the first time, that this amazing cafeteria full of sumptuous delicacies was nearly empty. On a whim he sat beside a woman in a white coat. She was in her fifties. She looked as though she hadn’t slept in days. She tried to smile at him but her mouth just twitched awkwardly.
“I’m Jack. I’m new here. What do you do?”
She didn’t introduce herself or shake his hand.
“I weigh things, terrible evil things.”
Her eyes darted to the right and Jack noticed her security detail standing against the wall, watching.
She continued at a whisper, “I do water displacement and photograph objects from another universe and if that bastard over there could hear me talking about it he’d probably put a bullet in my brain.”
Jack recognized the exhaustion and he knew better than to engage her in conversation but he’d come this far already.
“I don’t know if they’re from another dimension. Why do you think that?”
She snorted derisively and said, “Have you touched any of them? Where would you say they came from? I’m a scientist so it behooves me to suggest they came from hell; that’s why I have to keep telling myself they aren’t from this universe because if I ever let it sink in that they were manufactured by Satan himself I’d go bonkers.”
Jack sat back in his chair reflexively. The woman was unhinged but she made a good point he hadn’t considered. Of course , as an atheist he had to dismiss her explanation out of hand, but what if?
He smirked at his own childishness. Even devout Christians knew hell didn’t exist. Hell was invented to trick people into joining the church and giving over their paychecks as a cash advance for a better afterlife.
He would have explained all of this to her but he was afraid to continue the discussion.
Her eyes darted about wildly, finally fixing upon her escort.
She whispered, “I’ve seen him kill me in my dreams. He smiles at me and tells me he’s here for my protection but he’s killed me over twenty times in the dream world. After what I’ve seen here, I think I trust my dreams more than I trust reality. There’s a bullet in that gun of his that I’ve felt going through my skull over and over. I’ve seen awful things and they all start right here in this building.”
She suddenly stood, knocking her chair over in the process and screamed, “You’re all doomed,” even though there were only four of them in the cafeteria.
Jack took the opportunity to get the fuck out of t here. He was a psychology major but this woman needed sleep and medication and real therapy.
Billy was snickering as they passed her bashful escort. The guy whispered, “I’m so sorry. I’ve recommended they give her some leave but they say she’s almost done with her research anyway. I hope she gets some real rest when she’s finished. She deserves better than this.”
Jack nodded knowingly but Billy whispered to the man, “Plus you never know if she’s going to try and off you before you get the chance to off her.”
The guard smiled but there was fear behind it.
The woman’s explanation about the hellish origins of the artifacts was absurd but he hoped he’d find out later today where they really came from. An image flashed across his mind of Satan, his scaly flesh being licked by flames, evil in his eyes, painstakingly sewing a cute little teddy bear just so he could send it to earth to scare the pants off that poor woman. She’d really lose her marbles if she ever saw the otherworldly creatures caged down below.
Chapter 27: Return to the depths
He asked Billy to wait outside his office when they got back. He explained that he wanted to work a little more on his bio before he had to study any more artifacts but he really just wanted to play with the death ball.
Billy had a look that suggested he objected.
“Ten minutes is all you get, and then you have to rush to make up for it. It’s almost ten and you haven’t analyzed a single artifact yet.”
Jack
“I’m Jack. I’m new here. What do you do?”
She didn’t introduce herself or shake his hand.
“I weigh things, terrible evil things.”
Her eyes darted to the right and Jack noticed her security detail standing against the wall, watching.
She continued at a whisper, “I do water displacement and photograph objects from another universe and if that bastard over there could hear me talking about it he’d probably put a bullet in my brain.”
Jack recognized the exhaustion and he knew better than to engage her in conversation but he’d come this far already.
“I don’t know if they’re from another dimension. Why do you think that?”
She snorted derisively and said, “Have you touched any of them? Where would you say they came from? I’m a scientist so it behooves me to suggest they came from hell; that’s why I have to keep telling myself they aren’t from this universe because if I ever let it sink in that they were manufactured by Satan himself I’d go bonkers.”
Jack sat back in his chair reflexively. The woman was unhinged but she made a good point he hadn’t considered. Of course , as an atheist he had to dismiss her explanation out of hand, but what if?
He smirked at his own childishness. Even devout Christians knew hell didn’t exist. Hell was invented to trick people into joining the church and giving over their paychecks as a cash advance for a better afterlife.
He would have explained all of this to her but he was afraid to continue the discussion.
Her eyes darted about wildly, finally fixing upon her escort.
She whispered, “I’ve seen him kill me in my dreams. He smiles at me and tells me he’s here for my protection but he’s killed me over twenty times in the dream world. After what I’ve seen here, I think I trust my dreams more than I trust reality. There’s a bullet in that gun of his that I’ve felt going through my skull over and over. I’ve seen awful things and they all start right here in this building.”
She suddenly stood, knocking her chair over in the process and screamed, “You’re all doomed,” even though there were only four of them in the cafeteria.
Jack took the opportunity to get the fuck out of t here. He was a psychology major but this woman needed sleep and medication and real therapy.
Billy was snickering as they passed her bashful escort. The guy whispered, “I’m so sorry. I’ve recommended they give her some leave but they say she’s almost done with her research anyway. I hope she gets some real rest when she’s finished. She deserves better than this.”
Jack nodded knowingly but Billy whispered to the man, “Plus you never know if she’s going to try and off you before you get the chance to off her.”
The guard smiled but there was fear behind it.
The woman’s explanation about the hellish origins of the artifacts was absurd but he hoped he’d find out later today where they really came from. An image flashed across his mind of Satan, his scaly flesh being licked by flames, evil in his eyes, painstakingly sewing a cute little teddy bear just so he could send it to earth to scare the pants off that poor woman. She’d really lose her marbles if she ever saw the otherworldly creatures caged down below.
Chapter 27: Return to the depths
He asked Billy to wait outside his office when they got back. He explained that he wanted to work a little more on his bio before he had to study any more artifacts but he really just wanted to play with the death ball.
Billy had a look that suggested he objected.
“Ten minutes is all you get, and then you have to rush to make up for it. It’s almost ten and you haven’t analyzed a single artifact yet.”
Jack
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