Nathrotep

by William H. Nelson

  “Please,” Williams urged. “We need to know more about what we’re mixed up in. I won’t go into detail, but I will tell you this; we’re in the middle of something that’s beyond our understanding. Anything you can tell us will be a great deal of help.”

  Clearing his throat, the man turned the book over in his hands, giving their request a great deal of careful consideration. At last he let out an explosive breath, running a chubby hand over his balding pate. “Well, iffen you got to know, then you got to know. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Glancing down, he reopened the tome and began to read silently, his lips moving as he took the information from the book and translated it into English. Williams didn’t recognize the writing as he peered over the counter – It appeared to be gibberish. Obviously, it was not.

  “Nyarlathotep, or ‘Nathrotep’, as you’re calling him,” he began, “well, what you got there is the heart and soul of the ‘outer gods’ in the pantheon of the Sumerian mythology – the Crawling Chaos, as he’s sometimes called. Strange beings, these outer gods are; evil and demented through and through. It’s said that their messenger is this here Nathrotep, and that he brings madness whenever he’s invoked. He’s also prophesied to be the harbinger of doom to the human race. The cults that worship him are a secretive bunch, but their power and influence is undeniable.

  “It’s a very dangerous type of business you’re interested in, and not the kind of thing I’d ‘spect two honest, bright, young people such as yourselves to go fooling around with...”

  Williams had become more and more apprehensive as he’d listened to the shop owner’s explanation. Just what in the hell had they gotten themselves into? Trying to process this newfound knowledge was only giving him more unanswered questions. Just what was this supernatural figure, and how did it fit into what was happening to Robin? This was not the type of thing that any sane person would choose to get more involved with. Still, there was no one else they could turn to. Perhaps they would also need to search that graveyard property after all, if only to discover more about how it was connected to his client. Anything that could lead them to discovering what had happened to his patient’s daughter might be well worth the effort. But just thinking about it made him cringe inwardly. As if reading his thoughts, the proprietor suddenly broke the silence.

  “You all are thinking about going up to that ole house, ain’t you?”

  Startled, Williams felt a sickening wave of fear surge within him. “How did you know that?” he blurted.

  Jarrod seemed to pull into himself, standing taller and somehow managing to appear like an entirely different person. The lights continued to flicker above him as his face took on an air of grim severity. It was an eerie transformation and Williams couldn’t help himself from taking a step back, Terry gripping his forearm in support.

  “I know many things,” he began, his voice hard edged and somehow colder than before. “If you’re going on up there, then you should be warned. That house is an evil place. Lots of strange things happening around there. I suppose you all done heard about some of them things or you wouldn’t be planning to do what you’re thinking on doing now.”

  “We... we know there’s been a lot of unusual events in that area,” Terry offered. “We’ve read through some old news files at the library...”

  “Then you should also know this: over the years I’ve come to discover there’s a series of tunnels that run all beneath that place. Down in them tunnels you may find some things you don’t want to see. Things that shouldn’t be there, things that live down there in the darkness. When you were over at the library, did you notice anything funny about the dates?”

  “Dates?” Williams asked faintly.

  “Them disappearances and such. All them unexplained occurrences seem to happen at certain times of the year. Times when the planets align, times of the solstices, a lot of certain, significant times. Tomorrow night’s the thirtieth of April; this be one of those times. It’s a good night fer it, I suppose. A mystical night when the powers of Earth are strong and the stars have great influence.”

  Williams shuddered as he realized the man was right. Thinking back, he could remember many of the articles he’d read. A lot of the events had happened around the same times of year. Some of the worst ones had happened around April thirtieth. He hadn’t realized the connection until now, and it chilled him to the bone. A slight dizziness overtook him and he grasped the edge of the counter to steady himself.

  “These... things. The ones you mentioned,” he ventured. “What are they? Could they be behind these strange goings-on, all the... unexplained events? Do these things... do they have the ability to possess someone’s mind, to somehow control them?”

  Jarrod hunched forward, his voice dropping to a near whisper. “The things that live beneath that site are abominations; who knows what all they can or can’t do? I’ve been told that they tend to inhabit places such as this. Now, I ain’t never seen one up close; just never had the gumption to go a lookin’ fer ’em, you understand. But I know they’re there. Creeping through them dank, old tunnels, living, breeding... and waiting. For what, I don’t rightly know. But they’re there alright. From what I’ve been able to find out, they don’t stray much from that place. Something’s holding them there, something dark and powerful. Just what it could be, I can’t say fer sure. But I will tell you this: if you’re going on up there, fer whatever the reason, I suggest you all get yourself some protection.” His glittering eyes spoke volumes.

  “We have to go... we’ve got to find –” Terry began.

  He cut her off with a wave of one pudgy hand. “Now, I done told you, I don’t want to know the details. Damn well said too much already. I’ve been around fer a long time, maybe seen some things I ain’t ought to have seen, but I’m smart enough to know I wouldn’t a lasted this long if I’d went poking my nose into what’s going on up at that place. So, consider this fair warning.” He hesitated, his features twitching with suppressed emotion. Then, with an exhalation that blew out his cheeks, he added, “But there is something more that I can do fer you – there are a couple items that you might find useful...”

