Part 53 "The Black Tower"

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Arthur. Where? I don't know. I can't see anything. I can't move. Where are we? I just told you I can't fucking see. Get me out of here. I don't know where here is. Get me out of here! Shut up! Listen. Dead. Shoveled. Buried. A coffin. We need to get out. Now! Let me out! Push, Arthur! Before there's too much dirt on top to ever get out. Let me out of here, you fucking animals! Push, Arthur! Break the fucking wood if you have to. I am not dying here. Let me out!

It's broken, the wood. Break it more! Break the fucking lid, Arthur! Yes! The dirt is loose. I'm falling inward, but the wood is breaking. Fuck your bloody knuckles! I don't care if you break your fist! Get arse out of here! Burr! Get up! Get up! Him? Where is he? There's a man before us. He's holding a shovel. You mother three. Buried us alive. You. Grab the shovel. You have it. You sick. Fucking... Yes, Arthur! Fuck you! Beat him, Arthur! Beat him to death!

Its blood is all over your arms, your chest, and face. No one buries me. Where the fuck are we? I don't know. You better fucking know. This is your domain. Then you better watch your fucking mouth before I show you what that truly means. I will fucking destroy you, John. Don't you dare speak to me like that again. I'll speak to you. However the fuck I wish to. Now pull up the lighter so I can see where we are.

I don't have a fucking lighter. Do you see anything? Anything? I don't even have clothes. And I'm the one that's blind. Check the coffin. There. In the dirt. Light it. There. There. Arthur. Jesus. Jesus Christ. Christ, John. What? Oh, God. What did I do? I'm sorry. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. I'm so... I don't... Is he... Oh, his head. Arthur, you... We... We severed his head. From the jaw upward. Oh, God. Oh, my...

What is... What is happening? What just... The dark world, Arthur. We're here. It's like I said... This isn't just a place for evil. This is a place of evil. It affects you. It affects us. I didn't even think. I killed him. Without any... We both did. We can't fall. Not now, not yet. We've only just begun, Arthur. This won't be the last innocent death here. Right. Right. Right. Okay. Okay.

This place is... We won't survive it without serious strength. Right. This place will test us beyond anything before. No, this... It's later, it's... It's light. Will it... Will it... Will it last? Snuff it and see. I still feel okay. Same. Same. Okay. You're right. This isn't our world anymore. This isn't even the dreamlands. We're on something else. playing field. Yes. Push the darkest thoughts from your mind. That includes what we've just done. Agreed. Agreed. Alright. We have no clothes.

Did he? No. All right. The blood, it's on me. Yes. Speckled your body and... What? Your left arm has something on it. What? It's a long... scar. It's white. It runs the length of your arm. A scar on my arm? I don't remember. I can feel it. Oh! God, my hands. They're... Bloody... I'm sorry, I... Ouch. I don't remember... Do we still have our other scars? Yes. And you're still here? I am. Why? The manager said we'd appear as we are now. I guess, but...

When you were here before, you... You appeared as the king, right? I did. I guess I just... I don't understand that. Trying to understand this place is like trying to understand... Cain's reasoning. It's just not built around the same logic as the real world. Cain. The manager said we can stop him. We have the means. The ability? We just have to let go. Of what? I don't know. But standing here isn't going to reveal that. Agreed. I don't know what kind of timeline we have, but...

It seems like the manager had a way to slow Cain, maybe. But if we don't stop him... Everything is at stake now. I know. So...

Where are we? A basement of some sort. Dirt walls. Three graves. Three? Yes. Ours was in the middle. The other two are empty. Although ours has a headstone. Does it say our name, or... No. It's tarnished. But it doesn't look like the words Arthur Lester. A way out. A circular stairwell leading up. All right. Should we take the shovel? No, let's just leave. It looks like there's light ahead. Okay. Well, ahead, the stairway continues, but there are bodies. Bodies?

Hung from the ceiling as the stairwell continues to turn upward. A winding circular staircase. And dozens of bodies are hung from the rafters all the way up. Their naked, dirt-covered skin is ashy, like the man in the basement. Their feet hang roughly at the height of our shoulders. You'll need to move through them. Right. Fuck. Fuck. The wall is careful. The wall cut me. What?

