43. Who is Next?

The tale of the great escape continued for the two. The machine continued making its way underwater, and scenes around were beautiful. The engine did struggle a bit in going forward, but the amount of oxygen as well as the fuel seemed to be full, and there seemed to be no chance of any problem there. The escape seemed to be certain at that point, and this journey was surely leading them away from the island. The pursuing machines were still left at the same spot and so the chase was cut off leaving nobody on their tail. There were more hunting machines on the prowl around the island, but there seemed to be nothing on their way. The path underwater was the safer one during those moments. Land was no longer the place for normal people, as far as they were concerned.

“I didn’t think about talking about this earlier, but this was a fine choice, I have to say” said C1RC221.

“I will keep my luck as long as it serves like this; everyone needs some luck, without which humans are nothing” said a proud V221KA.

“There are creatures around us though. I hope none of them are that harmful” wondered C1RC221.

“They are just mutated forms of sea life. We should just ignore them” remarked V221KA.

“Just like us, you say” added C1RC221.

“Not as good as we are, that is for sure” said V221KA.

“That was always the point, wasn’t it? To make us better than the rest, but not in the appropriate way”.

“Yes, but we are better in not just one thing, right?” asked V221KA.

“Being mindless is the better option when we are homeless” said C1RC221.

“We will make new home out of nowhere. It is no big deal” remarked V221KA.

“My home used to be around here only – I have some memory of it; they are buried deep under, but I can find them on another day” said C1RC221.

“That is a story of a long gone past. We have the scope to create new ones”.

“Well, it still exists, even if not in a solid form” said C1RC221.

The machine hit some of the vegetation on the way, but it kept going with not trouble. There was nothing that strong under water to stop their journey, at least until then. A lot of underwater vegetation was already destroyed by the wars. The water at that area was kind of contaminated with all those chemicals being dumped from the islands around, but still safe enough to go through in a machine. There was no comparison to the world before the big wars, as the change had occured, and it seemed to be permanent. War was more like a sporting event, and the dictators kept asking for more and more medals to assert their own supremacy. This was one Olympics that no common man was really fond of watching or being a part of, but what choice did they actually have?

The world had become smaller with the wars, and the effects of terror and mass destruction was seen everywhere. Death was only a temporary happening, and what was worse included all which was to follow later. But nobody was finished with those wars yet, for it was something that repeated itself, maybe towards eternity. There was the need for blood, and there was also the requirement for more than that – there was always going to be the struggle for more, what was rather justified in many names. It was not just about humanity, as the rest of the creatures had also changed, or rather evolved to suit the situations of war. This new world order based on war did become the beginning stage for another evolution, something that humans wouldn’t have loved to see occur.

“You have been holding on to the past for a little too long; which is why it is coming back to you – it will be of no more use to you except related to providing all the pain which you never deserved”.

“It is my past; it will only keep coming back to me at some point or the other” added C1RC221.

“What exactly is that?” asked V221KA.

“My past, and nothing else” replied C1RC221.

“That can’t be your past; I am not agreeing to that” remarked V221KA.

“What? You haven’t seen my past yet” said C1RC221.

“I am not talking about that! Look straight ahead” yelled V221KA.

“Oh! This is not going to be good!” screamed C1RC221.

The scene quickly shifted from relief to big trouble. There was a giant creature ahead, which looked like an octopus, but they were sure that it was certainly not that, with such huge size. Even so deep under water, its eyes were shining red in colour, and it kept looking straight at the metallic thing which had invaded what seemed to be its territory. Completely black in colour with its body, it had twelve arms instead of eight, and it stretched its arms towards the machine. V221KA tried to move it to one side and evade the arms, but even as they managed to go past two of them, the third arm got hold of their vehicle. It dragged the machine towards its side while the engines tried to push it away from the creature.

“We have come so far, and maybe we did get so close, but I guess this is how it ends” murmured C1RC221.

“We are certainly not done yet” yelled V221KA while trying her best to power the machine enough to move away from the arms of the creature that continued to pull it hard. The battle was on, and on one side, it was just about survival and nothing else.

