by Ron Vitale
“Did you hear that?” Zeke backed away from the left chamber.
“Yeah, I heard a misting sound. So what?” Josep turned back the way they had come and could only see a few feet in front of him. The air had become increasingly oppressive and heavy with a funk derived from decaying sea creatures.
Pahukumaa scratched behind his ear and, as if startled, turned back around behind them. “I don’t like this. I feel like something is closing in on us.” He raised his fists, ready to fight.
Nathan spun around and asked, “Does anyone still have a gun? I think we better—”
His words were cut short as a black mist oozed out of the right passageway. With a hiss, the mist exuded from the walls, and the dark cloud obscured Nathan’s vision. He waved his hands to clear the air in front of him, and then the first tentacle shot out in the dark, wrapping itself around his waist.
Zeke, with lightning instincts, lunged forward but was too late. The tentacle retracted back, pulling Nathan to the ground. He cried out more in surprise than pain and searched for purchase with his hands, but they came up empty on the smooth cavern floor.
He rolled over onto his back and used his free leg to kick at the tentacle, trying to escape. Zeke grabbed hold of Nathan’s torso and pulled. Josep ran to help, and in the shadowy light, his face morphed into a hideous amalgamation of whale and man. He roared out in anger, and the sound echoed throughout the cavern. Nathan’s fear spiked as his hand brushed against the tentacle. Moist, rubbery, and covered in a thin mucous sheen, the tentacle tightened its hold on Nathan and pulled him farther into the right passageway.
Zeke slipped forward as well, holding Nathan back but losing his grip. Fully transformed as a werewhale, Josep rushed past them into the blackness of the cave. Zeke looked up and yelled into the black void, “Josep, don’t. Come back!”
Ignoring his plea, Josep could be heard smashing at the walls with his huge arms. Pahukumaa came to Zeke’s aid and tried to help secure him, but the tentacle yanked and pulled all three of them into the passageway.
“I can’t stop it. I need to change.” Pahukumaa grunted and tried to fight the urge.
“Don’t do it. Stay here with us,” Zeke shouted, but his words were nearly drowned by Josep’s roars and fists pounding into the loose rock walls.
“It’s calling to me. I can’t resist.” Pahukumaa stood up and rushed off into the flashing orange glow ahead of them.
Nathan could feel the suckers on his leg, and he cried out as he tried to free himself from the tentacle’s hold. But like an iron bar, the tentacle would not let go, and he could not pry himself from it.
Josep hammered away with both fists at the source of the tentacle where it protruded from a crevice in the wall, but it had no effect. Nathan pulled at the tentacle on his leg, and Zeke tried as well, but they could not break the hold. Looking up, Nathan caught the ferocity with which Josep smashed the wall of the cavern. Just when Nathan’s hands fell uselessly away from the tentacle that held him, the limb shot away and back into the hole, and he was freed.
Zeke caught him as he fell backward. Josep paused a moment to look at Pahukumaa who had joined the fight, and they both roared in victory. A heavy silence fell on them all, and Nathan breathed heavy, out of breath. “It’s gone. They did it! Help me get back—”
From the end of the passageway, a sound like shooting darts whooshed by, and in the hellish glow, Zeke and Nathan saw four tentacles shoot out at tremendous speed. The first, with a tip like granite, pierced through Pahukumaa’s chest, and a splattering of blood exploded into the air, taking his breath and light from his eyes. The other three tentacles wrapped themselves around Josep’s torso and both arms, dragging him to the ground. He fell hard, hitting his head on the cavern’s wall. A fifth tentacle shot forth like a spear and wrapped around his transformed head, muffling his cries.
And in an instant, the tentacles withdrew and pulled both Josep and Pahukumaa from sight. Blood stained the cavern floor, and all went silent.
The scene happened so quickly that Zeke and Nathan could only watch in blinding fear.
“Oh God, no. No!” Nathan scrambled to his feet and stared down the empty passageway only seeing the thick, black pool of Pahukumaa’s blood remaining. All other trace of his friends had vanished from sight.