I didn't notice through the corpses, but the walls are studded with sharp iron hooks to either side of the staircase. Hunks of rotted flesh appear sporadically. Caught within the hooks. We're still heading up. These stairs are uneven in the walls. This isn't man-made. The walls are stone, but... Not of any design you'd recognize. These bricks weren't laid by hand. The stone is almost one piece. One piece? Yes. There are windows up ahead. Here.

Stop. Push one of them. Yes, there. Push that body aside. Let me look out the window. Watch the hooks. There, there. We're high up. I can't see much. There are thorny black roots covering the window, but we're high up. A tower. Of sorts. Wait, wait, wait. I touched a body. But you didn't... You didn't get a vision. No. I'm dead. Let's... reach the top of this tower. You must remember some things here. Have you been here before?

I do, but the dark world is not a landscape that is navigable. Or if it is, it is so vast that it is not something one could map. I've never seen a black tower as this appears to be. And I was here for a long time. But you've seen buildings. They're not- The dark world was not built. But birthed, maybe. The geometry of buildings, the landscape itself, it's not man-made. It's as if it were grown.

This tower has undoubtedly sprouted up from the ground and will be kept up by the sheer density of the rock. Not by any architectural designs. You know that. That's how all... of the dark world is. The walls do appear to be leaning quite substantially. It's becoming difficult to avoid these hooks. Steady. I think we're near the top.

There are no hanged men ahead. The light comes from above. We're almost there. Here, here. Careful. The final steps to the top of the tower. Stop here. Oh, Jesus. Is this the top? Yes. It's sloped. And falls directly off the ledge. There are five thin pillars holding up a stone roof. Grab one of them to steady yourself. I need to look around. Okay. Okay. Here, here. A little further. There, there. All right.

What do you see? I cannot see what's below the tower directly, but I do see that we are circled in a mountainous range. Past there is a grey haze that I cannot see beyond. The mountains? Snow peaked or are they- No, Arthur. I don't think you understand. There is no snow here. No vegetation. There's no color. The mountains that surround us are like that of the hardened skin of some prodigious beast. Corpulent.

And studded with massive stony thorns. Black. Like all that is black here. An ashy, pallid black. The tower is bent. And crooked. Like the rocky protrusions that dot the landscape that surrounds. Atop the mountains are thousands of carcasses. With large, standing wooden stakes driven through them. Like scarecrows. There is no light here. There is no sun. No moon. There is only the ever-present gray dusk. Always. In every direction. This world, it's not hell.

It's not designed for torture nor punishment. This land is death. Incarnate. I understand now why you feared this place so greatly.

Did you see a way down? The tower itself is covered in thick black roots. There are thorns all over, but from what I saw through the window below, they are far enough apart that we could avoid them. We can climb down from here. Right. It would be dangerous. Well, there must have been some way the man entered.

Maybe we missed a door on the stairs. It's possible, but I wouldn't count on any of the logical conclusions that served us so well previous here. It is entirely possible that this tower has no door whatsoever. Then how did he get us here? We may have always been here. He is well. Right. Right. In that case, I... I don't want to risk being stuck in this tower. Then... Then down. To the outside. Eight slopes. We'll have to...

Well, let's climb down the side that's leaning away from us, rather than... Right. Right. Okay, well... Then turn around and... This... Yeah. Yes. Okay. We'll need to get back up. It'll be a steep edge. You'll need to climb up almost on your stomach until the edge of the tower, then turn around. Yes. Turn around and hang your feet over. Until they... You know, let's get to the edge, and then you can look down and see. Yes, yeah, yeah. Oh, the lighter. I... I... I'll need my hands, so...

Maybe your mouth? Yeah. Okay. Okay. The top is sloped. We want to head up to the edge of the tower. Rather than down the... Yeah. Yes, yes, that way. There's not much to grab onto here. Nor at the edge. We plan to go over, but... But the vines are peeking over the lip of the tower. You'll need to... Yes, yes. There, there. You're almost at the edge. The black rock is covered in an ashy dust. It makes it easy to slide across. There, there, there, okay. We're at the edge. Pull yourself up.

and let me look over the edge down the tower. Ow, fuck. The vines here are much sharper, smaller than the vines I saw at the window below. Jesus. It's quite a ways down, but we'll be fine. Okay, the vines grow thicker the farther down they go. Thorny, black like... Tendrils. They cling to the side of the tower. Reach over. Give them a test. Pull. They don't seem to move. All right.

