The Horror

*Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light...**This article is about The Dark Pictures Anthology's third installment,* ***House of Ashes***
***.***

## Chapter Guide

**The Horror** is the seventh chapter of Act 2 in *House of Ashes* and the fourteenth overall.

The player controls Eric and Nick (Theatrical Cut), Salim (Curator's Cut), and Rachel as both sides are ambushed by the vampires in the sacrificial chamber.

## *Sacrificial Chamber, 0021 HRS, 348 FT.*

* Theatrical Cut
* Curator's Cut

Jason, Nick, and whoever survived the previous chapter flee the catacombs.

* If Rachel died, Nick and Eric, if alive, will lament her death.

Jason says that the explosion has cut them off from the vampires and they need to move on.

Salim and Dar stand at the doors of the sacrificial chamber near the generator as they hear the explosion from above.

* If Dar was injured by Nick shooting the spotlight in the previous chapter, he will instead be sitting against the door and grimacing as Salim attempts to clean his wounds. He comments that it is predictable that the Americans would be planting bombs. Salim tells him to be quiet and stop squirming before saying that the cuts make Dar look like a war hero, to which Dar agrees as he stands up. Salim says they're going to need heroes to live through this.
* If Dar wasn't injured and Salim helped him stop the Americans at the radio, the two try and fail to open the doors, and Dar jokes that Salim is too heavy and needs to eat fewer cakes before saying he's glad Salim is there. Salim says Dar has no idea what they're up against.
* If Dar wasn't injured and Salim refused to help him, the two try and fail to open the doors, and Dar says he is holding Salim responsible for their situation, saying that his insubordination has cost them victory and that the Americans are laying charges to flush them out. Salim replies that it's not them the Americans are trying to flush out.

The two then hear the Americans approaching and hide behind the columns.
The Americans enter the room outside the sacrificial chamber, where they and the Iraqis hold each other at gunpoint: first Dar and Salim at Nick, then Rachel (if alive) at Salim and Dar at her, and finally Jason and Eric (if alive) at Dar and Nick at Salim. Eric/Nick may tell the Iraqis to surrender or say that they need their help.

* If he says they need the Iraqis' help, Salim may reply that he doesn't trust any of them or that they need to work together.
* If he says the Iraqis should surrender or says nothing (resulting in Jason saying it), Salim can comply and hand over his pistol or refuse.

* If Salim killed Eric, Rachel will ask Nick if Salim did it.
* If Dar killed Eric, Rachel will threaten to shoot him.

The group hears the vampires screeching in the distance and Salim runs to open the door. Nick also starts to approach the door, but Jason forbids him. Nick gets angry and tells Jason that "the enemy of our enemy is our friend" and helps Salim to open the door. They are also joined by Rachel and Jason himself while Eric and Dar guard the corridor.

* If Clarice is with the group, she collapses again. The Iraqis ask what is happening to her. Eric/Nick can say that Clarice is turning or Clarice is still one of them.
	+ If Eric/Nick says that Clarice is turning into a vampire and they are forced to leave her, Jason agrees with him, saying that the medicines remained in the temple and it is a lost cause. Rachel will say that they can't give up, to which Eric/Nick will answer that they are risking their lives. Clarice begs them not to leave her, saying that she is one of them, but the guys say that not anymore, and then leave.
	+ If Eric/Nick says that Clarice is still one of them and they shouldn't give up hope, Salim will say that she is dangerous and will turn anyway, but the group will take Clarice with them anyway.

Once in the sacrificial chamber, the group examines the many human remains as a horde of vampires surround them.

* If Clarice remains with the group, she says she isn't going to make it and warns the others to flee before convulsing and dying.

The vampires start an assault and the group begins shooting back.

* If Salim gave up his pistol, Nick will toss it back to him.

One of the vampires grabs Jason and drags him into the hallway. Nick follows him, but an unknown figure in the dark blocks his way. Meanwhile, the heroes in the background continue to fire at the vampires. A vampire pushes Salim and another one attacks Dar from behind, greatly injuring him, but Salim stabs it with a stake and takes Dar's rifle.

As the fight goes on, Nick still focuses to the figure, to which the latter walks forward and reveals themself to be a vampiric Balathu/Kurum (now known as The Ancient One). Nick can use his rifle to shoot at The Ancient One or use the crucifix if he obtained it in The Raid or Slayer.

