Under The City (standard:horror, 8773 words)
Author: Dreadlocksmile	Added: Jan 12 2006	Views/Reads: 3376/2189	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Written in January 2006 by myself, the short story "Under The City" is based within H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos and Clark Ashton Smith's Hyperborean cycle. If you are not already familiar with the work, it is not a huge loss when reading th

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patient to reveal himself, with a rather unprofessional and 
embarrassingly cracking voice.  A seconds pause passed in which my 
heart stood stone still, until at last a soft whispered reply of which 
I could not understand, came from beneath the bed's frame.  Bending 
down onto one knee, I peered underneath the bed from what I construed 
as a reasonably safe distance, from back at the doors entrance, to 
observe the man whence the voice had come.  There lying with his back 
to me, huddled like a child close to the wall, was the curled up form 
of Samuel Zeireths.  Beckoning him out with by now a much more calm, 
caring and ultimately reassuring voice, I introduced myself and spoke 
of the capsules I was here to deliver.  A ripple of movement came from 
the white cotton clothing worn loosely by the patient, until finally 
his thin body slithered out from under the bed.  As he slowly hoisted 
his painfully withered frame up onto one knee, he craned his head 
around to finally face me, showing me for the first time the full 
extent of his malnourishment.  What wavered before me on an uncertain 
body was the crumbling image of a man a mere whisper away from death, 
or so I believed at that exact time.  Paper thin skin was stretched 
almost to braking point across the poor skeletal features of the poor 
man's face.  Cheekbones arched upwards creating deep valleys of pale 
skin that ran dark shadows down to a taught withed grin of a mouth.  
His eyes sparkled with moisture which seemed to mock the frail dryness 
of his skin.  The sight caused shudders to race down my spine as I 
inhaled a sharp breath of the room's stale air.  The decrepit figure 
hauled himself atop of the bed and sat there, speechless, waiting for 
my expression to change, in the full knowledge of the ghastly sight 
that his body showed before me. 

After what seemed a vastly ill-mannered period of time spent by myself
in absolute shocked silence, I finally remembered myself and offered 
Mr. Zeireths the coloured capsules one by one, watching as his 
trembling throat swallowed them down with sips of the water.  To take 
my mind from the hideous sight of the unfortunate Mr. Zeireths, I 
decided to embark on some light-hearted banter with the meek old man.  
He listened intently as I waffled on about this and that of the days 
duties, speaking volubly of my ambitions to one day run a hospital or 
care home of my own.  Not once did he mutter a word, but it was clear 
he was somewhat intrigued by my daily activities, or at least he gave 
that courteous impression.   The capsules were clearly of a rather 
arduous size for the hapless elderly man to swallow, so much so that 
twice I was obliged to fetch more water from the sink in the corner of 
the room.  As I watched the last of the seven capsules finally slip 
down the man's throat with a laboured gulping of water, I finished my 
inane chatter of which I had been jauntily spouting and cheerfully 
announced "All done now". 

I began to raise myself from the shabby wooden chair that I had been
perched on, when at last the formerly silent patient spoke.  The 
languid whispering words came as such a shock to me that I completely 
stopped ascending from the seat and just hovered there, bent forward 
looking into the glistening eyes of the speaker, Mr. Zeireths. 

"Correct me if I am wrong my friend, but would I be so far out to say
that our paths have crossed sometime in the past?  Perhaps in brighter 
times, when things were a little more clear and seemed to be as one 
might perceive them?" 

Somewhat shocked and perhaps a little unnerved by the question I replied
that I doubted very much that we had indeed met before, as I had spent 
much of my time in other parts of the country, working in different 
hospitals.  Knowing that Mr. Zeireths was a long-standing patient with 
Worthington's I doubted very much that I had encountered him before in 
any of the other wards I had worked.  With that in mind and that I have 
no memory, which has proved to be very good over the years, of any 
previous encounter with a Mr. Zeireths, I was convinced otherwise.  He 
seemed to ponder on this answer for a few seconds until finally as I 
stood up to leave he reciprocated "That you are probably right son.  My 
memory isn't so good these days.  But before you leave me to the 
silence of this room, if just to amuse a frail old man, can I ask you 
but one question my dear friend?  Could you please tell me that of your 
birth name?" 

Thinking that no harm could come of bestowing the information to this
dying elderly man who's last years of life are to be spent locked away 
in a room, I decided to tell him my name, thinking if anything it would 
keep him happy and it would undoubtedly start off our working 
relationship on good terms.  I dutifully informed him that my family 
name is that of Omthallos, with my forename being Timothy.  At this a 
slight grin proceeded to stretch across the face of the patient causing 
countless creases to cascade across the surface of his pale skin.  When 
next he spoke, it was in a hushed whisper that quivered with an 
intriguing excitement that no man could refuse to listen on to. 

