R'LYEH - CHAPTER TWO

 

Planet: Theta 295
Vera Class Dropship
[Descending Planet Side]
The dropship shuddered violently as it began it’s fall through the planet’s atmosphere, Kara even though she was jostling about strapped to her seat, the lighting turned red and the sound of metal groaning and banging from the heat she felt calm and relaxed, this was something she had done hundreds of times on different planets.

Although Theta 295 was not to be taken likely, it was a brutal place of jagged slanted peaks, battering winds and of course the highly acid rain all this was explained to her before she left Earth, why the hell they built a colony here Kara never knew. But now she had been brought in due to be part of the new security detail after an incident occurred with one of the previous O-SEC officers, one of the pilots called back from the cockpit to the passenger cabin in a Southern American accent “We’ll be stabilising soon, won’t be long until we reach Fort Haven!” Kara nodded as she glanced to the other passengers, there was four of them. The passengers were a couple of miners, a wire junkie and a teacher, Kara was curious that they needed teachers but children have been born and some new arrivals have brought families along so education so far from home was important there was even several university professors. The other four managed to get early rotation to Theta since Kara was having to be sent, the teacher Ahmid from Egypt was clutching his shoulder restraints tightly he glanced at Kara who was calm and he spoke with a slight accent “How are you so calm?” Kara was uneasy around people but she gave a smirk “This will be my 104th drop” the tech specialist named Allison gasped “Holy shit, seriously?” Kara nodded and replied “Comes with the job when you move around on different planets” one of the miners was an engineer Irons spoke “Have you been to Theta before?” Kara shook her head “No this will be my first time, how about you two?” both the miners shook their heads as well as Hannigan who was the mining supervisor replied “We’re all fresh fish just like you” Kara turned back to the see the gap leading into the cockpit and could see the view clear and the glass begin being pelted with rain.

Fort Haven came into view as the dropship lowered from the clouds moving between few of the black jagged sloping peaks, the pilot looked to his co-pilot and nodded to the console “Should have had a transmission from them by now, give them a call see if they respond” the co-pilot nodded back and took the transmitter “Station Fort Haven this is Lafayette dropship inbound please respond with confirmation” the radio was silent but the co-pilot tried again “Fort Haven this is Lafayette dropship come in over” there was still silence the pilot sighed “It’s probably the weather having some effect on their transmitter, they know we are due toady anyway so let’s bring her in” it passed over a large fissure in the terrain as it swept over the landing strip before coming to rest under a wide cover to shelter ships from the weather, it landed with a gentle thud. The Pilot was Carl Paulson who got up from his seat and walked into the passenger bay, he watched as they began unbuckling their straps and lifting up the shoulder restraints and began to speak “Alright everyone welcome to Theta, now there are some things about this planet that y’all need to know” he paused for a second then continued “Gravity is slightly heavier and air is thinner some over exertion will likely cause you to pass out which is why the inside of the station is atmosphere controlled, now as you can hear it is raining now the rain here on Theta is highly and I mean highly acidic, constant exposure it will eat through your clothes in five minutes and will then start melting your flesh in ten” everyone but Kara looked panicked but Paulson held up his hands “Don’t worry the station garage is just a short walk across the landing it, at a jog ya’ll will there in just under sixty seconds, so everything will be fine, although for a guy my size jogging ain’t going to be an option” he patted his large size then turned back into the cockpit, as the passengers gathered their belongings Paulson spoke to his to the co-pilot “Refuel and do a systems check for the flight back to the Lafayette, I hopefully won’t be long gathering the rotation to take back home” the co-pilot nodded as Paulson patted him on the shoulder then left the cockpit.


