1.08 A City of Shadows

The Season 1 Titlecard.

## Episode

Following on from last episode, Shane and Lamashtu can be seen running frantically through a forest - it is clear that there are not in Lincoln City and that the portal Lamashtu opened, whilst it got them out of Bradley Woods, it has taken them further afield then he would of liked, Lamashtu suddenly falls to his knees and Shane stops in his tracks before turning back to him to see the demon on the ground coughing up blood - "What the?" Shane is visibly confused and worried as he checks on Lamashtu's condition: "Are you ok!?" he asks but receives no response from the demon, Shane looks over to Lamashtu who is still on the floor coughing up blood and struggling to breathe, all of a sudden he lets out a scream and an eerie silence falls on the unknown forest they find themselves in as Lamashtu passes out, Shane looks around the unknown forest with a look of worry on his face.

Elsewhere, back in Lincoln City, the demon Lyleila can be seen with the possessed spirit guide Fiona - "I appreciate your services, light and dark is a great mix" Lyleila says to the spirit guide, Fiona replies with "The light within me is yours to have" in a very cryptic way that causes Lyleila to smile, nod her head and then show her a black alter - "I had some henchmen create this a while ago, it was in case Lamashtu ever escaped his confinement, this would be the failsafe as we were sure that he would hunt and kill all he deemed responsible for trapping him in The Underworld" the demon continues before pointing a Z shape painted in blood on the alter itself: "This is a sigil that, in the business, we call a Zoroastrian sigil - we use it to summon certain beings to carry out assassinations if you like..." Lyleila explains before looking over at a goblet filled with demon blood, she hands it to Fiona: "I would like you to do the honours, summon them and then Lamashtu will be no more...and as for that Shane guy your friends with...he's collateral damage" Fiona nods in agreement to her mistress' words as Lyleila chants in an unknown language, the room they are in goes dark and the sigil on the table reacts to the demon blood by glowing, it starts to emit a strange light and then suddenly the pair see two shadow like figures on a nearby wall as Lyleila tells them: "You are bound to me, this is your assignment..."

As this is happening in Lincoln City, Shane can be seen wandering aimlessly in circles in the unknown forest as Lamashtu finally comes round from being comatose, he looks down at his rough looking state, muttering "What the hell happened to me?" Lamashtu seems to be totally out of it as Shane lends a hand in getting Lamashtu to his feet - "We need to get back to Lincoln City" Shane says urgently to Lamashtu "Are you strong enough to get us back? You don't seem like yourself" - A spaced out Lamashtu replies: "I will be fine..." before opening a portal to the aforementioned city which takes the pair through, now on the streets of Lincoln, Shane asks: "I probably shouldn't ask you this in your current state but...do you know someone called Lyleila? Apparently she was once your apprentice or something..." Lamashtu pauses for a moment at this query, his head metaphorically spinning as he replies: "It's hard to say... I mean when I met her, I found her quite dull and uninteresting, I recruited her into the Rite as she did have some qualities that could benefit us - she was quick to learn but she never really made me think about any sort of long term plan, even though I kept pushing her...she always had such good ideas and was so enthusiastic that it got a little annoying...however I did consider her as a co-leader as it were" - Lamashtu sighs at the memory of his past self as Shane looks at him curiously, the demon continues: "Now I find myself asking... what on earth is she doing here now?" only for Shane to interrupt with a jest: "She wants you dead, that's what my scary demonic ally" - Lamashtu laughs at this remark as they continue to walk down the road - Shane asks: "Are you ok? You seem a little bit... off..." before looking over at the demon who is staring blankly at something in a trance like manner: "I don't want to talk about" he says monotonely and dismissive, as the two continue walking, a bright light engulfs the local area and Fiona stands before them with her hand outstretched: "My Mistress has a message for you..." Shane tries to walk up to her however she stops him by placing her finger up against his lips: "Not yet..."