Zeke braced himself against the wall and slowly straightened up. “There is no going back. We must go forward.”
Nathan turned back around. “No, I’m going to try to find another way out. I don’t want to die that way.”
Zeke put both his hands on Nathan’s shoulder, forcing him still. “Don’t run. Stay calm. We’ll get out of this if we—”
Nathan broke from him and ran as fast as he could back the direction they had come. He imagined himself climbing back up the slide, forcing his shoulder against the heavy stones and, with his entire force, sending a concentrated burst of strength to free open the entrance. He ran faster. He would escape and see daylight again. The fresh air outside would fill his lungs, and the nightmare down below would fade from his dreams in time to be replaced by the light. With luck, he would find that Morgan… Her name came to him unbidden as the first tentacle wrapped around his torso. The second tripped him, and he fell hard to the ground, skinning his right knee.
“Morgan!” Nathan yelled his sister’s name in desperation and fought with as much strength as he could muster, but still the tentacle dragged him back. He could no longer see Zeke in the orange glow that eerily lit the cavern. He struggled with all his strength to rid himself of the nightmare around him. “Morgan!” he called again, frantic, more in a deep-seated, guttural fear that rose up on him like a wave that would crush his soul back down into the darkness.
He remembered her smile and all the times they had played together as children. She had always protected and helped him no matter what, and his regret at leaving her on the beach wore heavy on his soul. He had abandoned her. He fought to escape, but the tentacle dragged him across the ground through Pahukumaa’s blood and into the depths of the cavern. He knew not how much longer he would live. He struggled to break free and drew in one last deep breath that filled his lungs with purpose. Not knowing what else to do, he shouted loudly and forcefully at the monster that pulled him toward it, hoping his cry would travel far up to the heavens so that his sister could hear him. As loud as he could shout, his voice clear and unwavering in the darkness, his words echoed throughout the caverns. “Morgan, forgive me…”
His voice cracked then, and the tentacle pulled him faster out of the passageway into the orangish glow beyond, and all went silent.
Chapter 14
I did not look back to see if Ishmael chased after me. I ran forward, careful not to trip into the fiery lava far below, and made it out of the chamber with ease. In the dark of the passageway, I slowed down until my eyes adjusted to the lower light, and I heard Nathan scream, more in fear than pain.
A mass of movement caught my attention. I came closer and a mess of tentacles had enveloped Nathan’s body. Three long arms with suckers held him pinned to the ground. In the odd light, what appeared to be blood took on a dark black hue. Not knowing what else to do, I rushed forward and tried to free him.
At my touch, the tentacles pulled back, slinked away, and withdrew back into crevices in the walls of the cavern.
“You’re alive and heard me!” His hand trembled, and he reached for my arm to touch me to see if I were real or a wisp of a dream. “Thank you.”
“Yes, we made it inside and I’m fine.” I tried to find the source of the blood covering him but could not. “Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m not. The blood isn’t mine.” He pulled himself up and grabbed both my hands, holding them tight in his. With absolute earnestness, he said, “I’m so sorry for turning my back on you. I was wrong.”
I hugged him tight. “It’s okay. I forgive you. We can talk more later. Now we have to get out of here.”
He laughed and his voice cracked. “There is no la
ter. It is either now or things will be left unsaid. I apologize for betraying you. You have every right to leave me here on my own. Free yourself, go find the way out. It is what I deserve after what I—”
I shook him hard. “Enough of this. Stop with your self-pity. I need your help so that we can both escape. Is there anyone else alive with you?”
“I’m still here.” Zeke called from several yards away. He rushed over to us out of breath. “The way behind us is not the way out.”
I turned back the way I had come. “And the way behind me is not the way either.”
“Then we are lost to the hellish depths here, and there is no hope.” Nathan hung his head in defeat, but he recovered with quickness. “We must find another way out. Maybe we can go down or up through a secret passage in the ceiling.” He started scanning the space above, but in the darkness, it was difficult to see anything more than a few feet in front of us.
