heard her scream again; fucking A it felt incredible! I fucked with her for like an hour while Will and Josh sat there and watched. I made her lick my ass, and then Will and Josh said they were horny. I told them to fuck her until she passed out, and they did!

We tied her up once they were done and we left her there. Figured we could go back tomorrow night and play around some more. Still don't know what's going on with me, but if I'm right then this might be my ticket outta here! I always said I was meant for more than this bullshit town, and this shit might be just what I need! I told the boys to head back home and act normal for now. Gonna meet up with them at the Falls tomorrow night, and fuck around with this stuff some more before we play with Regina. Best. Night. Ever!

Pam wrinkled her nose in disgust. Flipping through the following days, weeks, and skipping to a few months down revealed that Abigail had managed to learn new abilities. She wasn't some God, she was nothing more than an idiotic girl who'd stumbled upon a concoction to give her powers! Just a simple farm girl who wanted out of her town, and was destined to be a burnout. She hadn't even meant to get powers from drinking the swill; she'd done it on a dare of all things. From there, the sadistic psychopath had truly come to life. She had forced her friends to rape their friend after she used her, and then to add to it had kept her tied and alone in the caves. The first of her family had been those boys, and the first whipping girl had been her best friend. It made her sick to her stomach to even think about. What was perhaps worst of all was what she had done to Regina afterwards. Once the girl had been completely spent Abigail had killed her and thrown her body into the lake. She wondered if that was the fate that awaited all those girls once they'd served their purpose.

"Rebecca is merciful by comparison," she mumbled as she threw the switch to ascend back into the shack.

Abigail sat in front of the monitors with Jake and Beth trapped in her private room. She had left them bound and gagged after a particularly intense session with the two of them. Jake had lost quite a few teeth, but the little shit was still attempting to run his mouth. Beth hadn’t been much better once she had come to, but the girl was clearly more afraid than her male counterpart. She decided to let Will and Josh have a bit of fun with her and Jake while she took a break to try to review the footage of her problematic spellcaster. Her boys had been feeling neglected and pent up as of late, and she was certain that a couple hours with her toys would do wonders for breaking their spirits. Even now she could hear the muffled cries of the two heroes as her boys had their fun; it was music to her ears.

As nice and empowering as that was, the images on screen were anything but. It should have been a simple operation to subdue the stickfigure that was Pamela, but this young girl was full of surprises. It started off simple enough with her men surrounding her and the girl showcasing some of the tricks that she’d already seen, but then things took an unusual turn. It was shortly after she got herself surrounded on the stairwell. Her body began to glow just before she suspended herself in the air with one of her ethereal chains. She’d rewound the tape several times just because it had been impossible to believe or catch without careful study. One second she was trapped hanging from the ceiling, and the next she was surrounded by a strange light and floating down to the ground. The sound of her screaming, followed by fire, then the screams of her men, and then the feed was cut short. It was infuriating and worrisome that this girl possessed such power. If she wasn’t careful, this woman would undo everything that she had worked for.

She switched the monitors off and stood up. She had called several of her best family members for a meeting in the main hall of her church. She was going to send everyone and everything she had at this girl to stop her. Wasteful as it may have been to kill the girl, no amount of power was worth risking this girl ruining her progress. She could find another way to unlock the secrets of that damn book if necessary. Besides, she was making great strides with her experiments without magic. Right now, she needed to address her vermin problem. She had ensured that the church was a proverbial fortress against the likes of any magic users before the trio’s arrival, but there was still the matter of the key. If, by some miracle, the girl could find it there would be nothing left to stop her. She had to make sure that that did not happen, whatever the cost.

She came into the hall where all of the pews sat filled with her devoted followers awaiting her command. She smiled and felt a rush of confidence overcome her at the sight, “It is always so wonderfully refreshing to see all of you. You love me, don’t you?”

A chorus of, “Yes mistress,” filled the room.

“And I love each of you,” she lied, “We have a problem, children, one of our esteemed guests isn’t finding our hospitality enjoyable. The woman, the blonde one who seems to lead our toys below, is causing your mistress some awful grief. I’ve decided that since she seems so intent on tearing our little family apart that it would be best if she were to...disappear. I want each of you looking for her, and when you find her you may do with her as you please. Have your fun, break her, kill her, drown her for all I care! She is little more than a rat to me, and the only good rat is a dead one. Be on your guard, children, she is more formidable than she appears. I suspect she will eventually make her way to the Falls, so I want a group of you to wake our dear Regina from her slumber. If nothing else, then perhaps this blonde bitch could join the other girls who’ve served their purpose!”

“What of the Defects, mistress, shall we wake them as well?” one of the men asked.

“Do whatever you feel is necessary, just bring her down,” Abigail replied, “Wake the Ripper as well, and I want you to have him waiting for her in the caves beyond the Falls. If this girl manages to best Regina then I want someone there to take advantage of her surely weakened state. Teach her what happens when you go against the will of a Goddess, and make sure she knows that she is nothing compared to me. Go, make her suffer, children, do it for your mistress!”

There was a chorus of cheers before they stood and began marching one by one out of the church. She hadn’t seen the girl since her explosive exit from her home. That was troubling, but she knew where she would have to go if she were to ever save her friends. That was enough for her to be able to set up an ambush that was sure to bring her down. In the meantime, she would continue breaking both Beth and Jake. It was the least she could do to return the misery that this Pamela girl was wreaking on her town. She would make them suffer in ways they couldn’t imagine, and then once they were nothing more than shells of their former selves she would finish them. Her profit margin had already taken a steady jump just from the few videos that she had already posted. This was going to be a long night for everyone, but one she was sure no one would forget.