Into the Earth: Book Two

Wednesday, August 17th, 1870, Sunrise: (8:00 AM)

I now find myself buried somewhere even further within this “cave”, if you can really call it that. My plan failed, I was unable to stay in the place I was hiding for long at all. Not five minutes after I returned my journal to my bag, something shifted. When I reached back, my elbow pressed into the wall, activating a mechanism unseen by me.

Frigid air began to cool the left side of my body, and the sound of two large stones sliding against one another reverberated off the smooth walls surrounding me. I could feel it in my bones, and as I stood frozen in that moment, my gut sank below bedrock. Immediately, I realized the situation I had gotten myself into, and my hand dove back into my bag, searching for a torch.

Once lit, I saw the result of my leaning on the wall. The contraption opened a hidden doorway in the cold bricks, which was quite large, at least two times my height. Beyond the now-exposed entryway, another hallway came into view. Like the first, it was far-reaching, but this one was well beyond the first in construction. The walls were well-masoned, and orderly, with nothing out of place. When I first looked, I felt a sense of doom. There was no time to contemplate though.Who or whatever that thing chasing me was, it could move faster than me. But I had no choice; it surely heard the vibrating hum of the stone door as it slid into the wall.

So I took off running through the large corridor, doing my best to keep my flame burning while doing so. It was a mad dash into the vague expanse before me while holding my bag tight to my chest. My footsteps echoed on the polished granite flooring in time with my heart, and for a solid ten seconds, it was the only thing I heard. This changed.

What struck me first was the weight of an energetic shadow on my back; an invisible pressure like magnets refusing to connect. This is what stood out to me from the beginning. It was not with my eyes that I became aware of the presence, but instinct. The same held true here, which prompted me to put all the energy I could muster into a full-blown sprint.

The mysterious entity called to me, the voice of a young man calling “Hello?” from the threshold I mistakenly breached. I did not stop. I kept going. Somehow, my torch remained lit. I knew that whenever I stopped, I would switch back to using the helmet for lighting, but I couldn’t then. Then, I needed to keep my eyes forward, scanning my surroundings as quickly as I could ascertain them.

I found nothing, and galloped like a stallion for a few minutes before I heard the same voice call to me.

“Hello? Are you there?” the voice echoed from behind me, this time from closer behind me.

My bones chilled. I was not about to answer back or break my pace forward. Even with my breakneck speed, the disembodied vocalizations were catching up to me, and I desperately needed to find a way out.

A doorway, I saw a doorway up ahead, along the right wall. Using the last bit of energy in my reserves, I planted my feet and sprung forth like a sprinter chasing gold. The repulsive energy nipping at my heels grew closer with each second, sweat poured down my back, and my eyes were locked fully open.

I made it. I grabbed either side of the entrance, and threw my weight in that direction, a full leap of faith. It had only been a minute or so, but I was already feeling my muscles tense up. With my speed moving through it, I didn’t see anything that stood out in the new hall, so I don’t have much to offer as far as details, but it did appear to be shorter.

After moving through the opening stretch, I ducked down the right passage, a dusty alley lined with doors. I wanted to explore them, but I had no time at all, and I may not ever get the time to do it. At that point, I was unsure if I was still being followed, so my legs kept carrying me on as long as they could take me, regardless of any discovery.

I went left, and then right, then I found a stairway burrowing straight into the ground. My footsteps clattered down them, and immediately after, I hid behind a thick column that hugged the wall, listening. With my breath, I attempted to slow my heart’s racing beat, and I concentrated, attempting to discern any change in the auditory environment. I heard motion, but not of any boot or moving fabric. It was more like the sound a bird gliding down to the ground, something moving through the air. I listened with bated breath until I heard the stranger drift away, and waited.

Once I felt that the coast was clear, I stepped out, and took a look around to see what new predicament I found myself in. The column I hid behind had a twin on the other side of the staircase, both having entrances beside them. Lights came from the chamber opposite me, so I made my choice, hoping that I might find a chair and a table.

Luck seemed to be on my side as I turned the corner within. It was just what I wanted, a place to rest for a moment, and a place to take a small rest. I thought about how I would write this whole experience into my journal, which parts I would highlight, and which I could throw away. How foolish I was. Only two steps later, I slipped.

My backside unceremoniously landed on the hard ground, and I slid down a ramp. I don’t know how long it was, but it was enough time for me to be entirely coated in odd orange dust, and my landing was just as abrupt as my entrance. The light at the top of the ramp allowed for a minuscule amount of vision, which I then used to equip my forehead-mounted kerosene headlamp.