Zeke pointed the way I had come. “Someone’s coming.” He stood in a defensive posture, and I turned, slowly, knowing who I would see.
Ishmael strode forward toward us and he pointed. “Come back with me. There is a way for some of us to escape.” His chest tattoo glowed, and the whale on his arm shone bright.
Before I could reply, Zeke pushed me toward him and said, “Trust him, he’ll get you out of here safe.”
Nathan turned on Zeke. “How do you know that we should trust him?”
Zeke held Nathan’s gaze, but no anger simmered there. “None of you have reason to trust me, but Ishmael has been chosen.” He pointed to his glowing tattoos that gave off a vibrant phosphorescent glow and then at me. “And you are soon to be one of the chosen as well.”
He traced the glowing lattice pattern on my shoulder and rolled up my sleeve. Like the lines of a seashell, the pattern glowed red and orange. I moved my arm and watched the living pattern of light flicker on my skin. “Chosen for what?”
Ishmael took a step back and ushered me back the way we had come. “You will see. It is different for each of us. Come. It is time.”
I stayed put and pointed at Ishmael. “All along you knew and planned this from the start. You made me think that I had tricked you into coming. But I was the fool. You wanted me to come here all along.” A mix of anger and hurt warred within. “I trusted you!”
“It’s not like that. Kanaloa took hold of me for a bit, but I have fought him off. I am here to help you. But I need you to come with me. I told you from the first I met you that I didn’t want to come back here, but you pushed me to come. I came on my own, but you snuck on board the Marcella. You wanted to be the hero and not be left out. Now you will see.” Ishmael reached his arm out to me. “Come.”
“You could have told me on the ship what I was getting into. You could have…” I yelled at him, and my fear came out in words.
“It’s too late for all of that now. I chose not to tell you. Maybe I made a mistake. I don’t know. But I need you to come with me of your own free will. Trust me.” He pointed at the darkness ahead and invited me to follow.
Without another word, he turned away and walked back the way he had come and did not glance back to see if we followed.
“Morgan, I don’t trust him.” Nathan looked at a loss for words. “We can try another way.”
Zeke pushed between us. “You should go. The curse is too strong, and it cannot be broken. And Ishmael does not lie. For me, I’ve been cursed differently and was allowed to go.” He grabbed Nathan by the arm. “You don’t understand what we’re dealing with here. If your sister has been chosen, she has a chance to live. Please.”
Nathan bundled his fists together. “And you lied to me as well. All this time you tried to make me out to be the crazy one having seen things on the ship. But you were always a werewhale and wanted to turn me into one as well.”
Zeke held up his hand. “Only if you chose it. No one has forced anything on you.” He glanced back at Ishmael’s receding shadow. “It is too late for that now. Come with me and say goodbye to your sister.”
Nathan stayed put and defied him. “No, I’ll go with her. Whatever she is going to face, then I’ll face it too. I won’t leave her again. If following Ishmael through hell is the only way out, then I’ll not leave her.
He took my hand and I squeezed it. “Thank you. Let’s go.”
We turned away and Zeke started to argue with us but stopped. He caught up to us and said, “Wait. I’ll come too.”
“What are we going to face?” I asked Zeke and stopped, putting my hand on his chest. “Tell me the truth.”
“You’re being brought before the presence of a god.” Zeke fought to say more, but he could not get the words out. “He won’t let me say more. Please, we’re wasting time. We should go.”
I glanced at Nathan, and he nodded in agreement. “Let’s just go.”
The three of us walked toward the orangish glow in front of us. When we entered the cavern, Zeke moved to the far side of the room with his arms crossed over his chest. He stood wary, watching Ishmael who sat cross-legged on the ground.
Nathan stayed close behind me.
I stood before Ishmael and said, “I’ve come here of my own free will, but I want you to know that I’m not defeated. I will fight till my last breath whatever you intend to do to me.” I held my breath expecting tentacles to spring from the ground and wrap their slimy appendices around my torso, dragging me down into the darkness.
