Part 1 "The Dark World"

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That's all I'm dreaming of. And you call it madness. Ah, but I call...

Where am I? What happened? Don't you remember? Who are you? Who am I? I'm a friend. The best friend you have right now. The only friend you have right now. What happened? Why can't I see anything? I know. What do you mean, you know? Who are you? Relax. Take a deep breath. Relax. I can't. I can't. I don't remember who I am or where I am or what's happened. I can't see anything. Calm down.

Friend, I'll tell you everything you need to know, okay? Okay, okay. Let's start with where you are. You're standing in the office that belongs to one Arthur Lester. Arthur Lester? Yeah, sound familiar? Not really. It should. Because they're your offices. Mine? That's right, friend. Why are we... Don't move just yet. Why? Because I want you to do something. You want me to do something, yes.

Okay. Reach down by your feet. What am I reaching for? Something you dropped. All right. I feel, um... I feel a book. Yes. Pick it up. What is it? A book. I know it's a book. I mean... I know what you meant. I'm just adding some levity to the situation, friend. Now turn around and head towards your desk. I can't... I'll tell you when you're close. Look...

I don't understand what's going on. It will be fine. Just take a deep breath and step backwards. Okay. Okay, stop! Stop! I said stop, friend. I tried. I just... I tripped over something. What is this? It feels... It feels like... Now just calm down. Oh my god. It feels like a body. Yes. It's a body, Arthur. Your partner. What? This is too much. Arthur. What?

Arthur. Arthur! Listen to me. I have your eyes now. So you're going to shut the fuck up and listen to me. Walk to the desk. Put the book down. That's right. Good. Now that wasn't so difficult, was it? No. Okay. What now? Open up the book. I need to read something. Where do I, um... Just open it. Okay. Start flipping pages and I'll tell you when to stop. Arthur, your whimpering is awfully distracting. There, stop!

Sepid Loran Tisora. Close it! What? What did you learn? Nothing I didn't already know. And what is that? I don't know why someone gave you this book, Arthur, but in opening it, you've cursed yourself. Cursed myself. And in a manner of speaking, me as well. We're bound. Bound? How?

I am trapped inside you. I can see through your eyes. And as far as I can tell, I control nothing else. But I can hear you. Yes, well, I guess sharing a body means that we share a mind. Who? What? What are you? What am I? Let's save that for now. The simpler question is, who are you? You told me who I am. I mean, who are you to have received this book? As for who you are, I knew that because it's written on the door to your office.

Arthur Lester and Peter Yang, Private Investigative Services. It's on the open door. And my partner... Is Peter Yang, I assume, since I can't imagine why he'd call out his own name before dying. He... he called out my name? Yes. You dropped the book and turned to him. He called out your name and then... And then what? And then he died. How? Arthur, question and answer period is over. Did you not hear me? The door is open.

And? And your partner is laying dead in the middle of the floor. You need to move him before some passerby looks in. Alright, alright. Watch it, there's a... I am having a tough time with all of this right now. I really need to just breathe. I don't know who I am. I don't know where I am. I don't recognize this. I... I... I... I...

Are you there? Of course. Why? Arthur, it seems to me that you need to take a moment and compose yourself. I'm trying. Looks like someone plays the piano. Maybe it's you. What? You want me to... Stop asking what and just listen to what I am saying. Sit down at the piano you bumped into and play something. But, Peter... Isn't going anywhere. The door is shut.

I shouldn't have alarmed you so. You're a tender soul, friend. I shouldn't have put such a fire beneath you. Now head over to that piano for me. Just put your fingers on the keys. Play something that comes to mind. Anything. And don't you feel a whole lot better too? A little bit, yes. I also remember things. I remember opening that book. And I remember hearing a voice. And I remember turning to Peter. And... And you remember killing him. It was an accident. Of course it was.

I was there. I saw the whole thing. But that doesn't change the fact that you did kill Peter. And if somebody finds out that it was you, you and me are going away for a long time. So... What do we have to do first, Arthur? First we need two. Well, if we call the police, then... Then you'll need a world record silver tongue. Why?

Why can't I just- Explain that something is controlling your sight? Do you understand what that would mean to these people? Right. Think. There is a solution. Albeit temporary.

