Almost at the same second that Ian had jerked awake, so did Freya. She looked troubled in the usual way for these days, and not the sort of hopeless dread that he was feeling.
"I am going to go down to the living room, and see what is going on," Ian said. "Do you want to join me?"
"In a few minutes," she answered, "I will be along as soon as I freshen up."
Ian got up and navigated his way down the stairs. When he got to the bottom, he was far enough into the living room to see that Wilber and Jonny were busy eating popcorn and apparently watching a movie.
"What are you two doing up?" Ian asked. "What are you watching at this ungodly hour?"
Jonny pretended indignation. "We are up because the dream woke us up. We are not 'watching a movie'; we are doing research by playing THE DUNWICH HORROR."
"Didn't you have a show to do last night?" Ian asked Wilber. "You didn't go out, did you?"
"Nope," answered Wilber. The station is closed down, except for a tech that goes in at noon every day, until the crisis is over, setting up the 'best of' tapes for the day. I am on vacation."
Oscar staggered down the stairs, possibly struggling due to his injuries, in addition to just waking up. He said that he was awakened by the dream a few minutes before.
"That reminds me," Ian said. "Oscar, what does Est circulus mean?"
"It is Latin for "It is a circle", Oscar replied."Where did you hear that phrase?"
Ian told him about the layered dream while he portioned out a fair quantity of popcorn for himself. He kept it brief since he would need to tell everybody about the dream, and he didn't want to say it several times.
Freya came down the stairs, and with a smile, she headed straight for the kitchen. She really needed her coffee to function in these early mornings. She was in the kitchen for about five minutes, evidently brewing the morning coffee, since she was carrying a cup for herself and for Ian when she reappeared.
Garret came down, and Freya ducked back into the kitchen to fetch him a cup of coffee. He sipped it gratefully and greeted everyone. Both he and Freya confirmed that the dream had awakened them, and everyone noted in various ways that the dream had now become so intense that it was definitely intruding on the task of living in these perilous times.
Everybody settled down to watch the remainder of the movie, and they all grabbed a handful of popcorn, in order to celebrate the occasion properly. Garret said that they should all enjoy the movie, and then, they should have a meeting to discuss what they were going to do next. Everyone agreed with that procedure, and the group even managed to boo the movie a couple of times before it ended.
It took a little more than an hour to finish the film since the boys had not come down that long before everyone else. Ian for one was wistful that the movie had ended with a relatively happy conclusion. He prayed that the same would happen in real life.
The meeting began with them still sitting on and around the couch and in front of the television, although Garret did turn the TV off for the meeting. It was time to get some plans made.
"First order of business," Garret began, "is that I hope that Oscar has learned to keep his handgun within reach at all times." He looked at Oscar expectantly.
Oscar nodded, and pulled his coat to one side, to reveal the gun in its holster at his belt. It was unlikely that he would be caught without it again.
"Now, to the main business," Garret continued. "Before Crawford 'went away', he told me that some of the opposition routinely gather at one of the two churches in town. He would not say which one, but I figure that we can find out pretty quickly. There are only the Baptist and the Methodist churches in town. My money is on the Baptist church. Nobody sins like a Baptist.
I propose that we spend today relaxing and getting ready, and then we go find the bad guys in mid morning tomorrow. I need you all to be good with the idea that you will need to kill some people when we find them tomorrow. As long as they live, they will act on their beliefs, and that is very dangerous. I doubt that this 'Lurker' thing is real, but we might as well treat it as though it was, and I must admit that there have been some weird shit happening lately. Let us take no chances."
"You may not believe that the Lurker is real," Ian protested, "but I know that it is real. I had another dream that spoke of a future incursion of the beast that caused the creation of the Old Ones about a half billion years in the past. There is no way of knowing that the future I saw will be our future, but it could be our own.
If the future shown me is our future, then nothing we do here will stop it, because it is written. If it is the future of a parallel world, then opposing it here may be the only thing that stops it from becoming our future. We have to act as if it is our possible future, and try as hard as we can to make sure that it is not."
From this point on, the conversation wound down into a form of chitchat, as the group tried to take their minds off what might happen tomorrow. The meeting was over, and this was possibly the last time the group would have to screw off for a while.
17 the first strike
Tuesday, April 16, 2019@ 8 AM
Ian opened his eyes to behold a close-up vision of Freya's sweet face, reposed in slumber and at peace with the world. Last night was a turning point for Ian, and the bliss of having her even allowed him to return to sleep after the dream had rampaged its way through his mind. Obviously, Freya found a measure of peace from last night as well. For the first time, they had found sleep after the dream.
Last night, they had finally made love. Ian was not very experienced in sex, and he did not know whether some of the activities they had engaged in previously were 'having sex' or not, but last night was the real thing.
The scent of her and the softness of her skin, the transcendent beauty of Freya all combined to push Ian into the mindless need to be inside her, to be so close to her that he would be part of her. She responded with equal desperation, and they merged as much as two people can cleave together.
