Sherlock Holmes: The Shadow From Beyond (23 page)

Every so often a face filled with hundreds of red eyes and gaping mouths would form within the creature’s bulk, slobbering and chattering before it melded back into the swirling display of chaos. When the beast formed one of those visages, the two prisoners swore its many eyes were trained directly upon them, its abominable gaze penetrating right through them.

In truth the creature had attempted to focus on their position but could not seem to fix their exact location or perhaps even their existence. Chance for them that it could not properly discern if there was anything in the cell at all. The ward had allowed for their momentary respite, but the dramatic pause brought uncertainty to both of the imprisoned occupants, and great fear.

The iron bars of their cell then melted away like candle wax. They dripped to the floor to collect in small molten pools before evaporating away to nothing. Still, none of these physical sensations affected Holmes and Watson while they remained within the protective diagram. No intense levels of heat, no physical pain nor discomfort in any sense could be detected, other than the unholy stench which was only a minor, yet uncomfortable distraction.

Of course the ward did not save one’s mind from the insanity of the moment and both tried in vain to comprehend the unimaginable vision that assaulted their gaze.

After what seemed like forever, the cosmic entity released its attention from within the blackened cell area and turned its massive nuclear form about. Slowly it shambled out of the cavern and down the passage by which it had entered, leaving only molten rock smoldering in its wake.

Holmes and Watson were alone in the empty scorched cavern, now devoid of any of the material objects once evident. Everything had been consumed by the intense heat of the beast including the cell bars that had once imprisoned them. They stood silently within the diagram Holmes had scrawled on the floor, the Elder sign still in place at its center.

Another few minutes passed before either moved or chanced to speak, and when they did it was Holmes who sprang to action. “Quick Watson, follow me! I am hoping that there still remains some time to act!”

“Time to act? On what exactly Holmes?” a still shocked Watson replied.

“We must close that damn gateway Lebda opened! We must seal it before anything else gets through!” He reached down and pocketed the star shaped relic as he started out of the cell.

Once beyond the mystic ward Holmes and Watson felt the temperature in the cavern rise back to an uncomfortable level of reality. “Come now, quickly!” the detective yelled.

The passage that exited from the cell area smoked from the incredible heat of the creature’s prior passing. Walls crackled with burning embers and many areas showed where ore deposits had melted away between the stones to drip down the tunnel walls.

“Is it at all safe Holmes? Has the creature left?”

“I am almost sure the beast has left the cavern system and escaped to the outer world Watson. That nuclear entity we witnessed is referred to as Cthuga and its task was to ensure that the next creature to emerge from the gateway, most probably its master, could pass unobstructed, and that none attempting to oppose its master’s entry remained to do so. It has failed to remove all these obstructions Watson, as we both still remain. Now we must do our best to oppose its entry.

“Our future, as well as that of the world, will depend on how quickly those other things begin spilling through the gateway Lebda has left open. Once they enter, all hell will break loose. I have no knowledge pertaining to these other realms Watson, but I will assume that they are vast enough to allow us some slight delay before the next entity arrives at the portal and attempts to pass. We must close the dimensional gateway at all cost!”

“But the cultists Holmes, they will be hysterical with blood lust and filled with madness brought on by the ceremony. Surely they will try and prevent us from doing closing the portal.” Watson stated with apprehension.

“Did you not witness the powers possessed by that horrific vision Watson? Stone and steel reduced to ash and dust! Imagine what the beast can do to human flesh. I doubt very much that any cultists survived the ceremony and the coming of Cthuga!

“These dark powers of arcana are beyond any human management I assure you. And even though he was delusional enough to assume that he could, it would have been a miracle for Lebda to actually have been able to control such power.”

A moment later proof to Holmes’ statement was given evidence, as what was once a fully occupied ceremonial chamber packed with cultists, was now a space eerily empty of any occupants whatsoever.

