Shoggoth Apocalypse & More Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos

by McLaughlin, Mark

  Timothy laughed. “Nothing! All the hallways are like this. Just an energy-saving measure. We don’t get that many visitors, so there’s no need to light the place up.”

  “My name’s Persephone, by the way,” she said. “I’m with the Arkham Family News.”

  “That’s an awesome name,” Timothy said. “Persephone, queen of … the underworld, right? I guess you won’t mind the bad lighting, huh?”

  He led her through winding hallways to a small office. Alice sat at a mahogany desk that was far too large for the room. She looked up from her paperwork, saw Persephone and smiled. “Oh, hello! I remember you. Greek name, right? Athena? No…. Circe?”

  “Persephone.” She found herself captivated by the sheer size of the desk. “Your desk is so cool – but I have to ask. How did you get it in the room? It’s so much bigger than the door or the window. I hope I’m not being too snoopy.”

  Alice flashed a fond smile. “Not at all. I do recall you have a lively curiosity, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You’ll never learn if you don’t ask questions. Now, how can I help you today?”

  “I was driving by and when I saw your building and the sign, I remembered our conversation. So, I thought I’d stop in and see what Tillinghast Technology is all about. If you have the time, of course.” Persephone noticed that Timothy was looking at her with a smile as bright as his sister’s.

  Alice turned to her brother. “Timothy, I think we have time to give Persephone a tour of the place. Right?”

  “Yes, I believe so! But first, to answer her question….” Timothy tapped on the surface of the desk. “We actually had to open up the wall and use a crane to get the desk in here. We offered Alice a bigger office, but she’s partial to this one.”

  “I first saw this desk a few years back at an estate sale, and I just had to have it. Of course, if you think this is something, wait until you see our Testing Area.” So saying, Alice led them out of the office and down the hall.

  They soon came to double doors, marked with the letters TES on the left door and TING on the right.

  “So what do you make here?” Persephone said.

  “We explore technologies for the biological science industry,” Alice said. “We work to develop solutions that truly make sense – that deal with reality as it stands, not as people want it to be. There is incredible strength in our approach. Our results are bio … logical.”

  Persephone nodded. “That makes sense, I suppose. I don’t know if I understand it one-hundred percent, but I’m sure it’ll all become clear. What are you working on in there?”

  “Let’s go in and see,” Timothy said brightly. He held open the TES door for Persephone and she walked in.

  Persephone stepped onto an elevated catwalk, twenty feet above a huge work area with a concrete floor. Below, several technicians were working on a machine, about six feet tall, with a metal configuration much like a radar dish on top.

  Alice led Persephone down metal stairs to the work area. Timothy followed close behind. “You’re in luck,” Alice said. “They’re in the final stages of work on the Sensory Amplifier. We may be seeing something today. History in the making! Are you in a hurry?”

  “I don’t have any appointments.” Persephone said. “I can stick around for a little while. Tell me about this machine. Sensory Amplifier … what does that mean? Can it help blind people see?”

  “In a way, yes!” Alice patted Persephone on the shoulder. “Good guess! My great-uncle Crawford once invented a device which he believed could allow people to see the world around them in a whole new way. Unfortunately, he died of a stroke while testing the machine, and a visitor to his home destroyed the machine.”

  “Oh, that’s terrible!” Persephone shook her head in disbelief. “Why would anyone destroy an inventor’s work? Was he jealous?”

  “He was probably mentally ill,” Timothy said. “The police talked to the visitor, and everything he had to say was pretty much crazy talk. Fortunately, Crawford left behind reams of notes for this machine and many other inventions, too. Those notes have been the foundation for Tillinghast Technology and its research ever since.”

  “It’s taken a long time to develop the Sensory Amplifier to this level,” Alice said. “Crawford was so far ahead of his time, a genius … and there were gaps in his notes. Matters he didn’t bother to write down. We needed to develop circuitry to replace the older technology of his time. There were other setbacks along the way, too. Over the years, different members of the Tillinghast family have worked on the Amplifier, but then they’d leave it and some aspects of the project would have to start from square one again. But our efforts will all be worth it, and soon! We expect to use smaller, modified versions of the Amplifier to help the blind to see and the deaf to hear.”