‘Fort Haven’ Research Outpost
Landing Strip
The dropship ramp came down with a clang against the floor and Paulson led the group down and around to the front of the ship, Kara looked up at the cover they were under hearing the rain pound against the metal, she thought to herself that with this type of acidic rain then they would be using specialised galvanised or even enamelled materials to prevent corrosion. She looked at the jagged shards of rock that covered the landscape “Such a lovely place” Paulson laughed “You’ll get used to it, I think it looks pretty cool in gloomy way” Kara glanced at Paulson who gave her a smirk as to tell her to lighten up a bit, she smiled back. The group was stood at the edge of the cover from the rain, Paulson pointed across to the arrivals hangar across from them “See that hangar? That’s were new arrivals go and check in at the terminal, once we go through the decom to neutralise any residue rain on our skin and clothes I will take you to the station terminal drop you guys off with a station O-SEC and they will take you where you need to go” Kay was a bit confused “What is an O-SEC?” Kara spoke looking at them “It’s short of Outpost Security, it’s the reason that they brought me here and how you guys got an earlier ride” Kay looked at Kara and couldn’t help but feel awestruck about how cool she appeared wearing her military jacket and dark grey combat trousers, her hair was swept to one side and faded on the left with a braid going along from front to back. Kara eyed up the young tech as well, they must look around twenty five so about eleven years younger than her, they wore blue tool pants which had pockets and loops for holding tools which could help them work quickly instead of lugging around clunky boxes, the pants were held up by braces which wrapped around a white t-shirt showing a band logo that Kara didn’t recognise.

She looked to the others taken in all their appearance, it was something her training in the military always taught her was to take in anything or anyone in her surroundings so to never be off guard. Paulson and Ahmid she already got a look at now she could see that Ahmid was quite unshaven, Paulson now outside of the cockpit she was surprised by how tall he was he must have hunched in the ship and with his large size he was quite the bearded behemoth of a person and look capable of handling himself in a fight. The other two the miners Kara could see them now, Allison’s darker skin and African features were hidden in the red lighting of the passenger bay, Kara was curious that for a beautiful and slender woman who was capable of being a miner but people can always be surprising. The final passenger was Trent, Trent looked like he was better suited for a brawl in some bar in the outer colonies, stocky build but that wasn’t unusual for miners and rough looking features and even a few tattoos on his neck along with a completely shaved head.

Paulson eyed the rain and then to his passenger and gestured to the “Alright go now and don’t dawdle” the group walked hesitant at first it the rain but once under they all walked quickly for the arrivals hangar. Kara wondered if the rain felt different it seemed heavier, thicker in density but that could be from the planet’s increase in gravity, thunder rumbled over head as they marched across the landing strip, Kay glanced up and it one of the breaks in the clouds she could see the massive Empress class freighter in orbit above them “Wow you can see the Lafayette from down here” Paulson looked over his shoulder and saw it too “Come on guys not far now” they continued moving forward.
They passed the open entrance of the arrivals hanging which had several large shuttles already docked, finally out of the rain a few of the group gave out sighs of relief, Kara shook herself almost dog like to shake off the water before heading up the ramp that everyone else had gone up. At the side against the wall was a large glass panelled compartment which was the decontamination station, they all climbed inside and the machines began to buzz and whirr as sprays sputtered out covered the group in vapours with weird smells, after being sprayed fan blew to blew off the moisture completing the decontamination process. Kara smoothed down her hair as she walked out of the chamber, she looked around and noticed that there wasn’t any staff or even civilians around she called over her shoulder to Paulson “Hey Pilot?” he strode over and stood next to her “Name’s Paulson sweetheart” she looked up at him “Name’s Kara handsome” he chuckled and even she gave a smile he spoke back “So what is it?” she gestured to the hangar “Is it usually this quiet? From the briefing I had the outpost houses what over 3,000 people?” Paulson thought it was unusual as well but this was Theta it wasn’t like the bustling city hangars “Transports don’t come and go as often here so probably a quiet day, many staff get moved around to help other departments when staffing is low” he patted Kara on the back “Come on someone will be meeting you in the terminal” the group made their way towards a rectangular door that led to walkway that was the route to the terminal, Paulson placed his hand on the keypad and the disc in the centre of the doorway spun three time and the doors parted sideways revealing the walkway, similar to those at ports on a Earth.
Rain patted and streaked down the glass as the new arrivals made their way across, Kara noticed from the window that this was were the fissure they had passed early cut through the terrain and lay beneath them, Allison also looked at the massive fracture in the ground “Wonder how deep it goes, it’s too dark to see the bottom” Trent huffed “Probably not as deep as the trenches on Harros, deepest one there is over ten miles” Allison whistled with surprise “Jesus”, Kara felt an unusual feeling like someone or something was watching them, she glanced upward looking out the glass above her and to the station that stood high above them with its many windows.