There had been a growing fear in both of them that time was running out. If they did not get together now, they might lose the chance forever.
As he peered in rapture at her face, her soft blue eyes opened, and she melded her lips against his in a very deep kiss. He kissed her back with renewed need, and he quickly rolled on top of her and penetrated her once again. For a short time, the two of them felt hope and paradise in their lives, as the storm of passion spent itself.
By nine, they had gotten up from the bed and clothed themselves to face the day. Together, they descended the stairs to find the others already assembled around the kitchen table. Oscar motioned to them to fill their plates with scrambled eggs and bacon.
Once they had all had their fill of food, Garret disappeared for a moment into the storage closet area and returned to the group carrying several strangely shaped packages. He walked them all into the living room and laid the packages out on the coffee table.
"We are going to need more weapons to take a large group out," Garret started. "In these packages, you will find two swords, two machetes, and three shotguns. I will also be carrying a flame-thrower. Fire is the one sure way to take care of most anything."
The group gathered around the weapons to admire them. Everyone had their eye on the 12 gauge shotguns, and the blades looked useful, as well.
They spent the next hour apportioning out the weapons, and discussing the strategy of attack, should they find the enemy. Garret repeatedly stressed that they must be prepared to kill when they are in the field, or they would die.
They would check the two churches for opposition activity, and the raid would take place wherever that activity was found. They agreed that they would check the Methodist church first, and then they would check the Baptist church if the first church were quiet.
They went outside and got into Garret's and Oscar's cars. Ian and Freya were with Garret, and Oscar, Jonny, and Wilber were in the other car. Garret started the car and turned the windshield wipers on the clear the wind-
driven rain from the glass. A thirty-second warm-up period for the cars and the passengers, and they were off.
The Methodist church was just two minutes down the street, and when they arrived there, it looked dead. There were felled branches, and the grass in front was overgrown with weeds.
Garret took Oscar as a backup to investigate the building, which was unlocked, as churches frequently were in the area. There were no persons in the church, not even a preacher, and there were no signs of the opposition.
They regrouped and set out to check the Baptist church. It was almost certainly the location of opposition activities unless the Intel was wrong. It was just an addition two or three minutes travel, and then they were there.
Unlike the Methodist church, this church was a nexus of activity. As they watched from the cars, a number of men and women entered the church, through the fog that seemed to be even thicker around the church than it was everywhere else. They all looked strangely misshapen, as though their bodies and faces had started to change into something other than human.
Oscar's group slipped over to Garret's car. Ian for one felt a little sick to his stomach, but they were all here, and they knew that there was no getting around this action.
"This looks like the place," Garret confirmed. "Everyone check their weapons, and do anything you need to do before you get into a fight."
Everyone checked their weapons and tried to calm their nerves. Ian had his handgun and a sword. Freya had her gun and a machete. Garret had his pistol, a flamethrower, and a shotgun, and probably a couple of backup handguns. Oscar had a sword, his handgun, and a shotgun. Jonny had a sword and his handgun. Wilber had his handgun and the third shotgun. Everybody confirmed that they had everything that they were supposed to have, with nods or a monosyllabic "yes."
"Glad to see that you didn't forget your handgun, Oscar," Garret teased. "Everyone has full clips and at least two spares, right?"
Everyone nodded and waited tensely for the command to advance, which was not long in coming. "Alright, let's do it," came from Garret.
They fanned out in front of the door, and Garret quietly tried the knob. The door was unlocked. He pushed the door open, and they all entered the church.
A group of the wretches inhabiting the church was in the pews just inside the church. As one, they turned and lunged toward the newcomers. Garret opened up with his twelve-gauge, and Wilber followed his lead. Two of the creatures fell to the floor, dead, and several others were obviously injured.
Injury did not seem to stop these creatures. Misshapen as they were, they had deadly intent, and they attacked the group in a murderous rage. Three of them attempted to attack Freya, while one of the remaining ones went for Ian. Frantic for Freya's safety, Ian didn't even think before he slashed and stabbed his attacker with his sword, and turned to help Freya.
Freya almost didn't need saving. She hacked one of her attackers with her machete and shot another one in the head with her 9 millimeter. The third one was almost upon her when Ian put three bullets into the thing that used to be a man.
They looked around. Everyone seemed to have dealt with their attackers, and Garret went around the area, carefully dispatching any of the creatures still alive. Everyone had been blooded in this fight, and Wilber seemed to be very surprised by the loudness of his shotgun. Even Ian found that a little amusing.
"We need to clear the back rooms," Garret said. "Let's take that one first." He pointed to the central back room, directly in front of them.
Jonny and Wilber were first through the door into the back room, followed closely by the rest of them. Once Jonny and Wilber entered the room, several things happened at once.
Some sort of tentacle wrapped itself around Jonny and started dragging him screaming out of sight. At the same time, Wilber leveled his shotgun in the direction that the tentacle had come from, and fired four times in rapid succession. Garret readied the flamethrower that he had been carrying and entered the room with it hot.
