1.07 The Gateway

The Season 1 Titlecard.

## Episode

A few days after his conversation with the spirit guide Fiona, Shane visits Lincoln Cathedral - he enters the great halls of the majestic yet ancient building and walks around in awe of what he is saying despite the fact that he has been here many times over the years before - he sits down on a bench next to a pillar and looks out onto the cathedral grounds, thinking back to all the stories that he has heard over the years, he sees a woman walking past who catches his attention - she is wearing a black dress and a long white veil covering her entire face, Shane thinks to himself silently: "Hmm" he seems intrigued - She approaches him and asks him if he needs help: "No..." Shane begins "Just waiting for someone...taking in some history whilst I do so" he responds politely - The mysterious lady asks him "Well then, do you need me to get them for you? I could see to it in a moment!" Shane says: "I appreciate the offer but I'm not sure you would understand..." the lady pauses and looks at him quizzically "Is that so...is it something I'd have to see to know about?" she asks - Shane explains that he is waiting for someone and that it's "work related" - "I need this person's help with something, I guess they have taken the role of a guide as I explore a new avenue of work" Shane says with a polite smile "Very well" the lady replies - "But if it makes you feel any better, I can give you a quick tour of the place if you wish..." Shane smiles and says "Sure, that sounds interesting...HOWEVER..." he pauses holding his hand up in the process "If you don't mind me asking...what's with the attire?" he asks.

"It's my wedding day" the lady responds however Shane is skeptical: "The veil I get however black is not usual a wedding dress colour" he remarks "Ok....I'm not actually getting ready for a wedding however I appear before you like this because..." the lady says with a sly grin - "I am your bride!" Shane stares blankly and doesn't respond for a while "What?" he finally asks - "Yes...I am your bride, and I have been waiting for you to come find me here for many years...we were meant to be together forever but circumstances prevented that from happening" she answers "However, after seeing all of this I understand why I needed to wait for you - you're very lucky indeed" she continues as Shane looks at her in confusion, not believing her story: "Cut the crap, who are you REALLY?" he asks - "Hush now, we don't need to talk about that right now do we? We have plenty of time for that later! I don't want you to get distracted right now so please just trust me when I say that I know what I'm talking about..." she says holding her hands up gently in order to calm Shane down however Shane continues to press by standing up: "Ok then, I'll change the question...WHAT are you?" he asks in annoyance - "Look..." she replies "...it doesn't really matter right now does it?" she says looking away and still smiling "Just take my hand and come with me so I can show you around the place" she says - Shane doesn't reply and rolls his eyes: "I don't want to bring ants to your picnic here but I have no idea who you are so I have no reason to trust you" - The lady sighs "You're a man who's full of himself and stubborn..." she says "A man who also happens to be a bit of an asshole but is loyal to the people he cares for and respects" - "It's merely a persona" Shane rebutles "I'm not a dick outside of my job but you need an edge in the line of work I do" he replies with a snarky smirk "Well, that may be true however we aren't getting anywhere by having this little argument of ours...so let's put it aside and just go with it for now, ok?" - Shane shrugs: "If you don't mind me asking, how are you my bride when I don't know you?" the lady sighs and looks at him: "We are from the same world and time...but we were separated many years ago, that's why you don't remember me..." - Shane suddenly snaps back to reality: "Hang on, you've said that already" he points out.