"Master Timothy, I have a tale I haven't spoken of for quite some years
now.  When first I arrived here I wished to proclaim it to every face I 
met.  But over the years I've learnt to keep my mouth still about it, 
due to the reactions and resulting consequences that followed.  So I 
have kept quiet about my tale, waiting for another soul who is right 
for the telling.  And it's been quite a number of years since I have 
seen another soul who would accept it like I believe your good self 
will.  So if you please, could I take a small piece of your time, to 
speak a story that has waited years to be voiced once again?" 

As I have already mentioned, how can any young man, in the prime of his
inquisitive years deny such a truly intriguing and exciting offer.  And 
so I placed myself once again on the corner of the little flimsy wooden 
chair and sat forward to hear what this withered man had to say.  After 
all I thought to myself, it was slowly drawing to the end of my shift, 
so the time would only fall into that of own personal free time.  So I 
sat there, leaning forward apprehensively, and asked Mr. Zeireths to 
tell his tale. 

- ii - 

"It all took place many years ago, when I was perhaps close to your age,
perhaps even a little younger.  I had been taking the underground train 
on a daily basis back then.  You see, traffic was always so sluggish, 
that to get around the city with ease, the underground really was one's 
only option.  And back in those days, the underground was a relatively 
new convenience, offering a plush new form of transport that captured 
the imagination as you submerged yourself into these vast tunnels deep 
under the city.  All of this appealed immensely to me.  So much so that 
I could often be found, travelling around the underground from one 
station to the next, sometimes just for the sheer pleasure of it all. 

"Anyway, one evening, I can't recall exactly the day it was now, I was
patiently waiting at one of the regular stations I used to visit, when 
I noticed one of the clay-red painted iron doors that are often seen 
along the platforms, was slightly ajar.  Now I'm not sure about the 
type of person that you are, but to me these doors always held somewhat 
of an intriguing mystery to me.  I knew they were probably just 
passageways or the such like, for the underground staff to use, perhaps 
for maintenance staff to locate areas of the underground facilities 
away from the prying eyes of the public.  I wasn't sure, but whatever 
their purpose was, and wherever they led to, I was intrigued.  And so, 
as no one else was anywhere in sight at the time, I decided to have 
myself a bit of a look-see.  So I wondered over to this doorway in the 
wall and peered through the small gap that lay open.  What I saw was a 
long concrete corridor with white painted walls that extended away for 
quite some distance.  I could see that the floor was just solid grey 
concrete that had thick piles of dust where its sides met up with those 
of the walls.  Taking a last minute look back around the platform to 
make sure no one was watching, I decided to quickly slip in behind the 
door and have a hasty nose around to see where this mysterious 
passageway led. 

"With a nervous quickness to my step, I walked the length of the
corridor to find it veering off rather sharply to the left.  Glancing 
one last time behind myself, I ventured on, curiosity taking over any 
common sense by now.  This has always been my problem.  I never used to 
properly think things through before I went and dived straight in.  
Well anyway, I followed the corridor on, noticing how the cables and 
wiring that clung to the walls wove jumbled patterns and took diverse 
routes as I went.  I passed electrical boxes mounted on the walls and 
discarded plastic coffee cups strewn across the floor.  My footsteps 
seemed to tattoo an empty beat across the concrete as I went on, 
echoing in the narrow walkway.  I'm not sure exactly how far I walked, 
or how many turnings I took before I came to the T-junction that led 
off both to my left and right, but it seemed like hardly any time had 
passed.  As I stood there, looking down both passageways, my common 
sense finally kicked in.  I remember my initial feeling was that I was 
a bit of a fool then I had a sudden and unsettling feeling of unease 
sweep over me.  I turned around, with the thought of heading back the 
way I had come, when I suddenly noticed the corridor I had only seconds 
ago walked down was now in complete darkness.  Not the sort of shadowy 
darkness that a room is in before you switch on the light, but an 
absolute pitch blackness.  This completely threw me.  I hadn't 
previously paid any attention to how the corridor was actually lit, or 
indeed noticed when the light had faded.  By now my heart was beginning 
to race, so I pushed out my arms and slowly started to try and fumble 
my way back through the dark corridor.  Within seconds I was completely 
submerged in the thickest, most impenetrable darkness I have ever 
encountered.  I remember suddenly stopping in my tracks and trying my 
hardest to decipher any sort of vision of where I was going.  Not even 
the light from behind me seemed to be able to reach out any distance in 
this utter blackness.  I turned around on the spot and, with an arm 
resting against one of the walls, looked on at where the illuminated 
junction was.  The distance, even though I had only taken a few strides 
down the passageway, seemed an immense void of darkness.  This 
foreboding gloom seemed to envelop the walkway, swallowing me up 
entirely.  I stumbled in the dark, confusion rising to panic as the 
wall I had been supporting myself on seemed to lose its substance.  I 
swung out with my arms again, desperate to find the solid sides of the 
passageway but I felt none.  Panic rose to hysteria, as my eyes 
searched again for the illuminated junction.  I spotted it up ahead, 
but it somehow seemed to have moved further away.  Swinging myself 
forward, I burst into a quick and frantic run towards the light.  I 
didn't slow as I drew nearer to the junction, but in my desperation, 
flung myself at the adjacent wall.  My body hurtled into the wall, 
knocking all the wind out of me.  I stood there gasping for breath, 
bent double, an arm feebly supporting my heaving body against the wall. 


