Into the Earth: Book One

Monday, August 14th, 1876:

I awake in a cold sweat, today is the day. The anniversary of the day I decided to dive into the Earth. The cave was known to me for some time when I finally stepped in, and I would never be the same. I bring this page to the beginning in order to introduce you to a collection of entries I assembled myself, to illustrate the exact path to my current, heretical state. These entries were originally meant for me and me alone, in order to regain some control of myself, but I could no longer selfishly hoard this corpus of horror. The world needs to know about these events, to understand what truly is contained within this world which feigns innocence on the surface. If that intrigues you, then prepare to have your assumptions destroyed.

We begin this tale at the shores of the island called "God's Head", in a small, one man expedition vessel. I brought plenty provisions, sparing nothing, as far as I could tell. But how could I? What it would take for this leap of faith into the Earth was truly a mystery to me.

Regardless, this is where it begins.

Sunday, August 14th, 1870:

Finally, I have arrived once more at the cave which has been calling me. The air is cold and damp, but before night fell completely on me, I was able to set up my camp.

With a small box of tinder, I was able to easily start a small fire for myself using scattered sticks I discovered in the light forestry surrounding the mouth of the subterranean entrance. I am keeping myself warm, and being sure to eat plenty before I sleep.

Tomorrow morning, I will embark, but before I do, I must note a few things. At the current moment, the sky is covered with star-blotting clouds, leaving me sat within a void of cosmic proportions. It feels heavy here, and the nervousness within my gut grows as I sit and try to organize my materials for the coming morning. With me, I have an arrangement of torches as well as a kerosene headlamp I managed to get my hands on, climbing gear, thick pants, and a large empty bag in case I find anything worth carrying back. Besides that, I have a few knives of various sizes, and all of the jerky I need to stay within my target for an extended period of time. I grow tired, so I must sleep. My next note will be in the morning. May God bless me on this expedition.

Monday, August 15th, 1870: (Sunrise 8:00 AM)

Odd dreams of unknown origin filled my head last night, and caused for me to repeatedly wake. The Sun is only just now rising, which means I must make my way forward. It is going just as I planned. As I sit here in front of the wide mouth, the Sun is beginning to fill it with solar light, bathing the dew-drenched green overgrowth with a radiating glow, and giving a glimpse into what I will walk into. My next entry will come as a report of what I find in this day's trek.

Later that day, sometime after noon:

I am uneasy. When I have previously passed by this place, it always felt ominous, but being inside, it feels peaceful. I have set up a small place to sit for a moment, approximately 50 feet down.

Sounds of life and nature surround me. Waters from around the entry point trickle down the cave floor, and resulting from sheer time, a groove has been carved into indestructible stone. Within the first twenty feet of depth, the waters are gathered in different places for smaller forms of life to live.

There are small tadpoles and baby frogs in these small ponds, with enough in number to attract medium sized spiders. In addition, birds occasionally swoop in to take a drink or a bath, and squirrels rinse their paws.

I found that the population of life very quickly died off after that point, along with their associated sounds. But, the sound was quickly replaced by the slaps of water echoing off of the cave walls. On my way to find the origin of this, I located a sheer dropoff.

Carefully peering over the edge, it appeared that the drop went down about ten feet or so, with the path continuing in a slanting manner. This filled me with great joy, for I was prepared for this exact situation.

I reached into my bag and quickly set up a stake in the tight crack by my feet, then tied a snug clove hitch to it with my rope. Rather than jumping straight off the edge, I decided to sit at the ledge and slide off.

As I turned around to walk backwards down the wall, loosened rocks tumbled into the abyss. They ricocheted from wall to wall, and after a brief silence, the stones splashed into an unseen body of water.

Unlike those pebbles, I was tethered to the wall, and my feet found the ground with a fair amount of ease. I left the rope intact for my exit, and pulled a small torch from my bag, then continued along the path after I lit it ablaze.

From this point on, the wildlife was absent, other than vines which managed to climb down. The path was fairly narrow, as well. A small, slanted walkway carved into the cave wall is where I found myself, with no guide rail to prevent a fall into the dark drop beside it.

If I brought more rope, I would have tried to wiggle my way down the abyssal crevasse, but I only have so much. Besides, the way I went led me to the pleasant little cove I write this from. If I were tired, I would take a nap here, but I only need to write these notes.

My first torch is nearly spent, though, so I will have to give more detail at a later time.

