Ch.109Ch.7 – Elegy for Reason (16)

A young man emerged from behind the trees surrounding the plaza. Despite the violent trembling of the ground, he appeared remarkably composed. Other men who looked identical to him walked out from behind the city hall, from the parking lot, and from behind other trees. All four men had unblinking eyes, just like Clarice Holmes.

“Well, well, Holmes!” “You’re not going anywhere. This is the end for you.” “The interference with ‘us’ ends now.” “This will be your Reichenbach Falls.”

Just as the four Moriartys were about to draw their guns—

VROOOOOM!

A military truck roared toward them, its cargo area filled with armed military police. Bang! Bang! They fired their rifles, causing the Moriartys to scatter and return fire. This momentarily diverted Clarice Holmes’s attention.

“Now!”

One of the Moriartys threw a steel canister between Clarice Holmes and Assistant Klein.

BOOM!

A yellowish-green smoke billowed up with the explosion. It was a smoke grenade. Soldiers rushed in and grabbed me, Crayfield, and Scully. By the time the wind dispersed the smoke, Assistant Klein, Holmes, and all the Moriartys had vanished. The five shoggoths, their bodies torn in various places, rolled on the ground screaming horribly before burrowing into a hole created by the split earth and escaping.

Military police jumped from the truck’s cargo area and secured the perimeter. A man with a lieutenant’s insignia approached us.

“Are you alright?”

Scully pulled out her Federal Security Bureau badge.

“We’re fine. Federal Security Bureau Special Agent Katherine Scully. Your name is… good, Lieutenant Miller. Could you brief me on the current situation?”

“It’s as you see.”

The lieutenant raised his eyebrows in surprise but continued calmly.

“We’re with the National Guard. We were waiting for orders at the entrance to Innsmouth when the earthquake hit, collapsing roads and toppling utility poles. We thought it was just an earthquake and entered the city, but good heavens. What’s happening here?”

“I wish I knew, but let’s focus on what needs to be done. We need to rescue people. The mayor, officials, congressional investigation team, citizens—everyone’s scattered. Do you have a map of Innsmouth?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Good. Take me to the fire station. I doubt it’s intact, but we need to activate emergency protocols.”

“Get in.”

The soldiers quickly boarded the truck. Scully looked at both of us in turn.

“You two.”

“We’ll do our part,” Crayfield said, pointing toward the beach—specifically in the direction of the Devil’s Reef.

“Something will definitely crawl up from that sea. Similar to what emerged off Pollard Island. We’ll try to stop it as best we can.”

“I’m worried that’s too much for you two to handle.”

I said there was no greater task than saving human lives. Katherine Scully gave me a tight hug.

“Be careful.”

After sharing a brief embrace with Crayfield as well, Scully boarded the truck. As soon as the military police truck departed, another rumbling sound echoed. We ran to the parking lot. Fortunately, the old rental car started properly.

“Let’s go!”

Crayfield hit the pedal. There was a straight road from city hall to Devil’s Reef, but the road conditions were visibly poor.

“I hope you’re prepared to pay for a car, assistant?”

VROOOOOM!

The old Ford raced down the street. The first intersection was our first challenge. People were pouring out everywhere, and Crayfield honked loudly while driving more aggressively.

“Tekeli-li!”

A shoggoth charged from an alley like an enraged rhinoceros, ramming into people. I rolled down the window and fired my revolver at the shoggoth. It didn’t cause any damage, of course, but it did divert its attention. When Crayfield stepped on the gas, the shoggoth abandoned the civilians and chased after us.

“You’re quite something, graaaah!”

The car suddenly lifted into the air. The road had swollen like bread in an oven. After a moment where it felt like invisible hands were grabbing at my internal organs—

THUD!

The car landed on the ground with a loud crash. The hood jumped, and with a hissing sound, the engine died.

“No!”

Crayfield let out a cry. He frantically turned the key to restart the engine, but the car only made clicking sounds as sparks flew, refusing to ignite.

“KEE-KEERKRUK!”

Looking behind us, a shoggoth that had emerged from the ground was glaring at us. Apparently upset about having its head stepped on, it howled at us. Then,

“THUMP!”

The shoggoth that had been chasing us collided head-on with the other one.

POP-POP-BANG!

“YEEEESSS!”

The car started and shot forward. Now we had two furious shoggoths following us.

“You seem to have a natural talent for making monsters angry.”

But Crayfield’s face was tense. A large intersection appeared ahead of us.

“Hold tight.”

Crayfield slowed down and sharply turned the wheel.

SCREEEEECH!

The Ford changed direction, leaving skid marks on the ground. We were now heading directly toward the oncoming shoggoths. Crayfield honked loudly and pressed the accelerator while holding the clutch.