Fiona then starts to speak to Lamashtu however the demon looks more confused than anything as he has never seen Fiona before, let alone a possessed spirit guide, Fiona finally speaks after a long pause (her flame coloured eyes accompanied with blood splatters around them confirming her possession by an unknown demon) "You've got some explaining to do, Lamashtu." however the demon shakes his head causing Fiona to snap at him: "My mistress would not be very happy that you are not co-operating, now explain how you got back before I...well...smite your broken arse" however Lamashtu shakes his head again and just states the only thing that comes into his mind: "They broke me..." to which Fiona laughs evily in response.

"I think we need to teach you a lesson about manners" Fiona then arms herself with her trusty silver blade however Shane pulls out a similar looking one - "You left this behind" Shane says defiantly however Fiona puts her free hand on Shane's cheek and smiles creepily: "We both know you won't use that on me Mr. Shane" - Shane begins to shake his head like he is conflicted but before he can even use the blade, he is flung by Fiona with a simple wave of her hand: "That's right, you'll never lay a finger on me" Shane still shakes his head however Fiona grabs his chin firmly and looks into Shane's eyes before suddenly speaking in an even creepier tone: "Do as I say or..." - she pauses as if waiting for a reply - "or what?" Shane asks - "You'll have to kill me, which will make my mistress very sad" - Fiona finishes, licking her lips in anticipation as Lamashtu just looks around like his surroundings and all the goings on are too much for him, he puts his hands on his head and looks at Fiona, who continues to taunt Shane who begs her to fight the possession as he reaches into his backpack, he pauses shortly after as him reaching into the backpack hasn't been noticed by Fiona.

"Okay fine, do it!" Shane yells at the top of his lungs however Fiona laughs evilly as she pats the air with her hand and says: "Not so fast little boy - you haven't learned your lesson yet! We can play this game until we're old!" Shane, knowing his situation isn't a good one, looks over at Lamashtu for support however the demon can be seen on his knees, looking around in terror like he doesn't understand any of this, Fiona gives a backwards glance: "You will have to forgive him dear" to which Shane nods before throwing a small jar of holy water over the possessed spirit guide, this seems to have some effect as Fiona begins to panic and suddenly becomes unstable, her eyes switch between demon black and her normal coloured eyes - "HOLY WATER, YOU DEMONIC SON OF A BITCH" Shane shouts at Fiona who's now wailing in terror as Lamashtu once again comes too, like he just snapped back to reality, and grabs hold of Fiona: "Sorry about that, I had a moment let's say" he says to the distressed spirit guide however she disappears quickly after being grabbed, Lamashtu turns to Shane: "We better get going" - "Where are we going?" Shane asks however he doesn't get a response as an unnatural scream can be heard throughout the city, the two begin running through the streets as they fear Lyleila may have finally picked up their trail, the two continue running for what seems like ages, every few seconds they stop for breath however no matter how fast they go, it just feels like time is dragging by at an incredible pace and with each second the sound of another scream is heard louder than the last - "How do we know she isn't just staring at us right now?" Shane yells however Lamashtu just looks away: "We're not going to outrun her" - "Why not?!" Shane shouts at Lamashtu as the demon gives a snort before turning around and heading in the opposite direction: "Because I think she has help" he quickly picks up a presence nearby and the two abruptly head into an abandoned warehouse to hide, there is light in the warehouse however it is very dim and the warehouse itself is dark and creepy - the two stand there in the darkness for what seems like ages, Lamashtu nods: "They are here" - he looks over at a nearby wall and sees a pair of robed humanoid shadows with razor sharp claws: "Stay in the light, whatever you do just do that" he says to Shane as the shadow creatures begin to violently attack the pair with Shane and Lamashtu having to use the dim lighting on the warehouse walls to figure out where the shadows are as they appear to be invisible to the eyes of any living being, the fight is bloody and brutal with the shadow creatures injuring Shane, despite his defiance to not stay down whilst Lamashtu (using his hidden blade and Pyrokinesis) is having a little more success.

