Ch.128Ch.8 – And Then There Was Nothing (13)

The Arkham magician and his companions walked into the first floor of the annex. The workers neither stopped them nor acknowledged them. Having come out empty-handed, they returned to the museum. Crayfield and I quietly withdrew, then sat on a bench in front of the bushes to pass time.

At 6 o’clock, visitors began heading home one by one. Workers packed up their equipment and left for the day, and lights in the museum turned off floor by floor from the top. The museum staff, including the magician, disappeared amid their own laughter and chatter, and the day seemed to conclude with the last employee locking the door.

We pretended to leave with the visitors, then slipped away to a secluded spot. After climbing over a shrub hedge, we crouched low and made our way back toward the museum.

But the museum wasn’t empty. A truck carrying Pollard City vigilantes approached, spewing exhaust. Two of them carried guns, while six others held hexagonal batons and lanterns.

“Interesting.”

Crayfield bared his teeth in the darkness as he watched the vigilantes taking their positions.

“Ever heard that in disaster situations, the house with the strongest barricades becomes the primary target? It’s not a signal of ‘our security is this strong,’ but rather ‘we have so much worth protecting.’ This place fits that description perfectly.”

Fortunately, the vigilantes’ work ethic was nearly abysmal. They dozed off in comfortable chairs, smoked cigarettes, or laughed and chatted among themselves. Some were sipping from metal flasks, likely containing alcohol.

Crayfield and I crawled on all fours. Our palms and knees began to hurt, but we moved so slowly and steadily that we didn’t make much noise. Thankfully, we avoided stepping on branches that would make cracking sounds or pressing our palms against protruding stones. Though the sun had set and the moon had risen, it wasn’t pitch black to the point of complete invisibility.

We finally reached the corner of the annex. The vigilantes only patrolled around the main building and seemed to pay little attention to this area. Though it was a construction site, furniture and tools were neatly organized, making it easy to walk.

“We weren’t there that long, were we?”

Since the stairs were under repair and blocked off, the only place to go was the basement. The door was wide open, and as soon as we descended, we were hit by the smell of old moisture and mold. I suspected groundwater might be leaking somewhere.

Crayfield took out his lighter, shielding it with his hand to prevent the light from escaping. We could see damp, moss-covered walls, worn-out furniture, and ornate but damaged display cases. There was also a broken mirror, which was quite eerie as each fractured surface reflected our images.

Below the mirror, we could see the silhouette of a cloth-covered box.

“This looks like it.”

Just as Crayfield reached out, a snake slithered out from between the damaged furniture.

“This is a bit scary, isn’t it?”

It had a triangular head and a yellow body as thick as a human forearm. Its yellow eyes were clearly visible even in the lighter’s flame. Flicking its tongue, it lowered its head.

“Assistant. Let’s back away for now. Take off your coat and wrap it around your arm. If by chance it lunges at you, block it with your arm.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the snake made a threatening hissing sound. It continued to shake its head as Crayfield and I took steps back.

“Be good, okay? Brother. Or maybe it’s sister? I’m a bit busy, so could you please move aside?”

Suddenly, Crayfield opened his wallet. He pulled out all the bills, ID cards, and coins. Then he lightly tapped the leather wallet against his trouser cuff. The tapping sound excited the snake even more. Crayfield handed the empty wallet to me.

“Assistant. When I count to three, throw this wallet toward that creature. One. Two. Three!”

On “three,” I threw Crayfield’s wallet. The crouching snake hissed and leaped up, biting into the wallet.

“Now!”

Crayfield quickly grabbed the box. The snake kept opening its mouth wide, but with the leather wallet stuck firmly in its jaws, it posed no real threat.

“Good. I wasn’t sure, but seeing the snake confirms it. Assistant, let’s head to the Southern Cathedral. But first, just a moment.”

Still clutching the box, Crayfield tossed a coin toward the snake.

“Tell your master that what’s in here belongs to me now.”

The snake hissed and wailed. Saliva spurting from its fangs was burning through the wallet. We left the basement without looking back. As we climbed the stairs and approached the annex exit—

A vigilante suddenly walked past us. Fortunately, he was drunk, humming a song, and holding his lantern in front of him, so he didn’t notice us. He continued walking toward the bushes beside the annex.

It was a predicament. The annex was under construction with all doors and windows open, so if we left, we’d be spotted by the man.

“What on earth are you doing?”

Crayfield’s voice was tinged with impatience. I carefully peeked out without being noticed. The humming man was facing the bushes, pulling down his pants. A moment later, we heard the sound of relieving himself.

“Assistant. Run!”

Suddenly, Crayfield darted out. Even a startled rabbit couldn’t have bolted so abruptly. I ran after him.

“Huh? Huh? W-what, who’s there!”

The man seemed as surprised as we were. We sprinted all the way to the parking lot. Though there was quite a commotion from above, I quickly started the car and drove off. I asked what he was thinking.

“What was I thinking? It’s obvious, isn’t it? That guy had his pants half down—how could he possibly catch us in that state? It’s a shame about losing my wallet, though. But that’s not what matters. Let’s go to the Southern Cathedral.”

We heard a truck behind us, but our car had already merged into the traffic on the main road. Crayfield lifted the cloth and opened the box.