To be continued…

Advertisement

38. Terror Unleashed

The creature which came out of water seemed curious as well as angry. It kept looking at Noah and Jack while making attempts to follow them. It was huge and had a tail which it used to hold on to a tree on the side of the rocks whenever it lost balance. There seemed to be a lot more of it under water. It also kept making a strange sound all the time and spit a green liquid. A group of mutated crows welcomed that noise from the top, right out of the wastelands.

“It is dragon terror. This is not good at all. We are lucky to have started climbing early enough to avoid this one” Jack shouted.

“What on this planet is that? I have never seen this particular creature. It is one scary thing. It has huge horns with long and sharp fangs” Noah yelled as he looked down.

“It was one of those animals created by the scientists during one of their special experiments to make the perfect creature which could be used as the expendable assets during the last war. There were unconfirmed reports that some of them were captured and kept in special prisons until feeding them became a problem and they were released to some forests” Jack made it clear.

“Isn’t it the thing which was called the demons of war because they could stand almost all weapons held by the soldiers? Didn’t they also call it the dark death because the creature attacked mostly at night; midnight to be more specific?” Noah asked.

“Yes, the same; it preferred darkness, a cloudy day also served the creature. Most of the civilian casualities of war were also caused by these creatures because they couldn’t be controlled that well. But they could be unleashed on people because the basic program was like that only” Jack confirmed.

“So, why is one of them here? Did the authorities send them here? I don’t see why they are wandering around” Noah wondered.

“Well, this was not exactly where these things were to be sent. But you know the government; the only thing which they do better than anything else is to keep lying to us. It is like a special skill that they possess. I do feel that this had a lot to do with the wildlife being in trouble, not just the floods. It is an almost impossible task to survive when a creature so terrifying and strong is unleashed against the balance of nature” Jack sighed.

“It does seem to thrive in water too. The creature is really skilled to do more than one thing. Can it get to us?” Noah asked.

“I don’t think that it can get to us from there. Thankfully, they had agreed on not giving these creatures human arms. It was actually on the list of things to do earlier, and we can be really glad that they didn’t in the end” Jack said with a sigh of relief.

“It does seem to be trying though. It really wants to get to us it seems. There is fire in its eyes” Noah said while looking down.

“Yes, it is a programmed predator and wishes to unleash chaos and destruction. It has to kill all the time, and I am sure that it hasn’t got somebody to attack for quite some time. The basic needs are not satisfied here. I do feel sorry for it due to the programming, but lets keep climbing up so that we don’t give this one a chance” said Jack as he kept climbing.

“Those mutated crows seems to be waiting for our death. I have known them during one my journeys through the graveyards” remarked Noah.

“Yes, they are the products of the wastelands. These birds are another reason why we should try not to get injured or murdered. Don’t stop or slip. Also try not to make them interested in us by looking at them in the eyes” said Jack.

Noah and Jack reached the top to face the wastelands which seemed to extend with no end at all. They looked down to see the dragon terror making one final attempt to get on the rocks before turning back and diving into water. They were relieved as they continued through the wastelands which had so much of abandoned buildings and remains of war as well as failed scientific discoveries. There were skeletons of humans as well as animals which were not buried. Most of the human remains seemed to be in cages or had parts of them in chains seemingly making it that of prisoners. The soil was red in colour and the vegetation was only somewhat there.

“I have heard people saying that the soil here tasted like blood, and I surely don’t want to test that” Noah said.

“I can confirm that. I know people who did” Jack replied.

The rain had stopped, and it seemed that there has been no rain in the wastelands for a long time. The clouds seemed to stop outside the boundaries of the wastelands for some reason. But a river coloured dark red was going right through, flowing into what seemed to be a well with a sign which said “Please make sure that you do not come near the well”. The soil was wet and at some places, it was rather too sticky. Noah and Jack went near the well and looked down only to see the darkness and nothing else. Jack thought about having a look by going down through the ladder placed on the right side, but Noah reminded him that they have kilometres to travel and they had to do it quick.