  Rummaging around behind the counter, he came up with a long, black box and a velvety pouch. Blowing the dust off of the box, he flipped open the lid, and then took out a peculiar device. It was about a foot long and slender, its length wrapped round by moldering leather. At one end there was a small, claw-like foot ringed by dirty black feathers, and two brass bells dangled from either side. It appeared to be some kind of ghastly wand.

  “This may help, or it may not – I don’t know fer sure. Don’t ask me what it is, just take it. Remember to keep it with you always. If it works, they might let you alone, in case you meet up with them. Now, chances are, you won’t even see ’em; like I said, they’re a secretive bunch. But, this close to the thirtieth... well, they do tend to get a mite bit restless. Now this, on the other hand...”

  After passing the wand-like thing to Terry, he carefully upended the contents of the pouch into his right hand. It was a large, white stone, circular in shape, with strange hieroglyphics carved along the edges. Some kind of star-like symbol was engraved across its face.

  Even from where they stood, Williams could feel it radiating power.

  “This,” Jarrod breathed, “is a talisman which is said to close the gates that can sometimes exist between our world and the places beyond; an ‘Elder Sign’, it’s called. A very powerful item indeed. I’ve been told that placing this inside such a gateway will seal it, stopping them things, and others like them, from coming through into our world. Now, maybe it will and maybe it won’t. Shoot, maybe you won’t even need it. But you take it just the same.”

  Placing it back in its pouch, he handed it over to Williams. It was unusually heavy and he could feel it vibrating with self-contained energy. This was all moving too fast, things getting so terrifyingly complex. He was not ready for this, not ready at all. Still, it was too late for second thoughts;
his mind was made up, even if it meant that he was only digging his own grave. Wincing at the unintended mental image, he glanced back up at proprietor once more.

  “I’ve never been a believer in any of this stuff,” he began. “But the things I’ve witnessed in the last two days have really opened my eyes. This whole mess has gotten me completely terrified, but we have to go through with it; we have no other choice.” Without conscious thought, he had taken Terry’s hand as he spoke, clutching it tightly. “We’re very grateful for all you’ve done, but let me ask you this – Why? I don’t mean to sound unappreciative, but you don’t even know us. These items you’ve given us, these ancient, powerful things... they must be worth a lot to you. Exactly why are you helping us?”

  Jarrod leaned back, his features suffused with an anguish so palpable that he seemed to shrink down under the weight of it. His eyes grew shadowed and distant as he absently massaged his chest just above the heart, as if by applying gentle pressure he could wipe away an unrelenting pain.

  “I used to live near there, you know.” His voice, wistful and soft, dripped with barely contained sorrow. “’Bout eleven years back it were. I was in the carpentry business then – never even heard of a ‘juju fetish’, much less anything about all this other stuff.” He waved his hand in a loose circle, a gesture that seemed to encapsulate the entire store. “Had me a real fine woman back then. She was the prettiest damn thing you ever did see, with hair like sunshine and eyes as clear and blue as the sky.” He stood silent a moment, collecting himself, then continued. “She was a few months pregnant when we met, having just moved here after getting out of a bad relationship, but that didn’t make no nevermind in my eyes, or in my heart. She was everything to me. Then, I come home one day and she was dead. Found her tied to the bed, mutilated. Some kind of ritualistic thing the cops were guessing later. On top of all that, the child within her was gone—taken from her poor body and never recovered! The cops never did find out what’d happened to it. They never found a damn thing!”

  The agony rising in his voice was so profound that Williams almost cried out in shared misery.

  “I couldn’t understand it. Why had this happened? Why? What kind of person would do such a thing? There was nothing I could do, no way that I could bring her nor the babe back. But I had to do something. So, I began to study the occult, all branches of it, everything I could find. And I studied this here town as well. I done found out more than I ever could a dreamed about that damn graveyard and its black secrets.

  “That’s when I opened this here shop. It was a real good way to start gathering things that might come in handy. Now, I don’t dabble much in the arts myself; I just wanted to understand them, learn to protect myself, maybe find a way to strike back one day. After a while, all this forbidden knowledge that I’d collected sorta got to me, so I sold my house, moved in over here, and I’ve kept a respectful distance from that graveyard ever since.

  “Now, I ain’t no coward, I just ain’t never been strong enough, you understand. No use getting yourself killed fer nothing, if you know what I mean. Now, finally, after all these years, I’ve been of some use. Maybe not directly, but by helping you people, you two strong, committed, young folks, I can at last feel that I’ve done something useful, something that can finally make a difference.”

  The man was fierce in his defiance, his heated eyes boiling with internal passion. Normally, Williams would have considered him a bit unbalanced, but things being as they were, he practically saluted him. Here was a man with a big heart and, no matter what he said, he was the brave one here; all those years of living in torment, watching, gathering information and items that he himself could never use – It was quite impressive.

  “We’ll try and put these to good use,” Williams assured him, tucking the elder sign into his pocket. “Perhaps we’ll be able to return them to you when we’re through.”