“That’s right. It’s a stone fragment of Yig.”

After confirming this, Crayfield suddenly took out his revolver. He separated the drum and removed all the bullets.

“Assistant. Listen carefully. I’m about to lose my mind, you see? I’m already seeing serpents moving back and forth in front of me. Please, take all the bullets out of your gun too. Otherwise, I might take your gun and shoot myself in the head, or shoot you.”

Fortunately, we stopped at a red light. I did as he asked.

“Find Father Michael. Tell him to perform the purification ritual immediately. And ignore whatever nonsense I say. Damn it, if I’d known this would happen, I should have emptied my bowels beforehand. I don’t want to soil myself in front of you. And listen to this as my last will.”

The light changed, and I started driving again. I told him not to say such unlucky things. But Crayfield shook his head.

“Look. Your head already looks like a snake to me. I’m only holding it together because I know what’s happening to me. Even if something happens to me, you must continue living. Do you understand?”

Suddenly, Crayfield bit the sleeve of his coat. I could see his breathing becoming rough and his eyes rolling wildly. I begged him to hold on just a little longer.

“Hey. I… I can’t hear what you’re saying clearly. I only hear hissing sounds. But I know you must be worried about me, right? Of course you are. After all the time we’ve spent together. If you could see what I’m seeing… five snake heads sprouting from your arm, trying to tear me apart alive.”

I told him I hadn’t touched him at all. But he didn’t seem to hear me.

“Assistant. Let me make a confession. I deserve to die. If you knew what I’ve done to you, I wouldn’t blame you for killing me. I’ve been wondering how to tell you this for quite some time… am I talking nonsense right now?”

Instead of answering verbally, I pressed the accelerator. Crayfield trembled and curled up. The streetlights between the trees seemed too stimulating for him, so he buried his head.

“Sometimes, you know, Assistant, I feel like I’m running through empty space. My legs are clearly walking, but the scenery around me doesn’t change at all. Preventing the apocalypse is like preparing meals—no days off, no playtime, just something you absolutely must do. And nobody else will do this damn job for you. I can’t make this situation better. I can only keep it from getting worse. So how could I cope without drinking? Oh. It just ate my left arm. Wonderful. The reason I’m spouting nonsense is to keep from losing my mind. So bear with me. It doesn’t matter if you don’t listen. What matters is that I’m talking.”

The car was now on the road to the Southern Cathedral. There were too many parked cars along the way today, so I had to slow down. Crayfield grinned with a trickle of saliva running down his mouth.

“Hey. I still believe, you know. I believe that even if I close my eyes, this damn world will still be here. Even if I say this world would lose all meaning without me, I believe there’s a world just as precious as mine. Even if you close this page. Even if someday you forget the five letters of the name Crayfield. I want you to take with you the fact that I respected you. No, it doesn’t matter if you forget!”

Crayfield laughed loudly.

“It doesn’t matter! But if you’ve come this far, you must surely respect me. I’m grateful, friend. You are… you are… I’d gladly give you one of my arms… no, I’d willingly give both arms… Is my burning throat from thirst or is it the snake venom rising… Ah. My ID is Sagan. The password is also just Sagan.”

Finally, the Southern Cathedral came into view. I honked the horn and parked the car.

June 25, 1929. 7:21 PM

Southern Cathedral

I turned off the engine and gathered my gun, Crayfield’s gun, the drums, and all the bullets. I opened the passenger door, but Crayfield shook his head.

“Hey. I’m sorry, but could you carry me? I simply can’t move my body. In my eyes, I see snake people… in the Great Pyramid Temple, snakes tearing open the bellies of a thousand people and devouring their entrails. And they’re whispering that I must become the thousand and first human.”

Fortunately, Father Michael, Abashina, and other nuns rushed out from the Southern Cathedral. Crayfield clutched the box tightly as if he were about to lay eggs. I told Michael that Crayfield had brought a brick from Yig’s temple, asked for a purification ritual, and explained that he was currently experiencing hallucinations.

“Understood. Let’s go to the sanctuary!”

Surprisingly, Michael lifted Crayfield with ease. Though Crayfield spewed all manner of profanities, Abashina touched his forehead and whispered quickly, causing him to faint. Thankfully, he still held the box firmly against his chest.

“I’m sick of snakes.”

Father Michael placed Crayfield’s body in front of the altar. He made the sign of the cross and sprinkled holy water on the brick fragment after opening the box. The other nuns lit candles, brought priestly vestments, and prepared the ceremonial incense burner.

Suddenly, lightning struck.

Following the lightning, a heavy downpour began. The weather had been clear until just now, with no forecast of rain today. Abashina took her place beside me, and the other nuns surrounded the altar.

BOOM.

The doors of the sanctuary opened. Against the backdrop of lightning, the Arkham magician appeared. He still leaned on his staff, but behind him stood snake people, flicking their tongues. I quickly loaded bullets into my revolver.

“Just hold them off until the ritual is complete.”

Father Michael muttered rapidly. The magician walked down the central aisle, waving his staff. With each lightning strike, the shadows of snake people could be seen pushing into the sanctuary. I held a revolver in each hand.