We need to get rid of the body. I think maybe... Arthur. It's okay. Relax. We're in this together. Do you remember anything else? I remember... Peter, um, was my best friend, and... About who might be here. Right, um, no, uh, maybe, yes. Yes, there was an appointment, and a widower, and Mrs., um, um... There's a closet in the corner. Is it empty? Yes. Yes, it is. You're going to have to move Peter in there. All right. Is there any blood, though? No. Call out. Tell her you'll just be a minute.

Sorry, I'm just in the middle of something. I'll be just a few seconds. I apologize. I said a minute. I mean a minute. Sorry. Drag the body to the right of you. The other right one. Now straight back. Good. The closet is already ajar. Just kick it open. I can't just... Perfect. Now stand the body upright. Good man, Arthur. Okay. Follow the left wall with your hand. The door is right there.

Do you have a gun? Of course. If she starts asking too many questions or goes for that closet, I'll let you know. And then you'll use it. We'll see. Open the door. There's no one there. Oh. Maybe they got tired of waiting. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe there was no appointment. I could have gotten my dates confused. Wait, what is that? What? On the floor by your feet. Paper.

the book come in a package? Um, yes. Yes, I suppose it did. I remember I received it. I tore the paper off and let it fall. Pick it up. Let me read it. Junior DeWitt. Rare Books. Arkham, Massachusetts. Is that where we are? Yes, yes, of course. You alright, dear? There's a man to your right. I didn't see him come up. He's wearing blue overalls and has dark spots all over his hands. He's looking at us.

He's the building maintenance man. What do I say? You hear me? I said, are you alright there? Get rid of him. Thought I heard you and your partner having a sped. Thought I'd come down and check it out. You guys yelling or something? What's going on? Was that him knocking? Was that you knocking? Yeah, sorry. You're moving furniture in there or something. What's his name? Eddie, no. It's completely alright. I just had a bit of a fall. I tripped over something and had to pick it up and move it.

He's suspicious of you. Oh, yeah. No, fair enough, fair enough. Yeah. Sounded pretty heavy, whatever it was. Do you need some help? Get rid of him now. No, no, no, I don't. I'm... It's... packed away now. I appreciate it so much, Eddie. Actually, I'm just on my way out. Hold up, Mr. Lester. Look, I hate to do this to you, but as building maintenance supervisor...

I'm gonna have to take a look inside. What? What? No, no, nothing like that. It's a few complaints on the floor below you about leaky pipes. I've been in the door for a while, and I'm in the area, and I'm catching you now, so I figured I'd... Just pop in the place and... Do not let him in. No, no, of course, of course. You're just doing your job. Um...

Perhaps another time, though. It could be a little bit more convenient later for me, Frank. Like I said, I'm just... No worries, no worries. Like I said, I can just go in without you. I don't actually need you there. I just need to get to the pipes. All right. All right. Um, yes, of course. Let's go. What are you doing? You know, here they are. They're just in the back there. Of course, of course. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. He's looking around the office.

He is only a few feet from the closet where your partner's body lies. What are you doing? It's Sunday after all, isn't it? I'm trying to remember. Lord's Day of Rest. That's why I want to get this work done, frankly. What are you talking about? Building's mostly empty. I'm surprised you're even here, frankly. Ah, you know me. I'm always here. Wait, does that mean you're the only two in the building? So it's only us in the building then, I suppose? Yep. Unless your partner's here somewhere. Ah.

I can feel you reaching for your pistol. Yes, we get most of our work done on Sundays. It's pretty quiet here. I imagine your line of work needs a lot of quiet. Oh, Arthur. I underestimated you. If you aim straight ahead, you can't miss. However, you would be killing a man who's done nothing wrong. Arthur. Put the gun away. You're nervous, and I appreciate that, but this is a bad idea. I shouldn't have prodded you. You can talk him out of here. Be smart. Eddie, look, I'm sorry. For what?

I appreciate that you're just trying to do your job, but in our line of work we have sensitive materials and files that you cannot be privy to. Even an idle glance could spell ruin to one of our cases. Could put a target on your back even. He doesn't care, Arthur. with respect mr lester i'm used to having a target of sorts on me arthur he thinks you're a pushover you're smarter than him what does he value what does he fear his body is no temple it looks like he's gone ten rounds in the ring

You can't scare him with his life. Even loved ones? There are many people, I'm sure. Let alone, Mr. Lester. Wrong again, Arthur. Look at him. I can't. Well, you've seen him before, haven't you? Does he look like the type to take orders from you? A tight, lace, suit-wearing stiff? Challenge him. If you want to convince him, you'll have to talk to him on his level. I... Harder. I need...

