TWD Filming Update (5/12/13)

Hi everyone!

Just thought I'd drop a note about the ongoing filming of TWD. As we all know by know, they are filming in the abandoned Wal Mart in Griffin, Ga for a couple days next week (I don't know exactly for how long) & also in some wooded areas about the county, but good luck on seeing those wooded shoots. They usually shut down a long stretch of road and post deputies on each end far from the actual filming location.

The best bet would be the old Wal Mart, but I bet there'll be a ton of autograph hounds there- so I'm gonna pass.

I'm gonna hit up production a little later on when they're out on location in Coweta County. There will be a lot less folks present and the likelihood that the cast can stick around a little longer to chat & take pics.

Alright,

Have a great Mothers Day !

-Joe

"Island of Dagon" Annotations & Behind my research!

NUMERICAL ANNOTATIONS:

 

 

 

In writing this short story, I didn't just pull things out of thin air (well, some I did) and I did quite a bit of research regarding the time period, military operations, customs, etc in order to ensure an amount of realism within the format. I did throw in quite a few nods to other media and a lot of silly references just for my own amusement. What follows are the numerical annotations for the story , "The Island of Dagon".

(1)-Keeping the tone of many of Lovecraft's stories, I kept it in the narrative form. Further, I began to vaguely reference many Lovecraft's inventions, The Old Ones, The Necronomicon, Book of Eibon, etc. The nameless narrator, also like many HPL characters predict their own demise by mysterious forces.

(1A)- Referring to Miskatonic University in Arkham, Massachusetts, a fictional town created by Lovecraft first being mentioned in the story, "The Picture in the House".

(2)- Lemuria, often associated with the lost continent of Atlantis, but not the same. Historical evidence suggests it existed between 900,000 BC and 25,000 BC.

(3)- A tip of the hat to Prof. Raymond Knowby of the "Evil Dead" series of motion pictures by Sam Raimi.

(4)- "unsavory lot", making direct reference to Americans distaste towards the Japanese during WW2. Internment camps of Japanese-Americans were widely used on the West Coast out of fear and bigotry.

(5)- USAT Etolin was a real ship and did make these runs from those locations during the time period of this story.

(6)- Ujelang is an isolated island atoll of the Marshall Islands.

(7)- This makes the Etolin leaving San Fran on 7-14-43.

That makes the arrival time at Ujelang would be 7-24-43- based upon her top speed being 17 knots and the Marshall Islands being about 4025 nautical miles from San Fran= 10 days.

(8)- These names, of course, all being mixes of various Lovecraft characters.

(9)- A reference to the 1940's radio series "The Shadow". Cranston was secretly the superhero "The Shadow".

The opening tag: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows."

(10)- "Thule Gesellschaft" - a real German occult book of the Thule Society.

(11)- This ties our story into the Cthulhu Mythos and also separates it by establishing that this expedition and university is not Miskatonic University in Arkham, Massachusetts.

(12)- "it's construction", referring to some descriptions of the Necronomicon being bound in human
(or other?) skin and possibly inked in blood. The narrator thought it was kept in certain conditions
for preservation reasons and not because the book is actually a threat to mankind.

(12A)- Hunters Point Shipyard was an actual WW2 yard in San Fran, where the USAT Etolin sometimes docked.

(13)- A reference to 'Dracula', who had to be transported in earth from Transylvania by ship. Here, the unknown thing in the crate is hinted at having to live in sea water or other fluid.

(13A)- "...from Innsmouth", a reference to Lovecraft's "The Shadow over Innsmouth".

(14)- A Lovecraft staple, roughly meaning "Cthulhu sleeps" or "Cthulhu Lives" depending on the source.

Pronounced 'ee-ya', 'ee-ya', 'kut-thool-hoo fot-hog-gen' or close to it!

(15)- Another accurate historical event near Ujelang Island.

(16)- The only building on Ujelang, to this very day, is an 1880's German capros building. (Not a temple!) It was a corporate building for 'capros', or coconut juices and meats!

(16A)- "unperceivable multiplicity"- The dark mans voice was almost several voices, similar to Christ's question to the possessed man in the Holy Bible, to which the man responded, 'We are Legion."

(17)- "Esoteric Order of Dagon": the religious cult worshipping the "Old One" Dagon, a Biblical fish-man-god.

Sometimes, the others of Dagons ilk may have been called "The Deep Ones", "The Ancient Ones",
"The Dark Ones"- it seemed that HPL himself was not consistent. I prefer the "Old Ones". Though,
perhaps in this story, I should have used "The Deep Ones"- as it mostly focuses on Dagon.

(18)- The carven images were to represent the Old Ones influence and interaction with mankind during the ages.

(19)- Phillips is a spawn of selective breeding between Dagon and humans in Innsmouth.