Back at the landing strip the co-pilot crossed over to the arrival hangar to get a refuelling tank to drive back to the dropship he shook of the rain he didn’t worry about the rain he knew like Paulson that it wasn’t a worry the decom was just to put the newcomers at ease. He found a fuel truck near one of the shuttles he jogged over to it and checked the internal storage gauge “Half full that’s more than enough to get us back to Lafayette, although if the big guy refuelled it regularly it would never be a problem” the co-pilot quickly looked over his shoulder feeling that someone was behind him but it was nothing. He began heading towards the driver’s side door “Can hear him now” he attempted a rather crude impression Paulson “Shoot y’all should ain’t no worries about them fuellin the ship ol’ the time” he took the handle but something metal clanged as it fell somewhere in the hangar echoing loudly. The co-pilot moved around the truck and walked along the dock yards looking up at the shuttles that hung above, there was another metal sound and this time he called out “Hello? Is someone there? I am pilot from the dropship…from the Lafayette that’s in orbit, I’m just using you truck to refuel before departure” there was no one and the co-pilot started to believe that he was just hearing random noises, when he turned back heading for the truck he didn’t notice the figure that was watching him from the above deck. The co-pilot did some final checks on the fuel lines and the pressure on the tank before preparing to head of back to the dropship “Alright everything looks good, let’s head back” he opened the driver door again and was unaware that the figure was now right behind him eyes wide with madness and clutching a long piece of broken pipe.


Flight Terminal
Paulson at the door which led to the terminal and put his hand to the key pad “Alright everyone there will be someone to take down your details and issue you with your ID cards” the door clunked as it unlocked and the disc began to spin, when it stopped and the doors began to open Allison let out a gasp of fright “Oh my god!”, Kara jumped back as if instinct and assumed a defensive stance “What the hell?!” Paulson looked to see the floor of the terminal covered in smears and patches of blood “Jesus Christ!” he stepped away from due to the wafting smell of blood and the buzzing of flies. Kara stepped forward and entered the terminal it’s lights activate when she entered although numerous flickered sporadically from damage, Kara knelt down and looked at the blood and noticed the discolouration, Ahmid held a fist up to his nose and mouth to avoid retching “What happened here” Kara looked around at the other smears of blood “What ever happened…it was a couple days ago” she stood scanning the length of the long room as moved further inside, the others were apprehensive but Paulson and Trent followed behind her. Trent working in many mines was accustomed to bad accidents so blood didn’t bother him “You guys see any bodies?” Kara had noticed that too “No…none, this amount of blood must have come from at least ten if not more people” the three wandered past multiple rows of seats were passengers must wait before heading towards the door to departures which was on the far side of the room and came upon the booth where staff would check the manifests to departures and arrivals, Paulson pointed to it “This room here, this is where you guys would have come before to meet the supervisor”, Kara pushed the button on the pad controls and the door sideways to open. Kara’s eyes widened at the sight, she stepped inside and approached the body that had been strung up from the ceiling tied by his arms, he had been gutted from his groin up to his throat entrails hung heavily from the opened cavity, the other to entered the room and saw the mess Trent quickly grunted “Oh fuck me!” Paulson called over to Kara “I think we need to get back to the dropship, let them know what happened they can send down a fully security force to deal with this” Kara noticed the dead man’s lifeless eyes thinking what horror he must have gone through she called back “Yeah I think you’re right” she spun round to face the men and they made their way back to the others at the terminal’s entrance.