Ian slipped around Garret and slashed at the tentacle with his sword. It must have been even sharper than he gave it credit for, because it cut all the way through the tentacle, and severed it. The tentacle fell to the floor and relaxed its grip around Jonny.
Jonny was in obvious pain, but first things first, so Ian grabbed him and guided him out of the room, as Garret sprayed the monster that had grasped him with flame. There were two creatures in the room, rooted to the floor in some unspeakable manner, tentacles, and other things too horrible to describe writhing in the air around them.
Garret was gratified to see the first monster begin to burn, just as a dead bush might burn. He promptly turned his attention to hosing down the second creature. It too began to burn, but the room itself was now on fire. It was time to go.
"Everyone get out!" Garret yelled. Everyone was more than ready to get out of there, even without the choking smoke that was beginning to fill the church. They ran out of the front door and did not run into any further resistance at any point. It looked like mission accomplished, and time to go home.
They all smelled like smoke and felt a little grimy from the fight, but except for some inexplicable pain on the part of Jonny, everybody was all right. As they started up the cars and pulled out of church parking lot, the church was burning at their back.
18 aftermath
Tuesday 16, 2019@ 6:15 PM
The journey was over, and the group was back at the house. Mostly, they had won, but there was no knowing what the cost might ultimately be for that win. Jonny was obviously not feeling well, and most of the combatants had not really had time to process the need to kill, even if the victims were no longer entirely human.
The six of them got out of the cars, and they unloaded the weapons with stiffening muscles. They walked up to the door, and left the darkness of the day, for the artificial light of the building that, for the moment, they called home.
Freya turned the key in the lock and opened the door for her companions. She and Ian entered the house, closely followed by Oscar and Wilber, supporting a hurting Jonny as he walked into the Living room. Garret followed them and locked the door as soon as all was inside.
The boys put Jonny on the couch, as everyone found places for the storage of their weapons and materials. Freya went to Jonny and appraised his condition. He was in pain, with sweat rolling down his face, even with the clammy coldness that the misty rain had brought to the town. She touched his forehead and instantly realized that he was burning up with a high fever.
"You have a temperature," Freya said. "You are going to bed, right now."
Jonny was in no shape to put up a fight, and in short order, the men had moved him up to his bedroom, and put him to bed. Freya brought in a carafe of iced water and looked at him worriedly.
"I don't like his looks," she said. "I think that he needs to see a doctor."
"You know that the hospital is not safe anymore," Garret countered. "What do you think that he needs?"
"At the minimum, some antibiotics," she said. "He may also need some IV fluids if he continues to be in this condition."
"I don't have any IV fluids, but I can provide some antibiotics," Garret replied. "I have some Tetracycline and a bit of Penicillin. I will be right back."
He left the room, and she saw that he was rummaging around in his bedroom down the hall for a moment. He came walking back into the room with several small packets in his hand. She was expecting pills, in a pillbox. These packets had labels of Tetracycline and Penicillin, but they certainly were not pills.
"What the hell are these?" Freya exclaimed. Garret looked at her and grinned.
"They are antibiotics, for aquarium fish," he admitted. "Same stuff and no prescription needed. I got these because they are the ones that cover most of the needs we might have."
"Yeah? How do we administer them?" she asked. "How do we make sure that we give an effective dose, not too little, and not too much?"
"Each packet treats a ten-gallon tank," he explai
ned. "Divide each packet into two, or three doses given in the same day. Dissolve the antibiotic in water, and have him drink it. It'll work."
Freya shrugged and opened one of the Tetracycline packets. She carefully measured about a third of the packet into a small glass, and she poured about two ounces of water into the cup and swirled it to dissolve the powder. She handed the cup to an uncertain looking but suffering Jonny.
"Drink it," she ordered.
Jonny put the cup to his lips and took a tentative sip. He instantly made a pucker-mouth face and seemed ready to throw the cup into the trashcan.
"Yuck, it tastes awful," Jonny said. "I am all better now. I don't need the medicine after all."
"Drink it all at once," Freya ordered. "Of course it tastes bitter, but you need it."
Jonny did as he was ordered, and was happy to take a fresh glass of water from Freya to wash the taste out of his mouth. He settled back in the bed and seemed about ready to fall asleep, with, or without company.
"I will be back to check on you in a couple of hours," Freya said. "Get some sleep, and yell if you need anything." He nodded sleepily, and Freya and Garret left his room so that he could get his rest.
In a few minutes, the five healthy members of the group were sitting around the kitchen table, drinking coffee or beer, and discussing the current events. Everyone's emotional state was hard to figure out, even by the person feeling those emotions. There were elements of elation present and a definite atmosphere of dark depression.
"I don't want to bring you down more than you are," Ian ventured, "but I doubt that Jonny will make it through this sickness. We saw those things in the church, and the deformed looks of the people in there. I think that this mutation of the body can be passed on by contact; so essentially, Jonny may have contracted a mutation.
Beyond The Chaos Gate: Lovecraftian Horror Page 10