How far? Too far. We'll just take it one step at a time. Do you see the base now? Yes. It looks as though there are brambles, a sea of thick leafless bushes surrounding the base. Beyond that, the Ring of Mountains. Okay, let's turn around, throw your feet over, and we can feel for the vines. Yeah, how hard are the thorns? The ones below are thick. And sharp. Yeah. But that means they'll hold your weight. As long as we move slowly over the... small ones on top. They're...

Like bombed wire. Like bombed wire. Yeah. There's a metal nail here. A spike between the vines as if... A metal nail. Iron, yes. Oh, it hangs down quite an impressive distance. It might be a rope. A rope? Yes, I think. Someone else scaled down. Maybe. Once long ago. It's to the left of your hand. Here? Yes, yes, there. Pull that. It's... Oh. Oh, that's attached to an iron stake in the stone. It feels greasy. Oh. Hair. Human hair. Yeah, but...

It'll hold me. It might save you from some of the thorns. Alright. Just bite down on the lighter. If... When. The thorns bite. All right, Arthur. Turn around. Throw your legs over the side and... Brace yourself. Okay. Okay. Okay. You've done it. You're over. Just shimmy down over the vines. Just push through the pain. Snagged onto... Oh, Jesus. Yes, okay. You'll need to... A thorn is preventing you from... It's caught on you. There. There. Sorry.

Okay, over the side. Just, there's nothing to do about it. Look, the vines here are just covered in thorns. They are further apart below. Just grin and bear it. Yes, Arthur. Push through. There, there. The hair, you can grab it now. Okay. Okay, that's better. Use your feet. Push yourself off the wall. Repel. Good. Good. Slowly. You can feel for the spots with less thorns with your feet. Better than I can see them.

Take your time. We have all the time we need. The brambles far below are maze-like. A sea of dead rushes. In dry dirt. Arid and dusty. It'll be difficult to navigate through them, but... We'll find a way. We always find a way to... Horvath! No! The hair! The lighter! It's at its end! Arthur, hold on, Jesus! Grab the lines! The lighter! I dropped it! It's fine. It's below. Somewhere in the brush. We need that lighter! Arthur, it's okay.

What the fuck happened? I didn't notice the hair had ended. I'm sorry. Well, you're my fucking eyes. I'm sorry. What? It ends in a scalp. Fuck. As if the hair was cut off of someone's head. We'll just climb down the rest of the way. Yeah. Yeah, we'll climb. And then we'll get the lighter. No matter how long it takes. We'll find it. The vine's thicker. Almost like a ladder. It'll be- What was that? What? Did you hear that? No. On the wind! Listen! A bow? Why?

Move carefully and slowly. They're farther apart now, like you said. Thankfully. How are your feet? Look at my hands. Your hands? They're covered in the blood. That my feet are leaving on the vines. See? See? Between the coffin and the thorns. The vines. They're not doing too... They're moving. What? A creature, Arthur. What? Seamlessly moving beneath the vines. It bit you. And you've thrown it below.

I see others moving. Other vines. Stretching. They're not all vines. Thousands of spindly legs on a black carapace. Like that of an arachnid or centipede. They wind their way through the maze of vines toward us. They must smell the blood. It bit my fucking hand! Move, Arthur! Fuck! Climb! Faster! There! There! Almost! Look at its body!

Fuck! Into the dirt. It's almost sand-like. But we've avoided the bushes. Oh, they're coming. Yes, still. Move! The lighter. We need the lighter. We will just move! Here, here, here! They... They're... They're not entering the dry brambles. They're...

Retreating. Back up the tower. Why? Makes it difficult to see. But there's movement on the other side. We can move around toward them. To the right. Just stay silent. He's hunched over, curled up into a ball, clotheless, hairless, ashy white skin like the wheezing man who buried us. His legs are tucked up toward his chest. As he opens the lighter and closes it. Again. And again. Stay quiet. When I say, lunge forward and wrestle it from him. Three. Two. One.