The woman's veil moves slightly in the breeze as she turns to him with a smile on her face, she then moves forward onto him making a kiss towards him however Shane throws down a line of salt onto the floor between the two (a test to see if this mysterious person is some kind of spirit) - "Salt" Shane explains "If you are truly my bride to be or whatever then walk over that line of salt and I will call it my mistake" he offers as the woman stands at the line of salt looking down it then back up at him with a smirk on her face, she then begins to laugh and shakes her head before taking off her veil revealing her true self, she has long dark hair, pale skin, and eyes that match the color of a flame, she smiles at him - "What are you?" Shane re-asks in a voice filled with fear. The woman steps forward placing one hand on his shoulder and another on his cheek then whispers into his ear - "I am your bride" she says then pulls away as a flash of light appears from nowhere and shatters the room around them, sending them both falling backwards onto the floor with the air being knocked out of them as the spirit guide Fiona finally appears and puts herself between the woman and Shane - "I've been observing this..." she begins "And how YOU" she points to Shane's supposed bride "How one of your kind got into this place of protection! This is not right! She must be banished!" she says as the woman "I'M HIS BRIDE AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" the woman yells back with anger and the spirit guide sighs "No...You're not, I can feel it in your being..." she says to the woman who quickly lowers her arms and drops her gaze "...You are not his wife nor will you ever be, I can sense that you're evil and need to be sent back to where you came from! You should leave here and never come back" - Fiona then walks over to Shane and kneels next to him reassuringly: "Are you alright? Did she hurt you?" she asks as Shane shakes his head: "No but she IS confusing the crap out of me" he tells her as he takes a deep breath and sits up straight trying to regain himself: "What is she?" - Fiona looks at him curiously "It's hard to say..." she answers "...She seems like a banshee but her nature isn't just that of one" - Shane nods understanding "A banshee is a supernatural creature said to be associated with a person's impending death though right?" he asks. Fiona nods in agreement "Yes, but it's more than that...She also feels like something else" Fiona continues "...She reminds me of a wraith" Shane gasps and looks at Fiona in confusion "Wraiths aren't spirits" - Fiona shrugs "Maybe..." she is suddenly grabbed by the "Bride" from behind and yelped in surprise "Oh my god!" - Fiona turns and sees the Bride holding Fiona tightly in her hands "Let go of me!" she shouts angrily and tries to kick her attacker in the knee but she doesn't even budge. The Bride smirks at Fiona and places her lips against her ear: "I'm going to enjoy killing you slowly, so much so that when you die you'll wish you'd just killed yourself instead" the Bride says with a smile, whilst this is happening Shane quickly rummages in his backpack for something silver he can use against the Bride, however before he can get anything out of the backpack the Bride releases Fiona, who tries to catch her breath, only to grab Shane again - "Don't bother, you won't find anything useful in there" the Bride laughs and Shane tries to get to his feet to fight the Bride but she holds him down by grabbing hold of his shoulders and pushing him back down to the ground with ease - "Just relax" she tells him calmly "This will be quick and painless" however before The Bride can do anything she is stabbed in the heart by Fiona, who has seemingly summoned a silver blade from somewhere, this pierces the Bride through her chest which kills her, she hits the ground with a thud, she lies there unmoving as Fiona helps Shane to his feet and they look at each other - "That was awesome!" Shane says in awe, although clearly out of it, Fiona looks at Shane concerned: "Are you alright?" she asks. Shane shakes his head and is trying to get himself together: "I'm fine..." he replies "...But...that's a new one on me" he adds "I don't think it was either...I think we had a Mimic on our hands."

Fiona nods "Yes, I know what you mean, ...I believe you came too me for something?" Shane nods at this: "I was wondering if we could elaborate further on the "finding Lamashtu" case, you said you would come with me on it..." he begins to theorize "....If this encounter was anything to go by, others are trying too, the dude made quite a name for himself during his supposed exile here on Earth apparently" he tells her to which Fiona agrees "Well, that seems reasonable...I've been searching myself and found a possible place where we could free him from The Underworld's grasp, it comes with a risk though" Fiona tells him. Shane is confused "What kind of risk?" he asks, Fiona explains: "Theres a chance that ANYTHING could attack us whilst we're out there" she says - "Oh" Shane says looking concerned "I see...well it sounds like a challenge then..." he concludes, Fiona nods in agreement: "Indeed" she says before touching Shane on the head, they have now moved location from the Cathedral to the hamlet of Cawthorpe in southern Lincolnshire, it appears to be a quiet place where everyone knows each other, it is very small and is somewhat isolated from any big town or city due to the expansive countryside that surrounds it - "Wow, this place is VERY quiet" Shane says making an observation of his surroundings. Fiona looks around and nods: "Yeah...its very...quiet..." Fiona whispers to himself, "You seem restless" Shane points out to which Fiona agrees: "Its weird being here, the energy is strange, I'm also on edge because anything could be here on the same quest that we are" Fiona explains - Shane thinks for a moment before saying: "Are you alright?" to which Fiona smiles and looks at Shane: "Of course! You can't sense it?" Shane nods his head: "Yes, its not a good feeling" he says with concern - Fiona summons her silver knife and even goes one to Shane as she feels something in the air: "Something bad is nearby..." she warns him - "Whats the matter?" Shane asks nervously "I don't feel anything" - Fiona sighs: "Something bad has come here" she whispers to him whilst summoning her weapon, Shane can feel a dark presence nearby and asks: "Who is it?" - Fiona looks worried and says: "Not who...what" as she scans the area again, "I don't know..."