(20)- This, of course, was the Lovecraft story, "The Call of Cthulhu".

(21)- This furthers the idea that the denizens of Innsmouth are still interacting with Dagon, bearing offspring.

(22)-"...man ever existed"...suggesting that the Old Ones arrived on a primal, young and unformed Earth.

This re-enforces my idea in this story that they are aliens possessing powers that are simply beyond our current comprehension and not gods.

(23)- "foul seed...etc". Mankinds DNA influenced by sexual interaction with the Old Ones.(Shadow over Innsmouth) Also, "sensitive few"- referencing that the dream calls of the Old Ones were most
likely received by those humans that were of highly developed artistic interests- sculptors, painters,
writers, etc. (Call of Cthulhu)

(23A)- I suggest that there are persons unknown at Miskatonic to be involved in the occult.

(24)- Lovecraft often referred to WWI as 'The Great War'. I continue it's usage here. All of Lovecrafts fiction were written before his death in 1937- so there would be no other Great War to compare to.

(25)- Lovecraft's blobish, shapeshifters were called "shoggoths", an idea planted here by description alone.

(26)- "non bipedal locomotion", furthering the idea that it was a shoggoth in the crate.(At the Mountains of Madness)

(27)- A tip of the hat to another great Lovecraft story about inter-dimensional living things "From Beyond".

(27A)- A reference to Stuart Gordons movie "Castle Freak", loosely based on Lovecraft's 'The Outsider'.

(28)- A reference to Stuart Gordons movie "Dagon", where the high priest uses golden knives for human sacrifices.

(28A)- I'm hinting that the bigger room was used for skinning of the victims and the alter room was the final destination of whatever devilish ritual was being performed.

(29)-A nod to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Spock uses this phrase referring to luring Khan into the Mutara Nebula.

(30)- A reference to Sam Raimi's "Army of Darkness" deleted windmill scene.

(31)-A reference to Lovecrafts legendary, "..then again the stars shall be right..."

(32)-Spartans, of course, were legendary fighters- known for ruthlessness and ferocity during battles.

(32A)- Several Lovecraft characters find a fate where thier bodies are melted, decimated beyond recognition, etc.

(32B)- A lot of Lovecrafts characters seem to die of fright, so I felt we needed one here!

(32C)- Yet another Lovecraftian characteristic: the human ability to see something so incomprehensible that it can defy reason and, quite often, an articulate description.

(33)- Another Lovecraftian staple of the narrator having to lie because the truth would not be accepted by authorities

(33A)- "Architech"- a Masonic reference to God. "...the spaces between them..." Another nod to the deleted alternate opening of "Army of Darkness".

(34)-A reference to the Masonic Catechisms, as both the Narrator and his friend Edward are Freemasons.

(35)- In several Lovecraft tales, it's said the Old Ones brought their images with them and they were not made of any materials found on the Earth.

(36)- The Phoenix being a mythical bird that cannot be destroyed, always rising from the ashes, reborn.

(37)- This opens the storyline to continue as Edward and the Narrator go on the offensive against the children of Dagon and Cthulhu Cultists- as well as trying to destroy the Necronomicon in Arkham. Also, a rough date can be determined as August 10th, 1943 as the date that the Narrator torches the library.


THATS ALL !! I HOPE YOU HAD AS MUCH FUN READING IT AS I HAD MAKING IT!

"The Island of Dagon" : Final Chapter: " A Clue & an Oath"

CHAPTER X: "A CLUE AND AN OATH"

　

After that, Edward and I survived on the rations that we had stowed and within a week, we had been picked up by an American ship. We told our rescuers only that we were stranded on Ujelang and the rest of our party had befallen to the Japanese survivors of the Mikage Maru sinking. They would not believe what had actually transpired. (33)

What I have written into this account is true and I have witnessed the crawling chaos that resides in the deep, dark oceanic depths rising up to greet the world with a cacophony of death and destruction. I cannot rest until the remaining pieces of the great puzzle are destroyed so that no man may follow to that horrid chasm again. Ancient man may have thought these creatures to have been gods, given them names and worshipped them, but I know that they are living creatures, powerful perhaps, but not gods. I also know that within the Architects design, there are things that live not in the spaces we know, but between them.(33A)

Edward, my closest and dearest friend, with whom brotherly secrecy and assistance has been assured by oath (34), have avowed to end the cult of Dagon by our own hands. We have the will and means to wage war upon those unnamed and accursed things that cower in the light, but prey in the dark on innocents. To this we have sworn our lives.

But until that time, I leave this manuscript rolled and sealed into the stone idol of that most evil Cthulhu that I took from Ujelang.

