The Masks of Nyarlathotep: Australia pt 3

Extracts from the Personal Diary of John Jamil Zwaiter

16 February 2009 continued (game time)

It was about two hours before we were ready to search for Eliza. People had stopped shooting at us, the sand storm had died away and the Living Wind had left but Marshall and Muldoon were also missing. Marshall reappeared quite soon, looking haggard, and we found Muldoon after about an hour. He was very pleased to see us. I'd hope that Eliza might also reappear but there was no sign of her. The obvious place to look next was where the shots had come from. Sandbags surrounded this position and we could not see what was behind them.

We headed towards there warily, keeping behind cover as far as possible. The ground was open immediately in front of the sandbags but we managed to reach them without anything happening. We went over the barrier and could now see what was there. There were parked vehicles, some JCBs and small trucks, all covered in tarpaulins, and a mound with an oval hole in one side. There was no sign of people now. Marshall went up to the hole and saw that there was a ramp going downwards into darkness. There was suddenly a gun shot from below followed by several more. We could not walk or run down that ramp so we had to find another way in.

Fatima had turned into an incredible source of information on Yithians, Living Winds and this place. It must be an after effect of using the mind exchange machine. I hoped her knowledge was still up to date! Her advice was that there must be another way into the underground complex that she knew was beneath us. The Yithians had used the Living Winds as air conditioners after winning a war against them. She said that the Living Winds were still there (I definitely agreed with her) and must have a different route in and out. She and Muldoon were sure this was about five miles north-east from us. The danger of going into a tunnel containing a Living Wind, as oppose to men with guns, was something we didn't really think about. We just hoped the tunnel would be empty.

Marshall and Ginger drove our SUVs to where Muldoon had seen a Living Wind land. We walked around to find the hole and Marshall and Fatima stumbled across it first. There were marks in the sand and the hole itself was about 50 feet across. It looked funnel-shaped with a slope leading to a dark hole that could be vertical and of unknown depth.

We brought a truck as close as we dared and used the winch on it to supply a rope. Marshall went into the hole first and reached the bottom before the rope ran out. The rest of us followed him down. We had electric torches so we could see some distance ahead. There was a tunnel about 50 feet across going in two directions, but one was blocked. Apart from us, it was completely quiet.

We started walking in the only direction possible. The air was perfectly fresh but the atmosphere of the place was alien. We had been walking for a short time when Marshall said there was something ahead. I did not welcome this news. In fact, it made me feel very uneasy. I got my amulet out as we switched the torches off. There was a breeze coming towards us, then a stronger wind. I expected that it was another Living Wind so I brandished the amulet, but nothing happened. A strong blast of air came towards us that buffeted and bruised me. I tried the amulet again and then again. The wind died down and then there was a screeching noise heading away from us. It had finally got the message! James managed to heal some of the damage I'd taken, and we continued along the tunnel.

We soon came across a large hole in the floor, with Muldoon and Marshall convinced they could hear another Living Wind. Marshall spotted that there was a lever on the wall and together they were able to close off the hole so keeping the danger sealed away.

The tunnel went on and on in a straight line. Finally we saw light ahead. We turned the torches off again, although kept looking out for any more holes in the floor.

We came to a junction with three passages branching off at about 60 degrees from each other. None of the light was sunlight. One tunnel had man-made electric lights and cables. Another was illuminated by a steady yellow glow from something else. We chose this tunnel.

About a quarter of a mile later we emerged into a hexagonal plaza about a mile across. The ground itself was emitting light. There were buildings within the space, many of them damaged. Fatima pointed out one with dark streaks on it that were from water. Marshall and Muldoon clambered up and refilled all our water bottles.

In some way Fatima knew the geography of this place and said that there was a blue plaza due south and a red one to the southwest. We needed to head back south to go in the direction of the first hole. We therefore retraced our steps to go along the tunnel with electric lights. There were tyre tracks in it from normal tyres.