"As I stood there in the relative luminosity given off by the dim
wall-mounted lighting that ran in irregular spacing across the two new 
corridor lengths, I thought about the logical explanations surrounding 
the situation I had now placed myself within.  I realised that I had 
simply panicked in the darkened passageway and my imagination had 
obviously got the better of me.  As my panic had risen, so had my fear 
that I was being swallowed up by the dark.  I concluded that a member 
of the underground staff must have come back, turned off the lights for 
the corridor I had been walking along and more than likely, closed and 
locked the iron door.  This placed me in quite a dilemma.  I located my 
pocket watch and saw that it had passed the time of this station's last 
train departure and thus had passed lock-up time!  I cursed myself for 
my stupid curiosity as I rested my head back against the stone wall. 

"With a heartbeat that was now finally returning to normal, I decided
that my best course of action was to try either of the two still 
illuminated corridors in the hope that I might locate another exit or a 
member of staff.  I took to the corridor that led off to the right at 
quite a brisk pace, just short of a jog.  I followed the passageway as 
it twisted left and right, aware of the absolute silence except for my 
thundering footsteps and the echoing dripping sounds that filled each 
length of walkway. 

"My breathing was becoming fast and heavy so I decided to slow my pace
and think further about my current situation.  As I slowed my speed of 
walking, I glanced back to see how far I had come.  The twisting 
walkway did not allow me to see too far on account of the narrowing 
walls veering off to the left down the corridor I had previously 
walked.  As my eyes followed the length of the walls to their furthest 
visual extent, I noticed to my horror that the passageway appeared to 
end in absolute darkness.  I knew I had passed by many turnings along 
this stretch of corridor, thus this could not possibly be the darkness 
from the junction I'd left.  I stopped in my tracks and turned to face 
the length of ground from which I had just come, trying to convince 
myself that this darkened patch wasn't actually there.  Mounted on the 
wall not more than four foot from the curving walkway was an electric 
light that shone on brightly.  This single light should have easily 
been enough to penetrate the gloom that proceeded to mask the rest of 
the passage.  As I stared on, that furthest most light suddenly 
switched off, engulfing those extra few yards of the passageway in more 
absolute darkness.  My heart stopped completely still at that very 
moment and I remember feeling an overwhelming sensation of utter dread. 
 I had never been one to be scared of the dark, not even as a small 
child, but there was something about the absolute depth of that 
darkness as it swallowed up the passageway, that made me tremble with 
fear. 

"I know how this sounds coming from a man you only saw a few minutes ago
hiding beneath a bed, not only a bed, but a bed in a loony-bin, but I 
wasn't always the deteriorating old man you see before you now.  If you 
can, please try to imagine being, what seemed to me, trapped within a 
labyrinth of concrete passageways with a darkness that seems to be 
creeping up on you from behind". 

I was on the edge of uttering some feeble words of understanding when
Mr. Zeireths lifted a hand into the air to silence me and, looking 
deeply into my eyes, he began again with his story. 

"By now, of course, I was thinking of going back from whence I had come
and trying instead the other passageway that I was first confronted 
with.  But seeing that creeping blackness make its slow approach 
towards me, I forgot all ideas of this and began to run in the opposite 
direction.  As I ran I encountered new corridors that split off from 
the one I was on, changes in directions, corners and junctions.  I have 
no idea how many turnings and new routes I took, as by now I was in 
somewhat of a state of utter fear.  I blindly took turning after 
turning, racing as far and as quickly as I could.  The passageway I 
finally found myself within suddenly came to a stairway that descended 
downwards, with no other choice of direction.  Caught with the choice 
of either redoubling my steps or taking myself even further 
underground, I stopped to think for a second, resting my breathless 
body against the passageway wall.  As I waited, catching my breath 
back, my decision was suddenly made up for me, as the slowly advancing 
darkness rounded the corner and came to the end of the passageway I was 
currently standing in.  With the shock of seeing the lights swallowed 
up into the darkness, I leapt off the wall and was quickly hurtling 
down the steps.  The further I descended the damper the steps I was 
treading, and indeed the whole atmosphere that surrounded me, became.  
Soon my leather shoes were slapping down on flooded steps, and as I 
finally reached the bottom of the steps I was convinced that I'd be 
wading through a deeply flooded sewage tunnel.  Luckily, the water was 
only an inch or two deep, and so I could keep up my speedy pace with 
little hindrance. 