It will not burn and will be found- as it was brought with them from whence they came and is not of materials of this earth.(35)

I will place this foul thing on the front steps of the library, as I cannot enter into it now as the entire interior is fully engulfed in the purifying flames that I set within the rare books section. I've used enough accelerant to ensure that the entire construction will be nothing but charred cinders before any firemen could possibly contain it.

Like the great Phoenix of ancient lore, I have been reborn with a new purpose.(36) The blood of my friends will not have been spilt in vain as we will be the hunters now. I have no other focus or interest in my life but to blot out those things that bay and whisper at night and slip into the sea unnoticed by mankind into that dismal blackness of Dagons domain.

We will lie in the mossy & ancient cemeteries and abandoned cathedrals during those devils Sabbaths and send them back into that darkest, most secret Hell there is.

We must first make a stop in Arkham before our destiny at Innsmouth awaits.(37)

　

THE END

"The Island of Dagon" Chapter 9: "A Battle & a Glimpse into Hell"

CHAPTER IX: " A BATTLE AND A GLIMPSE INTO HELL"

By the afternoon, we had explored the lower level of the building, gathered numerous objects of interest and examined them.

The upper level was barely accessible, as decay had collapsed most of the stairways. There were numerous rooms and antechambers in the first floor that still contained the remnants of a chemical lab, offices and rooms of dubious use. It seemed as though this temple, as it were, was deserted in extreme haste.

There was a study room full of books and reference materials all related to the occult, both ancient and modern. Most of these books were known to me in my studies, but not all of them had I ever read fully. The more ancient books, mostly in Latin, Arabic and Hebrew, I might have stood a chance at translating, but most everything else was in modern German. In any case, there was scant time to investigate these tomes, even if I had the interest that I once had before leaving San Francisco.

Edward and I also found a room where there were chains bolted to the walls having shackles.(27A) The rooms floor was slanted into a cone shape towards a round orifice where the most foul stench emanated. Various tools, fashioned from what appeared to be gold, lay untouched on a small table in the corner.(28) Each of the bladed instruments were engraved with the symbol of Dagon and various other indicia that we had observed in the great hall. This room was probably where the most despicable atrocities had occurred. What experiments happened here? How many lives were snuffed out in sacrifice to pagan devils?

We were on a scavenger hunt for possible weapons within these halls of Hell and I grabbed up the blades without hesitation.

Edward suggested that he go to the laboratory and obtain whatever acids or useful chemicals that might still be viable for use. I agreed.

Another smaller chamber adjacent to the room of death was much more mysterious than the first. There was an alter, made of strange colored stone in the center of the room. The alter had shackles for feet, hands and head mounted in their respected locations on the outlining rim of the rectangular slab. The base of the slab was carven with numerous symbols, as in the great hall- with a great swastika separating the two rows of inscriptions. The top of the slab was discolored, obviously with the blood of it's uncountable victims.

If this was the sacrificial chamber, then what was the greater room used for?(28A)

After meeting back in what we now referred to as the 'great hall', I asked Edward to explain what our intentions were regarding what was to come to our Japanese survivor. Edward spoke to Yuki and they had a rather lengthy conversation, rather animated at times.

The Japanese sailor- although a political enemy- was, in this unusual circumstance, an ally. He relayed through Edward that his allegiance was to kill the dark thing. Yuki, just as conscious of the other worldly ramifications as we, stated that the creatures that took his friends lives and that the dark thing was the enemy of all mankind. The on-going war between East and West would be but a faded memory if these devils were loosed upon the entire world. Yuki said that he would fight honorably by our side.

Crawford had an idea of trapping the dark thing, in an attempt to destroy it. We spoke at length what we could use amoung our equipment to fashion such a device sturdy enough to hold the beast at bay. Taking stock, we had rope, climbing shackles and sufficient materials to build a type of snare. Crawford stated that we could bait the creature into the center of the snare with bait- 'sauce for the goose' as he put it.(29) Edward suggested using one of the stone idols and a page of the book as bait.

I further suggested that the beast is smarter than that and we would need to create both a diversion and an attack simultaneously. The beast had been here before and we were now going to fight it on it's own soil.

The following hours were spent readily making the gigantic snare and carefully placing it on the ground of the great hall.

Crawford had further fashioned a line to a counter-balance of heavy stone blocks. These blocks took all of our physical power to maneuver into the proper positions- ready to topple and capture the dark thing.

As the sunset, we prepared to battle the dark thing. The floor entrances were barricaded and we hoped to force him to fly in through the glass ceiling, where we would lie in wait with the trap hastily designed by Crawford- where we would attempt to destroy the thing with our weapons- ballistic, chemical, bladed and bludgeon.

We took stock of our weapons: I had one half magazine in my .45, Crawford and Carter had full magazine of same; while Ward was in possession of some acids obtained from the old lab- while Yuki had a bludgeon and a large hand knife. This was what our small band of humans had to fight and destroy a supernatural being...we swore to fight it to our deaths if necessary.