Wisps of noxious smoke filled the sulphur tinged air of the cavern and many sections glowed red with patches of cooling rock that gave off a hellish radiance to the heat blasted space. Other than a few swirling piles of white ash, no evidence of the cultists or their satin robed leader remained. The intense heat had surely vaporized all the occupants within.

Watson shuddered as he noted the silhouetted outlines of personages burned into the cavern walls. It was as if a giant flash bulb had gone off and imprinted their dying forms upon the opposite rock surface creating eerie shadows of death.

“Lebda and his followers have given up their lives to the twisted ideals they held dear, and now, through their sacrifice, they have committed the ultimate jihad.” Holmes stated as he overlooked the chamber of horrors. “Perhaps they now dwell in the paradise they were promised, but I fear their souls have been taken to that other realm, the one of the damned. If so, then I pity them all.”

The acrid stench of sulphur and burnt flesh that hovered within the alcove intermixed with a smell of ocean depth that emanated strongly from the direction of the inter-dimensional gateway behind the dais. The aperture itself continued to glow with the purple-greenish hue of swirling mists. From beyond its threshold Watson could sense the immensity of deep gulfs of cosmic abyss.

The dais holding the coal black statue showed no visible damage and the Eye of the Watcher at it center continued to pulse with a mysterious arcane glow.

Moments later a strange sound, loud and long, broke the silence within the subterranean room. It emanated from beyond the portal that Lebda had left open, and was like the cry of a million tortured souls combined. The ground began to shake once more and the smell of the deep ocean became more distinct, pungent and sharp.

Holmes turned his attention toward the glimmering dimensional gate as Watson watched in stunned silence. Something had begun to enter the cavern via the gateway; the thruway for the damned was occupied.

A tentacle of brown and mottled green stripes burst through the gate and began to flail about the cavern violently. At its tip was a bulbous knob that opened and closed repeatedly as it searched for something to latch onto. Within the knob were multiple sets of circular gnashing teeth and various whip-like thrashing tongues that drooled a viscous acidic fluid.

The tentacle narrowly missed Watson’s head as it whipped about violently. He ducked under the thrashing appendage but was not able to avoid its dripping ichors, his back became coated with the foul slime that immediately began to smoke and burn his clothing. He tore off his overcoat and tossed it aside just before the caustic acid ate through its fabric.

Another deep resonance came from behind the portal, and yet another tentacle violently burst through. This one had a huge multifaceted eye at its tip whose shimmering yellow iris’ repeatedly focused in attempt to adjust to the dim reddish glow within the chamber.

“We are doomed Holmes!” Watson declared. “The bulk of this beast behind the entrance must be immense! We should flee at once before it’s too late!”

“Impossible Watson, we cannot leave this doorway open for the horrors of the unknown to enter and infest our realm. It would seal our fate as well as those of the entire world above. Escape is not an option!”

On that note Holmes charged deeper into that subterranean chamber of almost certain death, his mind set on his one option, his gaze focused upon that single goal.

The tentacle’s eye fixed itself upon the detective as he scurried and dodged between the few rock formations that offered any cover, while a third tentacle, one that had recently just entered from the portal, thrashed about in a frenzied attempt to obstruct his progress. Holmes ducked under its rising mass and bounded toward the dais. He was a foot or so away when he became tripped up by an exposed stone and stumbled to the ground. He struck the floor awkwardly, losing his breath and much of his strength.

The second tentacle raised itself so as to come crushing down upon his prone form, its massive weight surely to rend him into a pulpy crimson mess.

“Holmes! Watch out!” Watson warned.

Holmes just managed to dodged aside as the tentacle slammed down, pulverizing stone to dust in the space he had only just vacated. He rolled over and propped up a knee, spotted his target, and then, with a final desperate lunge, pushed off and lunged toward the dais. His hand grasped the Eye of the Watcher and tore it free from the sculpture’s visage as he tumbled over. He came up just before the gateway, facing it, but safely between the flailing tentacles.