We reached an unlit branch heading southwest and took this because it was in the direction we wanted to go. There were doors along it, some open. We looked into one chamber and it contained strange furniture much too big and heavy for a person but suitable for a Yithian. Fatima had been telling us about them as we walked. They could easily reach up eighteen feet but had difficulty touching the ground. She recognised several artefacts in here including a lightning gun so large that to use it a human would have to kneel or sit and balance it on a knee; a tabula rasa that could wipe or enhance memories; a washing machine-sized stasis cube and a fifteen foot high databank containing scrolls made of a mineral. We decided to take the lightning gun with us in case it still worked.

We continued for a further half mile and eventually reached a tunnel lit by electric light. Marshall went ahead to check the route. He saw something move ahead, maybe a person, retreating through a door into another chamber. He, Fatima and Freddie went in there, armed with a shotgun, light and axe. There were human footprints on the floor and they found an emaciated, naked man hiding. He spoke English, was called Dave and was very confused about how long he had been there. From what he said, he had seen terrible things done to people. We left him there and walked on.

Fatima told us that we should go to the purple plaza where an American had been perverting the place for his own purposes. I have no idea how she suddenly knew about current events. She led us purposefully along a dark tunnel. A strange spicy odour started to waft towards us, very distinctive but like nothing anyone recognised. We came into another, small cavern. Part of the floor had collapsed and there were fine cables running across it. The ceiling was about 100 feet above us.

We immediately thought about spiders partly because Dave had mentioned them. Marshall noticed that some of the cables were vibrating and then Freddie spotted a spider the size of an elephant! That was very unfortunate because he turned out to have a phobia about spiders and ran away screaming. Although I am not normally worried by spiders, this one, and the events of the day, finally got to me and drove me insane. I could not move or speak and was a sitting duck. Immediately afterwards Fatima was hit by a ball of spider fluid that wrapped round and immobilised her.

Fortunately, Marshall, James and Muldoon were still there. Marshall scrambled for the lightning gun that Fatima had dropped into the rubble. James and Muldoon shot at it, doing a bit of damage. Marshall finally used the lightning gun and I managed to move again and shot at it with my shotgun. James ran out of the way of the spider. We damaged it, but not enough to incapacitate it, and it scuttled away into the darkness. We regrouped in the lit corridor. We managed to extricate Fatima from the stuff but it took ages. By that time Freddie and James had pulled themselves together. However, I did not regain my power of speech and was unable to speak from now onwards. This had problems and benefits.

We walked on and Fatima told us more about the Yithians including that they did not worship any gods and as a consequence were not part of the Cthulhu mythos. Then, seeing a purple glow ahead, she said that we were approaching the Purple Dome Plaza. This was half a mile across. The route from our tunnel sloped very steeply downwards. Fatima said that there were five more entrances to the plaza.

In the centre there was a purple hemisphere, pulsing softly with cables for electric lights leading to it. All the light in the huge space came from the dome. As we looked around we spotted human bones on the ground and light in some of the other passageways. It was all very spooky.

We decided to walk to our left around the perimeter. As we walked we began to see statues near one side of the dome. There was a massive one of a bat-like creature as well as smaller ones.

As I looked at it the awfulness of our situation over-whelmed me. We were deep underground in the middle of hostile men, creatures and environment. The atheist Yithians, despite all their technology, long lives and existence for hundreds of millions of years, had been exterminated by the creatures that were now ranged against us. Mere humans had to be doomed for extinction even more quickly. The only way to be on the winning side today and survive for a time was to worship the creatures, the Sand-Bat.

These thoughts were unlike myself, an optimistic person who had never thought that religion was a good idea. As I thought more I realised that I had been completely wrong all my life and that now, finally, I had seen sense. To worship the Sand-Bat, bring others to it, and do everything possible to promote it was the best thing I could possibly do.

