Like an invisible spider of death, Leon stalked the corridors, slowly moving into the fort''s depths.


    Zipping around the corridors started to take a toll on his hands. After all, he was using his hands to push himself forward.


    ‘Man, Why am I feeling muscle pain in an illusion.’ Leon cursed and kept on moving.


    He searched every corridor and didn’t come across any soldiers.


    Keeping a metaphorical eye on the rubble for movement while moving under multiple spells was taxing his mind.


    Cursing, he took some rest near the entrance before starting to search again. This time he decided to do a very thorough search to find anyone who hid themselves.


    Using a combination of Leviosa and notice-me-not spells on objects like mirrors or steel shards, he even checked under beds and in cupboards.


    Suddenly, he felt the rubble move.


    Leon quickly zipped towards the entrance only to see a soldier rolling on the ground, clutching his head.


    Two flashbangs exploding in your vision will do that to a person.


    ‘Hmm! He set off the very first trap after the alarm.’


    These grenades- along with harsh light produce sound that disorients the target.


    He didn’t stop after taking a glance at the soldier.


    As he moved towards the entrance, a pistol detached itself from him and hovered over the soldier before opening fire.


    He turned his head to see if he missed after multiple shots rang out.


    The gear sprawled on the ground indicated he didn’t.


    He quickly reached the stone arch and sighed in relief.


    It seems that the soldier didn’t have any companions.


    Leon started his search again, from the start.


    This time no one interrupted him.


    ‘Hmm! I guess I eliminated every target.’ He shook his head at that thought. ‘I didn’t search the basement.’ He still vividly remembered the dusty basement filled with ammo crates.


    After taking a break for some time he moved towards the trapdoor that led to the basement.


    He got stuck in the basement because some barrels were placed upon the trapdoor.


    He didn’t notice it when he was running away but the trapdoor was cleverly concealed with the help of the barrels.


    They were neatly stacked horizontally against the wall on top of each other like in pirate movies, while some littered the floor, and placed on their heads.


    It seemed that whoever was stacking these barrels got bored and left them on the ground.


    And two such barrels were on the trapdoor.


    Heightening his guard and still attached to the roof some dozens of meters away from the trapdoor, Leon tried to move the barrels using the Leviosa spell.


    They didn’t move.


    He fired a knockback jinx towards the barrels.


    With a flash of light, the jinx materialized.


    ‘Squeak.’


    ‘What was that?’


    The jinx hit the sealed barrels and they wobbled, just a little.


    ‘Damn, what are these barrels filled with. And what was that noise?’ he wondered, changing his position on the roof.


    Leon carefully examined the surroundings of the trap door.


    Which didn’t mean much because the floor and barrels were covered in darkness.


    And he was the one who switched off the lamps near the trapdoor with Nox.


    Cursing he used Lumos, willing the lamps to light up.


    …They didn’t.


    He slowly crept away from the trapdoor.


    Leon so wished he didn’t ignore the ‘Solus Lumos’ spell.


    The spell created orbs of light only the caster could see.


    He chose tagging orbs of light to a person or place over that spell. After all, Hogwarts is always illuminated and he needed that spell to blind the Troll.


    Leon turned around a bend, releasing three specks of light, and sent them toward the trapdoor.


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    He peeked around the corner after a couple of seconds and slowly crept forward before increasing the intensity of the orbs to examine the room.


    Just as the orbs became brighter, a soldier leaped from behind the barrels and opened fire toward the source of light with a mad howl filled with fear.


    Rapid gunfire filled the room, illuminating it.


    Leon grimaced and sent a handgun creeping along the roof before firing at the soldier.


    The soldier disappeared.


    He increased the intensity of light again and under the increased light, Leon could see blood marks, like someone limped here.


    The blood marks too turned into lights as the soldier’s body disappeared.


    ‘He was injured.’


    The soldier’s scream was filled with pain, fear, and resignation. It was too real.


    Leon took deep breaths and emptied his mind. Pushing away questions about whether these illusionary people feel pain or not.


    ‘Damn! Stupid parchment! I will draw a pig’s butt on it, next time. Why did it have to make the illusion so real?’


    After examining the barrels under the light of the orbs and even making sure no soldiers were hiding in them- by checking the dust on their lids and their surroundings, he descended onto the floor.


    Only after he placed some charmed rubble in the corridor that led to the trapdoor.


    Checking his surroundings again, Leon pushed against the barrels.


    It didn’t move.


    ‘Damn!’


    After eyeing the two barrels that stood on top of the trapdoor, Leon fired a knockback jinx at one barrel.


    And as it wobbled he tackled it. The barrel fell on the ground and it was easy to roll it away.


    ‘Now one more remains.’


    ‘Wait a minute. What if someone is under the trapdoor and uses a grenade just as I move this barrel.’


    ‘Better not to take any chances,’ he decided.


    3 small orbs of light sneaked into the basement through the gaps in the trapdoor.


    He flared the three of them, hoping to fry the eyes of anyone who was watching the trapdoor.


    After not hearing any sounds in the basement he tackled the last barrel and rolled it away before running back, just in case.


    No one came out of the trapdoor, screaming bloody murder.  So after sending some mirror shards to accompany the orbs, Leon descended into the basement.


