UNTITLED

by Les Bullard

 
I am writing this down as an attempt, in hopes, to purge my mind of the insanity I have just witnessed the horrors I have witnessed tonight would make any man doubt his own sanity, as if the illusion of reality slipped and he stared directly into the gapping maw of insanity given fleshes and breathes. The night began innocently enough, I was walking along the beach of Harper's Bay, the night was a typical chilly one; it was clear and the moon was shining down brightly, illuminating everything in my path, the sound of the waves crashing on shore filled my ears. I have always walked on this beach as far as I can remember, many times it has helped clear my mind of distraction and allowed me to concentrate more on any problem I had. So many times I have walked along the dark shrouded shores lost in cogitation that one would suspect that I would have noticed any slight irregularities in the beach but, unfortunately, on this night I didn't. I was walking and soaking up the panoramic view of the beach soaked in moonlight until I heard a cry of what I thought was distress. The sound it made was a chilling one, at first I thought it was a cat trapped under falling debris but upon hearing it a second time I realized that it was much more high pitched than that and sounded more like a human in extreme pain.

I ran as fast as I could to the source of the sound but when I reached the source, the shriek was still continuing that it emanated from a hole on the side of a dune. I approached the opening with extreme caution so as not to frighten whatever lay in pain on the inside, I now realize that this approach was a stupid thing to do because the thing that was issuing forth the wail was probably in too much pain to care. I reached the opening and the horrific wail was deafening, as if to wake the dead than to summon help, I put my hands over my ears and shouted in the hole "I'M HERE TO HELP YOU!", the scream stopped for a beat but than began with renewed strength. I shouted again into the opening that I was coming in the cavern. The cavern's height was no more than the height of a child the age of 4 so I had to kneel down and I slowly began to crawl in the opening of the of the cave. It was so dark in the cave; it was like someone put a blindfold on me and refused to let me take it off, the light from the moon didn't enter the cave and I now suspected that it's been a long time since light had shown in this cave. The scream, now heard from inside the cave, was amplified a hundred fold and I thought, for a second, it would tear my skull apart just by the volume of it alone. I had to feel my way through, the interior of the cave was heavy with the stench of decayed marine life and the smell of the ocean, the ground was sandy but damp. I searched for the source of scream for I don't know how long, the cave was much larger than I had first thought when I saw it from the exterior. The scream started to abate and immediately I knew that the source was probably dying so I started searching frantically in the cavern but
finding nothing but another hole that probably lead deeper into the earth so I went through still clinging to the hope that I could find where the scream originally came from because now it was more of a quest than aid. When I passed through the aperture of the new room I found myself kneeling on ledge, I looked down and saw that there was light on the base of the small rift and another room. The light was rather dim as because it came from a small torch. I carefully lowered myself to the base but finding to my surprise that the chasm was only about 3 feet deep, I walked to the torch with extreme wariness because I was in an alien land; funny isn't it? We walk the Earth, from conception to the grave, in the same familiar patterns on the surface, flaunting our superiority but underneath the earth we are nothing more than children playing outside for the first time. I reached the torch and saw that it was not actually room but a tunnel with more torches placed sporadically apart.

By now, I had an aching feeling to turn back, I should have listened to my Conscience, but I reached this far so I continued slowly down the tunnel still with extreme caution always thinking the slightest sound brings a cave-in, I noticed on the wall strange Inscriptions, not hieroglyphics mind you but pictures of things that could probably only come from the nightmares of madmen. Strange and ominous, things that are impossible to describe, I tried to ignore the pictures and continued down the tunnel but the drawings continued to the end of the tunnel. I finished passing through the tunnel and entered another room, however, this room was magnificently bigger than the previous rooms. The room had the shape of an egg but with bottom flattened out and in the middle there was a circular pool filled with a black fluid substance that I have no idea of what it was. The light in this room was greater than the tunnel's because there was about fifteen torches hung around the top of the dome and a small chandelier type light hung from the middle. I stood in awe and terror that something like this could exist underneath Harper's Bay. I walked to around the circular pond, still in fright and amazement. There was another doorway at the opposite way I came, I didn't go through it because there was no light, as ar as I could see, protruding from it. I heard movement from behind me so I quickly turned around and saw, coming from the pond, a snake-like thing but it had no eye; just a mouth which opened and made that horrible loud screech that lured me here. I was mortified and couldn't move a muscle, All I could do was stare at the snake-like creature as it screamed then receded into the liquid.

By this time I made up my mind to leave. I was walking back to the doorway I came in when I saw the fluid was starting to bubble and then to my horror I saw something start to rise slowly out of it. At first more of the snake-like tentacles rose out of the fluid then a horrific eye started slowly rising out of it. It was no eye like you and I have but rather bluish and the pupil was in the shape of a cross and burned green. Next the body started rising out of the fluid, it had the shape of a ball but with a mouth in the center, circular in shape but surrounded by teeth. The body was black in shape but it had yellow highlights, the tentacles were hung from the middle of the body and supported the main bulk of the creature. Underneath the creature was another appendage but it wasn't out of the fluid enough to get a good view. Upon seeing this thing rise fully out of the liquid, my only reaction was "Oh shit". The creature apparently heard me and started advancing forward and it's mouth opened, letting a strong stench enter the room that I shall never forget. It stank like an animal that had been rotting in a desert sun to long. From the corners of my eyes I could some of the creatures many tentacles slithering toward me and it was at this point that I had found the strength to move my body and I started to walk slowly toward the exit. When I was close enough I started to run but the reature, apparently anticipating my move blocked the entrance. It kept advancing further and I could now see that the appendage underneath the creature looked like an arm.

The creature's mouth opened again, letting that noxious vapor out again. I ran around the pool to the other side and again the creature blocked my passage. I was trapped. I have never felt closer to death in my life and I hope I never again feel this close. The creature kept advancing, so I decided that I would try to run past it one last time. I waited until it got really close than I took of running with more energy than I thought I have ever had and I made it past the creature. I ran with all my might and from behind me I could hear the creature scream and I took a glance over my shoulder and saw the creature was following me into the tunnel. I started running faster and arrived at the end of the tunnel and crawled up on the ledge and back in the outer room and out to safety.

I stood outside, on the beach, staring at the tunnel. It was still night but much later and colder. I looked at my watch and it indicated it was only 10:59. I walked home to my flat in a daze, still wondering if what happened was a dream. And here I am, it is only 1:40. I am afraid to sleep because of what I saw tonight. I hope I go mad, now, because insanity will be a release from the horror I witnessed tonight.