As I was having this divine revelation we were walking down a slope towards the Sand-Bat statue. I wanted to run to Him, embrace Him, cut my arms, my face and chest and belly to give Him my blood and guts in worship. My life force would be one more shining drop added to His power.

As I was about to step round the other statues and remains of bonfires to reach the Sand-Bat statue I was struck with the thought that I had the opportunity to bring even more souls to Him. Should I try to persuade Marshall, James and the others to join me in the ecstasy of death? They would not understand why we should all give ourselves to Him now, and Fatima would just yammer on about her Yithians. However, if I could lead them to the others who had to be in this labyrinth who had seen the light and embraced the Sand-Bat, they could all be sacrifices to our dearest god. The men would give their life force, willing or unwilling, while Fatima would be set aside to become a mother for our god's children. Even though I longed to die in the presence of my god I realised that I had to put my desire aside for the moment and bring them all to the Sand-Bat. Then my god would release me to join with Him.

As the others wandered around, I stayed still to contemplate the transcendently beautiful statue of the Sand-Bat and the glorious death that they and I would soon share.

Too soon, they tired of this sacred site and decided we should continue our search for the other entrance. That suited me because it would take us towards my fellow worshippers. We walked along dark corridors heading south. We avoided a Living Wind at one point by hiding in a side passageway. It would be such a waste if they were killed by accident rather than captured.

Then we entered a small chamber where a generator was maintaining lights around a pit in the floor. A strong, almost overpowering odour filled the space. As we approached I did so happily because my Lord was giving me a glimpse of the future. It was a sign that I had made the correct choice. I gazed down and thought of the pride that Fatima would have knowing she would give birth to these wondrous creatures. They hopped, crawled, and oozed over the floor. Some were partial images of the Sand-Bat and the worst looked rather human. Perhaps Eliza was even now realising that she had been selected as a mother and the joy that this would bring her. I, a man, could only give my life to my god once, but a woman could be fortunate to give Him child after child.

Sadly the others decided we had to leave this chamber and continue on to find the other entrance. We walked for miles, at one point clambering over a rock-fall. Finally we reached the entrance where there were some people. I was sure that they were enlightened like me and I now had only to work out how to help them capture my companions. Marshall had crept ahead to scout but as he turned to come back my god acted and made him trip and fall so the men at the entrance realised we were there. They called out to us in a language we did not know so we could not answer. Marshall continued to move back towards us.

Finally I could see that my fellow worshippers were ready to act, and I had to do something to help them. It was obvious that I should kill Marshall, choosing a moment when my action could be mistaken for one of the other men. He was the strongest and best warrior and without him the others would readily be captured.

I tried, and that is when my god deserted me. I had chosen the wrong moment to strike and my god's retribution was swift and deadly. Not only did my attack miss Marshall but Muldoon realised what I had tried to do. As we brawled I realised that he was stronger and faster than me. He rapidly injured my legs so badly that I could not stand. My only chance was to surrender and hope to succeed later. I could not speak, so let myself go limp in the hope that he would understand.

Muldoon stopped hitting me, disarmed me and then sat on my chest. The challenge to breath against his weight and the pain from my injured legs was substantial but I still managed to think about how our deaths would be glorious as one after another they died at the Sand-Bat statue and I could then finally give myself to my god.

The fight between James, Marshall, Freddie and my fellow worshippers had continued as Muldoon and I fought. Rifles, and lightning guns fired from both sides with all the deaths sadly among the worshippers. Death was welcome, but most desired in the presence and contact with our Sand-Bat's statue. Then the firing ceased and the space became quiet again.

I tried to struggle more against Muldoon, assuming that he would now let me try to get up. I still could not speak. Suddenly, Marshall rushed over, a knife in his hand! I realised what he might be about to do. I could not scream or protest and could hardly even move because of Muldoon and my injuries. My god was surely punishing me for my error. As Marshall brutally held my head and drew his knife across my throat I gave myself up to the Sand-Bat, hoping against hope that I might yet be united with him and add my life-force as the smallest fraction of his power.