Kara was at the rear of the group constantly checking over her shoulder at the door of the terminal as it closed behind them, Paulson led the group back towards the shuttle hangar “Quickly now, come on” Trent was still talking about the body they had just seen “Not right for someone to gut them like that” Ahmid was checking every direction as if an attacker was going to drop from the sky “But why would someone do that?” Trent replied “Space does funny things to a mind Lad, out in the black too long can make you snap” Allison spoke with a crack of fear in her voice “But what about the other colonists? Surely they must be here dealing with it” Kara seemed to be the only one who was calm “Most likely if something happened in the terminal then they may have quarantined the station to protect everyone” Paulson reached the hangar door tapping at the pad “Ok here we go” the doors slid open and they rushed through.
As they passed the decom chamber Paulson spoke to the group “Don’t worry about the rain, just get on the dropship and we get off this planet and get help” they heading down the ramp when Kara stopped and saw a small trail of blood near a fuel truck, the blood hadn’t been there before, the others got to the opening when Allison let out a shriek “Oh my god!” the group stopped and stared out onto the landing strip. Outside in the rain in the middle of the landing strip was the co-pilot, he was kneeling on the ground although his leg had been broken and was forced into the position, his hands where tied to look as if he was praying, what the group saw in horror was that he had been in the rain so long that the acidic in the rain had melted through his clothes and already dissolved most of his flesh, blood mixed with the rain water was being washed away down the concrete. Paulson called “No, no no no fuck!” he then noticed that the co-pilot was muttering and whimpering “Christ he’s still alive!” the pilot began to step out when Kara grabbed him by the arm “You can’t save him, he be bleeding out soon” Paulson looked at her “I can’t just leave him!” she nodded understandingly but she replied “No you can’t but by the time you’ve untied him and dragged him here or back to the ship the rain will get to you too” Paulson felt pain and helplessness at not being able to rescue his friend. As the Kara pulled Paulson back Ahmid wondered why they weren’t trying to leave “Come on why aren’t we just heading straight for the ship” Kara kept a hand on Paulson’s chest to avoid him from rushing off “He didn’t go out there willing his legs are broken and his hands are bound” Trent nodded “She’s right whoever did it could be anywhere” Allison finished the thought that some had now worrying in their minds “They could be waiting onboard” Kara agreed with her “We stay here and I’ll go and check it out” Paulson look down at Kara “You can’t go on your own!” Kara gave a bit of friendly smirk “Hey I’m O-SEC I can handle it” she turned back towards the hangar entrance.

Kara was about to run out into the rain when a voice echoed out close by “Don’t worry he was not chosen by the old ones and so we have purged him of his sins!” the group turned to the fire truck and saw a man brandishing a metal pipe he smiled at the new arrivals “Tell me do you embrace them?” Kay looked at the pipe and saw that it had blood on it most likely from the co-pilot she spoke timidly “What do you mean them?” the man looked to them and grinned manically “They are eternal, gods of the cosmic darkness the heralds of the old ways and the ancient rulers of humanity” Kara stepped in front of the group “We don’t to cause any trouble here…we are just going to head back to our ship and be on our way” the man began stepping forward “Oh you can’t leave…he won’t let you it’s why he sent me, to stop you” suddenly the air was filled with a loud crack and burst of heat, Paulson turned quickly to see the ship spilt in two as it exploded tearing a hole through the protective canopy. The rest of the group turned to see the debris of twisted metal scattering across the landing strip, Kara however kept her eyes on the stranger he spoke to her “You seem like one who has seen much darkness in her life, am I wrong?” Kara frowned speaking sarcastically “Wouldn’t be on this shit pile planet if I had my life together” the man held out her arms “Then accept their embrace they will take all pain, all worries, all fears, just submit to their divine will and they will give you power unlike anything you’ve ever seen” Kara was curious and questioned him “And what power is that?” the man was pleased that she asked “I’m glad you asked” the man arched is back and clenched his teeth as he began to wheeze and grunt, Kara stepped back and could see something moving, actually something writhing under his skin “I am his vessel, watch him spill forth from this shell” the skin bulged and tore on his shoulders and left arm as deep red tentacles burst out whipping around frantically Kara couldn’t believe what she was seeing “Holy shit!” Kay turned when the man let out a shriek “Jesus Christ! What the fuck?!” the others turned and recoiled at the monstrous sight. The man looked back to Kara his voice was deeper like it wasn’t his “It was your fault Kara…you can’t from the guilt you feel” Kara stiffened how did it know, she yelled at the misshapen form “You don’t know what you’re taking about” the man grinned “They are here in the void crying out Kara” Kara bellowed “FUCK YOU!” the man shrieked and lunged at her knocked her to the ground. Kara had to use all her strength to keep the man back from trying to bite her, the tentacles had one of her arms pinned down so she had a leg raised and pressed firmly into the man’s stomach “GET THIS FUCKER OFF ME!” Kay saw that the pipe had rolled away they grabbed and struck the fiend hard across the head, he loosened his grip from Kara as Paulson charged in with a kick which sent the man flying several feet across the floor, he landed hard and flailed and shrieked inhuman sounds in distress. Kara got to her feet and saw a fire axe on the wall, she marched over and yanked it from the wall then stormed over to the man as he began getting to his feet she swung the axe behind her shoulder and swung it down hard into the man’s left shoulder with a crack of bone and a crunch of flesh, blood spurted as Kara swung again hitting him in the neck, he gargled as blood gushed from the gash and he slumped to the floor dead.