We watched through the hastily made barricades as the last of the sunlight glided in sharp, angular shafts throughout the great hall and became smaller until nothing but a strange, dark stillness remained.(30)

We listened and waited, for how long I could not tell. A sound was heard above our heads, in the upper level- the sound of walking on the concrete. Our attention fully focused on the upper level, hearts beating in our ears, thought exactly what Edward was about to whisper.

"Dear God...it's been in here with us the whole time..."

Suddenly, the dark thing appeared and screamed a million death screams, eyes searing red in an ageless fury, lept into the air from the second floor, wings spread.

The dark thing, guided by his rage, swooped down from the upper level towards us. Only Yuki was not quick enough to avoid it's attack. I saw the thing mid-air, without pause, to use the mouth-thing in it's abdomen to swallow his head whole and with a slight struggling, to hoist Yuki's entire body into the air. Crawford fired two shots, one piercing the dark thing through the wing and the other striking it's leg. The thing howled in great pain and Yuki's headless body fell to the floor in a great thump and
outpouring of blood. The dark thing flew up towards to the second floor and was quickly lost in the darkness.

We listened intently, but no movement or sound of it was heard for several minutes. We crawled and regrouped amongst several large blocks of the collapsed concrete.

Whispering, Crawford stated, "We can kill it- it can be hurt- it's flesh and blood."

"It's waiting... it's going to try and pick us off one at a time, now that it knows it won't get it's way", I said.

"We've got to get it down here, "Ward interjected, "and into that damn snare!"

"How can we lure it?", Edward countered.

There was no turning back now, there was no choice but to fight this Hell-beast until nothing existed.

"I'll do it." I said. "And don't argue with me, Edward. This ends now."

I stood up and walked to the center of the snare next to the bait pages of the book and the stone idol. I shewn my light up and around the upper level.

"Isn't this what you want?" I yelled. "Our bodies, our blood?! Well, here's one- come on and get it!"

There was no sound. It knew it must be a trap. I prayed to God and after a few moments, a hellish whisper was heard.

"It is not I who wants your blood.....it is he who is dead and sleeping..."

I picked up the pages of the book and placed my light under my left arm. I removed my lighter from my pocket and drew a flame. Only then, was a more definite movement was heard on the upper level.

"Ah, does this worry you? That I would destroy what you have sought?"

"There is another...." came the slithering response.

I knew that he wasn't lying about the other copy. But he was lying about his need for these. Something was flung from the upper level and struck the ground before my feet. It was Yuki's head, eyes glaring in the fog of death- his face a frozen state of terror.

I lit the ancient papers afire and flung them to the ground.

The thing flew into the air as I grabbed my light. As it swooped towards me, Crawford and Carter began firing- striking the thing in several places. I fired at it three times, striking it once in the face, above it's right eye. It fell from the air and began flopping on the ground. There was no time to activate the snare.

The others raced to my side and we approached the limping, crying thing as it tried to back away from us.

We came within two yards of it and it turned and let out such a cry from it's mouth-thing as any thing from a Hellish abyss could, hoping to frighten us- it's wing outspread, quivering in a false fury.

It whispered in the dark, "There are others...Ia!...the stars will again be r....ugggh!"(31)

It could not continue as we all fired our weapons until there was no more bullets to spend. As it lie in a slowly growing pool of slime and red-blood, twitching- we began to beat and stab the thing in such primal rage as even the warful Spartans of old would not bear to watch.(32) Ward fell backwards at this final act and fell upon the ground. We had completed our task only until none of us could
physically continue and there lay before us only a decimated pile of unidentifiable meat, sinew, blood and biles.

I poured the acids onto the remnants in an attempt to leave no trace of the foul thing. (32A)

I, at last, fell to the ground, exhausted and aching. Crawford and Carter were to my left, panting and wiping the primal sweat from their brow- attempting to rid the blood from their clothes and hands. I asked them if they were injured, to which they replied that they were not. Ward, to my right, was sitting upright and wide-eyed, trying to breathe slowly. I attempted to speak to him,
but he was unreachable in his state.

We all sat amidst the rubble, occasionally throwing a glance at each other as if to make sure we were still there. I again tried to speak to Ward and there was no response. I quickly moved to him and checked for a pulse and there was none to be found. His eyes were glazed and it was certain that death had come for him during our final assault on the dark thing. Thomas Ward, our friend,
student, linguist and ultimately- a hero of the human race- was dead. (32B)

The others joined me as I stood over his body. I prayed to God to allow him the rest he so deserved and the sacrifice he had made for both us and all humankind. Unlike the Professor, we had no time to afford dear Ward a proper burial, but, then again, on what part of Hell does one expect to bury a good man?