As they make their way into a field, a strange structure can be seen - it is made of rock and appears to be various stones placed together - "What do you think it is?" Fiona asks "It doesn't look like any rock formations that I've ever seen in my life..." Shane replies "A local landmark?" Fiona shrugs and examines the formation: "No, it's something else...looks like it's some kind of ancient gateway or portal, disused now but you would have to be skilled in dark magic to use it, if such a thing exists" Shane studies the gateway with interest and decides to touch the stone, a cold sensation runs through his hand - Shane pulls away from the stone gateway in alarm as some strange kinetic like energy causes through his hand, it appears to be similar to the way an old TV screen works when it powers up. He shakes his hand: "What was that?" he asks "That was..." Fiona is cut off as the sound of barking can be heard, Shane and Fiona move away from the gateway as an invisible force approaches to inspect it with interest, Shane tries to escape the situation but Fiona tells him not too move explaining that every gateway needs some kind of security on it to prevent misuse and reveals that this presence is that of a lone Hellhound which has just entered the area, the Hellhound approaches the stone gateway as Fiona and Shane both watch - "Don't move" Fiona says sternly as the demonic pitbull-esque creature begins to sniff around the stones in the gateway, it seems to be aware of Shane and Fiona's presence as the spirit guide explains to Shane in a whispery tone: "These are sometimes called Black Shucks, many sightings have been reported across the world but this type is usually found in East Anglia, according to lore: it's appearance was considered to be a sign of death – the name ‘Shuck’ is taken from an Old English word ‘succa’ meaning ‘demon’ - Shucks aren't as strong as normal Hellhounds however they are quite fast and aggressive and will attack humans if threatened or ordered too by their masters, they usually hunt for sport or collect the souls of people who have made deals with demons."

Fiona and Shane watch as the Hellhound circles them and starts to sniff them, its powerful body begins to shake as it sniffs the air around it - Fiona instructs Shane to leave the field but not to run: "Act like you haven't seen it" she says however Shane replies that he can't see it as it's invisible to him, Fiona and Shane both look at each other in shock as a deafening howl comes from nowhere as a second Hellhound comes from behind them, and the two Hellhounds attack Shane and Fiona - "These things are gonna tear us apart" Shane says rattled as he swings the blade Fiona gave too him wildly in hope that it slashes one of the invisible attackers, he misses however and his blade smacks into a tree instead - "Damnit" he says, as a Hellhound's claw marks become visible on the tree trunk.

Fiona, who can see both Hellhounds, can be seen trying to deal with the other demonic dog, it appears to be a stand off between the spirit guide and the Black Shuck (as it is called in this part of the world) as they fight for the mental high ground - Shane sees an opening to dislodge his blade and swings it wildly again, this time though he is successful in slicing through the back leg of the Hellhound, this causes it to recoil and Shane, on sheer instinct, quickly surrounds himself in a circle of salt hoping that the Hellhound that is after him can't cross the white substance, he is correct as the Hellhound gives up and joins the second one which is still in a stand off with Fiona, who quickly turns around and swings her silver blade at a pouncing Hellhound, cutting through its neck - the other Hellhound tries to take advantage of this distraction by jumping onto the spirit guide, a struggle ensues as Fiona desperately fights for her life against the aggressive hound, this causes Shane (in a panic) to launch his silver knife at the hound which lodges itself deep into its mouth - Shane looks on in shock and horror as the Hellhound begins to chew on the metal blade instinctively however it causes a nasty reaction as the hound begins to choke on the metal and is unable to breathe properly, Fiona uses the moment to engulf her blade with holy fire - she then plunges it into the hearts of both Hellhounds, they die instantly.