Kara panted with exhaustion gripping the axe tightly, Paulson cautiously approached the body that was now surrounded by a pool of blood “What in the hell was that?” Kara felt speckles of blood on her face as she started at the tentacled mess on the floor her chest heaving with anxiety, what the hell did she just see? Is this what caused all the blood in the terminal? She looked to Paulson then to the others who were just as terrified of what happen “We need to leave, now” she moved away from the body looking up to the two shuttles that were docked “The shuttles can they get us back to the Lafayette?” Paulson eyed them up and nodded “Most definitely but we will need to check the systems and see if they are fuelled up for the journey back” Kara pointed to Kay “You’re a tech junkie aren’t you? What was your name?” they stepped forward shaking slightly “Uh, its Kay…Kay Enthorn” Kara placed a hand on their shoulder “Look Kay I need you to go onboard one of the shuttles and check all the systems to see if they are ready for flight” Kay nodded then turned to Paulson “You go with her you will know what to do” Paulson agreed, Kara turned to the others “Right grab something that can be used as a weapon, stay here and be on your guard there may be other like him, come on you two” Kara gestured to the ramp with her axe and the three of them made their way up the ramp to check the shuttles.
They reached the closest shuttled and Kara opened up the side door that aloud passengers to board, it was dark as she stepped inside but the automated lights flickered to life she pointed to the right “Ok cockpit is that way, I’ll go left make sure it’s safe” Paulson crept forward with Kay close behind him. Kara moved toward the passenger area, the lights came on and Kara moved slowly checking in between the rows of seats, there was no sign of anyone lurking around although the dead man’s word had gotten stuck in her head, it kept repeating over and over like a whisper in ear ‘They are here…in the void crying out Kara’ her head ached from the words but she shook it off “Come you going to believe the words of a mutant octopus fish-man?” Kara headed back to the cockpit to check on Paulson and Kay. The cockpit door slid open and Kara found the two of them tinkering away at the flight control panel, Kara cleared her throat to get their attention without startling them “How’s it looking?” Kay shuffled from under the console they grunted and gave a heavy sigh before getting to their feet “I think Carl put it in poetic terms as this machine is shot to shit” Kara looked to Paulson for verification he nodded “And shot to shit is an understatement” he sat in the pilot’s chair facing Kara looking defeated. Kara glanced through the window at the other shuttle “What about the other one?” Paulson turned in the chair “I wouldn’t bet on it, this one was damaged on purpose, most likely by our squid friend down on the deck” Kara knew he could be right, the man did say that they were not leaving and if he rigged the dropship to explode then it was only logical to disable the other shuttles to prevent escape, Kay “So are we just assuming that everything is alright, that man turned into a monster…I mean what the hell is going on with this planet?” Kara shook her head “I have no idea” Paulson seemed quiet but spoke without thinking “Maybe the stories about this place are true” Kay turned to Paulson “Wait…what stories?” Paulson leaned forward in the chair putting his hands together “I have done a few runs to this place but never get to see much of it due to not being here long, but over time I began hearing the occasional story and rumours that this place was haunted or cursed even” Kara leaned against the wall “Ghost stories…really?” Paulson raised an eyebrow and pointed to the deck below “Then explain the tentacled menace that just tried to kill you, that’s some otherworldly shit right there” Kara still didn’t believe it “I’d believe a parasitic alien entity other ghosts and spooks” Kay nodded “I agree, maybe it’s some sort of outbreak” Paulson shrugged “It’s possible but the station would have gone into full lockdown and the quarantine beacon would have been intercepted by the Lafayette when we arrived” Kara queried “Sections can be self-isolated if a contagion is contained so full lockdown isn’t needed, but Paulson is right any outbreak no matter the severity the beacon would have activated to warn incoming ships” Kay look to the other two “So what do we do?” Kara wondered for a moment “You two go back to the others, I’m going to check out the other shuttle just to check that its busted” Paulson and Kay followed Kara out of the shuttle.

