The dark Web -Part 6.

Mariano settled in front of the computer to investigate the content of the memory. His eyes widened disproportionately, and his body hunched until his face almost touched the monitor. There was a video file. Mariano's fear was reflected in the slow movement of the mouse pointer toward the file icon. Biting his lip to gather courage, he double-clicked. The video played in full screen.

The camera was out of focus, but the image improved after a few seconds, revealing a dimly lit, dark room with small candles flickering in every corner. The walls were moldy and neglected. There was no sound; the silence was eerie. On the floor, a Satanic pentagram was painted in coppery red. Nobody was in sight until a figure entered the scene. It appeared to be a man in a black robe. He held something in his hands, but it wasn't clear. He knelt in the center of the circle and then moved away.

It was a vessel, that's what he placed on the floor. The image zoomed in. Men or women, their hoods concealed their features, gathered around the circle in silence. The silence was shattered by a murmur, which grew into moans, and then the screams of terror began. A woman appeared. She writhed and struggled to free herself from the two men dragging her across the room. Her skin was protected only by a simple white nightgown. The sharp cries of desperation distorted the sound of the video. Her captors brought her to the wall in front of the camera. They forced her to stand and extended her arms and legs. She was bound with shackles to the wall and immobilized. The hooded figures stepped back, and Mariano could observe her better. She wasn't a woman; she was a girl with long blonde hair and pale skin. The men joined their companions. They all bowed their heads and held hands in a circle of distorted peace.

A new figure entered the scene. It was different from the others; he held a thick book in his hands with a blood-red cover. He stopped next to the girl, who cried and twisted in vain efforts. He opened the book and began to read in Latin. With each sentence, he paused and waited for his acolytes to repeat what he said. The verses extended for several minutes. The priest of terror closed the book and held it with one hand. With the other, he rummaged inside his robe, while the others continued their prayers. Suddenly, something glimmered in his hand. He raised it above his head. The blade of a dagger gleamed in the candlelight. The blade had a serpentine shape. He wielded the weapon towards the girl. The girl's eyes widened as she understood what awaited her. The intensity of her screams was heart-wrenching. She tried to move away, blending into the wall, but it was futile; there was no escape. In a swift motion, the dagger disappeared into her abdomen. The man withdrew it just as quickly. A reddish blossom appeared on her white nightgown, deteriorated, lost its shape, and slid below her waist. Blood splattered on the floor as the girl closed her eyes. The convulsions and screams ceased when her head slumped lifeless on her chest.

The man with the bloodied dagger stepped into the circle and stood next to the vessel. He raised the dagger and spoke some words. Then, he pointed it at the vessel, and a drop of blood dripped from the blade, landing inside it with millimeter precision. The man stepped back and opened the book. The prayers changed and increased in volume. The hooded figures recited them and swayed with the fervor of the possessed. After a few minutes, nothing happened. At that moment, the image turned black; the candles went out as if someone had blown on them. The men fell silent.

The image returned. The candles flickered with a bluish glow. Some of the hooded figures started. The silence was torn apart. A strange voice whispered words in an unrecognizable language. A spiral of dust descended from the ceiling. The hooded men knelt and pressed their foreheads to the ground. The dust danced slowly until it reached the vessel, then it slid inside. The man with the book approached and spoke some words; he seemed hurried to finish. He carefully placed the wooden stopper on the vessel. The blue flames extinguished, and the candles returned to normal. The man placed the book on the floor and held the vessel. He turned towards the camera; in the darkness of his hood, the glint of a macabre smile could be seen.

The video cut off with that last image.