"As I travelled on through the tunnels and passageways what must by now
be located quite some depth under the city, I gradually became aware 
that as I moved on, I was slowly descending more and more.  This 
descending feeling was clarified by the occasional step downwards and 
the slight angle in the concrete sloping floor.  With this in mind I 
was astonished how the water level never seemed to deepen by much, even 
after a downward step in the flooring. As time progressed and I had 
travelled quite some distance through the gloomy tunnels I became 
baffled and eventually relatively alarmed by the never rising water 
level, even as I descended.  I stopped in my tracks once again, to see 
if the water in which I was standing was travelling in any direction, 
as physics proves it should always travel downwards, but it sat 
motionless around my now sodden leather shoes.  I further listened out 
for the sounds of falling or rushing water, but again there was 
silence, yet for the occasional dripping of water droplets and the 
sound of my heavy breathing.  Looking around at my surroundings, I 
found myself within a rather open part of some underground passageway 
that still housed electric lighting mounted on it's now red brick 
walls.  Concrete tunnels led off in many directions from this dripping 
waterlogged chamber.  The air was thick and close with a heavy putrid 
odour clinging to it.  By now I had expected to have come across a 
veritable army of rats, but I suddenly noticed the shocking lack of 
any.  In fact, I had not noticed a single one within any of the 
passageways or tunnels I had run through.  I pondered to myself that 
maybe all the rats were in the walls.  Wherever they were, I was glad 
that they were nowhere to be seen, as I found them an utterly repulsive 
vermin.  I glanced again at my pocket watch, further dismayed as I 
discovered I had now been trapped and more than likely lost within this 
underground labyrinth for approaching an hour.  I remember that I began 
to shout out at the top of my voice.  Panicking I shouted for what 
seemed like forever, with the only answer being the mocking echoes of 
my own voice. 

"Again, with extreme apprehension and fear clawing at my very soul, I
looked back down the tunnel I had come.  From where I stood, I could 
see for quite some distance of the featureless route I had taken.  As I 
stood there staring down the tunnel, my heart began to lighten.  To my 
overwhelming joy, at long last there seemed to be no sign of the 
blackness pursuing me.  The lighting in this desolate underground 
labyrinth was admittedly very dim, but my eyes had become accustomed to 
the gloom, so sight wasn't causing me any problem as yet.  With a 
breath of relief I decided that I should still keep moving, thinking 
that at some point I must come across some form of exit from this 
underground world.  Whether it be a ladder leading up to civilisation, 
another stairway, or a sewage tunnel eventually leading to some 
polluted riverside, I honestly didn't care which, I just wanted out by 
now. 

"And so I took off again at a reasonable walking pace, paying a little
more attention to my surroundings now as I went.  I noticed piles of 
piping running along the concrete ceiling and at some point, I decided 
to follow some, in the slight chance that it may eventually lead me to 
a way out.  But after a while I learned that this was just another 
misguided hope, as the piping I had chosen suddenly veered off route 
disappearing into the passage walls.  I kept on walking, aware that I 
still appeared to be descending, no matter which turning or route I 
took.  I'm not sure if by now the dire turn of events that I had placed 
myself within had finally gotten the better of me, or if it was just a 
human way of trying to keep my own moral up, but without even thinking 
about it, I found myself cheerfully singing golden oldies that I had 
learnt the words to in my youth.  I faintly remember plodding along 
down a waterlogged tunnel, admiring the acoustics my current 
surroundings offered to my voice, when suddenly one of my feet trod 
down on thin air and I was tumbling downwards.  Still to this day I 
can't understand how I didn't hear the water cascading over the steep 
ledge of the tunnel.  But down I went, falling deeper and deeper into 
an abyss of absolute darkness. 

"When I came to, I found myself immersed in a couple of feet of water
that was flowing at quite some rate down past my aching head.  I had to 
blink a few times to convince myself that my eyes were open.  All 
around me there was nothing but a sheer, impenetrable blackness. As my 
senses slowly came back, I realised that I could hear the rushing of 
water cascading further away from me, causing an unholy roar within 
this new confinement I had found myself within.  My head was pounding 
from a splitting pain originating from the base of my skull that 
swirled outwards to encompass the rest of my head.  My left arm felt 
numb, but luckily I found that I could still move it around, satisfying 
myself that I had not broken it.  As I began to shift myself around, I 
became aware that I was lodged on some form of broken grating that had 
probably saved me from being washed away even further.  I realised that 
the water that was splashing across my body was curiously of a slightly 
warm temperature.  Twisting my arms behind myself, I tried to break 
free of the gratings hold on me.  At last my sodden shirt came free 
from the grating with a damp ripping sound.  As I clumsily got to my 
feet, I felt around for some purchase to steady myself.  As my fumbling 
hands reached out to either side of my body, my fingers touched down on 
something that was cold and slimy.  To my instant horror, whatever it 
was let out an almighty screech and immediately squirmed from beneath 
my fingertips.  This was then followed by a hefty splashing sound as it 
obviously leapt into the moving water around my feet.  I quickly 
stepped back, and in doing so, stepped on another slimy form which let 
out a gargled scream which was quickly silenced as my shoe crushed the 
wriggling form beneath my weight.  By now panic had completely taken 
over my body and I skidded around in the complete blackness, stumbling 
over stone edges and slimy creatures whose screams echoed around in the 
dark. 