"We need to get out of here.", said Crawford. "That thing in the crate may still be about."

We gathered what was only necessary, with the exception that I grabbed the unholy idol of Cthulhu and stuffed it in my duffel bag.

We forced away some of the concrete slabs at the front entrance to get out and began into the tropical forest.

As we exited onto the beach front, we saw the skiff intact. We gathered the remaining equipment, food and water and placed them into the skiff. All three of us began to push it towards the awaiting sea when Crawford said that he saw something. Carter and I stopped pushing and turned to the direction in which Crawford was looking.

Further down the beach, barely visible in the moonlight, was something large. It appeared to be undulating, rolling and then slapping the sandy beach as if it's form had reached a certain limit of contortion, then repeating this process of movement.

"Christ Almighty! That's what made the marks on the beach from the crate! Go!", cried Carter.

We all began to push the skiff even harder. Fear, as I have learned, is a motivation seldom used in normal life. As we made it to the surf, I turned and looked back to the thing behind us.

It may have been the moonlight or my nerves, but I swear that it appeared almost translucent and jelly-like. As it moved, it looked like there were small, appendages forming and re-absorbing back into the mass with each locomotive undulation. It also became apparent that as it came closer it was of immense size-how could something that massive move? My mind attempted to comprehend what this thing was and how could it have come into being. It simply should not be, but yet, was.(32C)

We launched into the sea and began paddling out- all eyes glued onto the misshapen monstrosity pursuing us for it's own aims. As we made our way into the crescent shaped lagoon of the island, we saw the thing sliding quietly into the ocean into our direction.

"Crawford", I screamed, "get the flare gun!"

Crawford began to rummage through the bag and retrieved the flare gun and two flares. We looked back and could see no wakes or other indications that the thing was still in pursuit. We all stopped paddling and directed our gaze aft ward. There was a stillness of the waters as the moonlight reflected around us.

Without warning, the thing silently rose from the water at the rear of the skiff- rearing it's form high into the air with only the sound of the sea water sliding and splashing back into it's home. The thing began to descend onto Crawford, who managed to fire the flare gun as it absorbed his body into the gel-like form. The entire creature reeled back from the shock and we could clearly see Crawford
struggling inside of it's translucence as a second flare lit up the entire bulk of the thing as it fell back into the sea.

Edward and I leaned over the side and watched, helplessly, as the shapeless blob descended in the oceans depths with Crawford still absorbed within it's mass, struggling to escape. The look on his face is something that I shall never forget...nor forgive.

I can only imagine what hell we was taken to in that dark oceanic pit.

I pray that he was dead before ever reaching it.

FINAL CHAPTER X: "A CLUE AND AN OATH"

"The Island of Dagon" Chapter 8: "Of Gods and Men"

CHAPTER VIII: "OF GODS AND MEN"

I am the murderer of Professor Raymond Knowles. I am also responsible for the disposition of his body in a shallow grave on Ujelang Island. But, this tale is far from completed and there is much to say in a very short amount of time.

Ward and Crawford tended to the injured Japanese sailor. As he became clearer of mind and realized we meant him no harm, he and Edward had rudimentary conversations.

As the sun rose over the island, Edward had amassed a considerable tale told by the sailor, which was relayed to the rest of as this:

His name was Yuki Takamura, a submariner of the "Mikage Maru". He said that on July 19th, a heated undersea battle ensued with an American sub which had sank it near Ujelang Island. Although the sub was left for dead, several men survived in pockets of the sub which contained a fair amount of air. He further stated that the Mikage Maru came to rest upon a large, rocky obelisk which had penetrated the hull almost in two. This left several sections of the obelisk visible to view- as they contained carven images of strange and unknown anthropoid creatures. He stated that within minutes,
strange creatures, neither man nor fish, began slithering into the flooded hull leaving a thick and odiferous oil-like substance in their wake. The "O-Wata-Tsu-Mi" as he called them began taking the few survivors deep into the abyss. Yuki stated that he managed to escape and make it to Ujelang Island.

Since that day, he had survived on the natural fruits and had discovered the temple. Once inside, he pieced together a version of what we had already begun to suspect. Of particular interest, was the fact that he had seen the dark man, coming to the island during the nights- rummaging through the decrepit debris. Yuki saw the dark man fly in fury around the building, baying in an inhuman cry that frightened him so that sleep was impossible during the dark hours. He said he saw slimy, misshapen, gelatinous creatures coming from the sea and engaging in some rhythmic communion on the shores.(25)

After Edward had completed his conversation with the sailor, he and I decided to go and retrieve the provisions left near the beach and destroy what was ever in that crate. Crawford stated that he was going to work on the solving the carvings and explore the building looking for clues.

Edward and I made our way through the foliage near the beach and discovered most of our equipment and belongings. The crate, to our utter horror, had been smashed open. The wooden shards were pointing outward and their appearance was that what was ever inside of it had broken out.