Trent was beginning to pace back and forth as Ahmid was crouch down next to the body of the man, he looked at the tentacles that had come through the skin “Curious” Allison was standing away from the corpse as far as possible “I would stay away from that thing, who knows if it’s really dead” Ahmid looked over his shoulder “I wouldn’t worry about that, it’s truly fascinating” Trent stopped and frowned “The man turned into a squid monster, I wouldn’t say that’s fascinating…more like fucking terrifying” Ahmid ignored Trent’s and Allison’s concerns and continued to examine the body. Allison saw the three return from the shuttles and called out to them “So can we use the shuttles to get out of here?!” Paulson tried not to look pessimistic but there wasn’t any other way to brighten the situation that they were in “Sadly that ain’t happening” Trent let out a loud curse, Ahmid stood upright “Then what is the plan?” Trent looked to the academic “Wait if we wait won’t the ship just send another transport to come and pick us up” Paulson leaned on the railing on the deck above and replied to Trent “Their protocol is to wait 48 hours in case of mechanical failures before sending a search party if anything does actually go wrong, unless we get in touch first” Kara began coming down the ramp “Then we need to transmit to the Lafayette to send another dropship to come get us” she turned and craned her neck to look at Paulson “Do you know the layout of the station?” he shook his head “I’ve never venture that far so unfortunately nothing, but I do know there is a transmission tower for off-world communication, just not the location” Kara thought that was a start if they find the tower then they could send for help. There was concerned that if there was more of these things roaming around the station, they needed something better than an axe Kara asked Paulson “Do you by any chance know if the O-SEC sector is nearby?” Paulson actually nodded “For a station this size there are three I think, one is close to the shuttle terminal” Kara looked at the group who seemed apprehensive of going further into Fort Haven “Then we have a plan” Ahmid voiced his scepticism “You can’t expect us to go in, there could be more of those things roaming around!” Kara faced him she didn’t want to do it either she spoke calmly “I get it, I’m not fond of the idea either but we don’t have much of a choice, we can make for the transmitter and then get someone to come get us in a few hours or we hunker down here…exposed…no food, no water and we would be screwed with almost nowhere to hide if more of those monsters come” Ahmid knew she was right, he didn’t speak but nodded his head agreeing with her, Kara gave him a friendly pat on the arm and she made her way up the ramp heading for the walkway.
Kay walked along the connecting passage they felt a mixture of confusion, fright and nausea, every sound they were worried it was some lurking horror, they faced forward as Paulson approached up behind them “Hey, don’t worry kid stick by me and we’ll get through this” Kay was much smaller in size and statue to the lumbering pilot but his kind smile through the scruffy beard gave a them a sense of calm “Just so you know I’m not some kid, I’ll do what needs to get done” Paulson gave a chuckle at Kay’s determination “I don’t doubt it, you bein a wire stripper is going to be handy” Kay smiled back. Kara kept ahead of everyone else, she needed her head clear but she also need a weapon, an axe would only get them so far and the only other weapons they found was the metal pipe the squid-guy had and a hammer not much of an arsenal. She needed to get these people to safety but Kara had no idea what they could be walking into, pathogen, bio-weapon, a hostile alien species but she had the plan and that was what would keep her focused help keep her on track and get the hell out of here as quickly as possible. Ahmid spoke directly behind her “You seem awfully quiet” Kara replied without looking back “Trying to keep focused, we are a bit underprepared for this” Kara felt the tension from everyone as they kept moving on.

Back in the terminal, they made their way through to the station access doorway, Paulson pressed the pad but it buzzed and flashed red as a computerised voice spoke [Warning: quarantine restrictions have been activated] he tried again but the same warning rang out, Kara glanced at him “Seems like they didn’t want anyone getting inside” Allison spoke “Wait then how did the man in the dock get there?” Trent theorised “Maybe they trapped him here when all this happened” he gestured to the carnage, Kay shook their head “One man couldn’t do all this, there would have to be more” Paulson looked to the door “Maybe they closed them to keep them inside?” Kara didn’t reply but her expression was one that agreed with the possibility but they need to follow the plan. She turned to Kay “Can you open it?” Kay nodded and took a tool from one of their pockets and opened up the door panel “Just need to rewire and bypass the lockdown setting” there was a slight buzz from the wires the door opened only partially but enough for them to squeeze through. Kara gripped the axe tightly and spoke to other “Alright, stay close and stay alert…here we go” they moved through the door and into the atrium of Fort Haven and to whatever horror was waiting for them in the darkness.

To Be Continued...