Wait, wait, wait. A large figure has emerged from the bushes on the opposite side. The man wearing an elongated mask with a pointed nose. Dressed in black, wields a large metal pole. His expression is hidden behind the reflective eyes of the mask. And on his back is a large iron canister. Man with our lighter stares at him. Frozen. Almost... confused. The Lord's figure is beating him to death! With the pole, Arthur!

Our lighter! It's fallen! Grab it! Further! Further! There! You have it! We have it! We... He turns to us. The naked man is dead. His cock is flattened. And the large figure stands staring at us as the blood dripping from his paw pools quietly in the sand. Only stairs. He's lifting his weapon, Arthur! Move! Move! What is that? Jesus! Dozens more men, Arthur!

Naked and like the one that held our lighter. They've emerged from the brambles to our left, scurrying through this small clearing as if running from... The large figure swipes at them. Hitting some! This is hunting! Arthur, we're among them! Move! Where? They run on all fours, scurrying like animals! Where, John? They're heading right! Follow! Through the brush! You're running alongside them. They move as if part of a pack. The masked man continues to kill them in the clearing behind us.

Savagely beating them as we leave. Is he still following? Yes. He's hunting them, but... Run! Which way? Are we still... We're breaking off. Some hang away from the tower's base. Others continuing through the bushes. Just run! The naked humans scurry every which way. There's no... They're thinning out, Arthur. But the large hunter still pursues. Fuck. Fuck. There's a drop ahead of us. Slide down it. Quickly.

practically alone. Is he? No. Listen. He's still following. There's one other man down here with us. He's moved to the right, towards the base of the tower, scurrying behind some bushes. Follow him. It's the base of the tower. A small grouping of bushes and... A den of sorts behind them. Carved from the dry earth. Or perhaps natural. It's hollow. Large enough to enter and stand in and well hidden.

I don't see him. Hello? It's not that deep, either. It's just... Hello? There! There! Clambering up the back wall in fear. His face toward the dirt. He paws at it like an animal. I'm not your enemy. I just need a place to hide. I'm one of you. He doesn't turn around. I can't see his face. He claws at the wall as if unaware it won't move. He's naked, his skin covered in sores and scabs as if... Roaring. The nails on both of his hands have been ripped off ages ago. And our open wounds...

leaving black, rotten pieces of flesh on the dirt walls as he continues to tear at the earth. Jesus! Oh, the smell is... He's followed us down the drop. Into the ditch. Fuck. Shh. Quiet. Quiet. The man quiets. He's not... There's no way out of here. It's only a small recess, barely large enough for five men. If he finds us... We run. He's entering. Jesus Christ, Arthur, he's coming! Where? Move, Arthur, quickly!

Move to... Where, goddammit? We can't. He's blocked the entire entry. There's no... Fuck. Fuck. There's no way past. What do we do? Arthur to the back. What do we... Beside the man! He enters, crouching through the opening which must be seven feet tall. He stands, backlit by the outside grey light. His face... hidden behind the glass lenses of the mask. Arthur, I... What do we do? I don't... What do we do? He extends his pole, moving it forward as if... pointing at us with it. And...

It's spraying us, Arthur. With a dark brown, foul-smelling liquid. What is... It's... Wretched! What is... What is that? Tastes like tar and ammonia and... Arthur! The man next to you! What? Move! Eat! What? Move away! Quickly! Fuck! Fuck! The liquid that large masked man sprayed upon you and the naked man seems to be affecting him. His skin burns and... Sizzles! The liquid eating large holes into his body as the man screams! Jesus! It's not affecting us at all! The large man just...

Watch as the other burns. Jesus Christ! His body. It slumps forward onto its knees. As if praying. The liquid. Jesus, Arthur, it's... It's eating away at his face, his yellow bones exposed and... Fuck! ...falling out. Fuck! His jaw hangs for a moment by a stringy piece of flesh before... Falling from his face. He's fallen over. Into a wet pile of skin and bones. Flesh. And wet innards. The masked man doesn't look away. His attention's still firmly fixed on the dead man. Can we leave?