Tougher. There's... Goddamn it, Arthur. Stop dancing around it and say what you need to say! Oh, right. Listen here, Ed. I don't give a fuck what you think you need to do in here. You have two options that I'm going to give you only once. You can get the fuck out of my office and come back when I'm good and ready to let you, or I can pull you out of this office by the greasy hair on the back of your neck and kick your fucking teeth in.

Now listen here, you limey piece of shit. No one talks to me like that. You better hope and pray that I don't see you again.

Head to the bathroom, Arthur. To your right. The other right. Look into the mirror. I want to look at your face. You can't see this. But you have the cold, calculated demeanor of someone not to fuck with. Whatever you think you know about me, I do not like to be pushed around. Noted. Let's head back out to the office. We have work to do. So. Sir. It seems like Peter is dealt with for the time being.

And we have a lead on where this book came from. But why did I kill Parker? Trust me when I say I know as little about this as you do. Would it make sense for me to be the catalyst behind all of this? Perhaps. But it doesn't seem all that convincing. Let's remember that it was you who drew the gun on poor Mr. Eddie. If bloodshed was all that I was after, then I'd be doing a bad job. I remember reaching out a hand to him. Arthur, this isn't going to help anything.

How isn't this going to help? Because either you're going to remember why you killed him, which is bad for us, or you won't, which means there's no sense in wasting time on it. Why is remembering why I killed him bad? Give me a scenario where killing him was for good reason. Let us please just focus on the problem at hand. This book was where I was bound until quite recently. What is the name of the book?

It doesn't have a name, at least not when I was bound to it. Just a sigil on the front. Yes, I remember seeing the symbol on the front. It was meant to be a prison of sorts. So I have something that was imprisoned inside a book now bound to me. J.D. Ackerman, Rare Bookstore. Do you recognize the name? No, I don't.

More importantly, I want to know who gave this book to me. Why couldn't it be Ackerman themselves? I mean, it could be. It'd be odd that he would rap and stamp it. That is a fair assumption. I guess you're not a terrible detective. In truth, I'm quite good.

Take away my sight, and I obviously need some time to adjust, but trust me, when my wits are about me, I cannot be matched. Fair enough. Let's head to the bookstore, then. Yeah, well, there could be another option. Enlighten me. The source of the book is... No doubt important. But who sent it to me? This is the much more pressing matter.

Because? Because whatever they have intended to do either has or has not succeeded. Meaning? Meaning, if they have intended to have my spirit bound with you, then what next? And why? So what, then? I don't know. Perhaps they intended something different. Maybe for Peter to be the one who was killed, or maybe for your essence or whatever to be unbound completely. Fine, but what does that mean? Where does that lead us? None of those are leads, Arthur.

If I've made an enemy in any of my cases... It can come to you while we are heading towards the bookstore. Right. Now, how do we get there? Here. Arthur, I can just guide you there. No. I'm gonna need practice. An index of some sort. Phone book, actually. Stop. Ackerman, there. 23 Main Street. That's just a few minutes by taxi. Well, there's no sense in waiting. Agreed. Oh, wait a minute. What? There was something. Something very off about one of our last cases. Which was?

There was a missing girl. We attract her to an address, a house, an old abandoned place north of the city. I remember we had only searched the first floor of the house before an anonymous tip found her body in a field miles away. How did you receive a tip? Peter and I are legally obligated to alert police before entering any location where a possible victim could be, you know, in case things go south. Peter felt uncomfortable in the house, as if we were being watched.

So we made sure to call it in before proceeding. And during the call, that's when they said they had found her? Her body, yes. And so why do you think this is a clue for us? Because I remember seeing something on the wall of the basement door. Something that chilled me. And it was? A symbol. The same symbol on the front of the book that you were bound in. Well... Yes. But I think you are right.

It makes more sense to go to the bookshop first. Agreed. It may be a bit of a struggle to try to get there, though. I assumed. At the very least, this would be good practice for us. Exactly. I'd hate to be in a situation where you need your eyesight and we've been unable to communicate effectively. Don't want you missing any important shots. Right, well, since we have the address, the easiest way would be to take a taxi there. Well, then.