But that did not happen.
Ishmael leaned over and touched a rock on the ground. “It’s not going to be like that. Please, sit before me.”
I did as asked and took a calming breath and focused on the moment. I tried to relax but could not.
“Now you will see the truth.” Ishmael opened his hands, and on his command, a purple light filled the entire room with a ghostly sheen. Ishmael’s teeth shone a bright white, and his tattoos glowed like stars in the night sky.
The purple energy pierced each of us, filling us with its energy. In the center of the room, a stalagmite rose out of the ground, bursting with sea foam, and an acrid smell filled the air. As though alive, the column of stone peeled back, and a thing moved inside. The purplish light intensified, focusing around a creature trapped within a column of living flesh. Thick jelly oozed from the center of the stalagmite, and water dripped down, casting off a protective casing. Thousands of thin tentacles peeled away, their suckers smacking from being pulled off whatever lay inside.
And then I recognized him, and the truth of it all washed over me stronger than any tidal wave, breaking my heart and rising up within me like a turbulent storm of emotion.
Speechless, I got up and ran to him.
Nathan rushed forward too and only got out one word, more a question than anything. “Father?”
Zeke looked down at the ground as though ashamed of the sight, but I had no time to decipher what coded message he hid with his body language. I only knew that miraculously my father lived.
The tentacles rose back into the ceiling, and his skin, bloated and pale, looked unharmed. His beard was all white, and his thinning hair was slicked back. Covered in a mixture of a light mucous film and water, he made eye contact with us and said, “Morgan and Nathan.”
His voice, unused in a long time, came out more like a whisper.
I spun back around to confront Ishmael. “How does he yet live?”
“Because Captain Ahab sacrificed himself.” Ishmael stood up and came by my side. “There are always two. One to live and go back out into the world and one to stay. Your father gave his life so that I could live and escape Moby Dick and this island of nightmares.”
“But he’s still alive! He’s trapped against his will by some sort of monster. We need to bring him home.” I went to free my father from his prison, but the tentacles shot back out from the ceiling and protected him from my touch.
I withdrew my hand, and Nathan had come closer to me, standing near enough to aid me in a fight. “And why do you show this to me now?�
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Ishmael pointed up at the ceiling. “Because it’s time for more choices to be made.”
Zeke laughed and distracted us all. “I will die before I’m made part of that thing.” He clenched both his fists and came to stand by Ishmael.
“Your choice has already been made for you.” Ishmael pointed at another stalagmite on the far side of the room, and it peeled open to reveal Josep inside.
When the tentacles withdrew from his face, he recognized Zeke and said, “Please, help me. Get me out of here!”
The tentacles swirled back around his face, with one forcing itself into his mouth. Even in the odd, purplish light, I could see Josep’s fearful expression. He rocked and struggled, trying to break free, but the more he fought, the tighter the larger tentacles wrapped themselves around him. From the ceiling, a clear ooze dripped down and covered Josep’s face. He tried to cry out, but no part of him was free. He was trapped. Forever encased in a living prison.
Beside him another stalagmite blossomed with tentacles and mucus, and I recognized Clarence. He struggled to escape, but only his eyes could move.
Zeke rushed forward and pulled a gun he had hidden in his back pocket. He aimed the gun at Josep’s face before any of us could act and fired. The gun clicked as the hammer smacked back, but the gun did not fire.
Ishmael did not try to interfere with Zeke and remained calm. “A waterlogged gun will not help you escape. The dark god wants his sacrifice, and all of us must pay.”
I had had enough. I stole a glance to Nathan and gave him a knowing look. Either he went with me or I would die trying. I had to find a way to escape this insanity. I did not understand this world beneath the real world that was filled with horror.
Without another thought, I lunged at Ishmael and went for his eyes. I might not be able to kill him, but if I fought hard enough, I could blind him and, with Nathan’s help, incapacitate him, and then we’d find a way out.