The crate, wooden in construction, was internally sealed by a thick rubber lining. There was the smell of sea water and of a strange and nauseating hint of decaying matter emanating from it. We noticed a thick trail of black, oily residue leading from the interior of the crate and out onto the beach. This trail, as we observed it, was periodically dotted with some type of mark or depression indicative of some sort of non-bipedal locomotion.(26) Whatever was in that crate was now gone into the sea.

Upon returning to the building, Crawford stated that he had a significant find regarding the timeline carvings on the walls. He explained his notions point by point through each carving plate one by one. The carvings, were as we suspected, a representation of the history of the Old Ones. Interesting enough, the carvings seemed to pass our era in time and proceeding into the future. We could not even guess if this future was eons from now or if it was being witnessed now.

The last few panels depicted a great city in the sea, rising above the waters having indescribable creatures coming from their catacombs and spreading death and chaos in thier wake. The final panel was of a human-like figure standing on one side of what appeared to be a doorway and a fish-man thing on the other. We all concurred that this final carving must be the final clue as to how to release the ancient things.

Using a pry tool from our equipment, Edward and I began prying the stone tablet from the wall. As it fell, a small chamber could be made out behind it. Reaching inside, I found the remaining fragments of the Book of the Dead. We placed the pages flat onto one of our boxes to examine them properly.

The pages were fully illustrated and was written in many languages from many different ages. There were images of human sacrifices and devil-things dancing in joy of the spilling of the blood. There were signs of stars and planets, which were seemingly scientifically accurate- a contradiction in such that they existed in a book of such supernatural anti-science.

The second page contained a disturbingly accurate depiction of the dark thing Phillips. Encircling his right hand was the image of a man, whilst around his left hand were four images of men. The four men were hanging upside down with their throats cut with their blood filling some type of vessel below which was surrounded by a blob-ish image.

The Japanese sailor, upon seeing the strange drawing said, "O-Wata-Tsu-Mi!"

Crawford and Ward had already begun to translate, as best they could, what the sailor had pointed to. They said that some was in Greek, some in Latin and some in Aramaic.

"In what the eons of births brought forth, the first children of Dagon will be led by the Last."

They said that was the best translation of the first line they could do, it's hidden meaning was something altogether different.

They then proceeded to read what was inscribed beneath the drawing of the dark thing.

"The Last will bring the forth the Messenger of Dagon to Great Cthulhus Throne in R'hley. There, bathed in the blood of reason, at last- when the stars are right, the Great Priest Cthulhu will hear that the world is once again his."

"The Latin, I can't quite understand...'penitus nex'...'inner death', Crawford stated.

Ward responded, "Here, this next line...'Pessum ire... universitas'. What's that middle word, Crawford?"

"I can't make it out, it's smudged or something...", was his response, "...'destroyer of worlds', maybe?"

I said that the images in the book around the dark man was obvious that it required a human lackey to assist him in his task, while there also needed four blood sacrifices to the messenger which, I supposed, was in the crate. Ward, Carter, Crawford and myself knew that it was to be us, our blood to bring forth the message sent by Dagon to Cthulhu.

"There is but one true God in this Universe, my friends," I said to them, "These things are not gods, nor devils- they are living creatures from beyond."(27)

"Burn the pages!", Ward cried.

"No! Finish reading them and see if there is a way to destroy the dark man. It's got to be him or the thing in the crate that must be destroyed to stop the chain of events from occurring, right?", Crawfords voice was shaking.

"The dark thing will be back tonight for these pages. I want to kill it and then destroy the pages."

We all stood around the pages, hoping there would be an answer within them. By the end of that day, none of us would have known what doorway to Hell had been cracked opened and we would glimpse the truth of a cosmic madness.

NEXT CHAPTER IX: "A BATTLE AND A GLIMPSE INTO HELL"

"The Island of Dagon" Chapter 7: "A Revelation & a Murder"

CHAPTER VII: "A REVELATION AND A MURDER"

After recovering from the affray, we held the professor. He was looking up to the broken ceiling, muttering incomprehensively.

We shook him and asked him what Phillips was. He seemed unable to focus on anything other than the dark thing that had apparently vanished, despite my bullets apparently striking their mark repeatedly.

Crawford, more out of fear of what had just happened than by inhumanity, slapped the professor across his face- breaking his almost trace-like state.

"No...", the professor muttered, "...no...I don't want to go back to the dark place..."

Crawford, more animated now by inhumanity, struck the professor in the face with great force.

"Tell us what the hell is going on, Professor!"