To be continued…

24. Ghost Plans

“There is no future, my friend” added Circeei “All that was built on the pseudo-revolutions which started with French Revolution are dead. Yes, we have collected information about them, and none of them were real revolutions, but just an excuse for the worse people to take over and do bigger evils. Look where they have lead us and what they have made us – slaves to an idea which is still not applicable to us. They have made sure that the worst could be rich and control the goverment. Earlier, the control came from at least those people with legacy. Now uneducated barbarians rule just because they have a tongue which can navigate around a huge demon rat’s arse. All revolutions of history has come up with an option to bring a worse situation and none of them has done anything for the future generation other than to enslave them. But this would be different. What we are doing is not a rebellion for the ninety nine percent, but it is for the one hundred percent”.

“When you are not scaring me, you keep impressing me; that I can’t deny. No, it is not just because you are beautiful, it is because you are awesome with what you have done, going to do…never mind. What are you planning to do?” asked Christian.

“You are a good man, Christian; and I am sure that your words will betray you before our paths deviate” said Circeei with a smile “There are no real plans. There are just ideas which are scattered around different areas. We call it the ghost plans. We shall fight, and based on how it progresses, each point on our map gets activated as the troops there can decide how to approach the battle from their point. All points are connected and affected by each other, but none of them pre-determined in fate. We need individual ideas and we want emotions to come into play, against their well-planned extremely logical actions which is single-dimensional”.

“My words? Never mind. But does that plan even come close to working? I mean, can each of them think of their own at the right time in the right way?”

“We value individuality. We don’t feed nonsense into the brains of our people. They can believe what they want to. We don’t want to create slaves of logic and make them like our enemies who have been enslaved by science for centuries, not caring for their fellow humans. Let them make decisions based on emotions, with special emphasis on righteousness. Let them sacrifice themselves or suffer for their friends. All the decisions we make won’t be logical, but emotional – for we are humans and not robots. We shall love each other and shall be ready to pay for the same with our lives. You don’t seem to believe though, are you in or out?”

“Yes, I am in. But what is with you and suffering? Except for the genetic mutation and stuff, what is with your embracing pain and death? You were always suffering, even before getting evolved to this world, and you gain from them all, and from the way you talk, I know there is more to it than whatever keeps meeting the eye. It is like you were born to suffer and is proud of it”.

“You don’t understand. There is no transcendence without suffering. There is no life without pain and suffering, and without the same, you never really lived. You were never human, or in better words, you never deserved to live. Yes, a world without all these should have been made with all the developments in science, but unfortunately all those developments were sponsored by the rich and carried out their minions who wanted nothing other than money. Yes, that once again points to the need for suffering to purify the world, and once they are purified, may be the next generation won’t need any more of the purgatory which has been established on Earth”.

“Is it the resurrection of our souls and the ultimate salvation that you are talking about? It is something one can wait for, with patience. With death as only the beginning, is it what comes of the other world that matters? Doesn’t that matter more than most of the things in this world?”

“You can take it that way too. If you do, in many ways, we are both the same. I have felt transcendence, a meaning beyond, and this existence of a superior power all which is beyond all existing logic. There is boundary to the logic, but not to our imaginations, and as long as we are creative enough, we can win this battle against logic. There are no rules in this world. We are all evolved to the mysteries of this planet, and even though you Christian is not, you are a man of your talents which we can use, as you know more than any of us or our enemies know”.

“My ignorance shall be my bliss. For what I know, I have to say that for the first time in my life, I am glad that I can believe with ease instead of having a tough time in making myself stick to accepting the lies as truth. When do you plan to attack? I mean when do we attack?”

“We attack when we are ready, and it won’t take much time. Before that, you might wish to pray. You will need it better than we do, for we are evolved and resistant to pain while you are not. They are weapons themselves, and they are pain; and our bodies are the area where they can use that weapon”.

Christian remembered the words of the voice “You don’t exist. It is your essence that exists. As a whole, humanity survives, even as the question remains – for how long and where? But they exist, but without their essence. They are just random creatures brainwashed with ideas of science as truth, when human life was never supposed to be a result of theories. It was to be dependent on the essence that exists, but what we see now is the existence that exists”.