As the fight for what appears to be their lives, Lyleila watches on from an upper level balcony where she smiles to herself and says: "The ultimate revenge is SAVAGERY" as she watches the shadow creatures have their way with Shane and Lamashtu, she proceeds to raise her arms in the air as she states herself that she wants to talk to the pair, as she raises her arms - the lights in the ancient warehouse go stronger causing the shadow creatures to disappear - Lyleila soon joins a heavily cut Shane and Lamashtu on the ground floor: "Hello friends" she says plainly as Shane can be seen squirming on the ground out of sheer pain as Lamashtu snaps at his former apprentice: "FIX HIM" he orders however Lyleila shakes her head: "I'm not a miracle worker, especially not for traitors like you" the pair both glare at each other for a moment before Lyleila snaps at her former boss, Lamashtu: "You gave me purpose in that cult of yours but what purpose did it serve any of us in the end? you backstabbed EVERYONE just by aligning yourself with the humans and yet you have the gaul to question our methods when, at one point, YOU WERE JUST LIKE US...LIKE ME...YOU A HYPOCRITE LAMASHTU and don't go all high and mighty on me because you know and I know that this new emotionally charged side of you...IS WHY YOU GOT TORTURED IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Lamashtu looks confused at Lyleila's rant: "Tortured?" he asks while the pair are still glaring at each other. Lyleila nods with a look of annoyance in her face: "Tortured...yes, why do you think you were down there for so long?" she suddenly grabs his head: "See for yourself" as a flashback occurs.

In the flashback, Lamashtu can be seen bound to a chair in what looks like a medieval dungeon - there is an orange hue all over the room and the surrounding area as the demon can be seen screaming as various demons of various levels of power take it in turns to torment him with their powers as well as various surgical instruments, they're all laughing and taunting him for his weakness as they continue to torture him, every time the demon tries to use his powers on them they'd counter it with ease, this happens for what appears to be weeks, months or even years as it is established that time in The Underworld is quicker than time on Earth: "You are weak, Lamashtu! Your power isn't enough!" the leader of the torturers states as Lamashtu looks up with pure hate in his eyes however the hate soon fades to an absent look as by the time he breaks out, he seems to be a shell of his former self as the flashback ends and Lyleila removes her hands from his head, Lamashtu begins to panic and backs up to a wall - he crouches down and puts his hands on his head as more flashbacks towards his torture occur with Lyleila saying: "Your sentence was death..how many times do you think you died in that cell?" - Lamashtu trembles with fear at this revelation whilst shaking his head in denial; he then looks up at the demon as she stands over him looking down on him with a cold glare as if to say 'Do you have any questions?' - Lamashtu looks at the ground as he says: "No...no I don't" before seemingly retreating out of sheer fear, which is very out of character - this leaves Lyleila alone with an injured Shane: "Hmmm" she says as Shane sits by a post, blood pouring from his cuts on his body, "I don't want to kill you...I'd rather just let you bleed out..." she adds as she kneels next to him and places her hands on his neck, she says in a voice that seems to be both tender and caring as well as a touch sad, fragile and evil: "Why did you choose this life? A life of hunting for most humans results in pain and suffering for both them and their family and even their friends if they know what you are. Do you even know why you hunt?" the demon asks, as she slowly runs her hand along his arm as she pulls out her own hidden blade and begins teasing Shane with it, "You need to face the truth of your existence. What is it that drives you? Why do you feel the need for purpose? This...this...isn't who you really are. And maybe someday I'll be able to show you." She finishes as she stands up and stands aside, she then uses her mind to dim the lights causing the shadow creatures to appear once again with Lyleila saying: "I did say I won't kill you but these two, they are bound to me and they just might."