"I eventually managed to find myself a ledge, free of the rushing water
and the viscous creatures, where I managed to perch myself and get my 
breath back.  As I huddled there, with the roar of the water flooding 
my eardrums, I became aware of my unmitigated tiredness.  This will 
probably sound more than ridiculous now, it will to anyone who has 
never experienced such a traumatic experience that has lasted for such 
a harrowing length of time.  But all I wanted right then was to close 
my eyes and drift off to sleep.  Perhaps the reason for this was that 
when I awoke I thought and hoped that it might all be over.  Like a bad 
dream that will dissolve away once consciousness returns.  But I 
remember at that exact moment in time, I couldn't think of anything 
else I wanted more than sleep.  And so, huddled as I was on the edge of 
some stone ledge, I closed my eyes and fell into a deep restful sleep". 


- iii - 

"The world holds more mysteries than mankind should ever know of. 
Mysteries that mankind with his fragile mind should never, ever 
encounter.  I believe that such things will simply send a man to 
madness; far too immense is the truth that our pitiful minds cannot 
cope with the reality.  Other mysteries are too dark and evil that just 
to believe in their existence, just for one second, will send the mind 
and perhaps even the soul into absolute despair.  These depraved things 
are perhaps older than time itself, certainly older than mankind has 
ever existed for.  But they are always there, lurking deep behind the 
shadows, cursing mankind for his naive stupidity.  And they are real; 
believe me, for I saw them. 

"It was when I finally awoke.  Don't ask me how long I had slept, for my
pocket watch was lost, probably in the fall.  I know of this because 
when my eyes at last opened, the chamber I was located within was lit 
up with the dull flickering of flame.  Not just one flame, but 
hundreds, illuminating the chamber from their positions all over the 
walls.  Each flame cast a glow of greens and blues unlike that of a 
normal fire.  The centre of these flickering lights shone with a 
brilliant whiteness that hid the source of their fuel.  Looking into 
the blinding white centres left dazzling spots of colour over the naked 
eye, forcing me to look elsewhere.  And God do I wish I had gone blind 
to them now.  For as my focusing sight came back, I saw the reality of 
the chamber I was within. 

"Stone walls of an almost limestone look to them, but not quite, towered
up on all sides of the waterlogged chamber.  The stone glistened with a 
thick wetness that, combined with the flaming touches, illuminated all 
the strange markings that adorned them perfectly.  Like an ancient 
Egyptian chamber, every inch of every wall was covered in these 
mysterious carved markings, appearing of a completely alien origin to 
me.  The shapes and images were intrinsically carved, showing no signs 
of aging or wear from water.  As my eyes travelled across the markings 
that extended up the towering walls and out of sight, I was drawn to 
where they seemed to become of a much larger size and detailed nature.  
This was where I believe my sanity was finally put on the brink of 
collapse.  What I finally brought my eyes to rest upon was at the far 
end of the chamber, where the water flowed towards and then fell away 
into, of which I could only imagine, was a far deeper abyss.  And in 
the centre of this, standing upon what I can only describe as a huge 
stone alter, stood a carved image of a beastly creation from the 
blackest stone I have ever laid eyes upon.  Squatted down on a mass of 
finely carved legs and other ungodly appendages, was a massive 
representation of a creature that bore a resemblance to a huge 
grotesque toad, with bat like fur carved across its hideous form that 
contorted into a horrific sloth like body.  It's mouth harboured needle 
like teeth that carved deep ruts into its thick lips which gave the 
beast a haunting sneer of a grin.  Its eye-lids were thankfully closed, 
giving the statue a look of a deep slumber. 

"As I sat there, staring in utter horror at the image of this depraved
godly idol, I began to notice small amounts of movement from around me. 
 With a frantic start, I hauled myself to my feet, eyes darting around 
myself trying to locate the source of movement.  And that is when I saw 
them all for the first time.  Hundreds, perhaps thousands of toads 
swarmed the darkened chamber, each one with its black eyes glistening 
in my direction.  I watched as a few of the amphibians leapt about the 
damp chamber, always landing with their eyes firmly cast on me.  The 
toads were huge in size, compared with what I had seen and known from 
my somewhat limited past experience of these creatures.  Their thick 
rubbery bodies glistened with a foul slime that was probably the source 
of what covered the walls.  And then, as if from out of nowhere, they 
began to croak their ungodly tones.  The chamber filled with the 
thunderous sound of a thousand toads, causing me to clamp my numbed 
hands to my ears.  As quickly as they had started their deafening 
croaking, they finished, leaving nothing but the disappearing echo of 
the cacophony and the roaring of the water below. 