  Some of the technicians had moved away from the Sensory Amplifier, so Persephone stepped in for a closer look. The sides of the machine were clear acrylic, and she could see an abundance of circuits inside. Perhaps the early version from the inventor’s time – whenever that was – had involved old-fashioned tubes. The curved inner surface of the dish configuration was covered with a complex, silvery pattern, much like large snowflakes with more than a dozen points.

  “How does it work?” she asked.

  “Sorry, can’t share all the facts,” Alice said. “All I can say is that it stimulates underused parts of the brain. Beyond that, it’s all trade secrets, I’m afraid. But still, see how that fits into our Bio-Logical concept? It’s logical to explore the human brain’s untapped potential. It’s an incredible organ, and there’s no limit to what it can achieve once its powers have been augmented.”

  Suddenly Persephone noticed a small movement deep within the Amplifier’s workings. Something seemed to be squirming about six or seven inches within the machine. She leaned forward to look more closely….

  Timothy put a hand on her shoulder and guided her gently away from the machine.

  “I thought I saw something in there,” she said to Alice.

  “Oh, really?” Alice said. “What was it?”

  “I don’t know! It looked like some sort of earthworm or millipede. Probably a millipede, since I’m pretty sure it had eyes. And legs and mandibles and….” Persephone’s voice trailed off as she realized that everyone in the work area was looking at her with big grins.

  She turned to Alice. “What’s going on? Is this some kind of … joke?”

  Alice shook her head. “Noooo, sweetie. We’re all business here.”

  The technicians instantly grabbed Alice and pulled her to the floor. Timothy knelt by her side – she saw the bright glint of a hypodermic needle, felt a sharp pain in her neck, and began to swirl down into nauseous slumber.

  - - -

  When Persephone awoke, she found herself strapped to a gurney in the work area. Ten feet away, the technicians had returned to their work on the Sensory Amplifier. Alice and Timothy stood nearby, providing them with instructions. She tried to say something, but her mouth had been covered up with something, probably tape, that adhered to her skin.

  Alice walked toward her. “Hello, sleepyhead! It was good of you to stop by today. We needed a subject for our next test run and you’ll do just fine. Saves us from having to find some homeless guy.” She looked over Persephone’s bindings and, after a moment’s consideration, tightened the straps. “Don’t worry about your car. We’ve reparked it … at the bottom of the Miskatonic River.”

  Alice wheeled the gurney next to the Sensory Amplifier. “Test subject in place,” she said to the technicians. “We’ll activate the machine from the observation booth.” She nodded toward a windowed chamber at the far end of the work area.

  She then led her brother and the technicians to the observation booth. She pressed a button on the wall to open the booth’s sliding door. Once everyone else was inside, she followed them in. A moment later, the door slid shut.

  A series of clicks issued from the Sensory Amplifier, followed by a low, continuous hu
m. Persephone turned her head to see what the machine was doing. Lights flared up within the Amplifier’s workings, causing the whole machine to take on a blue-green glow – and then a high-pitched chittering noise began. Soon the machine’s clear-walled cabinet was acrawl with thousands of large-eyed millipedes. The bodies of the creatures pulsed with a sickly green light.

  Within the Testing Department of Tillinghast Technology, grotesque creatures began to appear in mid-air, seemingly out of nowhere. Even though they were hideous, Persephone did not find herself compelled to scream – they fascinated her too much. She could not tear her eyes away from them.

  There were hundreds of creatures of various sizes. Most were as small as, and vaguely resembled, insects and aquarium fish. Many were considerably larger. One, which hovered for a few seconds over Persephone’s gurney, appeared to be a silver squid with coiling tentacles, a jagged blood-red beak, and a huge bulbous eye as black as crude oil. Another monstrosity resembled a lurid, vein-streaked conglomeration of tentacles and multi-colored bladders, puffing and deflating furiously.