The professor, dazed more by the blows than his strange yearning for the dark man, began to answer. He stated that some sort of cosmic upheaval in 1925 had been discovered by an innocent crew of sailors in the Pacific Ocean.(20) The picture he had shown us before we set out was taken then and was not the product of any new discovery. He said it was necessary to gain our co-operation in the task at hand. He said that our talents in the ancient histories and languages would be essential for the
completion of the task his master had in store. "Phillips" was, indeed not a man at all, but a half-breed descendant of the sea-god, Dagon.(21) He stated that "Phillips" was a harbinger and a discoverer of a certain object of importance to both his gods and the Thule Society.

The professor stated that he saw an opportunity to seize upon an object of such antiquity and celestial importance that he had planned to accept the offer of recovery and then betray both Phillips and the Thule Society. That is, until he was shown the true nature of the dark man and the cult of Cthulhu. As of the contents of the crate, he would not dare describe- only to say that at this point it was necessary to destroy it before it could be borne out to sea in the atolls.

He swore that he knew nothing of the dark mans plans to kill us and use our bodies for some unnatural cause until the last day on the Etolin. He said that such mysterious powers cannot be denied by one man and the dark man commanded him under the threat of such torments and brimstone that even death would be welcomed. The dark man was the bringer of the messenger of the Old Ones- those beings that were spawn from the stars to the Earth before man had ever existed.(22)

An ancient and eternal order of such secrecy that it was almost discarded away as too abstract of conception to ever consider being real. But it existed and had for countless eons, passing its corrupted, foul seed down the chain of humankind through abominations like the dark man to almost unremembered dreams by the sensitive few around the world.(23)

The Old Ones were powerful and ancient, immense and evil creatures- rejoicing in chaos and death. They did not think themselves as gods, as they worshipped pain and suffering, turmoil and torture inflicted upon living things.

Somehow, the book of the dead held certain secrets on communing and awakening the Old Ones- as well as keep them entombed in their death-like state in the sunken city that was discovered in 1925. The dark man had tried to obtain the complete copy in Massachusetts, but failed as there were certain persons at Miskatonic that knew the secrets of the book and had it secured in such a way as even the Old Ones themselves could not touch it.(23A)

He explained that the Thule Society had obtained a partial translated copy in fragmentary form in the late 1880's and built this isolated temple to study it and attempt to harness the power to assist Germany in total control of the world during The Great War.(24) They failed and the Society joined into the Cthulhu Cult- directly worshipping the Old Ones as gods. The bargain he made with the dark man was to provide our partial copy of the book and obtain the fragments on Ujelang Island- using us as interpreters and handlers of the pieces- as the dark man himself could not breach the dream power of his masters during their eternal death sleep- that was the messengers task.

The professor stated that he knew little more than that, other than the dark man could do nothing to bring forth the Old Ones without the thing in the crate from Innsmouth and the secrets within this forgotten building.

Carter, Crawford, Ward and I were trying to understand and piece together what the professor had explained.

There was no denying that what was occurring was universal in scope and difficult to entirely understand. We knew that if Knowles was telling the truth- the thing in the crate must be destroyed to prevent the dark man from completing his task of releasing the Old Ones.

Knowles, pale, weakened and frightened beyond description regarding his actions, said: "I'm sorry..."

And with that final statement, that final pitiful, meaningless excuse...I shot him in his head- placing him into the oblivion that he did so deserve as a betrayer of all mankind.

　

NEXT CHAPTER 8: "OF GODS AND MEN"

"The Island of Dagon" Chapter 6: "A Scream & Gun Shots at Midnight"

CHAPTER VI: "A SCREAM AND GUN SHOTS AT MIDNIGHT"

　

The short trip from the Etolin to the beach was strenuous for the four of us. The dark man sat at the bow, the professor behind and we took position at the aft. I tried to examine the sliding slot of the crate and the strange stains around it, but there was not enough light to see what substance it was.

Upon landing, the professor suggested that we unload the equipment and hide it. He stated that there was an old building left on the island from the 1880's and we should seek refuse there until communication could be made with the chartered ship.

The wind was picking up and a slight drizzle was upon us. This was common for this region, I told myself. Somehow, I felt as though there was more than an approaching storm in store for our expedition.

I took the .45 and placed in within my jacket, as did Crawford and Carter. We watched the dark man intently as we made our way towards the topical vegetation. After securing the equipment, I noticed the professor did not remove the radio provided by the Etolin. The three of us quietly passed the word amongst us to be ready for anything. What happened next what totally un-expected as the dark man turned to us as spoke two simple words that sent an searing fear within us all. Not because of the words, but because of the sound of his voice- there was almost an unperceivable multiplicity to it.(16A)

"Follow me."

The words, although self explicit, gave us the knowledge that the dark man was the leader here, not the professor.

The dark man turned, with the professor in tow, into the vegetation- we followed but always with a short distance between us and them. After a short trek and the weather becoming more violent, we approached a large building. Decrepit, moldy and encrusted with vines and vegetation- it looked the stuff of nightmares...and I was not far from wrong.