VROOM! The Ford roared like a bull in an arena. The two shoggoths stopped on the other side of the road. Trying not to lose momentum, they screeched, “KEEEEK! KEEEEK!” while our car emitted loud exhaust noises. I couldn’t understand what Crayfield was thinking. Surely not a game of chicken? Here?

“Here we go!”

VROOOM!

With Crayfield’s bold shout, the car suddenly reversed. Before the hesitating shoggoths could understand what was happening, Crayfield sharply turned the wheel again. In an instant, the car rotated 180 degrees, shifting back into forward gear. The angry shouts of the shoggoths faded into the distance.

Through the passenger window, I saw Emma Scully’s thought form. Like a guardian angel—or a persistent demon—she flew alongside our car, passing through all obstacles.

[What a ridiculous human]

Emma muttered. I looked at him with newfound appreciation. Coincidence or not, Crayfield just showed his teeth in a slight smile.

“Time?”

Awakening <10/12> / Doom <11/12>

“Doom probably marks the moment Dagon takes a step. At 11, I’d say he’s just put his foot on the threshold. Our protagonist hasn’t passed two stages yet. At least Clarice Holmes bought us some time. Yikes!”

The Ford accelerated with a roar. The houses in front of us were collapsing like dominoes. Crayfield clenched his teeth and kept pressing the pedal. Black smoke billowed from the overheated engine compartment.

BOOM! BOOM! KABOOM!

Houses collapsed right above our car. They were like monsters trying to devour us. But somehow, like prey escaping from jaws, Crayfield used all his strength to turn the wheel and press the pedal.

BANG!

Finally, flames shot up from the engine compartment. Crayfield increased the speed even more. The heat became scorching and was about to turn into stinging pain when the car screeched to a halt.

“Get out now!”

Just as Crayfield and I jumped out of the car, it exploded with a thunderous noise. Pieces of metal flew over my head as I lay flat on the ground. My palms were slightly scraped, but there was no time to worry about that.

Before us stretched Devil’s Reef, filled with pitch-black sand. Unlike other parts of Innsmouth, the ground here wasn’t split. Instead, the beach undulated continuously like boiling tar, and lava spurted up with hissing sounds.

And the sea. Countless Deep Ones were stepping onto the beach from the ocean. Before they set foot, the seawater cooled the ground in advance. It was as if the earth itself was opening a path for its new conquerors.

But even the Deep Ones couldn’t fully capture our attention. Behind them stood something so massive that the word “gigantic” seemed inadequate. Even tilting our heads all the way back, we couldn’t gauge its size. A pale, enormous, alien form. Like Emma Scully, it was translucent, but merely looking at it caused an unbearable revulsion to rise from deep within my stomach.

‘It’ was something that poorly mimicked and clumsily imitated humans. Without endless malice, bitter mockery, and curses drawn from the depths of the soul, such a blasphemous thing should not have existed. A creepy sensation felt by living beings, accompanied by slow, heavy drumbeats and the groans of a compressed flute, could be heard faintly.

“…!”

Fortunately, the Deep Ones hadn’t noticed us. With buildings collapsing, fires blazing, the earth splitting, and steam rising to create thick fog, a burned-out car was just one among countless instances of destruction. Keeping as low as possible, Crayfield and I moved toward the beach with each ground-shaking vibration.

“There they are.”

We saw it. Among the Deep Ones lined up ascending the beach with long harpoons in their hands, Assistant Klein was continuously chanting spells and offering prayers toward the massive form.

As if giving a sermon, a podium was placed before him, and on it lay a book emanating ominous energy.

“That which eternally lies, not dead!”

It’s a book familiar to *you*.

Klein recited passages with sobs, pleas, clutching his chest, and supplications. With each recitation, the massive form waved its arms, as if trying to tear through an invisible veil with troublesome annoyance and anger. The movement resembled someone trying to remove an unpleasant cobweb.

“The Necronomicon,” Crayfield whispered.

“A complete copy of the Necronomicon. The Latin copy that disappeared during the Salem witch trials. Said to be the most perfect content among existing books. It’s a first translation.”

And beside him, a middle-aged man with hunched shoulders, an elongated neck, but sharp eyes was looking up at the strange form as if admiring a masterpiece. Even from a distance, I recognized him as James Moriarty. His face wasn’t much different from his younger replicas, the ‘young Moriartys.’

“That which eternally lies, not dead!”

The voice became a sharp knife, tearing the veil. The Deep Ones sang a strange song in unison. It sounded like the squawking of dolphins, the fierce howls of killer whales, the clicking of teeth, or sounds resonating inside a skull.

But the hostility was unmistakable.

The sky gradually darkened, and suddenly lightning, storms, and sleet fell fiercely. The sea danced wildly. Waves fought against waves, and the earth bubbled like mud boiling in a pot. Only the path of the Deep Ones remained solid, thanks to the sea that had sacrificed itself to open a way.