"With trepidation I released my hands from their position protecting my
ringing ears, letting the sounds of the chamber slowly come back again. 
 My breathing was coming in fast and deep gasps, drawing into my lungs 
the thick and damp air.  I tried to calm myself as I stood up straight 
on the stone ledge, clutching desperately to the slimy wall that I 
pressed against.  My eyes once again darted around the chamber, 
desperate to locate a possible exit from this festering place.  I 
peered towards the opposite side of the chamber, adjacent to the black 
carved statue of the toad god. Two large passageways were cut into the 
stone wall from which the gushing water flowed.  Both passages led off 
into a complete blackness that I had by then come to know so well.  
Yet, with the idea of moving off from the ledge on which I now perched 
and once again moving off into utter darkness, I found my body totally 
unwilling to move.  My mind was forced into spirals of madness, as I 
tried to put together anything that resembled a plan of action.  And as 
I stood there, clutching desperately to the wall in fits of madness, I 
heard the first sounds of the beating drums.  Like a mockery to my 
racing heartbeat, the slow thumping of the drums were gradually, second 
by second, becoming louder and louder.  The source to this terrifying 
beat was obviously drawing closer to this dimly lit chamber, emanating 
from the two passageways in to which I was now staring.  The thunderous 
beating grew louder and louder, telling my mind and soul that whatever 
abomination was creating this cacophony of sound, was slowly drawing 
closer towards me. I began to cower like I have never done before in my 
like.  My mind went numb like so much of my body already had.  All that 
ran through my collapsing mind was the constant thumping beat of those 
drums as they grew closer to the chamber.  The sound escalated to a 
deafening beat that I believed was on the edge of collapsing the world 
around it.  And then from behind the darkened shadows of the two 
doorways they came. 

"One after one, filing out, in a sloshing march of bare feet, came forth
the drummers, still thumping out their despicable beat.  They emerged 
from the shadowy confines of the passageways, in two separate straight 
lines.  As if in a mockery of mankind itself, these hideous forms that 
slowly made their way down the centre of the waterlogged chamber, had 
the initial appearance of hugely bloated humans.  Yet, looking on 
further, the marching forms showed a hideous resemblance to that of 
toads within their loathsome features.  Each one of these repulsive 
beasts carried a sickening drum strapped across their fronts, 
constructed of what appeared to have once been human skin and bone.  
Their pounding sticks resembled large warped ribs, which flickered 
glimpses of rotten meat from their worn edges.  The pale drum skins 
were stretched across pelvis shaped bones which in turn connected 
together further collections of smaller discoloured bones, each one 
lashed on to their sides by way of hair and skin.  The reek of 
putrefaction that engulfed the band of morbid abominations was 
intoxicating.  Yet the sight still held my eyes fixed on their sluggish 
yet uniform progress. 

"At last the figures stopped in the centre of the chamber, the
thundering drumming coming to a complete halt as their movement ceased. 
 The first two figures in the line were barely six feet from where I 
cowered, their eyes transfixed upon the ghastly statue of their god 
that sat before them.  As I stared on, I began to pick out further 
sickening features to these barbaric creatures.  Hanging limply from 
the underside of where their arms met their swollen torsos, were thick 
grey vermiform tentacles that skirted across the water's surface.  
Their legs seemed to have no bone structure beneath them, but somehow 
remained solid enough to support their grotesque weight.  They wore no 
clothing whatsoever, allowing their immense gut to fall loosely over 
their legs.  What appeared to be the females amongst these savages, had 
huge swollen breasts that hung loosely done their chests, resting on 
either side of the hideous drums they carried. 

"As I watched on in a transfixed shock, each one of the creature's
bodies began to slowly swell from somewhere deep within their massive 
bellies.  As the swelling became greater and greater, the festering 
skin that covered the gut of each creature gradually turned paler in 
colour, until the entire belly of each of the creatures had become 
almost translucent.  All of a sudden, one by one the bone drums began 
to fall from the creatures bodies as the straps that held them on burst 
under the pressure.  The drums splashed to the water covered floor and 
drifted off down towards where the water fell away, just before the 
great image of the toad god.  Still the grotesque creatures vast 
stomachs grew until finally, with an obscene burst of sound, their 
mouths opened pouring forth an immense flow of sickening bile and other 
equally hideous fluids.  The foul concoction of putrid liquid poured 
down their slowly shrinking guts to be washed past their feet and away 
towards where the water fell into utter darkness. 