  Seven of the beings were clearly once human beings. Five men and two women, all naked and emaciated, floated through the air, their fishbelly-white bodies covered with misshapen leeches and writhing strands of a seaweed-like green lifeform, dotted with froglike eyes and circular, gnashing mouths. The eyes of these people glowed a diseased greenish-yellow. The seven mutated humans often reached out, plucked some of the smaller creatures out of the air, and gobbled them down as though they were delicious treats.

  “Fascinating, isn’t it, Persephone?” said Alice over a loudspeaker, her voice echoing throughout the work area. “The Sensory Amplifier is turned up all the way. That’s the problem with our machine – it only works on ‘High’. At that setting, you can see creatures from a parallel dimension. And they can see you, so you might want to stay still. You’re probably curious about those wriggly things inside the machine. Our version of the machine contains a rare jungle arthropod that naturally exists in both dimensions. We like to call them Tillinghastlies. They create an energy field that’s absolutely amazing.”

  Persephone looked over toward the machine. The Tillinghastlies were glowing and writhing with incredible vigor.

  “See those seven undead folks floating around?” Alice said. “I hope you see them … I mean, it’s utterly impossible to miss them. Those are all the Tillinghast family members who have been pulled into the other dimension while working on the Sensory Amplifier project. Literally pulled in and converted to otherness by the creatures of the other realm! Now they are resident life-forms of that dimension. You might become one of them yourself before long. In fact, that’s what we’re hoping for, so we can track the process and learn from it….”

  Persephone thought about what Alice was saying and came to an immediate decision. Clearly, she needed to get herself out of this situation as soon as possible.

  She began to rock the gurney from side to side – slowly at first, and then faster, faster. At last the gurney fell over, crashing into the Sensory Amplifier and knocking it on its side.

  “No! No, you stupid bitch!” Alice screamed. “This isn’t part of the experiment. You’re going to break the Sensory Amplifier! Dear God, we’ve spent millions on it!”

  Within seconds, the door of the observation booth slid open and Alice rushed out. She hurried over to the Sensory Amplifier and worked to set it right again. But in the process, she slipped and fell hard. She tried to get back on her feet, then screamed and slipped back down to the floor. “Damn it!” she cried. “I broke my ankle!”

  Over the loudspeaker, Timothy asked, “Should we turn off the machine, Alice?”

  “No, you idiot!” Alice screamed toward the observation booth. “Turning off the machine while it’s in an irregular position will throw off all the calibrations! Come out here and help me lift it up!”

  After a full minute, Timothy said, “There’s no way any of us are leaving this booth.”

  “You’ll be sorry, you bastard!” Alice screamed. She turned herself around on the tiles and began to unstrap Persephone. “Help me, you stupid bitch! We need to get the machine back in position right now!”

  As soon as Persephone’s hand was free, she pulled off the tape covering her lips. “Hey, you floaty people up there!” she screamed to the undead. “This lady is evil! She wants to do crazy experiments on you and me, and probably her employees! Please, save us – for God’s sake, save us, please!”

  The floating undead slowly moved through the air toward Persephone and Alicia. “God…” whispered one of the men. “We have lost the way to God.” His voice was faint, but Persephone could still detect that it was filled with pain and sadness.

  She pulled herself out of the gurney and struggled to her feet. Alice tried to grab her, but Persephone kicked away her hand.

  “We will never find God,” said one of the floating women, a sharp-featured creature with thick black hair. “We are lost … trapped....”

  Persephone reached for the crucifix that hung around her neck. Just touching it comforted her … and she suddenly realized who needed it more.

  She took off the chain and crucifix and threw them to the woman. “Maybe that will help.”

  “No one cares about your stupid religion, Persephone,” Alice said. “Now help me with that machine, you idiot!”

  The floating woman caught the crucifix and chain. Instantly, the glow in her eyes turned from greenish-yellow to a bright pale-blue. For a brief but glorious moment, every square inch of empty space in the Testing Department erupted into a brilliant, three-dimensional spiderweb of healing energy. As the web faded away, a shining silver gateway appeared in mid-air, opening into a void of endless sky.

