Chapter 13: Exchange
Marcus stood in the living room and immediately saw Kirsty weeping through the open bedroom door.
Countless iron hooks hung from the ceiling, clanging against each other.
The razor-studded pillar spun with a whooshing sound.
Kirsty was being held by Chatterer, tears streaming down her face, pleading desperately.
Kirsty stared at the doorway. In her most helpless and desperate moment, the apartment door suddenly opened, and a figure radiating light appeared in the doorway.
"Marcus!"
Kirsty cried out excitedly, filled with hope—she was terrified.
But then she snapped back to reality. Marcus was just an ordinary person, and her voice turned desperate as she cried out urgently,
"Run!"
"Marcus, run! Don't worry about me!"
Kirsty struggled desperately, trying to break free from Chatterer's grasp, but it was all in vain. At this point, even a wrecking ball couldn't break Chatterer's grip, let alone the strength of a young woman.
Marcus felt relieved to hear Kirsty's words.
However, since he had come, he must have had something to rely on.
The entrance door behind him slammed shut.
The last ray of sunlight vanished, and their escape route was gone.
Marcus took a deep breath and walked toward the bedroom.
He looked at the four Cenobites before him. This was the first time he had truly seen them.
He had seen them many times in movies in his previous life, but only when facing them in person could he truly feel their oppressive aura and the painful, twisted atmosphere.
"Do you know a man named Frank Cotton?"
Marcus carefully observed the movements of the Hell Priest, ready to pull out a photo that could trigger Pinhead's memories at any moment.
"He escaped from your grasp."
"Know him? Even if he escaped, what does that have to do with you?"
The Female Cenobite spoke from her throat wound.
"I've captured him. I'll use him to exchange for Kirsty,"
Marcus said.
"Perhaps I prefer you both,"
The Female Cenobite replied.
"Maybe... I'd rather hear his confession... maybe!"
Hell Priest Pinhead spoke slowly at this moment, his calm voice carrying an undeniable authority.
"Yes, exchange Frank for us,"
Kirsty shouted excitedly upon hearing this.
"Go ahead and take Frank, drag him to hell, and spare me and Marcus."
Hell Priest Pinhead ignored Kirsty and stared at Marcus, saying calmly,
"I know you. You'll eventually find your way to us."
"After all, evil seeks its own level!"
Marcus already knew his future path:
"This is the path I chose."
Hell Priest Pinhead continued expressionlessly,
"I need a reason now."
Marcus understood. Frank was only enough to exchange for Kirsty, but Pinhead wouldn't let him—who had walked right into their trap—go.
"Two."
"Two for two!"
Marcus held up two fingers:
"Besides Frank, there's a woman, Giovanna Dursley."
The Hell Priest didn't speak again. A jolt of electricity swept through, and the four disappeared, the room brightening once more.
Marcus had already prepared for the worst, but fortunately, Pinhead wasn't one to meddle and didn't bother with him—a damned soul who had escaped from the Ice Cenobite.
Perhaps in Pinhead's eyes, Marcus's destiny led inevitably to hell.
Kirsty rushed over and hugged Marcus tightly, sobbing.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here!"
"Let's end this."
Marcus comforted her and then released Kirsty.
He didn't want to end up like in those stupid movie scenes, crying in each other's arms after escaping danger only to be killed by the monsters.
He turned to look at the puzzle box that Kirsty had thrown to the ground.
The puzzle box, which should have been a cube, was still an octagon, not restored to its original shape.
It seemed the Pinhead's group had only temporarily left. They were waiting for him to fulfill his promise.
Marcus picked up the puzzle box and examined it, but felt nothing. It seemed he couldn't grasp how to close the puzzle box—he lacked the aptitude.
"Marcus, don't touch that box! Throw it away!"
Kirsty anxiously reached for the puzzle box and tried to throw it away.
"Kirsty, the box isn't a cube anymore. They could reappear at any moment."
"It's not safe yet. We have to go to the attic of your father's house and get Frank back."
Marcus gently took Kirsty's trembling hand and led her toward the door.
Marcus didn't necessarily want to take Kirsty to the house. Only Kirsty could understand how to close the puzzle box.
Only by completely closing the puzzle box could the Cenobites be sent back. In the story, they eventually changed their minds and tried to take Kirsty with them, but Kirsty forcibly closed the box.
"Get Frank back? You said he came back from hell, my dad..."
Hearing this, Kirsty was worried about her father and forgot her grief.
"Don't worry, your dad's hand is injured—he's at the hospital getting stitches. I had someone stop him from going home."
Marcus's words reassured Kirsty.
"That's good. Marcus, what exactly happened?"
Marcus walked to the wrecked Cadillac and found that the radiator was cracked and it could no longer run.
"It's a long story. I'll explain later. Kirsty, now you need to study this box carefully and see if you can close it completely. Only then can you get rid of it."
Marcus handed the puzzle box to Kirsty.
Kirsty took the puzzle box with some lingering fear. This thing had given her serious psychological trauma.
"I'm here,"
Marcus said.
Those four simple words gave Kirsty a sense of security. She slowly calmed down and began to carefully study the puzzle box.
The two didn't hail a cab, slowly walking toward the house to give Kirsty more time to explore.
As they approached the house, Marcus glanced at Kirsty.
Kirsty nodded affirmatively.
The detectives hiding nearby, seeing it was their employer, didn't intervene.
Marcus led Kirsty into the house, to the second-floor attic.
He picked up the unopened briefcase and opened it.
Frank's and the woman in the baseball cap's hearts were wriggling inside the garbage bag, full of vitality.
Marcus looked at the two energy sources with some regret.
But since he had already reached an agreement with Pinhead to exchange these souls, these two damned souls had to be handed over to him.
Hell Priest Pinhead hated deception. Normally, he operated according to an unspoken set of rules. He didn't care if souls escaped within those rules, but if truly angered, this second-in-command of Hell would go berserk, and there was no stopping him for now.
Marcus pondered for a moment, then reached for the two hearts with his left hand, activating his absorption ability.
After the hearts quickly shrank by half, Marcus stopped using his ability.
His physical abilities had increased by about ten percent.
"Frank and Giovanna are here,"
Marcus said softly, picking up the puzzle box that had transformed into a six-pointed star.
An electric current flashed through the puzzle box, and the surroundings quickly darkened. The mounted deer head hanging on the wall at the end of the hallway emitted a painful hiss, opened its mouth, and spat out a pool of maggots.
The laughter of a baby and the wails of an old man continued to rush up the stairs to the second floor, disappearing into the wall as if a swarm of something had passed by.
Finally, the sound of chains rang out, and the domain of the four Cenobites descended upon the attic.
Marcus placed the two shriveled hearts on the ground, gripped the puzzle box tightly in his left hand, and took Kirsty's hand with his right, retreating to the doorway.
The four Cenobites emerged from the hellish portal torn open in the wall.
(End of Chapter)
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