Do we have everything we need? I suppose so. I have my gun. I'll bring the book. It'll be difficult, but we can make do if we've forgotten anything. Alright. Hopefully we can avoid that maintenance man on the way out. Let me know if you see Ed. No sign of him yet. You're almost at the stairs. So, what are we hoping to find? Answers, Arthur. We're both looking for answers. To what questions?

Which questions are you looking for answers to? For me, I want to know why I'm bound to you and how I can become unbound. Watch. Just grab the railing. I'll let you know when we've reached the bottom step. I suppose for me, I want to know the same. That and what you are. What I am, friend, is something you wouldn't believe. I never thought I'd believe any of this. Fair, but I think this is beyond your capabilities right now. Try me.

Are you sure? Yes. If I am to be toting you as a passenger in my body, then I deserve to know what you are and where you come from. What I am isn't as important right now as where I come from. And if you are truly curious, I will do my best to explain.

Please do. All right. That book isn't from this world. It isn't even from this side of the divide. It's from a dark plane of existence. What? Your world. As you know, it is on a singular path. A path? Like a road? No. Think of existence as a singular pathway. From the dawn of your Earth to now, your existence, or the one that you belong to, has followed this path. Like a timeline.

In a way, yes. However, time is not the factor that distinguishes this world. What does? Choices. And these choices change our world? Yes. It causes different versions of this same core world. branches off. Alternate pathways that diverge and cause massive changes to that version of this world. Alright. Look, all of this is only to provide a backdrop to explain that you are from one of these worlds.

Originally, yes, but no. No? No, all of these worlds have one singular exit. Think of it as a collective junkyard for every version of your world that exists. An ultimate end from which there is no return. And what enters that junkyard? Everything that dies. So you're dead? Yes. In my world I died. And then? I entered this dark world.

Along with every other creature that has ever existed, each pulled from their own. Well, that must be chaos. Chaos beyond understanding. How many of these other worlds exist? To count would be pointless. There are worlds that have monsters of legends, worlds that exist billions of years from now, alternate paths that allowed space travel and viruses to affect the entirety of your world. So we don't occupy the same time, meaning it's not 1934 in these worlds as well? No.

As I said, thinking of time linear would only confuse. These worlds are all acting simultaneously, and yet they all exist in varied time. Some billions and billions of years into the future to when the world has been covered twice by dead civilizations. Some over fifty years from now. with pathways that have led to worldwide epidemics. Some even have an ancient past where magic was prevalent. Magic? Yes, look, you wanted to know and I am explaining. I am from the Dark World.

Within that world, I was bound to a book, and that book was somehow brought here to you. So it's possible to bring things from this dark world back. It's possible to return. Yes. And this is why we need to find out how I came back. Stop. What? You've reached the last step. Oh. Are you alright? Yes, I just need to wrap my mind around all of this. Well. Continue straight ahead, past the doors, about 15 steps from where we're standing. Let's head to the street and wave a taxi while you think.

You're about four steps from the doors. Well... What? Nothing. I just... The city is so alive. Was the world you were from like this one? Slow down. You're almost at the street. Oh. A taxi has seen you. He's pulling up. Well? A question for another time, Arthur. The handle is to your left. Main Street, number 23. Hi. The city. The life that exists on every street corner. It's...

So different than the dark world that I thought I would forever call home. What is this dark world? What does it look like? It is a shadow. of all of the worlds that have existed. A dark mirror projecting in twisted forms a horrible vision of what worlds we have come from. It is a prison. Arthur, make no mistake, and I have no intention of ever returning. We're here. How much is the fare? It says 233. Right. Thank you. J.D. Ackerman's rare books.

Looks like the light is on inside. What do we want to ask him specifically? Everything we can about the book. Alright. There, to your left. Yes, that. It's a cozy looking place. Describe it to me. Describe everything to me. Alright. It feels ancient and comfortable. There are massive stacks of books piled all around us. It feels almost claustrophobic. It looks like there's a small wooden desk in the back with an oil lamp on it. I hear a radio. Do you hear that?

Yes, but I... I can't see it. I... I... What? What's wrong? That song. I... I don't recognize it. I don't think I... Quiet. Just let me listen for a second. I don't understand. What don't you understand? I don't recognize it. I do. Well, that doesn't make any sense. I know it doesn't make any sense. We need answers. Head to the desk in the back. I think... It looks like there's a bell on the desk. I hear a movement in the back. Yes, I... Are you okay? Yes, I'm fine.