Squeeze past. Yes, to the exit. I think so. We run. We... What? The dead man. The pile of gore in... It moves. A bulge rises from the back. It moves through the body. Beneath it like a creature hiding beneath a rug. It moves to the head of the dead man. The man's head moves and from the open wound that was once the man's mouth emerges up. A fur-covered creature. Like a rat, but multiple eyes. Six limbs. It looks around. And...

Seize the masked man and runs! Towards Arthur! The masked man stomps it. To death. What the fuck? He turns to us. Please, please, please. I don't, I don't, I'm not. I'm not! I'm not! What are you then, if not a rat? That was no rat! He stares at us, unmoving. Please! I only wish to leave this place. And leave. He... He turns. And leaves the cave. What? Arthur, I... Follow him. Right, right, right. He's outside. Wait! In the ditch already. Wait! He stops.

And turns. What? Who are you? A rat catcher. A rat catcher? And that man in there... Was... A rat. He's leaving again. Look, please! You're the first person I've spoken to since... He cocks his head to the side slightly. I just... I need to know where to go. The tower was... He turns his head up toward the tower. You came from tower? I did, yes. They wanted to keep you there. Yes, but I can't... Keep you safe. Safe? Keep you... dead. I'm not dead. We are all dead.

He walks away. Wait! Please! Stop! You stop it. Look, just... Why would they want to keep me dead? Ask them. And where... Look, look. Tell me how to leave this... area. This... tower. Why? Why? Why not? Why... He cocks his head again. He hears... the bell. You hear that too? He doesn't react. He turns and begins walking up the hill. What does it mean? What does the bell mean?

I hear no bell. You heard it. You heard the bell. It is no bell for me. Well, I heard a bell. Then you should follow. Why? Something wants your attention. Well then where? Which direction? He stops. And points. That way? He doesn't react. He simply turns around again. And walks through the bushes. So long. Ratcatcher. He's gone. Disappeared into the bushes.

The bell. I don't know. But whatever that thing was inside the man, it wasn't. It lunged for us, Arthur. It wanted you. And there are many of those around here. We need to move. Okay, okay. But... There. The bell, listen. What's its direction? The right, right? Yes, the right. The right catcher? Pointed the opposite. Fuck. Was he responding to us, though? I don't know.

Look, the tower could be bouncing the sound of the bell off, too. I mean, we were up in the tower. Where did you hear it from when we were climbing the tower? I don't know. I'm all turned around. I have no idea. Okay, okay. Fair, fair. Well, do you want to follow the direction the rat catcher pointed? Or the way it sounds like the bell is ringing from?

The rat catcher. He's... He was responding to us. Even if it's not the bell's direction, it's surely a way forward. Very well. There's no time to waste.

Yes, let's move. I'll have to navigate you carefully. I'll use my hand as well I can feel. Here, see? Yes. Right now. Left. Left still, I think. Some cannot be saved. Some don't want to be saved. Right. Right here. The manager said only those who want help. This lighter, it... It cleared our head, even when we weren't near it. I too felt the fog lifted in the tower basement. And it's yet to return. It's nothing. Keep moving. Left. Here. Others belong here. The rat catcher. May very well.

Straight ahead. We're approaching the mountain range. I have so many questions. So many thoughts rattling around my mind. But to what end? What do you mean? I can't afford to be distracted now. I can't afford to be thinking about what else may be here. Or who else? Exactly. Just, we need to stay focused. As you said before. As I said. I think... Yes, Arthur, there's a break in the mountain that surrounds us. A small covered path through to what lay beyond. That must be where we need to go.

Very well. We're sure it's not a cave. I can see the dim grey light of the sky beyond. Here. Careful. The passage is large. The stones that support the roof of this natural covered canyon jut out like thin teeth, needle-like and hollow. And pointing straight down. If one of those stones were to fall as we pass, we'd be skewed to the earth. Perhaps that's what those bodies were skewed with.

The ones you saw atop the mountain from the tower. Though I don't know who would put them there. Perhaps the mountain itself feeds on them. luring unsuspecting bodies into its domain and driving spikes up through the ground as they walk. And these spikes now are right above us. and about ten feet long. This mountain looks as if it were once alive, and there's no certainty to say that it isn't still.