“Now where are the voices when you need them?” wondered Christian.

To be continued…

19. Adapt or Die

“Need tea?” she asked.

“May be later” tea wasn’t his preference at that moment.

“Curiosity is too powerful there, right? There was that saying – We can be destroyed, but cannot be defeated. I remember how that quote came to us, for The Old Man and the Sea was the only book I was able to read in the experimentation camp. They taught us to read and write, but only what they wanted. I actually stole the book from the prison warden. You can’t really get away with doing such a thing, but it was worth the pain. There is nothing that substitutes knowledge and wisdom”.

“You should have been a revolutionary who could change the world if not for the imprisonment and exile. There is the need for such a person…”

“This is a revolution going on here; it is just that we are too weak a force to succeed. Listen to the rest of my story. We were taken out of the basement and literally kicked out of the ship to an alien atmosphere. The only clothes we had were the chips which were stitched to our thighs with camera and locator which we have removed now. Some of us wandered around in the caves and died by starvation or poisoned food, and only three hundred and twenty one of us remained. We stood together and found the right food and finally found shelter in those buildings which we strived to build. We were injected with their experimental medicines which could make our body quickly adapt to the circumstances, and we did. We became the creatures of the Titan wilderness. But our adaptation still left us with the need for exposure to the Titan’s underground atmosphere to survive. We have found enough creatures and plants here in the underground to make food. We are still hunted by them, and my death would have taken our number of two hundred and ninety nine, but as that didn’t happen, we are three hundred to their eight thousand – clearly outnumbered, and also weaker in strength but not in endurance”.

“From what you are talking about, it sounds as if those creatures are indeed human. But I guessed that they are humane only in their body’s basic structure. Where is the humanity in their words, action or even their head? The biggest surprise is that they look so advanced and modern”.

“There is nothing that makes me laugh more than the word ‘humanity’. It happened after we built our homes. The people in the ship knew that we were perfectly okay and having good life, with any more waiting spoiling their chance to locate us. The wished to have us back as slaves, for which their troops entered our homes again, beat us up brutally, stripped us and put us back into chains, as if it was how we were supposed to live and die. But our group of hunters who were out looking for food made an ambush in the machine room of the ship which made the ship act strange, and to its distress signal, the troops went back, but the ship locked them inside. They were already injected with the medication for adaptation and their bodies adapted to the ship. They became stronger and hostile, with a mechanical mind to torture and feed, still retaining their allegiance to their superiors of the Northern Bloc. They are provided fresh meat by the Bloc through space ships which serve not their settlements, but this giant ship.”

“You mean to say that they are better than us. They might be the best in what they do. Then how do you hold this point? Don’t they come down all at once and take over your world with all their advanced weapons which keep getting better and better with the Northerns’ scientific inventions”?

“The small tunnels save us; and so does the traps which we set. We have also managed to steal enough weapons from the ship to make us feel secure enough to defend our point. We have now shifted to this more easily defendable area, and beyond this point there is food. They haven’t been able to penetrate beyond this area which we defend. The underground is rich with its flora and fauna, and they wouldn’t use deadly forces. We are using the available resources of this world to enforce our protection further. But one can’t be sure how much time is left before they find another way to enter this shadow world.”

“With all these planning and brilliant ideas, how come they still take you and four others hostage? I would feel that you were quite close to death, and their ritual seemed too weird for mutants”.

“We were caught during a big firefight which they actually used a distraction to capture me, and they were just collateral damage. We have been tortured continuously for thirteen days and this was the last stage before death. As expected, they came up with their brutal physical and mental torture methods, but there was nothing that I hadn’t gone through or was not prepared for. To add to that, you know that we are adapted to endurance. None of us gave them any information, and they went back after giving the orders of execution. They were instantly flayed alive, and I was kept for the last moment, as they finally had the leader whom they always wanted to capture, torture, murder and eat. In your case, there was no point in torture, as there was no information to be extracted. You were to be killed directly by bleeding. They go on to drink that blood and then they go for flesh – they enjoy it immensely. Their methods is no longer includes anything other than inflicting the maximum pain. What they have injected you with, only increases the amount of pain creating a further illusion of pain within pain which can actually leave your mind caught within nowhere”.

