Chapter II: Faye Desdemona
And so the day, known from now on as
The day Dr. Atkins jumped, passed without any more intrigue for the citizens of Arkham to take notice of. The snow kept falling; Miskatonic University was zealed off by the police and the investigation continuing - although without any solid evidence to prove or dissprove it being suicide -; People went to and from work and church, and the people of Arkham going to sleep once the time came. As before, the life of Arkham went on as normal, completely blind for the true series of events that was unfolding.
The patients of the sanitarium howled louder than ever before that night. They howled for a very good reason.
They saw it too.
Or did It see them?Jeremy Arthur Velera...and Them?
...And out from the nearby shellhole, the greenish-yellow cloud of death silently crept up over the top. In the hole he lay surrounded by his dead comrades, staying perfectly still, so peaceful, so innocent. The cloud made no difference though, as it formed into the shape of a man, if it could be called that. It looked at him with its empty eyesockets, pressing its face up against Jeremy's, only his mask between them. The others were not so lucky..."Wait...who are they?"He was not alone, there were more people. In the distance he saw silhuettes, quite different from what he normally saw. "They are not supposed to be here. Wait, how do I know that? Am I dreaming, is this all a dream? It is! This is the dream...no, nightmare that I have had for months now. But then why do I see others now?"
The man-shaped cloud of mustard gas - Jeremy was aware for the first time what he was actually seeing in the dream - also noticed the others; if it had had a face, Jeremy was sure it would have had a confused look, as if It too didn't except them to be there. Jeremy was curious, perhaps too curious for his own good right now, but he had to know. He quickly got back onto his feet and slowly walked towards the group of people. There were several of them.
They all looked just as confused as him, their heads and eyes moving ever around, inspecting this world that Jeremy knew as "No-Mans Land". A professor holding a briefcae; a man wearing a trench-coat and a fedora; a student, no it was two of them? "Who are you, what are you doing here?"
Then there was the last one; a woman, clad in white clothes, her hair long and black, and eyes...her eyes were different; they were not filled with the fear and confusion like the others, but with determination. She looked at Jeremy as he walked towards them. Without opening her mouth, he heard her saying "Take off your mask, traveller from the Green Isle, you're safe."
What, should he take off his mask? But that would mean certain death! Jeremy had all to awfull memories of the barbaberic use of gas, and knew what awaited him if he did as she said. But...she said it in a way that made it seemed...well, safe.
He took it off.
He breathed.
Waited.
He did not die.
"Listen carefully, we do not have much time. I need your help, everyone of you. There is an Evil rising from its slumber, an Old One rising. My power is limited for now, so I need to see you in your realm of reality. Find me, before it is too late! I dwell in the Home of the Mad, where they see the world for what it truly is."
"Quick, find me and help me stop the end of your world! I am F..."
It jumped on the woman before their very eyes, tearing her throat out, blood pouring out from every possible hole. The world around them turned into a darker shade of grey - no, yellowish green - as the mustard gas once again poured across the landscape. From the east, a wave of shouts and men stormed at the group, all in grey and pointy hats. From the west, a sea of people wearing flat hats and brown clothes stormed. From above the howling sound of metallic cannisters made Jeremy's skin crawl.
The nightmare was taking control of him again, and he felt the fear creep into his very soul. As he frantically pulled his mask on again, the world around him turned black. He was there again, back home. In the fields of France
In Hell.Jeremy threw himself out of bed and onto the floor as before, but this time he was prepared. He caught himself falling with his hands, and only then realized what was happening. The dream, the dream had been different than before. And he was aware; he knew what was going to happen, and so he was ready when he was falling to the floor.
"What...the actual fuck happened?The clock chimmed, pulling Jeremy back to the realization that he was back in the real world. The real world where he had a job. It was ten past eight, like yesterday - like every day - And he had to go to work. He pushed himself off the floor and went to put on his clothes. But then...
"Why am I still wearing my clothes...what did I do yesterday?"He just realized that after leaving "Valentines" the day before, he couldn't remember what he had been doing. Surely he had been working at the garage, but why couldn't remember? This was getting all to scary for Jeremy to comprehend, he wasn't going insane (again)? And then the thought struck him; the dream. The dream had been different, in such a way that made him think he wasn't mad. But the only other possibility was just as frightening, that there really was a woman talking to him through his dreams, and that she needed him to stop the world from going under.
He walked outsie, he wasn't ready to deal with this right now; he needed some air and space. He walked outside, where it was still snowing. He started walking down the street, towards the university where he would then take a left and end up at "Fergusons & Sons Motor Cars".
He would have kept walking wasn't it for him bumping - rather heavily - into a man walking in the opposite direction. The both of them stopped for a second while Arthur was about to apologize for his behaviour - he had been absent-minded, thinking about dreams and women - but Jeremy froze; the man he had bumped into, he had seen him.
The man was wearing a fedora and a trench-coat.
"Good morning, Dr. Dupree. How are you holding up?".
Arthur had spent the remaining day of yesterday thinking; he had far too many questions unanswered, and just when he thought he'd come up with a logical answer, three more questions arose his mind. Then the police had finished up their initial investigation at the university, and then quit for the night. And for some reason when Arthur had went to sleep, he slept heavier than he had ever slept before, and only woken up just now. Thing was that he woke up in his office; he had fallen asleep right at his desk. And he didn't mind, which was perhaps the oddest part, as if some part of him had found peace last night; it was all very odd.
As he woke up and brushed off the papers that had stuck to his face during sleep, he remembered what he had thought about last night; Arkham Sanitarium and this strange F. D. Just for his luck, today would be the first day that Miskatonic University was invited to visit Arkham Sanitarium to see its residents. And seen as Dr. Dupree would be very interested in this oppertunity, Arthur took the chance to join him.
Besides, after yesterday's events, Arthur felt that Jeremiah probably wanted some company. Arthur felt at least the need to not be alone, but being a hard man, this he would tell anyone.
"Ready to visit our friends at the looney-bin?"
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