something. Then those things came. The place was in chaos. I managed to get away, then found that door and saw you."
"It's too much. It's too much to explain right now. We will have to trust each other."
The elevator moved up for a long time, seemingly forever. They didn't talk. All that could be heard was the hum of the elevator and their breathing. She squeezed his hand as the doors slid open.
The passage was dark.
Chapter 6
They left the safety of the elevator and walked into the darkness. There was no noise, no smell of the dead. For a moment, Rich thought they were safe. Then the light kicked on. A beam of light moved down the long passage. They moved quickly into the unknown, into the final chamber.
The room was like a giant Ouija Board. That was the only way to describe it. Massive beyond belief, the floor covered in giant letters with some sort of other symbols mixed in with them. The room also had some type of chambers lining it, each one with a plaque and a computer panel attached. Rich walked up to the first chamber.
"Liz, look!"
"What? What is it?"
"LOOK."
The name read “Stanley Hurston, 1950-1968”. She looked at it for a long time then looked at Rich. "It can't be our Stan. 1950?"
"What's Stan's last name Liz? Where did you meet? What's your birthday?"
"I...I um..."
Rich wiped the condensation off of the glass chamber. In the tank floated some kind of mummified remains. They looked vaguely familiar. "It is Stan."
They moved to the next chamber. There was a name on it they didn't know. Rich could see that the chambers and the room stretched on for miles, maybe forever. The next chamber had Alice's name on it. Again, it read “1950 to 1968”.
"Rich, we have to get out of here. Find our way back to town."
He was silent for a moment. "I don't think there is a way out of here, or a real town. I think this is it."
"W...what do you mean? I want to go home. Let's stop this."
Richard found that once he started reading the names on each chamber, it was impossible to stop. There was his mother. His aunt. The jock with a crush on Alice. His teachers. Everyone whose name he found familiar and some he didn't know at all, all stretching into infinity. Finally, he saw that he already knew had been coming.
“Richard Spoller, 1950-1968”. "Rich, it's your name. But, it can't be, that guy was born over fifty years ago."
"Longer. Much longer than that…"
"You are the bringer of pain."
The robotic voice seemed to come out of nowhere, all around them. "Hello?"
An old man emerged from the darkness. "Basilisk is identifying you." His faded, white eyes didn't really lock on to anything, but they seemed to tunnel into Rich; into his soul. He stepped back, his feet clicking against the tiled floor. The room was completely still.
"I am surrounded by madness." Rich looked again at the tank.
"Not madness, truth.”
He couldn't breathe. At some point during all this, he had broken out in a cold sweat. "What are you people going to do to us?"
"Nothing. None of the others have ever made it as far as you. This is very promising."
"I don't understand."
"You aren't supposed to see the truth. I am the keeper of truth. I prepare the way to enlightenment."
"You can enlighten us the hell out of here!"
"No. We've been watching you for a long time now. Basilisk needs to understand your true nature."
"My true nature?"
The old man placed his hand on the tank. "This man was not you, and yet was. He made a terrible mistake, perhaps the worst mistake ever made by man. Not your mistake, but one which has affected all mankind for millennia."
"What mistake?"
"The virus that started everything: he invented it. To be used in a war that never
"It's too much. It's too much to explain right now. We will have to trust each other."
The elevator moved up for a long time, seemingly forever. They didn't talk. All that could be heard was the hum of the elevator and their breathing. She squeezed his hand as the doors slid open.
The passage was dark.
Chapter 6
They left the safety of the elevator and walked into the darkness. There was no noise, no smell of the dead. For a moment, Rich thought they were safe. Then the light kicked on. A beam of light moved down the long passage. They moved quickly into the unknown, into the final chamber.
The room was like a giant Ouija Board. That was the only way to describe it. Massive beyond belief, the floor covered in giant letters with some sort of other symbols mixed in with them. The room also had some type of chambers lining it, each one with a plaque and a computer panel attached. Rich walked up to the first chamber.
"Liz, look!"
"What? What is it?"
"LOOK."
The name read “Stanley Hurston, 1950-1968”. She looked at it for a long time then looked at Rich. "It can't be our Stan. 1950?"
"What's Stan's last name Liz? Where did you meet? What's your birthday?"
"I...I um..."
Rich wiped the condensation off of the glass chamber. In the tank floated some kind of mummified remains. They looked vaguely familiar. "It is Stan."
They moved to the next chamber. There was a name on it they didn't know. Rich could see that the chambers and the room stretched on for miles, maybe forever. The next chamber had Alice's name on it. Again, it read “1950 to 1968”.
"Rich, we have to get out of here. Find our way back to town."
He was silent for a moment. "I don't think there is a way out of here, or a real town. I think this is it."
"W...what do you mean? I want to go home. Let's stop this."
Richard found that once he started reading the names on each chamber, it was impossible to stop. There was his mother. His aunt. The jock with a crush on Alice. His teachers. Everyone whose name he found familiar and some he didn't know at all, all stretching into infinity. Finally, he saw that he already knew had been coming.
“Richard Spoller, 1950-1968”. "Rich, it's your name. But, it can't be, that guy was born over fifty years ago."
"Longer. Much longer than that…"
"You are the bringer of pain."
The robotic voice seemed to come out of nowhere, all around them. "Hello?"
An old man emerged from the darkness. "Basilisk is identifying you." His faded, white eyes didn't really lock on to anything, but they seemed to tunnel into Rich; into his soul. He stepped back, his feet clicking against the tiled floor. The room was completely still.
"I am surrounded by madness." Rich looked again at the tank.
"Not madness, truth.”
He couldn't breathe. At some point during all this, he had broken out in a cold sweat. "What are you people going to do to us?"
"Nothing. None of the others have ever made it as far as you. This is very promising."
"I don't understand."
"You aren't supposed to see the truth. I am the keeper of truth. I prepare the way to enlightenment."
"You can enlighten us the hell out of here!"
"No. We've been watching you for a long time now. Basilisk needs to understand your true nature."
"My true nature?"
The old man placed his hand on the tank. "This man was not you, and yet was. He made a terrible mistake, perhaps the worst mistake ever made by man. Not your mistake, but one which has affected all mankind for millennia."
"What mistake?"
"The virus that started everything: he invented it. To be used in a war that never
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