“I never knew my future was so bleak; so much for the modern, civilized world” Christian murmured, shocked and staring at her.

To be continued…

18. Death by Fear

“Its been a month and no news about the revolution yet. Did we make tea the rightful heir to the dreaded capitalist coffee rather than creating that much needed tea revolution?” wondered Noah.

“Or may be it is because we are living in this secluded area which carves for that name ‘the vampire island’. There is no possible contact with the Imperial Firmament or any civilized or semi-civilized world. Thats what makes us safe her from both Acheron and Bella. As this is not the vampirism she wants, and this is not the revolution that he can afford, we are good. We don’t sparkle, and we don’t drink coffee, both are not acceptable things for them, or are rather quite loathed” replied Jack.

“I forgot that you are a vampire zombie. May be we should tell a few of them to get us some newspapers”.

“They are not my people, and most of them are beyond help. You can go to them if you don’t value your blood not your brains, for they might drink the tasty liquid and eat the awesome food. You don’t need a newspaper unless you wish to make contact with Acheron giving him your exact location, and one day he may nuke this place”.

They stopped suddenly. There were sounds of screeching and screaming around, and it was getting louder.

“And what would that be?” enquired Noah.

“It should be some prank. The people believe that this house was home to spirits, as the building rests over a graveyard which had quite a history. But that surely is the result of some anti-social elements trying to make sure that people don’t stay here. As long as I am concerned, I have lost the belief in anything beyond the material existence.

“So much for the rational man. You never really believe in most of the things, right? But you don’t see the space, but can believe that Earth revolves around the sun and moon is a satellite. You have no problems about scientists making you believe about the planets and the solar system. That is good hypocrisy. You didn’t follow that journal after that didn’t you”?

“What journal? That guy Christian’s journal? You found more from it? Did he even know what he was writing when he was writing them down?

“Yes, I was just left without reading the ending, and I would not mind that because there was nothing positive to come out of it. But now I know that we have a purpose, and the divine hand is always there to lead us towards the same – what we lose here, we shall gain in the other world”.

“So these spirits, you think that they are real? Do you believe in these stories more than these ignorant people manage? Do they inspire you”?

“No, they don’t inspire me yet. But I believe that they exist for a reason, just like the sun, moon, the tides and the woods. Their existence is as mandatory as the presence of any living creature which was created by God. If they are real, I believe they shall not bother us unless they are extremely evil, and even if they do, I have this crucifix to protect me”.

“So where does that keep me? I guess I am a vampire, a creature from the devil? Where in the food chain and where in the material existence does that fit me into”?

“No, absolutely not. You were created human, and the thing that you have is just a disease, and it is the result of venturing out of path and believing in science and technology beyond the limits. You would have been a perfect creation if you could have lived with nature, but what is left of mother nature now? The science has taken it all, and the destruction that it has brought on us is equalled only by the ignorance of God that it has rained upon us and hurt our chances of redemption deeply. The devil is different and he shall come in many forms, but a vampire is not one of them, and a zombie inherits none of his cunning and cruel nature. Your existing humanity which fights against the disease as well as the sin is a sound proof for it. The demons might cross over to this plane though, and about the material existence, I would guess that they are just the minions of the devil himself, coming down to Earth with lesser power as the sons of eternal damnation as they are expected to be, but still being extremely tormented in pseudo-happiness”.

“If there is hell, I should still be worthy of it, and it should be better if I don’t believe. There is no hope about me that I am aware of. There is only that descent into that darkness of a possible zombie vampirism which can create that eternal fog before my eyes which could make sure that I won’t even recognize you enough to keep me from making a brain fried rice or blood shake out of you”.

“No, nobody is worthy of hell. I would still wonder about Acheron and Bella though. There is rarely such pure evil in this world. There is evil in abundance, and the amount of it should be incredibly shocking to any angel who has come down to Earth, but none of them worhy of eternal hell unless God judges them. We cannot decide on the same, as there is lot of hope for us, and we have to believe until the end of the world, the finishing line for this old world which they have lied to us as being modern”.