* If Nick uses his rifle (which he automatically does if he did not obtain the crucifix), he can complete a QTE to shoot at The Ancient One, but this has no effect.
* If Nick uses the crucifix, he will show it to the Ancient One as the latter stares in confusion.

Either way, The Ancient One grabs Nick and injures him if he was not previously injured (affecting the Blood bearing) before starting to choke him. Meanwhile, Salim must complete QTEs to fire at two vampires about to attack him. Failing them will cause the vampire to injure Salim, unless Rachel is alive, in which case she saves him. After successfully shooting the vampires or being saved by Rachel, one of the vampires pounces on Rachel just as another leaps at Salim. Salim can choose to shoot the vampire attacking Rachel or the one about to attack him.

* If Salim shoots at the vampire that is about to attack him, the vampire attacking Rachel infects her and she loses consciousness, but Salim won't be injured.
* If Salim decides to shoot at the vampire attacking Rachel, she will continue to fight, while the other vampire pounces on Salim and injures him.
* If Salim does nothing, he will be injured and Rachel will be infected.

Eric, if alive, runs toward Nick and attempts to attack The Ancient One by either firing his gun (if he doesn't know about the vampires' weakness) or shining the UV wand at him (if he does). The Ancient One throws Nick at Eric before grabbing the latter. Salim then helps Nick and both retreat as Eric is left alone.

* If Clarice stayed with the group, she is revealed to have turned into a vampire, attacking an injured Dar and rips his throat out.

If Rachel was saved by Salim, she will see Eric being attacked, but Nick will say he's gone and they need to get out. Rachel can choose to help Eric or escape.

* If Rachel decides to save Eric, she will run to him, but a vampire will block her way.
	+ If Eric is aware of the vampires' weakness, Rachel must complete a QTE to pick up the UV wand on the ground.
		- If she fails the QTE, the vampire will knock her down and infect her.
		- If she completes the QTE, Eric will be rescued. As the couple flees from the chamber, The Ancient One takes a spear from a statue and throws it at Rachel. Rachel must complete a QTE to dodge the spear.
			* If Rachel completes the QTE, she will roll aside only for a vampire to infect her.
			* If Rachel fails the QTE, she will be impaled, after which The Ancient One infects her.
	+ If Eric is unaware about the vampires' weakness, Rachel must complete a QTE to fire at the vampire. The same exact scene afterwards will play out.
* If Rachel decides to escape, she will flee the chamber, leaving Eric alone but guaranteeing that she is not infected. Eric must complete a QTE to break free.
	+ If Eric completes the QTE, he will flee the chamber.
	+ If Eric fails the QTE, The Ancient One will rip his throat out.

If Eric is alive but Clarice stayed with the group, she will catch up with Eric and rip out his throat. Nick tries to escape, but one of the vampires rams into him, pushing him into a pile of bones. Salim also escapes from the chamber, but drops his rifle on the way.

* If Clarice is not with the group, Dar will try to crawl out of the chamber, only to be grabbed and dragged back to a swarm of vampires, screaming as his blood is drained.

## Deaths

### Inevitable

Dar

* If Clarice remains with the group, she will rip Dar's throat out.
* If Clarice doesn't remain with the group, he will have his blood drained by multiple vampires.

Clarice

* If Clarice hasn't been abandoned or killed before this chapter, she will succumb to her infection inside or outside the chamber.

### Determinant

Eric

* If Eric is not rescued and fails the QTE to break free while being grabbed by The Ancient One, his throat will be ripped out.
* If Clarice remains with the group and Eric escapes The Ancient One, his throat will be ripped out.

Rachel

* If Salim shoots the vampire attacking Rachel and Rachel successfully saves Eric but fails the QTE to dodge The Ancient One's spear, she will be impaled through the abdomen. The Ancient One will then infect her.

A vampire

* If Eric knows of the vampires' weakness to ultraviolet light, Salim shoots the vampire attacking Rachel, and Rachel chooses to save Eric and completes QTE to grab the UV wand, it will be burned.

## Trivia

* This is the fifth chapter for Eric and the second for Rachel in which they can die.
* Jason is the only protagonist that cannot be controlled at any point during the chapter.