Elsewhere, as all this happens at the abandoned warehouse, the possessed Fiona continues to wander the streets of Lincoln City aimlessly as the sun begins to rise, she seems to be fighting back more as she prays for something or someone to help her - she begins to have visions of what Lyleila is doing to Shane, as she is connected with the demon through the possession, and tears begin to fall from her eyes - she starts to look around for any sign of hope, "Please! Please!" she shouts at thin air however nothing happens as she wanders towards Lincoln Cathedral, where she is usually found, however the demon inside her tries to take back control as Fiona is about to step onto holy ground, she attempts to take one step onto it but she growls and hisses at herself as the demon inside her shows disapproval - she regains control of herself again and says: "I'm coming" before stepping onto the holy ground of Lincoln Cathedral causing the demon to smoke out of Fiona and manifest as a more darker version of Fiona, it is frozen in place though as Fiona gets in its face: "Nice to finally see who you are but you didn't have to choose that appearance, I'm flattered though" - the demon hisses at her in anger and snaps: "You can't keep me here like this forever! You know you don't have a choice!" the demon starts to say in a manipulative way however Fiona, with drying tears on her face, simply says: "Your ways...don't work on me" before stabbing the demon with her silver knife which causes the demon to fall to the floor, dead - Fiona, now free of the demon, starts remembering what she has seen: "I remember everything the demon saw" she says as an observation and begins looking for the dark alter, which she finds after a while in the basement of an old chapel, she looks over everything that was used for the summoning ritual behind the appearance of the shadow creatures, she then notices something glowing in a corner, it is the eyes of Lamashtu, she runs up to him and shakes her head in disbelief: "What are you doing here?" he asks as he seems to be surprised to see her, Fiona replies: "Redeeming myself, yourself?" Lamashtu nods "Yes, me too...I may, or may not, have left Shane to perish..." Fiona becomes suddenly enraged at this comment "Run that by me again...." she says coldly with a look on her face of sheer disgust. Lamashtu nods at her: "Like you, I'm seeking redemption...I can't face Lyleila myself, her mind is too powerful for me...with a mere touch, she almost broke me again...they were only flashbacks but I felt like I was back in that room...tied to that chair...you wouldn't understand...Lyleila has become so powerful...if she makes it back to The Underworld...I dread to think of the consequences for anyone on Earth" he then snaps back to reality once again and examines the alter: "We need to destroy this NOW" Fiona nods at him as she looks over to see Lamashtu pick up the silver knife: "Then let's get started" - Lamashtu tips the table over as demon blood spills everywhere, the combined power of Fiona and Lamashtu renders the alter into dust in less than a minute.

Back at the warehouse, as Shane is about to be torn apart by the shadow creatures, they pause - Shane wonders why they haven't done anything yet and looks over at a wall to see that the creatures aren't facing him but Lyleila, Shane looks over to see the shadow creatures slowly moving towards her as Lyleila also sees this happening via the wall: "Turn around...You will obey me" she says to the creatures however the shadow creatures' connection to her has been severed due to the destruction of the dark alter, they grab her and cut her open with their razor sharp claws (turning on her in the process) before using flight to take her to up to the balcony where she once stood, it is there without question the creatures throw her out of an old window, the glass shattering beneath her as she falls down onto the street below, the light from the rising sun causes the shadow creatures to disperse, giving Shane an actual glimpse of them for a mere second or two as the sunlight engulfs them, Shane then looks at his ravaged body in shock and fear whilst the creatures disappear, he then passes out as Fiona arrives and frantically checks on him, holding him in her arms as she apologizes prefutely.

As a result of Lyleila's fall, the demon remains barely alive as the shoes of Lamashtu come into her field of visibility - Lamashtu stands over her: "My, my, Lyleila, how unfortunate...I look at you now and I don't feel scared or angry, I just pity you" Lyleila remains still as the demon watches her bleed out but finally, after a moment or so she opens her eyes and smiles back at Lamashtu: "You...win" before dying, Lamashtu takes a moment to stare down at her before leaving the scene: "That's one down..." he says to himself as he disposes of her body by torching it with his Pyrokinesis.