As much as I could, I inspected it, feeling for any cracks or leaking liquid and testing the wick to ensure it would still light. Once I was confident, I lit a match. The illumination was immediate. Happy as a clam, I strapped on the headlamp, and panned left to right, wanting to understand the pit I found myself in.

Before continuing further, I knew that this was my moment, so I took out my journal, and began to write. I stopped before my pen touched paper, and remembered the need to record the time. Luckily, stowed away a pocket watch. I was shocked. It had only been ten minutes since I last wrote. That was too soon, I thought, so I kept moving forward.

It was frustrating, walking through this new area. It seemed to be a place for dumping things, with many ramps leading down to this massive, empty chamber. Small circles glowed at the bottom of unclimbable slants, most of them had nothing to show, but some contained bones and cloth. I hoped to myself that this wasn’t the same end I faced, and quickly moved away from those spots, trekking towards an end that may lead me out of this cursed place.

Finally, I noticed something new. A true beam of illumination was ahead of me, drawing my eager attention. I skipped over to it, almost giddy, and saw that it was yet another sloping ramp, but this one, I could climb. I scrabbled up the steep floor, grabbing at any small crack, and after breaching the top, I stood up.

While brushing myself off, I realized that I stumbled upon a strangely decorated room. The walls were octagonally formed, each segment ten feet wide, and from the floor, they reached a height of a little over sixteen feet. Each wall is decorated with the hand of a divine craftsman, displaying a narrative in artwork. It was puzzling. There was an order to this story, but it was a bit jumbled up. The cardinal walls seemed to be a group, and the same held true for the ordinally directed walls, making it feel more like two sets of four rather than one set of eight.

Something about this place made me feel magnetized, like I was being dragged toward the center of this chamber by invisible hands. It frightened me, but I did just that, mindlessly meandering into the middle without any real consideration. Instantly, my environment changed.

With no warning, or any sign assisting my grasp on where I found myself at that moment, I stood in place, bewildered. Gold was all I could see surrounding me. It lined every brick in the floor, and bordered the walls with reflective molding. Columns were embedded in the cracks between each of the eight walls, reaching the ceiling, and holding up a masterpiece of art. A heavenly scene was depicted in the perfect-looking dome above me, with angelic deities sitting around the edge of a well, looking down at me.

My breath was stolen, and it was taken away again when I looked in front of me. Curving stairs led through a pile of gold bars to a golden throne, with a scepter at its side. My eyes were dazzled from the sight, and I lept forward, feeling that I now finally found something to take home with me. I climbed seven easy steps, and grasped the staff in my hand, removing it from beside the elegant seat, and skipping stairs on the way back down.

That’s when I ended up here. The moment I stepped off the last stair, I thought to myself, “All done, I finally have proof of my journey!” and that was it. All light was extinguished, and the sense of falling filled my whole body. Panic began taking hold of me until I landed, just as abruptly as I fell. It appeared that I was now back in a cave.

Somehow, the fall didn’t cause my light to go out, and my body was still intact, but the staff was now gone. Frustrated, I continued forward until I found a good nook to rest, and take a bite to eat. This is where I am, and where I will end this note. I will find the scepter, and get myself out of this prison.

Wednesday, August 17th, 1870, Later in the Morning: (9:00 AM)

Success! I found the staff, and this should be my final note. After thinking about the first time I used the staff, I realized that it is all in the power of mind. That’s how it worked. I thought about escaping, and then without a breath passing, I was put on a path that will lead me out of here.

So, as my final message: Goodbye, I will be on the surface soon!

Not long after, same day:

This has to be a dream. I cannot have just seen something true.

I was right, it was easy to use the staff. Too easy. Unknown to me, my subconscious thoughts guided me somewhere I never wanted to see.

First, I was taken to another cave, nothing special. Then, another long passageway, like before, but with ominous figures milling about within. This startled me, and my startled mind screaming “Get out!” led me to a third place, a chamber fashioned of glass fastened to the ceiling, above a yawing field of torment. Below me, I witnessed unspeakable events. Tendrils lashed at helpless victims as they pulled on the vines restraining them, and shadow-drenched figures slithered between the posts that held the tortured in place. Were these men? I could not tell, but my next thought took me somewhere else.

I next found myself chest high in blood inside of a chamber that appeared to be the same as the throne room. The blood rose quickly, nearly reaching my lips before I closed my eyed tight, imagining myself at the mouth of the cave. Relieved, I cheered and threw that staff back to where it came from. I raised my blood soaked hands in the air, and shouted to the heavens, happy to be alive.

This place will surely live in my head for the rest of my days, but I am satisfied, for now, at least.