Or if it isn't the spine emerging from some buried beast in slumber. Precisely. Well then, let's be sure not to wake it. Oh, Jesus, Arthur. We've passed through the rock archway and the land laid before and below us. What do you see? Beyond this stone mountain pass is a large, flat field. Clouds of grey move across it, as if walking the field. Clouds? Similar, but no. And not mist, either. The clouds are too small to... Smoke? Yes, I think so. But... We stand higher than the field.

Atop a small ridge that slopes down into what looks like a large, long, horizontal ditch that runs the length of the field. A... trench. A trench. The field is filled with barbed wire and metal obstacles as if to prevent us from... No man's land. A no man's land. I've... Heard stories from those who... The bell! Yes, I hear it too. It comes from across the field, doesn't it? It does. Well, I suppose we...

Slide down. Arthur, wait. That's... That's not all. What? Walking the fields. Between the clouds of grey smoke are these... Beings. They must be 15 or 20 feet tall. Their bodies bony and thin. But they are not human. What? They move across the no-man's land, armless, with multiple spindly legs. Not like an arachnid, but more akin to a large crustacean. Though the legs are very thin, upon their heads, instead of their heads, is a large directional lantern. It scans.

snowman's land as they move through it. As if... a spotlight. Searching. How... How many of these are there? The smoke makes it difficult to get a representation of how far these fields stretch, but I see at least four of these creatures. And the smoke, how far continues on forever. a long time all right well the bell is our only hope right now how close are the lanterns far enough for now in fact

Closest seems to be in a field past the one before us. Well, let's take this one step at a time. All right. Slide down. Carefully. We've made it into the trench. Oh, it's wet. Yes, the bottom few inches are filled with water and blood. I don't want to know. Is there a way through to another trench? Hopefully on the far side of no man's land. None that I can see. This trench goes on forever.

I don't see a way around. Alright. Are you sure about this? Do you see another way forward? It's the only path I see. Well then what choice do we have?

Up and over. Up and over. Here, here. Grab me. There, there. There's a piece of wood by your right hand. Right there. There. Further. There. Right. Use it to hoist yourself up. And over them. And up. Jesus. Oh, Jesus. What? What? This snowman's land is a minefield of detritus, spotted by abandoned machines and metal razor wire as tall as us. But the land... The earth, the mud beneath our feet, is filled with faces. Faces of the fallen.

We stand upon them. They are grim. Unmoving. The death masks of a thousand dead. There's no way to avoid them. It's as if the earth had swallowed them up, burying them alive. All but their upward bent faces. Oh, fuck. Let's move. I don't know. Keep moving. John, tell me that's... I hear it too. But I don't see anyone. The faces. Oh fuck. Below. Jesus. The sea of faces they speak. Some in whispers, others muttering as if to themselves. A cacophony of quiet noise.

Regrets. Unwritten missives. Disregarded orders. God. Unfulfilled dreams. The faces, they... They speak to no one. The Lantern Creatures are... Still far enough away. In fact, it seems like there's another trench up ahead separating this field from the one the Lantern Creature currently searches within. Then we... We keep... Moving, I guess. Do you hear that? Yes, I hear all of them, John, and I'm trying not to. One of the faces. Oh, God. Brother. Here, here, here. By our feet.

It's me. Arthur, I... Who? He isn't wearing a mask. Get away from me. Kellen, no. Get away from me. Kellen just... His face is covered in mud. Barely above the surface. Dirt fills his nostrils. And all that I can see is the muddy frame of his face. Fine. Fine. Wait. Wait. It's you. Why did she choose you? Why? I... I don't know. Kellen, I... Oh, my... In my life I wanted to matter. I wanted to be special. Kellen... I... I wanted what she had. So much I tried to take it.

I wanted a gift to come to me. But it didn't. And I killed her. I'm sorry. I don't know. Arthur, he sinks further. No, no, no, come back. The lanterns continue their search. Arthur, one approaches this side of no man's land. Don't be sorry. You gave me a gift that day. I did. Arthur, the lantern-headed creature. It begins to stalk this way. As if on patrol to... You picked me. You picked my car. You made me feel...