  Seeming to come back to himself, the man gave a ghost of a smile. “I am sure you will, friend, sure that you will. Now go on – get on outta here. It’s time that civilized folk like me should be in bed. Perhaps I’ll see you when you get done doin’ what you gotta do...”

  With that vote of confidence, they turned and departed the shop, both feeling a little stunned by the sheer enormity of the task that lay before them. It was going to be a lot more difficult than they both had imagined to unravel the rest of this mystery. Neither of them spoke much as they drove back toward the center of town, each wrapped up in their own private thoughts.

  10

  Robin had been forced to stay home from school again, and she was mad enough to spit nails. It felt like she was grounded, especially since she’d also been forbidden to go to Kelly’s slumber party. It just wasn’t fair! They were just nightmares, weren’t they? She had the pills and everything was fine, wasn’t it? But, no, her mother had to keep her in and coddle her like a damn baby. She was so humiliated she couldn’t even bring herself to speak with Kelly, and Kelly had called twice!

  Flopping down on her bed, she threw the television remote against the wall. It shattered, the small pieces flying everywhere as she looked on in utter disgust. Great. That was just the icing on the cake of her day. Now she’d have to get up and work the damn thing manually if she wanted to watch her shows. Fuming, she snatched the bottle of pills off the nightstand and rolled them back and forth across her palm. Well, she thought, at least I’m not having those damn dreams anymore.

  Sighing, she wondered how long she’d be taking the pills; there seemed to be an awful lot of them. Gazing down at the bottle in her hands, she decided she had nothing better to do. Popping the lid off, she fished out two of the small, pink and white capsules. After a moment’s hesitation, she shook out a third. After all, she wasn’t going anywhere tomorrow, so why not sleep in? Maybe that would give her mom one more thing to bitch about. Her lips twitched into a sour smile at the thought.

  Taking a sip of water, she swallowed the pills, grimacing a little as they went down. Then, turning off the lamp, she hunkered down beneath the covers.

  After drifting on the edge of sleep for about fifteen minutes, she heard a light tapping at the window. For a brief moment, she thought she was dreaming, but then realized she was still partially awake. Rolling over, she peered at the moonlit casement to see what was making the noise.

  Outside her window, outlined by the moon’s pale glow, was a figure. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized who it was.

  Mark Cook!

  It couldn’t be. Maybe the drugs were screwing with her mind. Struggling to sit up, she ran trembling fingers through her hair, shaking her head a little, then looked again. It was him! With some effort she got out of bed, smoothing out her nightshirt as she crossed the room. Steadying herself on the sill, she opened the window and leaned out.

  “Mark!” she whisper-shouted. “What are you doing here? My mom will kill me if she sees you!”

  Mumbling something incomprehensible, he shifted from foot to foot as he stared up at her. There was something different about him, something strange, but he looked so good standing there in the moonlight. She caught herself gawking and hoped that he wouldn’t notice her open appraisal. But he just stood there, his eyes, like deep pools of night, boring into her as he stretched out a tentative hand.

  “I need... need to talk to you...” he murmured.

  Glancing around, she decided not to waste this opportunity; he obviously had something on his mind and she was more than willing to lend him an ear. Maybe he and Kelly hadn’t hit it off as well as she’d previously thought and he was here to drag information out of her – she was the ‘best friend’, after all. As far as she was concerned, he could speak with her all night! Grasping the proffered hand, she gave him a boost up.

  As he clambered through the window, she saw that his pants were ingrained with dirt and his jacket was torn.

  “What happened to you?” she exclaimed.

  “Fell... I fell...” he rasped, his voice low and husky i
n the silence of the small room.

  “Well, what did you want to talk about?”

  She could feel the heat radiating off his body and, in the moonlight, his face seemed chiseled from pale stone like an old, Greek statue. Her heart skipped a beat as he returned her frank stare, but still he said nothing, just stood there gazing at her with an inquisitiveness that was somewhat unnerving. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached out, his hand hesitant and unsteady.

  “Robin...” he managed, his fingers trailing across her cheek.

  His touch was like molten fire and goosebumps erupted all across her quivering body. It was becoming difficult to breath. What was he doing? It was almost as if he were seeing her for the very first time, his eyes were so searching, so... flattering.

  With languid ease, his hand glided to the curve of her neck. Still, she couldn’t take her eyes away from his face; every exquisite detail was outlined in unnatural clarity. She was captivated.

  Tracing two fingers down the length of her collar bone, he let his hand slip to her shoulder. It sent shivery impulses coursing through her. With a glacial slowness, the fingers slid around, easing themselves down the smooth contours of her back. Light as a feather, they crept across the soft material of her nightshirt until they reached the gentle curve of her hip. Still gazing deeply into her eyes, he leaned forward, his free hand encircling her waist. Filled with soaring emotions, she melted willingly into his embrace. Here was what she had always longed for, and, as his lips brushed against her own, she was swept away, riding on waves of giddy delight.

  Then, the pills overcame her, and she swooned.

  Lifting her in his arms, Mark stepped to the window and jumped out. Landing with a bit of a stumble, he righted himself, then strode off toward the darkness of the graveyard beyond.