"We should go...we can't use this gateway...not anymore, they will just keep coming" Fiona says refering to the Hellhounds as cuts are now visible on her face from the Hellhounds attack as well as her arms - Shane nods in agreement however they hear the sound of a howl and Fiona once again touches Shane's head, they have moved location once again, the pair find themselves in a place called Bradley Woods near the coastal town of Grimsby, "This is another place I have in mind, follow me" Fiona instructs beckoning to Shane, who just seems to be along for the ride at this point in time, "The Hunters that used to operate around here used to report strange sightings of Demons, suggesting there is another gateway deep in these woods" she explains as the pair search for another rock formation like the one they had met the Hellhounds at, eventually they locate another rocky area, Fiona is hesitant to touch the spot however Shane tells her to go ahea, she touches it and strangely tears start to form in her eyes - the tears begin to flow down her cheeks but she can't explain why however all is explained when Shane looks over to see that this gateway is guarded by a figure, it appears to be that of a nun: "Of course this place has ghosts" Shane says to himself "That's horror movie 101" he follows up - "We mean you no harm" Shane says trying to reason with the ghost nun, however the figure just keeps staring at the crying Fiona: "Oh god I'm losing my shit" Fiona exclaims, she turns to look at Shane as her pupils dialate - "Whatever you're doing to her...Stop it!" Shane says to the ghost nun, the figure then slowly moves closer to the pair until its face is only inches from Fiona's as she starts to wimper as the nun remarks: "Who took my baby?" - Fiona starts to sob, and as she does so the figure begins to move closer to her, she tries to scream but she can't as she is now petrified of this woman, "Please stop it!" Shane pleads as his brain struggles to comprehend what is happening, the ghost asks Fiona once again: "Who took my baby?" - the supernatural energy from the confrontation however is seemingly powering the gateway and a bright orange light bursts through the dense forest as Shane covers his eyes, the opening of the gateway causes the ghost of the Nun to disappear in sheer fright, Fiona soon stops crying but falls silent as he kneels against the gateway - the orange light soon disappates after a while leaving Shane and Fiona alone in the woods, they both turn to each other, Shane asking "What the hell just happened?" - Fiona doesn't answer as she remains knelt down on the ground, Shane walks over to her but she turns around to reveal blood coming from her eyes (a sign of possession) - she grabs Shane and throws him against a tree.

"Fiona...please...not like this" Shane pleads to the spirit guide as she holds his hand while she guides him through the steps of death, his face turning into a grimace as he feels her cold touch on his skin. He takes a deep breath before looking at Fiona and opening his mouth to speak again: "Fight this, you're stronger than this" he says to her, the words barely escaping his lips as he collapses back down onto the ground, the possessed Fiona circles him slowly before stopping to stare into his eyes, her expression changing from an angry one to something more sinister, her voice becoming distorted and demonic as she speaks to him in a foreign language before kneeling down to a sat down Shane, her hand moving up to grab his neck tightly, her other hand reaching towards her own neck, a smile forming on her face as she begins to whisper to him "Soon my little lamb..." She then pulls back her hands quickly as light surrounds her body and she disappears, leaving behind her silver blade - Shane looks up to see who banished Fiona and sees a rather rough looking Lamashtu standing there, his eyes staring into Shane's as he nods: "Hello Shane" he says with little emotion, his voice sounding far different than it usually does, almost monotone and robotic suggesting he has been in The Underworld for some time now, the demon tells Shane: "We need to get going, they will be here soon" he then makes a portal and both he and Shane quickly step through, Shane looks back to Bradley Woods to see a dark hooded figure looking back at him as the portal closes suggesting that someone is onto them already.

Back in Lincoln City, a possessed Fiona walks the streets in broad daylight (which is unusual for a spirit guide) in a daze, not really knowing where she is until she hears a noise and turns around to see a woman walking towards her with a shopping basket filled with items, the woman turns out to be Lamashtu's former apprentice: the demon Lyleila who explains that she has work for the possessed Fiona.

## Characters

* Shane
* Fiona
* Lamashtu
* Lyleila