The ritual seemed to work fine. All of the usual stuff, an earthquake, couple of sacrifices, a few hymns and finally the elder spoke the name. Hold did not expect this to work at all, after all this was not the first ritual that failed but to police showing up investigating a “kidnap”, weather changing and flooding the cave, or even someone sneasing in the wrong moment. Nevertheless they kept on trying. This time though it worked. A wave of dark power washed over them driving the lesser members mad. From one moment to the other there the Elder One was. Well probably, Hilda had her eyes tied as a precaution and she was happy for her foresight. Even in the darkness of her vision the Old One was present clear as day but looking more like a reflection from a mirror. After all darkness was the natural habitat of the Great Old Ones, she thought.

“Oh Great Old One!” The Elder said kneeling infant of his master. “Thank you for answering our call! For bringing glory to our final path towards ending the human race!” He spoke with passion slowly rising his voice to a powerful crescendo.

“Mortal” the master answered. “This is what you have called me to Earth for? Is this your request?”

“Yes oh Glorious Master. We wish nothing else but to materialise your will”

“And what made you think I want you to end humanity?”

The Elder did not sound as confident now.

“The scriptures Master. The books all mention the destruction of Human race and we…”

“You are too small and insignificant to UNDERSTAND.” The Old One spoke and Hilda felt the vibrations of the Voice straight to her heart. She felt the pressure and heard her team’s screams faintly in the background covered by the Voice.

“We MADE darkness and pain. We created MONSTERS of all kinds. All of them explicitly serving their cause. But our best creation yet is HUMANITY. A tribe of monsters capable of good and evil. A kind that can understand the pain they inflict in others and still has the capacity to do it anyway. A people who know what they need to do to save themselves yet they are doomed to not do it. A self destructing hoard that views itself better than beasts in the same was household cats view themselves superior.”

Silence. Was it real silence? Or was everyone else just dead? Hilda decided that either way her best chance was to stay absolutely silent.

“Master…” the Elder spoke slowly “What should we do then? What do you want from us?”

“From you? Why would I ever want anything from YOU?”

The sounds that followed were wet and forceful. Nothing could compare to the horror of that sound. Were they all dead? Did the Elder one crush them like one steps on an annoying insect? Even more was Hilda even alive? Or were these her last moments while her body traveled the short distance between her standing position and the back wall of the cavern?