Let's get some answers. What was that? I don't know. Sounds like something fell over back there. Hmm. What? Nothing. Just the desk looks... messy. Messy? Yes. Everything does seem rather close together. It does feel a bit claustrophobic in here despite me not being able to see it. Odd that a bookstore owner wouldn't be quicker to answer. Odder still that they'd make so much noise.

Come on, where are they? Wait. What? I was going to say I'm not entirely convinced that the person making all that racket works here. They must not have heard the bell the first time. But they heard it that time. Arthur, maybe you should draw your firearm. Croach low and hug your back against the counter. Good. I don't hear any more movement.

What should we, um... Just wait. Listen. I don't hear anything. Me neither. Maybe they left through a back entrance when they heard us here. What should we do? Peek over the counter. Very slowly, just enough so I can see the door leading to the back. Alright, okay. It was to the right of the desk, and we're pretty well covered now. Arthur, get off your ass and follow him right now. Get up! Arthur! We're not following him. What?

Despite my severe lack of ability to follow if he shot and ran as opposed to shooting us dead chasing him would only end badly Did you get a look at his face? It looked like he was wearing a mask. What? What kind of mask? It was pale white. It had eyes, but no mouth. It was... Something about it seemed... Familiar. You've seen one before? I don't remember. Alright, well, I doubt that was the owner. Arthur, relax. That was a close call, but it won't be the last.

So what are we doing here? Looking for information about the book or who sent it to you. Don't tell me that gunshot rattled your nerves so much that you forgot why we're here. Alright. Looks like the place is finally empty. Why don't we take a look around? Get up. Move around the desk. Let's take a look behind it first. I don't know what you... Do you want me to move things around? No. Just stand for a moment and look down.

Where do you suppose the owner is? Possible his body is in the back. Should we call the police? No, not with your partner's body still in your closet. Right. See anything? Nothing that means anything to me. Let's head to the back. There's an open archway to the left of the desk. It looks like it leads to the back.

That person was definitely looking for something. This place is a mess. This isn't a coincidence, is it? It could be. How often do rare bookstores get robbed around here? I'd say pretty close to never. Then I think it's safe to assume that there must be some connection. What are the chances they found whatever they were looking for? I guess unlikely, since they were still looking when we arrived. However, the mess is much bigger than the sounds they made.

So perhaps they were at the tail end and just making sure they had everything they needed. What do you suppose they needed? I don't know, Arthur. It's not likely I'll notice if you keep asking me questions. I have to assume there are no bodies back here based on your reaction. None that I can see, though the mess is substantial. Shall I move around? Yes. Stop. Bend down for a moment. Detribus Militibus. What does it mean? I'm not sure, but it seems familiar. You don't seem to remember very much.

It's difficult when you've lived as long as I. You've been dodgy about answering my questions about who you are from the beginning. Have you forgotten? I told you time works differently for different worlds. The dark world is without time entirely. I have lived lifetimes upon lifetimes over there.

It was all I knew for as long as I could fathom. And now... Now you're here. And now I'm here. So you have forgotten who you are. Or who you were. Yes. Well, for both of our sakes, I hope it comes back to you. There's a desk in the corner. It looks like a bookshelf has fallen over it. Head forward a little bit. No, put... Yes, there. You feel it? Yes. Lift it up. Good. Well done, Arthur. This looks like a writing desk. The owners, maybe. There's a sea of papers on top of it. What? Nothing.

Just pens, papers, various objects, knickknacks, and nothing else. Alright, let's just think for a moment. Let's step back even, okay? Why did we originally come here? We wanted answers on the book, Arthur. Exactly. Now let's find some. Is there anything on the desk that would indicate a catalogue of sorts? Maybe a purchase of sales? I don't... Or even a receipt book? Yes. Yes, there's a book to the left of where your hand is resting.

It says receipts. Well, there we go. Any book that came through here that was purchased or sold or shipped or whatever would be written down or characterized in some way. Let's take a look. Does it say anything about the book? Maybe even an unknown book. Something with a sigil on it. No. Say who shipped it. Nothing. All right. Look, look. Something isn't adding up. Why would someone send me a book from here and not have any record of it existing? We should have followed that man. Relax.