“So, can you try and talk these spirits, demons or whatever creatures which you seem to believe in”?

The sounds had reached a level which made talking amost impossible, as they could hardly hear each other. A shadow moved past them, which they didn’t notice, but they could see that the lights of the hall were blinking eyes as if tired of being lighted all day in a land of darkness.

To be continued…

16. Ark of the Tea

Noah was sure that this plan was going to work. It was not really about his belief in his own ability or the skills of Jack, but it was more about the dumbness of Bella who was the weaker or may be the only weak link they could exploit. Jack was also confident, but still extremely careful about his moves.

“I have never met a willing parner before. The people of this city are so mean. They don’t even come close to realizing what big mistake they are making. They are such horrible creatures who don’t deserve to live under my father’s extraordinary leadership and incredible shelter. But I won’t give a damn and I don’t need to. I know exactly how my world needs to work and I can make it work, and the bottomline of the same is decided by myself” exclaimed Bella.

“I am quite surprised about the same. One has to wonder why it is so with such a lovely lady, and I am not even flattering – I haven’t started that process yet. Why would I need to use flattery anyway when there is so much of beautiful truth involved with you which cannot be avoided?” said Jack.

It was not that Bella was not used to flattery, but for sometime, she had the need to hear more of it. She had a shortage of people who praised her, as she stuffed most of them alive. It surely was fun for her, but she fell short of men due to the same. So, this was something that hit where it had to hit. The first impression was made, and it was the best and the most suited for the time.

“So, is there any place where you wish for us to go? I would leave that option to you and I am not even going to make you choose from my places this time. You seem to know how to treat a honourable lady and so why don’t you tell me what you want?” asked an impressed Bella.

“Why don’t we go to AchCo Pipelines? Won’t you like that?”

There was a few moments of silence. It was not exactly what Bella was hoping to hear – not even close to what he had expected. Any normal person would have wished to go to one of her grand cottages and enjoy the luxuries there. That would leave her baffled, but still happy enough, yet not without questions.

“Why would we want to go there? There are only rusty pipelines there and a lot of people who are quite disrespectful towards the honourable people like us”.

“Just for the sake of being alone. We can have some good time there, just you and me. I have heard that there is more to that place than what meets the eye. You can just send the employees home if you want to”.
“Not a bad idea. Let me make a few calls”.

As Bella goes on phone to make a call to give the employees an early holiday, Jack alerts Noah who doesn’t exit his workplace even after recording his exit. The whole place becomes empty very quickly as the order reaches there. But Noah waits there for the arrival of Jack and Bella and on their arrival, uses chloroform on Bella.
“Our time is now” said Noah.

They moved deeper into the inner sections of the building until they reached the ladder which lead to the lower side of the coffee vents. Noah manages to stop the flow and open one side of the vent while Jack places tea leaves inside it.

“Lets leave a message with it” said Noah

“A man can be destroyed but not defeated” said the message cards which were sent with the tea leaves through the vents.

Noah and Jack took the exit on the back side so that they could be sure that they don’t come across Bella if she awakens early. They were sure that they would be hunted on the next day as Bella would recognize Jack and the cameras would identify Noah as his partner in crime who had come up with this idea. They could be doomed; they were to be hunted, tortured and brutally murdered by Acheron’s men, not only for disrupting his money flow and power, but also for playing with and knocking out his daughter.

Bella’s response was surely going to be even more fatal. She is known for being dumb and strange, and certainly not for being the forgiving type. Her fury and the love for stuffed people might tell a greater story for the future generations. She would have some weird plans for her, and it is a twisted procedure that would start in her mind from the very moment she gets up. There would be no more games, and no more of being the nice person – there would be torment.

The only better thing other than self-satisfaction was that they had started a revolution, something which is clearly against the norms of a corrupt dictatorship. Their life might end and the revolution might begin with tea, something about which they were more sure than most of the other things of tomorrow. They might be destroyed, but not defeated on an eventful day. They might be executed publicly to a jeering or cheering crowd, and a lot of people would be there to see it. But they might have already made the difference by then, for there would be many acts of brutality and there should be excruciating pain and suffering, but there shall be revolution and there is going to be change, which used to be them, to be carried over.