Wanted. For the first time in my life. You're... You're not angry with me. What is there to be angry at? You're dead now. His eyes go under, only his mouth remains, but... Arthur! We should move, we... we... Sue. He'll put you in the ground, too. Who? I can't hear you no more. But he'll find you. Arthur, Kellen, who? He found Auror. Who, Kellen? Arthur, he's gone. Arthur, the lantern creature in. Arthur, stop!

This massive spotlight is on us. Breathed in the amber light of the being as it looks down on us. God. Jesus it. Up close this entity is made of... Twisted metal. Like rusted wire spun around meaty flesh. Though I can't see it fully beneath its... skin. The multiple legs stretch out, spread wide as if ready to pounce, but it doesn't seem to be reacting any further. I... I don't know if it can't see us while we remain still, but... Arthur, stop. Be silent. It cranes its neck down.

closer it's near impossible to see into but within it looks like an impossible brightness A light composed of wisps, strings almost, and beyond. Contorted and stretched. Faces. Elongated and melding together. Faces screaming in agony and terror. I... I can't stop. Looking, it's beautiful. Arthur, Arthur. Oh, Jesus. Oh, God, Arthur, your skin. The light is causing pieces to crisp and... Peel away. The light, it's burning your skin. Just hold on a little. The creature, it turns away.

In the direction of the bell. It's back. Let's move. Move quickly. Toward the farther trench. Arthur, I'm so sorry. The light within it was... Is it? Does it seem... No! It moves on as if uninterested completely. I... I couldn't look away, Arthur. Within the lantern it was... As if looking into a million souls. All crying in fear and pain and... It was... Beautiful. Oh, my skin is... Fuck. Jesus, Arthur, your left shoulder is charred black. How did you... Wire, wire. Move around to the left.

Wait, no. No, the right. God damn it. Just keep moving. This place. This hell. I'm sorry. Arthur, the trench! Arthur. I can't. I can't. You can. I can't. You... I can't... let this place... win. Yes. It's so easy to let it. Believe me, I know. You still don't recognize anything? No. Nothing yet. No familiar feelings. Not since the lighter. Not since the lighter. A citadel of bones.

I-I forgave you. I still forgive you for whatever you had to do here. Right. But it may be pertinent to tell me now. And now that we're stuck here. I-I... Everything. You know, you held this secret close for a long time. Hunting? Murdering? Yes. I don't mean to downplay it, John. These are awful things, but... I guess I'm... I'm a little surprised at how stoutly you kept that secret from me. If that's all it was.

I mean, Oscar. Eddie. Faust. We've both done some truly terrible things. We have. And I'm... I guess I'm having trouble understanding why this was so important to keep secret. It wasn't only these things I did here, Arthur. I want to explain something to you. I don't know how, but... Arka! A man down the trench! A soldier! He aims again! Move! Run Arthur! Down the trench! The trench is higher here!

Impossibly high to climb! Keep moving! A soldier was wearing a gas mask, but a cloak, but a black webbing uncovered him. His eyes behind the mask! His eyes shone red. Fucking... Where are we? Here! Here! Left! Where? Left! Again! Again! Here! Here! There's an opening into a... a bunker! Yes! A bunker, yes! Wooden slats run vertical along the walls, supporting wood beams that hold back the compacted dirt above.

Melted pools of wax reveal long-burnt candles. As you move in, it grows darker. I can... Yes. Straight ahead. The hallways here are maze-like and labyrinthian-ly. If we stay quiet, we may not drop... He's coming. Run! Keep your left hand on the wall, Arthur. Run! Is this... Callan sent a man with... This must be. He's hunting us. A door. We're in a small room. Bunkmen slide in the walls. A way out. I don't... A way out! I don't see one! Back! Back! To the right of the door. Move!

When he enters, when he enters, just grab his gun and wrestle him to the floor. We can take him if we... Wait, wait, wait, here, here.

Here he comes. Get ready. Get ready. Now! The Lighter Arthur! Yes, Arthur! He still has his guns on! Fuck it! You are his mask, Arthur! Grab it! There's no one! Arthur, his face is covered in the black webbing his body is. His cheeks are covered in sticky patches of rotten flesh. The lighter is off to our right. I can barely make out. Arthur! His knife! His knife! He has a trench knife in his belt.