You getting heated isn't going to make evidence suddenly appear. He could have taken something important with him, Arthur, but instead you decided to lie on your ass. Listen. Maybe I was wrong. In what way? I said that it was not likely that someone sending us a book would stamp it if it were the owner, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe the owner did send it. Why do you suddenly think that? He's nowhere to be found.

There doesn't seem to be any mention of it being shipped. Maybe if our friend who ransacked this place was looking for your book... Wrapping it so it looks like any other package... Would be the best way to hide it. Maybe. Maybe. On his desk, is there a Rolodex? A what? It's a metal object that opens. Yes. Where? The back right. All right. There. Oh, it's already opened. Yes. Right, well, I'm going to rotate it. Tell me if you see my name.

Or my partner's name, or even our address. What's your address? 13 Mosby Avenue. Are you ready? Arthur, it's already on your address. What do you mean? The Rolodex. It's been left on 13 Mosby Avenue. But the name isn't yours. It says Roland Cummings. Cummings? Yes. That was the previous tenant. What did he do? The same, I believe. He was a private investigator. We had to take over the lease rather quickly, in fact.

sort of hurriedly needed to leave the city. I always thought it was a bit suspect, but in our line of work, it's not entirely out of the normal. Arthur, do you know what this means? Yes, it means that the owner meant to send the book to Roland Cummings. No, it means whoever tried to sh-

Judas knows your name, where you live, and most assuredly will find the body of your partner if we do not hurry. Look, we can't go back there now. Regardless of what happened, we need to keep moving forward, covering new ground. Arthur. You know I'm right. So, we found everything we can here. I believe so.

Then let's head to the house. Do you remember where it is? Yes, it wasn't that long ago. A week or so, really. It was just our last case. Then I suppose there isn't much time to waste. It's possible if we stay here too long we could run into another patron. Or the police. Right. After all, that gunshot wasn't quiet. Very true. Let's head back out to the street. Move down the block a bit and hail a cab. Okay. Around here. Left. Left. There. So tell me again how you came upon this house.

Yes, right. As I mentioned a week or so ago, we got a job. A missing girl was reported to the police. With cases like this, ones where the parent is especially anxious or the girl is rather young, having all the help the police can get is always beneficial. So they hired you. Peter and I have a special luck with missing persons cases. We took over a few from the previous tenant before us. Roland Cummings, right? No. Well, yes.

You said that Roland Cummings was the previous tenant. You said he hurriedly needed to leave the city. Yes, technically the lease we took was Cummings, but leaving the city hurriedly was only something I heard secondhand. In this game, it's often that a... PI closes down. It's a dangerous line of work. Cummings was the name on the lease that we obtained, but we rented the office from an investigative team named Stone Elijah Strong. Strong.

But he retired early. And you took some cases? Yes, he mentioned him and his partner were working on a few missing persons cases. Did his partner retire also? No. He passed away during the case. Rather horrifically, I gather. In any case, there were a few unsolved ones that he handed off to us, and we successfully dealt with them. So much so that we stuck with it. Missing persons cases, that is. The taxi's pulling up.

And so the McFarland case... Yes, it landed on our laps. We tended to go about them differently than the police, and in any case, a vagrant noticed her bike outside the house, and we had our lead. Where did the lead take you? 58 Pelican Lane. You mentioned that you went in, looked around, saw the symbol, and then called it in. What made you want to call it in before moving in any further? It was Peter, mainly. He felt like we were being watched.

The symbol also, it seemed to chill him to his core. Well. It's worth a look. What's wrong, Arthur? I... I always valued my sight, obviously, as much as one can. But it's quite a different thing to lose it altogether one day. Instinctively, I go to look out the window, try to see the city as I... I know it's out there, but... It's a warm, sunny day, Arthur. The streets are busy with people moving about.

Cars find their way through the spaces and the traffic as the world brims with life. Believe me, I appreciate it enough for the both of us. Yes, I already miss it. Knowing I won't see a loved one's face, and... And... And never mind. The driver is stopping. Here's to a change. Keep it.

Thank you. Well, this is a quiet looking street. Yes, I remember it being particularly quiet as well. I'm sure you can guess why we searched the house. It looks like it's the only one on this street. What's around here? There are a few businesses about ten minutes down the road south of us, and there's a few apartments up the road north, but for the most part, this house is completely on its own.