  Within seconds, the otherworldly monstrosities writhing through the air broke up into shimmering silver and white particles. The same fate befell the Tillinghastlies and the repulsive parasites plaguing the undead. The flesh of the seven floating humans turned from fishbelly-white to warm shades of healthy pink.

  The dark-haired woman drifted down to Persephone’s side. The rest of the floating undead surrounded Alice and carried her, kicking and shrieking, through the silver portal.

  It did not close behind them.

  “Are … we going to pass through now?” Persephone said.

  “We?” The undead woman laughed. “No, just me … in a moment or two. You still have plenty of years left in this dimension.”

  “I never would’ve guessed that a little crucifix could have so much power in it,” Persephone said.

  “It didn’t.” Tears rolled down the dark-haired woman’s cheeks. “It’s just a piece of metal. The true power came from you. Obviously you’ve been wearing it for quite some time. Long enough to instill it with your goodness … enough to cleanse two dimensions of evil.”

  Persephone also began to cry. “What are you talking about? I’m not that good.”

  “She called you Persephone. The right name for you. The good queen of the underworld. Angels start out as white witches, my dear. Your work has just begun.” With a smile, she floated up to the silver gateway. “Thank you for saving me.”

  With that, she passed through the portal, which closed behind her and disappeared.

  Persephone looked around the Testing Department. The floor and equipment were covered with a thin layer of silver dust. The dust soon turned to a light mist that quickly evaporated.

  Timothy emerged from the observation booth and walked toward Persephone. His eyes were red from crying.

  “I’m so sorry … sorry beyond words,” he said. “Alice and I treated you terribly. Hell, we even planned your death. I’ve let her boss me around for a long time, but all that’s going to change. I don’t want to be like that any more.”

  “I don’t know what to think right now. Really, I’d better just go.” Suddenly she gasped. “My God, I have no idea what day or time it is. My boss must think I’ve gone AWOL – I know I must be fired by now. My car’s at t
he bottom of the river! My life is ruined!”

  “No, it’s not!” Timothy said. “I can fix everything. I own this own company, now that Alicia is gone. I heard the conversation you had with that woman. You’re a power for good … and I want to learn from you. Crawford’s technology has cursed the Tillinghasts for generations. Maybe together we can do good things for the world. That woman said you have a lot of work to do, so let me help you. I’ll give you an office, a paycheck, a budget – whatever you need. You name it, Persephone. You name it.”

  Persephone sighed. It would be difficult, trusting this man.

  Difficult, but not impossible.

  “Let’s start with the car,” she said.

  In The Chapel Of Ghattambah

  by Mark McLaughlin

  Lydia Mondrago splashed a dollop of brandy into her Captain Virtue mug. She moved to return the bottle to the sideboard, then reconsidered. With a dreary sigh, she filled the mug halfway. “The whole place smells horrible,” she said to the balding, slender man standing by the fireplace. “Horrible. All because of her. She’s ruined it, Boo-Boo.”

  Booth tipped his Power Boy mug toward her. “And Daddy lets her. Don’t forget that.” Then he turned toward the door of the study, eyes wide.

  Lydia’s upper lip curled slightly. Her brother’s acute sense of hearing was just too canine. And he looked like a dog, too, with his pendulous jowls and brown puppy eyes. In a moment, she heard what he’d already detected: approaching footsteps – a birdlike tip-tap, tip-tap of high heels.

  The knob of the room’s oak door was brass and shaped like a bumblebee. The knob turned, the door opened and a blushing doll’s face, surrounded by red curls, peeked into the room. Lydia wished that at that moment, she could rush to the door and kick it shut, dimming forever the sparkle in those impossibly blue idiot-eyes.

  “There you are,” Berry rasped. From behind the door a hand came into view, clutching a small but horrid black cylinder. Lydia stared at the thin plume of sickly sweet smoke that rose from the glowing tip of the clove cigarette.