A few hours later, Shane wakes in a hospital bed - a doctor approaches him: "Well Shane, you were very lucky - all that blood loss has left you rather weak though so I'm going to have to put you on an IV drip for the next 48 hours" Shane remains quiet as the doctor leaves to get the machine, he suddenly notices Lamashtu (posing as a doctor) sat in a chair next to the bed: "Hello Shane" he simply says however Shane isn't happy to see him: "You left me to die...look, I get you had your own issues but when in a situation like that you don't leave your ally...no matter what" Lamashtu nods but immediately changes the subjects: "Those shadow creatures, they were known in lore as Daeva, it means "Demon of Darkness" - they have existed for centuries and can only be observed as shadows, they have extremely violent tendencies too" Shane tilts his head: "Like Hellhounds but a humanoid version?" Lamashtu shrugs before continuing: "Yes but also no...they can only exist on Earth through summoning and are usually used by other demons as invisible killers, like you saw today" Shane points out that they turned on Lyleila on a dime to which Lamashtu says: "It was down to the alter they were summoned from being destroyed and because Daeva's don't actually appreciate being binded, they will just kill the demon that did just that" - Shane jests: "Well that was enlightening however my head is spinning through all these pain killers they have me on, so I think we should leave it there now before I say something outrageous" Lamashtu looks back at Shane for a second or two and nodding before walking out of the room.

Two days later, Shane is discharged and he can be seen putting his hoodie and jeans back on - he also spots a shirt in the room he is in that has a pentagram on it and comically pretends to knock it off its clothes hook, he walks out of Lincoln Hospital and finds Fiona sat on a bench outside of the hospital: "Hello!" - she answers cheerfully however Shane is reluctant to sit next to her until she grabs his arm: "Oh come on, sit down" Shane reluctantly sits as Fiona once again prefutely apologizes to him about what happened between them: "I know this whole situation has been crazy and I can see how you're still upset by it but it's all good now" Fiona says to Shane, who reassures the spirit guide: "Fiona, I'm not angry at you..." Shane states while trying to sound convincing however Fiona isn't buying it: "It was my job to protect you, that was a dangerous demon and you were hurt badly!" - "But I'm okay now! Look at me, got a few scabs here and there but I'm good" Shane smiles, he then points out how he has had a hard look "behind the curtain" these past few months as many of the hunts he has been on usually result in whatever he is hunting coming to him instead of vice versa, he asks Fiona why to which she says: "I think it was mere coincidence, you have to be ready whenever and whenever something like that happens to you."

The next morning Shane arrives back at his garage, his supposed headquarters for hunting the supernatural, and browses the internet, it is here he find an interactive map of the United Kingdom and the world, the map has several markers on it depicting several small communities, towns and cities, each one Shane clicks on reveals either a paranormal encounter, a full on case or even some hunters requesting assistance, it is revealed that Shane is looking at what many outsiders call "The Hunter Network" but in the field it is a website called "The Roadmap" - Shane nods at what he has found and signs up to it, as a result more locations pop up all across the world as Shane looks on with a smile on his face: "I do like an adventure and in the infamous words of one famous hunting family, from TV, it's time to save people and hunt things...the proper way!" he tidies up around him before putting a "Case Closed" stamp on the Demon case and putting "The Paranormal Files" to one side as he returns to casually browsing the internet as he narrates over a scene of him at a car dealership looking at cars: "Once a novice on the hunting scene, I was thrust into a world where the unimaginable lurks in the shadows - It began with fear, uncertainty and the harsh reality of a savage shadow demon nearly claiming my life but I emerged from that crucible stronger, more resilient and filled with a burning desire to protect the innocent, much like I did in my Torchwood days - with each step, I've ventured deeper into the heart of the supernatural, pursuing creatures that defy logic and reason with my journey, so far, taking me through forgotten hamlets in the UK countryside, haunted forests and even around the city I call home, all in the name of saving people, hunting things and discovering the beauty within the bizarre...it is as of this moment, I vow to continue this journey. To go anywhere and everywhere, facing the unknown with unwavering courage. For in this world of shadows and wonders, there will always be someone in need of salvation, something that must be hunted and sights that defy explanation...but that's why I, and many others, do what we do - not for kicks but to see what truly calls our planet home."

## Characters

* Shane
* Fiona
* Lamashtu