It's quite odd, really. Why is that odd? Because it's not often houses like this are built up here. They usually are closer to the city centre, especially one as old as this. Well, I suppose we shouldn't delay them. How did you manage to get in? The porch on the front, it wraps around. I'll just... Watch the porch. Seems rather worn. Guide me towards the back, will you? Sure. Step to your right. There's a fallen banister.

Lift your leg. No, higher. Yeah. There. Okay. Big step forward. Good. Okay. Okay. Yes. Good. Now, there should be a... A window, yes. The boards look removed. That's how we made our way in. It was off its nails when we got here too, part of the reason why we thought she may be here. If you put your hands out and move forward, you should be able to feel for it.

So what happened to the girl? Emily? Yes. As I said, they found her in a field. It seems like she was dismembered. Did they find out who did it? No. In fact, there had been a curfew in effect since. Her murder was grisly, to say the least. A friend at the station said that the way she was dismembered was bizarre. How so? I'm not sure. I didn't press. Why? I don't know. I didn't...

I think I could help. Did you even try? What? Did you even try to help? What has gotten into you? Nothing. I'm going to climb in now, alright? If you can calm yourself. We're in. The symbol was by the basement door. I see it. To your right. It's carved in. I can feel the indentations. You were bound to this book. You must have some idea what this means. I don't. Then I suppose we should look downstairs. Do you have a light? I have my lighter, yes. After you.

Well, it's a small, damp basement. The ceiling beams look well-worn. Burns as if from the plumes of wall sconces dot the corners. There are a number of barrels in the corner. The walls look like they're cobblestones, save a bookshelf on the far side. That's it? That's it. It's small. Smaller than the house? By quite a margin. Hmm. Why? I just want to block the wall. Keep your eyes... Wait. What? The bookshelf. It looks open. Open? How... Just move along the wall.

Arthur, it's another small room. This room is much nicer. The walls are smooth plaster and painted. It's dim, but there appears to be a mural. And? And it's... What? It's the symbol on the top of the stairs in the book. It's... It's painted above a creature. What creature? Arthur. I don't know if you want to. Just tell me what you see. Fine. It is an enormous mass which extrudes black tentacles.

slime-dripping mouths and short, writhing goat legs. It is immense and horrific. It is more than death itself. It is a forest of despair filled with a thousand young, and it is an all-consuming, all-devouring end to life as we know it. All that is depicted in the mural? No. How do you know that? I don't know. What is its name? Shobnigraf. Arthur, I am not this creature. How do you know? You don't even remember. We should leave this place.

Agreed. We have a name and we now know what this symbol represents. Maybe there is a library in town that we can research. Yes, yes. There is one in the Miskatonic University that should help us understand. Do you see anything else? No, let us leave. Wait. Yes, I do. It's barely noticeable, but there is a stone in the mural which looks like it can be turned. Where? Reach up. There. Yes. Turn it. Okay.

It's a stone passageway. It leads down. Are we sure we want to head down there? We need to know all that we can about this place and why it's here. And if there's an answer down there, we need to find it. Alright. There's an opening up ahead. It feels much wider down here. It's a cave. A large opening with no apparent exit. What else do you see? Tell me everything.

There looks to be three cages on the ceiling high above. They're chained to the cavern ceiling. There's a stone slab in the center of the room. It looks like it might be sacrificial. God. There's more. At the far end of the room, it looks like there is a stone archway. Where does it lead? Nowhere. It just stands there as if an opening to something, but there's nothing, just stone beyond it. Could it be a... Wait.

What? There are also bones here. Where? Up, past the podium. There's a podium? Yes, before the archway. There looks to be a podium, and behind it there are the remains of what looks to be two people. This? Yes, that's the podium. There's nothing on it? No, why? We have a book, no? You think this could be where it came from? The bodies, how long have they been here?

Years, but I can't tell how many. There is still flesh on their bones. It looks like they struggled and killed each other. The stone beneath them is stained red with their blood. There looks to be a knife. Wait. What? No, one may have killed the other, but the second looks to have deep cuts cleaned through its bones. Wait, he was dismembered? Yes. Emily McFarlane was killed the same way. You think she found this room?

Well, she must have, but why was she here and what was she looking for? And what did she let out? Well, you think she let this creature out? But, no, no, no, it would have had to survive for years in here without anything. Arthur, there are creatures that exist in both your world and mine that you cannot begin to fathom. If there is even the slightest chance that whatever killed this man also killed Emily, that means it has been released. A creature like this has to be stopped.

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