"As the last of the bile splashed to the waterlogged chamber floor, a
gaseous essence seemed to emanate from their misshapen mouths.  With 
this came a deep and ungodly sound that reverberated within the 
chamber's walls.  As the grumbling sound grew louder, a chanting seemed 
to be born from the building roar.  As I trembled uncontrollably before 
this obscene ritual, I became aware that this monstrous chanting only 
existed within the confines of my own head.  Over and over it echoed, 
repeating the same word.  It gradually became louder until it blocked 
out the sound of the creatures with whom it originated. 

"Tsathoggua, Tsathoggua, Tsathoggua, Tsathoggua, Tsathoggua..." 

"I am not sure, even now, at which point I began to scream.  I don't
even know if it was because of the building chant that echoed around 
inside my skull or if it was because my sanity was finally collapsing 
around me.  All I can remember is that when suddenly the chant came to 
a halt, all that was left was the pitiful scream that poured from my 
petrified self. 

"Before I even realised what was happening, my scream was cut dead by a
powerful crushing hand that wrapped itself around my throat.  I was 
lifted from the ledge and was carried high in the air, towards the 
black statue.  There, just before the water cascaded over the edge of a 
huge yawning chasm in the chamber floor, I was dumped into a gasping 
heap.  I turned to watch the creature that had carried me with such 
ease step back, once again joining the line he had briefly left.  
Huddled on the stone floor my eyes darted across the unsightly faces of 
the ghastly tribe before me.  Still, all of their eyes remained 
transfixed on the statue that sat behind me. 

"As I turned around to gaze once again at the gruesome statue, the water
around me began to rise.  A deep trembling seemed to shake the stone 
flooring, arsing from the dark abyss that lay but inches from me.  
Water began to erupt outwards from the dark hole, bringing up once 
again, the foul bile that had poured from inside of the hideous 
creations behind me.  I tried to scramble backwards on all fours, but 
the stone flooring proved too slippery under the thick miry coating 
that covered it.  The spewing liquid from within the massive hole 
turned a dark brown, bringing with it the nauseating smell of decaying 
faeces.  Lumps of matter poured up from the thickening liquid, amongst 
which were the remains of broken bones, coated in rotting flesh. 

"Then, with a gigantic eruption of festering corruption, burst forth a
truly hellish abomination.  A colossal monstrosity that bore the same 
resemblance to that of the sculpture that lay hidden behind its 
towering form.  Uncontrollable vomit poured from out of my mouth, as I 
lay there amongst the utmost foul stench that any god could possibly 
create.  Coated in the putrefaction that lay deep around me, my 
maddening eyes moved up the bloated form, until at last I gazed upon 
the face of the god named Tsathoggua.  Life lost all meaning to me then 
and there, as I looked deep into those wakening orbs.  Time became a 
spiralling swirl of nonsense as I looked on, staring at a creation 
which man was never meant to lay eyes upon. 

"As I lay there, driven insane with the sight of this appalling god, the
world around me seemed to corrode away leaving nothing but a dark 
liquid void in which there only appeared to be the existence of myself 
and this abominable creature.  Sound became a lost reality to me and 
all that I had left of anything was a mind that had gone insane.  Then 
from deep within my brain, came that grotesque voice.  The voice of the 
god Tsathoggua.  The soundless words cascaded around my skull, 
promising to shatter its fragile bony structure. 

"'I awaken once more from my timeless slumber, for you, a pitiful
sacrifice of mankind.  You have come here of your own free will, as a 
blood offering to me, the Father of Night.  With what a pitiful display 
of humanity you show of your cowering self.  You, in all of your weak 
mind, think yourself worthy of a sacrifice?'" 

"No voice belonged to me anymore.  My tongue was dead to a crumbling
mind.  But yet a mindless response appeared in the empty void of my 
head.  Uncontrolled, un-thought of, as if my very soul had a voice, I 
heard as of reply "'I am unworthy of even your gaze oh Lord Tsathoggua, 
ancient beyond all memory.  Cast me away from your greatness, so I may 
spend the final years of my lifetime cowering at the memory of you'". 

"'Your blood is that of a thief, so let it be time that you steal.  I
will grant you what is left of your life, for devouring you would be 
truly unsatisfying.  May you die without respect as tribute to your 
woeful race.  And may your body become frail and wither with every 
breath you take, leaving you as nothing but a loathsome vessel for the 
gods to sneer at.  I cast you off under a geas, to return once again to 
the surface, where you may die in a slothful memory of me'". 

"Those final words burst around my broken mind, leaving echoes of a
pounding voice without sound.  I felt my weakened frame crash down on 
the slimy stone floor, engulfed in the foul water around me.  My eyes 
remained closed as I felt great powerful hands lift me upwards and 
carry me swiftly away.  Sound became real once again towards my 
tortured eardrums.  I heard the slopping sound of many feet below me, 
as I was hoisted into the damp air.  Even behind my closed eyelids, I 
could feel as the passageways shadow quickly swallowed me up.  At long 
last I lost all consciousness". 