There was a large weather-worn sculpture in the front of the building. It was a anthropoid-like shape, but having the head of a cephalopod, sitting in a crouched position on some type of oddly-angled throne. There was emblazed upon the base a swastika and badly worn away words. Clearly, one such phrase was clearly and horrifically clear: "Esoteric Order of Dagon".(17)

The other "Aus Äonen Vergangenheit die alten kam"- Ward said meant 'From eons past the elder ones came'.

Ward stated that Dagon was a demon worshipped by the Assyrians during Biblical times. He said the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Temple of Dagon and each night, the Dagon idol was smashed. He stated that the Order of Dagon was no longer in practice for centuries. I told him to reserve that judgment.

I, too, was familiar with Dagon and it's implications that the cult still existed in secret.

Our hand torches illuminated the main entranceway as the dark man and the professor entered first. As we entered, we saw the interior was vast and as the exterior, overgrown with local vegetation. Overhead, a large glasspayned ceiling leaked of the rains outside.

There were bas-relief symbols in the architecture of strange, fish-like men. Some of the signage appeared to be from very different ancient civilizations mixed with more modern German design. The border seemed to be a time line of some type. Ward pointed out that the far left corner appeared to be a symbol of a star falling to Earth, followed by carvings of ancient man. He also recognized Assyrian and Babylonian demonologies carved along side a sign he believed to be Arabic.

As the carvings encircled the large room, it seemed to be chronicling humankinds history- ending in the far right column with a square panel depicting what seemed to be a door with a man on one side and a fish-thing on the other.(18)

I knew the importance and secrecy that might be symbolically contained within the carvings, as for centuries Freemasonry has done the same to keep our secret history alive to our kind without overt revelations to outsiders. Edward, also a Mason, looked at me with a strange gaze in his eyes. I believed he thought the same.

As the others and I began to recognize more and more of these symbols and began talking to ourselves. We began to realize what link the Thule Society and the Necronomicon may have to do with what was happening. Crawford said the Necronomicon was a book of history, incantations and demonology of what was called the Old Ones. Crawford new little more than that.

There was some Latin that was carved around one such carving.

Ward, pointed to that particular carving, saying aloud, 'Dagon rises up to meet his children', it says!"

Before Ward could finish his sentence, the dark man stopped and abruptly turned towards us.

" Stay here until the professor and I return."

We all looked as each other for a moment, realizing this was a turning point in the trek into the madness to come.

"No." I said.

The professor muttered, "What?"

"No. I'll not take another damned step until you or...or...'Phillips' tells us what is going on! Not one damned step!"

The others backed to my side, assuring the dark man and the professor that we were together in our assertiveness. The dark man pushed past the professor and proceeded towards our group with purpose. I withdrew my weapon and aimed it at him.

"Stop! I've seen enough that I'll blow your damned brains out! Now you'll tell us! What's in that damned crate?!"

The dark man, almost amused, slowly took off his eyeglasses. Wards hands, although shaking, managed to shine the light into the face of the dark man. His eyes were bulbous, almost fish-like, his lips thin and his teeth were like yellowed parchment.(19)

God, I saw gill-like slits quivering around his neck!

"You don't want to know."

At that instant, a scream emanated from the room and a man-shape leapt from the shadows towards the dark man. With ease, the dark man picked up his unseen assailant and threw him to the ground and stepped back- his eyes ablaze and making a hissing sound.

Our lights saw that it was a man- a Japanese sailor whom had attached the dark man. As he fell unconscious, he muttered,

"Amatsu Mikaboshi......"

Edward said that the fainting sailor said the name of a Japanese devil-god. We focused our attention back to the danger at hand.

The dark man, backing into the darkness behind of the professor, eyes glowing red, glared at me which seem to penetrate my mind. As he moved back, a leathery unfolding sound was heard and our flashlights became focused on the dark man, what we though was his overcoat was spreading outward becoming large bat-like membranous wings.

We saw his body was pale, having bluish veins and odd-shaped feelers protruding from his chest. A ghastly, mouth-like orifice was opening in his abdomen, revealing rows of thin, razor-like teeth. His legs were like a horses but instead terminated into quasi-fin like appendages. An unnatural amalgamation of anatomy- unknown & unnamable. God help us! He wasn't human!!

The professor leapt forward, screaming, "Wait! I've done all you've asked! I kept it alive so it could join with the others!"

The dark man-thing, with one large flap of his wings, began to rise from the ground. I emptied half of the magazine of the .45 into the thing and in the chaos that immediately followed-the dropping of lights and a crash of glass overhead, the dark thing was gone.

NEXT CHAPTER : "A REVELATION AND A MURDER"