    Just as he touched the ground, he quickly turned on his stalker mode and attached himself to the roof, disappearing again.


    ‘Now, only the basement remains.’


    …………………………..


    ‘No please, please….’ A man hugged himself, hiding under a bed.


    ‘I don’t want to lose my soul to the devil, please help me, God. Help me.’ He prayed and prayed, his body shivering as the devil slowly opened each room’s door like it was mocking him.


    It all started when he was in the dining room.


    Warren was leaning against the wall beside the door, waiting for his friend to finish washing his plate.


    Just when he was about to call the slowpoke to hurry up, four grenades soared into the dining room.


    He reacted on instinct and jumped through the door, passing above four rifles that were levitating, aiming towards his comrades.


    “What was that? What was that?” he muttered as he ran away, without even looking back.


    And that saved him as Leon was seeking shelter at that time to weather the explosions.


    The soldier knew he wasn’t as brave as his squad mates but bravery didn’t and won’t stop grenades from exploding. So he ran and ran.


    He quickly hid behind the barrels that were placed to hide the trapdoor, clutching the cross around his neck.


    ‘Impossible, Impossible. How can guns fly?’ he thought replaying everything in his head.


    As Warren huddled behind the barrels, he heard explosions rock the fort, in sparse intervals.


    He wanted to run away, he didn’t want to die under rubble after the devil collapses the fort on their heads.


    But he couldn’t. For the life of him, he couldn’t run.


    His legs weren’t listening to him.


    He knew he could die when he signed up to be a soldier.


    ‘But I didn’t sign up for my soul to get swallowed by the devil. No sir!’ He wanted his soul to reach his lord on his death, but he was too much of a coward to kill himself, so he waited and waited hoping for the devil to go away.


    “Argh!”


    “We are here!”


    He heard the voices of his platoon members.


    ‘No! I won’t be fooled. The devil can’t deceive me.’


    “Leave me here! You escape, you did enough.” A soldier whispered, his voice pained.


    “At least, let me carry you to the basement.” The other voice replied.


    ‘Yes! The basement, I will be saved in the basement. I don’t have to brave these devil-roaming corridors.’


    With the fear running through his veins deciding for him, he quickly yelled and stumbled towards the others.


    One guy’s leg was mangled and his body was partially charred while the other looked healthy and whole.


    With the help of the healthy soldier, they quickly opened the trapdoor.


    Warren quickly turned around to help the injured person descend into the basement.


    “My blood is leaving tracks, close the trapdoor. I will hide behind these barrels. If the enemies find the map of the fort and try to open the trapdoor I can at least take someone with me.” The injured soldier spoke, grim determination in his eyes.


    ‘No! The enemies aren’t human. A devil is stalking these corridors.’ He wanted to yell out the truth.


    But he didn’t, he knew how people look at someone who talks about the devil.


    After all, he was one of them. His mother was extremely religious and his father left them after one too many quarrels concerning his mother’s zealotness.


    But, it doesn’t mean he didn’t believe in God, he was his mother’s son after all. He just didn’t share her.. passion.


    The healthy soldier took a last look at Warren before closing the trapdoor, his look filled with judgment.


    Warren stood below the trapdoor ashamed of himself.


    He was hiding, hoping it would blow over, unlike the healthy soldier who was braving the corridors or the injured one who was ready to face the devil.


    He didn’t know how much time passed before he heard gunshots above him.


    He quickly ran into a room and hid under a bed, hoping the devil didn’t know about the basement.


    But it was for naught. Warren heard the trapdoor open, followed by the creaking of the doors in the basement.


    The devil was mocking him, it knew where he was, it had to.


    It was mocking his cowardice and how useless it was.


    The various verses of the bible flashed through his mind as curled on himself afraid.


    ‘No! I won’t die shivering under the bed. I will face the devil and at least wound him.’


    ‘I may be a coward, but I refuse to die as one.’ He thought as he remembered the bravery of the injured soldier refusing to hide in the secret basement to not implicate him, a healthy coward.


    Warren rose from his hiding position and took a box of grenades stored in the room.


    Taking the pins out of a clutch of grenades, he kicked open the door and searched for the devil.


    He wasn’t going to hell on his knees.


    ……………………………………………


    Leon knew he was making too much sound, but unlike the well-maintained door of the above floors, the basement doors creaked like there was no tomorrow.


    Just when there were a couple of more rooms left, a soldier walked out of the unchecked room carrying two clutches of grenades.


    ‘You got to be kidding me.’ The red-eyed soldier threw the grenades near the room Leon just opened before and even went on to remove the pins of the second clutch.


    Leon instantly climbed into the trapdoor after he noticed the clutch of grenades in the soldier’s hand.


    He was opening the doors sticking to the roof, an inch away from the trapdoor.


    He employed Leviosa spell as he didn''t dare go into each room to check the hiding places as unlike the above floors, the basement was cramped.


    And his forethought saved him.


    He was going to search each room individually only ‘if’ opening the door and making some noise didn’t flush out any soldiers.


    And flush out it did.


    Leon darted out of the trap door and kicked it close. The floor shook and he was back in front of the scroll again.