Yes. He holds you back, but you can reach it. He gnashes his teeth. His eyes are red with blood and... Wait. Wait. Wait. Forget the knife. Grab the lighter. The lighter? Yes. Yes, grab it. Shine it in his eyes. Where? To the right, to the right. Now. Get off. Quick. What? What? He scurried back, pushing his back against the room's wooden pillar. Light! Light! What? What? The light. Some... Some can be saved. Saved? The red from his eyes departs, Arthur. The bloodlust sated.

He sees clearly. What? Clearly? How did you know? How did you know he could be saved? I didn't. I didn't. But we had to try. Had to try. On him. Now. Why? Why? Because I recognize him. What? Frederick. Frederick? Who is... Marie's son. Marie? I saw his portrait in the locket she gave us. His face was like hers, but... I remembered his eyes. My... My... Mother... Do you... What... What is this? What's happened? What... You...

This place... This is a dark world. It... It corrupts us. Stop. His face makes a pained expression. One sewn in with realization. Of what he's done. Of what he's become. Who are you? My name is Arthur Lestra. I knew your mother. I knew her for a brief time, but I knew her well. She spoke lovingly of you. The man's face remains stern, but he fights against reacting. I can't explain everything, but... I never came back.

You died in the Great Wall. I did. I'm sure you have questions. I mean, there's so much to... Is she okay? Once you've had no time, is she okay? She is. She's strong. I was going to write her.

These bunkers are not safe. Then we need to move. I have... I have to leave this place. The fields? No. Well, yes, but the dark world. leave hell, boy. I must. I've... I'm being guided by a bell. I've heard no bell. Well then, can you show me the way out? A way past the wall? He looks sternly at himself, the black webbing still thick on his uniform. You can come with me. You can leave this place. There's no leaving this place. This is the only thing I remember.

That's not true. You remember your mother. You remember... I will never leave the war. The war will never leave me. Okay. Well then, please just show me the way. He nods quietly. This way. He passes us and heads down the hallway. Follow! I have not been beyond the wall. I have killed men who have come from that direction. And? And they are rotten. Infested. A blight covers that land. Here, here. Without turning around, he hands you his gas mask.

Take the jungle from one of the hooks up ahead. Thank you. He moves through, nervously watching the corners as he enters each subsequent room. What do you mean a blight? A rot. A sickness that grows on the skin. I know not how it affects them, but the ones I killed were hollow husks of men. We've entered a small room with clothes, boots, and dust-covered jackets. Arthur! Oh, thank God.

He stops for you to get dressed. Thank you. Thank you, Frederick. What is that? What? He looks to our arm. Like scratch on our left forearm. I didn't notice with the muck and blood, but... Oh. The white of it looks like it almost glows in the darkness against the flame of our lydra. I... I don't know. A scratch. His eyes tightened slightly. I know little about the lands beyond. But I have heard one name. The Dollmaker. The Dollmaker?

They are said to harvest hair in fields and eyes from trees. I know nothing but stories, save one fact. They seek out the unique and interesting. His eyes fall to our arm. That is both. I suggest you keep it hidden. Happily. The jumpsuit is tight, but... It should keep out the mud and protect us. Let's go. The exit is not far. He leads us again through the hallways. Wherever this bell leads you, be cautious and careful.

Nothing in this place wants to help. Although... the light is certainly special. It is. I see light up ahead. The dim grey of the outside again. We never would have found this without him. Frederick, thank you. Do not thank me. The Blight is death. I have no belief that mask will work against it, but it's your best shot. In. Leave it in this place. He says the last part with a heavy doubt in his voice. I have to try, Frederick. Everything depends on me. Your mother as well.

In that case, I wish you all the luck in the world. You're sure you don't want to come? He looks back. The direction we came. No. I need to go back and help mine. I was... I was just following orders. Thank you, Frederick. Thank you, Arthur. He goes to leave. Put on the mask, I suppose. Right. Oh! He stopped. Arthur. Yes? If you do manage to escape this place. Would you tell my mother? Tell her that I love her. And that I owe her everything.

Of course. Ender. Make sure you write to her. I promise. I will. Godspeed, Arthur. Godspeed.

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