To be continued…

9. Lone Wanderer

The world he knew was in chaos and it was time for him to take charge. The confusion was only getting worse. The hope was diminishing, and the faith was already gone. It was only in a little shade of belief that the whole thing was going forward. Hell might have had many names, but there was the need to make the world better than the infernal environment.

“It is time I make the difference” Christian told himself.

It was a wonderful evening if he was a photographer despite of the human sufferings. He walked and walked until he reached a cave. The machine had pointed towards the South as the right path which had more probability of survival. He believed in the machines and the signs. But the question remained how far the science had lead the humanity, and what other than chaos and destruction did it bring. The signs had become the better guide for him. It gave him hope which technology had taken away from him. He rested there for a day.

The new dawn had arrived and there was a strange music in the wind. He reached the side of what seems to be a frozen river, which was filled with a strange liquid in its frozen state. There was absolutely no contact with any life form yet. The light was high over the horizon. He decided to sleep near a tree-like structure. The silence had defeated the music and it didn’t take him much time to fall asleep.

The next day arrived and there was a lot of dust flying around for reasons unknown. He walked towards what seemed like a naturally created building. There was some movement around it, and he couldn’t figure out what it was. He felt that he could have a look and find out by himself. There was nothing else to be done.

Inside the structure, he found a path which lead downwards, and he was no longer guided by the machines, but by faith alone. He chose to go down rather than move straight towards nothingness which he encountered again and again. He went down the stairs which seemed never-ending. He could heard voices from inside the walls, but that didn’t stop him. Getting help was his only aim.

It took him about five hours to reach the bottom. There were a number of round mounds which seemed like houses of sand. There was an entrance to each one of them. None of them seemed to have life forms in them, but each of them had some pot-like things on the floor and seat-like projections extending from the walls. There were also some strange inscriptions on the walls which extended even to the tiny ventilations on the top. The whole thing seemed like a total mess.

He exited to pitch black darkness outside. There was nothing to be seen. But there were sounds of movements and there was something moving around for sure. The sounds had become incredibly creepy and as a sharp object touched his shoulders, he decided to run. His legs stopped only when his legs felt no ground, and he started falling a long way down until his body felt surrounded by water. There was something about the water that he couldn’t move at all. He was slowly losing consciousness.

He woke up the very next day, with chains on hands and legs, and he ended up staring at a humanoid with big green eyes and a small mouth from which fangs dropped out, and they were entirely without nose and the ears. It was wearing a black robe which covered its whole body which didn’t looked any less human except for the fact that they seemed to have just three fingers and the nails looked as sharp as the claws of a wild animal. It didn’t take its eyes off Christian. It was surrounded by many more similar creatures which were wearing almost the same type of dress and looking the same, the only difference being in the height. They were busy working on some kind of keypads which manipulated some strange signs on a huge black screen. There were also some creepy sounds around, none of them which were already heard on Earth or even on the surface of this moon.

When Christian looked on the right, he saw a beautiful girl who looked entirely human, also in chains, destitute of clothing except for the area around the waist and the chest. Her clothing was purely silver, and the eyes were tied up with a thin layer of white clothing. There was blood dripping from inside the white layer. Her skin was more brownish than anything else and her abdomen, lower back and tighs had the same writing as what was seen in the mounds earlier. The lower abdomen had a small cross-like symbol. The blood was flowing through these small carvings on her body until they reached a small bowl of blood which was almost full. She seemed to have no life left in her. He was shocked to find a bowl with just a single drop of blood just in front of him, which was slightly bigger in size.

On the left side, there were three male figures and a female figure who were completely bloody, and except for their heads, their bodies were completely covered in a white cloth which was almost red with the blood. There were holes instead of their eyes. The blood bowl in front of them was full and closed with a lid. Christian could feel the smell of death all around, and he could sense the strong presence of grimm reaper very close to him.

“Hell exists and so does the eternal torture and damnation, that is for sure. But what would I call this?” He asked himself.

To be continued…