There was a sudden thunderous boom as the swirling portal immediately reverted back to solid stone. All sound from beyond the dimensional gate ceased and the three aberrant tentacle appendages were severed at the point where the portal had re-solidified; they fell upon the stone ground with a thick, wet thud. The tentacles thrashed about no longer, but lay perfectly still. Within moments they began to waste away and seconds later had dissolved into a gelatinous mass of protoplasm that gave off a strong putrid smell similar to rotting seaweed.

All was still with the cavern save for the hurried beating of the adventurer’s heartbeats within their chests.

Watson was in an obvious state of shock, while Holmes, his form slightly hunched before the wall that was once a gateway, attempted to catch his breath.

The detective still clutched The Eye of the Watcher tightly in his trembling hand and was staring at the stone wall, his mouth agape, his eyes wide.

Eventually Watson made his way over to Holmes and helped him to regain his footing, he noticed that his friend shook violently and was almost on the verge of collapse. It was evident to him that Holmes’ level of composure had been shattered by what he had just experienced as no amount of logic was available to explain away these unfathomable improbable events. “Here Holmes, let’s be out of this accursed hole shall we?” and with a silent nod of agreement from his old friend, Watson gently helped Holmes over to the passage that lead out from the cavern and into the sulphur reeking tunnel recently vacated by the creature Lebda had earlier released.

The doctor noticed that the detective was mumbling to himself. He could barely make out his words but Watson swore he heard Holmes state something concerning gulfs of cosmic infinity filled with impossible sights of darkest horror and evil, and then just audible under his breath the sleuth whispered; “We are all so small, so very, very, small...”

The duo proceeded along the tunnel with extreme care, ever vigilant for any signs that Cthuga lurked up ahead waiting to attack them, to destroy them.

The Stars Above

Holmes and Watson meandered cautiously through the lower cavern complex as they followed the trail of the blasphemous creature that wandered somewhere up ahead. The walls of the passage smoked with the heat of cooling stone, its reddish thermal glow the only illumination guiding their way in the otherwise pitch black.

A short while later they exited their present tunnel into a much larger passage that branched off both upward and downward. “This is the way we came through,” stated Watson as he pointed to a mound of sharp stone formations further down the larger tunnel. “I remember passing that group of stalactites over there on our original descent.”

“Yes,” agreed Holmes, who had regained much of his composure “It seems we missed this side passage when we first came by this way earlier. Lebda and his group must have used it to descend to the gateway chamber, thus avoiding the precarious ledges further on that we had to deal with. Luckily all roads lead to Rome, as they say.”

They had ascended rather quickly, the side passage having saved them a great amount of distance and difficult terrain in comparison to their prior original route. They had approached the upper reaches of the complex and were not far from the exit when they heard some horrific sounds. Tortured screams and whining pleas of animals in obvious pain echoed down toward them from above.

“The horses!” claimed Holmes as he wearily shook his head, “Poor beasts, didn’t have a chance.” he muttered under his breath.

Watson replied with a grim expression.

They moved slowly as they approached the cave entrance. Ahead, rays of moonlight illuminated the smoking passage just within. There was no sound outside, all seemed still, but the heavy smell of burnt wood and charred flesh that descended upon them was overwhelming. When all seemed safe they ventured outside from the cave and witnessed a sight straight out of the apocalypse. All the ground around the entrance was scorched and blackened. All grass, shrubs, and foliage had turned to a thick carpet of grey ash, the sickly trees reduced to shouldering stumps. The carriages Lebda and his group had arrived in were piles of twisted molten metal and smoking bits of beam. The horses were almost untraceable. Except for the charred bridals and a few bits of bone, the smell of burnt flesh that hovered in the air was the only grisly proof that they had once been. The posted warning signage and all the boards that had earlier been removed from the blocked cave entrance were now just dust in the wind, the discarded crowbar reduced to an organic mass of pooled iron.