Evening, the same day:

It has been about six hours since I last wrote, and I have now reached a much lower point than I have been able to measure from the outside. Outside light totally died hours ago, and I am now making use of my kerosene headlamp, which provides me a decent view of what's ahead.

Much like before, I have made use of stakes and rope to descend where only a man equipped with tools could along the way to this point, and I still have plenty more to go. Sound is starting to behave in odd ways.

In some sections, my breathing echoes, which forces me into my head, and feels claustrophobic. My earlier delusion of this cave being somewhere pleasant and joyful has disappeared, but the dread I felt outside is also nowhere to be found.

It is an uncomfortable position, and my stomach is filling with anxiety in reaction to the lack of real sensation one way or another. I do not have much more to note, other than at this stop, I am eating plenty of jerky, and keeping my sparing water use consistent.

Next time I write, it will surely be after midnight, and I am sure something will occur that is worth writing down.

Tuesday, August 16th, 1870, around midnight:

The hours since my last writing were fairly boring, and I started to get worried. "Was this all a waste of time?" was running through my mind over and over, until I finally found something.

It slapped me in the face, with full strength. As I turned the very next corner, something glimmered at the end of the straightened path. My pace naturally hurried a little, and the closer I got, the more excited I felt. It was a small, golden necklace.

From what I have seen around my town, this was not a typical find. I picked it up and looked closely. The first thing I noticed was the shape, which appeared to be a small scarab with an emerald jewel in its grasp. I was overjoyed, and I feel that this confirms my suspicions. Something is down here, and I am going to be the one who unearths it. They will know my name, and I'm sure that this cave will someday be known for its treasure. This is not my goal though, don't get me wrong. I wish to see the very bottom.

After dropping the loot into my bag, I continued on, noticing little bits of glimmering stone embedded into the walls.

It was quite perplexing, to find the scarab all on its own, but I knew that if I kept on going, surely I would find its home. I kept walking with a new boost of energy, determined to find the ancient stash which was clearly down here.

I now stand in a mostly ambiguous spot, a corner where there is room to sit off of the path. I will eat some more jerky, rehydrate a bit, and then move forward. The next time I write it should be quite late, for I now know there is something here to be found, and I am the man to find it.

Wednesday, August 17th, 1870, An hour later: (1:00 AM)

I am back writing much sooner than I expected, but I had to. The bland nature of where I was at the time of my last note has completely changed. The glimmers in the wall are even more abundant than before, which amplifies the headlamp's glow.

With plenty of light, I have noticed many strange things, things that should not be in a random cave about 100 feet under the ground. More jewelry is scattered in rooms clearly shaped by the hand of an architect, and the further I go, the more it appears that I am in a lost hallway. The ground has leveled out, and I'm determined to find the end of it. My next note will most likely be sooner than I expect, and hopefully it means I've really found something grand.

Wednesday, August 17th, 1870, 2 hours after midnight: (2:00 AM)

I'm shocked. The hallway has continued on, and with each step towards my present location, the walls have looked cleaner and cleaner.

In the beginning, it was all grey hazardous rock with jagged edges, threatening to impale me if I were to misstep, but now it appears that I am in a hall crafted from sandstone bricks!

The only problem is that it keeps going, which is starting to wear on me mentally. I will write more soon.

Previous note, continued: (2:05 AM)

Immediately after I put my notebook away, I felt a cool sensation on the back of my neck, it felt like I was being watched. It didn't make sense though, I am the only soul down here. I assume that my next note will also be sooner than I expect.

Previous note, continued #2: (2:10 AM)

I heard someone or something behind me in the tunnel. Due to the odd behavior of sound down here, it took me some time to notice the sounds of extra footsteps, but now I'm certain. I am being followed. Every time I stop, they also stop, and they must be nocturnal, because no light emanates from wherever they are. I am partially writing this to give them some time to catch up to me, but it has been silent the entire time I've been standing here. Next update soon.

Potential final note, 4 hours later: (6:00 AM, 2 hours before sunrise)

I have been running for my life the past two hours, and I don't know where I am. After failing to discover my unknown foe by standing still, I decided to move forward, slowly. That's when I heard it. A low, chattering growl. If I make it out of here, I may not be a whole man, I am now sure of it. I am being stalked, and whatever it is has got my scent on its nose.

I don't know how I found this nook, hidden from the hall, but this is where I will remain until morning. I must get out of here.