2.52 Savage Attack

The hike along the train tracks to Gorias had been long and dismal, Neter wasn’t familiar with the way, what had once been uncharted Aquillan territory was now a modern transport corridor. Eventually he came upon another set of gates, these gates were old, they were open and chained to the walls. He paused to study the scene, there were no signs of a savage disease here. Beyond the gates the tracks parted ways. In the dim light, it was hard to decide which way to go. There was only one track that had a sign, dusty and neatly tucked into the shadows it read 'GORA'.

         Tempting as it was to pursue the marked destination first, a subtle waft of decay seemed to be breezing in from the unmarked passage. It was the kind of clue he was looking for; the way to Culloom. Without farther hesitation, he followed the odor into the unmarked tunnel, which began to ascend gradually, emerging into a small station, a dead-end to the track. The only exit was a stairwell, nestled in an alcove.

         Melted bars, strewn in the shadows of the tunnel exposed past attempts to control Aquilla here too, it was clear she hadn't given up without a fight. He made his way toward the stairwell, signs of disrepair exposed a lack of maintenance, perhaps confirming what Vikkar had said. A faded sign at the foot of the stairwell read 'CULLOOM'.

         As if ancient spirits were coaxing him on, a cold breeze blew in from above, carrying with it the stench of bloody decay. This place was all bad, he knew that before he went any farther. He knew in his gut, this was where the lost children had been taken. He reached for his flask and chugged back some medicinal wine. Relieved after all these years to have found the ill-fated institution, it was a bittersweet achievement. Medicated, he headed up the narrow stairs with a heavy heart, knowing already Zara's story of the Culloom Disaster was true.

         Even though he had prepared for the worst, he almost passed out from the stench it was so unbearable, the scene was apocalyptic. The evil was so hateful it brought him to his knees, the anguish and pain of so many trapped souls were still vibrating within the temple, trapped in the darkness, begging to be saved from their forgotten hell. The terror that took place here was astronomical, it looked like a war zone in Culloom. Zara had understated it.

         Neter pulled his scarf up over his nose and headed for the door, trying to overcome gag reflexes, triggered by the reality of the scene. Evidence of the terror was everywhere he looked, there had been one giant fight alright. Garbage and bloody children's clothing was scattered in every direction along with broken tablets, books and shattered decor. He stopped to look closer at the garbage strewn on the floor but to his horror, found himself studying tiny fingers and ears scattered among it.

         Overcome with agony, he headed for the door. But outside things were just as bad, evidence of carnage lay everywhere, the disaster had been full blown. Everywhere he turned the sea of debris and scattered remains littered the grounds, and this was post-clean-up?
         He wiped a tear from his eye and parked his emotions, reminding himself of the task at hand. What was going on? There were similarities to the scene he discovered in Fina, but there were also differences. Here he hadn't seen any evidence of terror-stricken victims piled up at the gates. Would they not have fled for their lives?

         He pondered the open gates in the tunnel and the entrance up through the basement of the temple... Why were the gates there if Aquilla could simply melt them? They weren’t for Aquilla. Maybe this was a different scenario. Maybe Zara and Vikkar were right, something or some kind of monster had savaged the citizens of Culloom…

         He scanned the walls around the institution, just like Zara said, there was no way out above ground. Whatever it was most likely came from the same tunnel he came up from. It occurred to him now how curious it was that Aquilla wasn't the one being blamed for the Culloom Disaster... According to Zara they had identified dogon savages in the Tabloids... Was it a clue? He shuddered, realizing now why Aquilla had been crying. If Aquilla couldn't protect the children from this, then as long as these so-called dogon monsters existed, Lemuria was in danger of such a savage attack too!