- iv - 

"When I awoke from my deep slumber, I found myself lying on a concrete
floor in a passage lit with electric lighting.  My body ached from head 
to toe, and as I sat upwards I could feel the dampness of my clothing.  
Still in somewhat of a daze, I clambered drunkenly to my feet and began 
to walk down the brightly lit corridor.  I quickly became aware that my 
movements weren't that of my own.  I was moving without thought, as if 
possessed by something else.  My thoughts were thankfully at last my 
own again, I felt in control of my mind but not of my flesh.  Each 
stride was automatic, each step not of my conceiving.  I tried to stop 
myself, demanding that my legs stay still, but no matter how hard I 
willed each leg to arrest their march, they just continued on pounding 
down the concrete passageways.  I took left turnings and right turnings 
without even stopping for contemplation.  My feet pounded up stairways 
and flew around corners thumping my torso against the solid walls.  And 
then, as my mind was once again beginning to collapse within itself, my 
motion suddenly stopped.  My gaze climbed upwards from my still feet 
and I stared on in disbelief at the iron door before me.  Its clay-red 
painted surface, peeling away in patches, brought back a flood of 
unmitigated relief.  As I stood there with a feeling of absolute joy 
coursing through my veins, I began to sob.  My sobbing became an 
unstoppable wave of bawling, with tears pouring down my filth covered 
cheeks.  The door still stood ajar, allowing glimpses of the bright 
platform behind it.  Slowly, my weakened body thrust out its arms, 
shoving open the heavy iron door to its full extent.  Bright, brilliant 
light exploded into my retinas, but still I strode on, now in complete 
control of my movements. 

"As I stumbled onto the platform I let out a thunderous cry of both joy
and utter despair.  I knew now that I would live to see the sun rise 
once again.  I may well live to a fine old age, but life had lost all 
of its beauty for me, as if my soul had deserted me, leaving nothing 
but a hollow shell of flesh and bone.  I remember howling out into the 
large expanse of the platform, unaware of other people around me, until 
my arm was grasped by a good Samaritan, concerned as to my well being.  
I can faintly remember some muffled words being said to me as I turned 
to see my helper, but as I did so, my world went black again and I 
collapsed there, on the polished platform floor". 

- v - 

I sat there and let out a deep breath I didn't even know I had been
holding in.  Staring deep into Mr. Zeireths' eyes, I had been lost in 
his unbelievable tale.  I knew that this was surely just the ravings of 
a madman.  Here I was in a hospital for the mentally disturbed; the man 
was already certified as insane.  But deep inside me, far away from my 
logical thoughts and understandings, something about the tale had 
clawed away at me.  I sat there in silence, letting Samuel Zeireths' 
story sink in to my brain.  As I sat there, the only sound being the 
gentle whispering of the wind outside and the occasional thump of a 
ward door as it closed somewhere within the hospital, I felt truly 
alone for the first time in my life.  I realised that my gaze had 
drifted to the floor, so in looking up, my eyes met Zeireths' for the 
last time.  And in that brief second of contact between us both, I knew 
there was no lie in his story.  For as I looked into those glistening 
orbs, searching deep into the endless black pupils I saw an image that 
his eyes could never wipe away.  Deep in the circle of his pupil was 
the reflection of a giant toad, sitting asleep amongst its own putrid 
filth. 

Whether I believe that image was actually there in his eyes now, with
hindsight on my side, I am not sure.  My logical side tells me it was 
just my imagination running wild on me.  But at the time, as I looked 
deep into those eyes and saw that hideous monstrosity, my heart 
believed Samuel Zeireths' story completely. 

With a start, I jumped up out of my chair knocking the white plastic
tray and beaker to the floor.  I quickly gathered them up, uttering 
some garbled apologies and made my way to the door.  As I closed the 
solid wooden door behind me, I looked one last time through the viewing 
slot in the door.  The withered old man inside, dressed in perfect 
white cotton clothing, sat motionless on the bed, head very slightly 
bowed.  And as I watched on for a few brief seconds, I saw a tear slip 
from the man's frail chin and fall to the floor. 

I slipped the hatch closed and turned to walk the brightly lit corridor
that led towards the staff room.  As I stood there, about to move on, I 
thought once again about that moment when Samuel Zeireths had first 
described the toad god.  To my memory, I had never once heard reference 
to this unholy beast before.  But as Zeireths' story had unfolded, with 
his first mention of a great toad statue, my skin had gone cold and 
clammy at the description.  Far back in my mind a word had appeared for 
the first time.  A word I am convinced I had never heard spoken, nor 
read in any book.  A word that had been buried deep inside me for more 
years than I have even lived.  It swelled inside my mind, repeating 
itself over and over, until finally Zeireths spoke the word himself, as 
if it were plucked straight from my brain. 

"Tsathoggua, Tsathoggua, Tsathoggua, Tsathoggua, Tsathoggua..."


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