He’d seen the ancient writings carved into the rock walls of their subterranean caverns. And while he couldn’t understand the words, they’d brought images to his mind that had convinced him that what the Dark Ones claimed was true.
That truth was coming home to roost now.
The truth came in the sound of screams from the south end of the island, where the scientists had made camp. Eventually, those cries died down. Stronger were the sounds of pursuit, of destruction. Josel had listened, noting the individual sounds of the Dark Ones and the hissing of the Clickers. He knew those sounds well, had traveled to one of the Dark Ones underground conclaves once with his grandfather and father many years ago to partake in his initiation ceremony. It was there he’d met the Elder for the first time.
Not too long after the screams of the dying mainlanders ended came the sounds of more dying. The chiefs. Accompanied by the roar of several Dark Ones. Most notably, the Elder.
Josel’s hands trembled. He knew in his heart that the Dark Ones had slaughtered all of his chiefs. And they were coming his way. To the north side of the island, where the village lay.
The main village on Naranu was populated by over two thousand people. Another thousand were scattered in smaller interconnected tribes across the island. Naranu was the least populated of all the Micronesian islands, and Josel was their spiritual guide to Dagon. Most of the two thousand people from the village were now in the process of fleeing the island. Josel had given the order several hours ago, shortly after ordering the chiefs to make amends with the Dark Ones. It was something he knew he shouldn’t do if he were to live, but then again if he’d had to relive his life again, he would not have chosen the path of high priest of the order of Dagon. He would have married Yanni and given her a dozen children. He’d be a grandfather multiple times over by now.
He would have had a good life, full of good memories.
His assistant, Pione, had tried to get him to leave the island with him, but Josel had waved him off. I will stay here, he’d said. Go on. Pione had nodded and headed behind the dock where Josel kept a small fishing boat lashed to a barnacle-encrusted pole. Josel had watched as Pione cast off and began piloting the boat out to sea, only to be capsized from something that hit it from below. Josel had jumped in surprise, momentarily startled. It wasn’t until he saw the bright spray of arterial blood and saw the flash of red and magenta, heard a horrible clicking noise that he realized what had happened. Pione had been killed by a Clicker.
And as Josel sat in the little bedroom in the small cottage he kept to himself, he heard the screams of his people as they were slaughtered trying to escape. And with it he heard a sound so horrible that it made his heart ache.
CLICK-CLICK! CLICK-CLICK! CLICK-CLICK!
It was getting worse. There was no hope. No escape. They were going to slaughter every one of his people.
No sooner had these thoughts entered his head when there was another sound, coming from the room he was standing in.
It was a knocking sound, coming from the floor. Several sharp raps in quick succession.
Josel took several steps back, his heart thudding madly in his chest. He reached out with a frail and flailing hand and grabbed a candelabra from the bureau. It was made of brass and was quite heavy. He held it over his head as the knocking came again, from the center of his room.
The section of the floor began to rise up…
Josel raised the candelabra over his head, preparing himself to bring it down on the head of a Dark One come to tunnel under the floor of his home to snatch him away, down into the catacombs that tunneled through this island to the deep recesses of R’lyeh.
The floor rose as a trapdoor opened. Josel hesitated, the candelabra slippery in his sweat-slicked hands.
“Josel?” The voice was familiar.
Josel hesitated. He called out in his native tongue.
The voice answered back in his language.
Keoni Mumea.
“Keoni!” Josel lowered the candelabra as the trap door was set down on the floor.
Keoni stepped up from the floor and motioned behind him. Josel saw that there were others behind him. “Hold on a moment,” Keoni told the people behind him.
Josel asked Keoni in Naranuan who was with him and Keoni told him it was four of the scientists from the south side of the island. “We’re being chased,” Keoni said in English. “The Dark Ones found the tunnel and are heading this way now.”
“Heading this way?” Josel slipped into English easily enough. He caught a glimpse of one of the scientists now. A big guy with long bushy hair and a beard. Behind him a young woman. Attractive. Two others he couldn’t get a good look at.
“We need to get off the island,” Keoni said.