A Simple Underground

A Simple Underground

krag

AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: 1-800-839-8640

© 2011 krag. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 4/15/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-5091-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-5092-3 (dj)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-5093-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011903943

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty One

Chapter Thirty One

Chapter Thirty Two

Chapter Thirty Three

Chapter Thirty Four

Chapter Thirty Five

Chapter One

What was that smell? Daniel’s eyes felt unusually heavy and his nostrils burned, but he couldn’t tell if he was still awake or just starting to fall asleep. He began rubbing his head, coming to while trying to convince himself to open his eyes so he may get up to investigate his home. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep with such a disgusting odor floating about his apartment; especially if it woke him in this drunken stage of sleep. Christ, what is that? he said aloud, irritated as he sat up, drunkenly opening his eyes. They slowly began adjusting into focus of his surroundings which were currently unfamiliar…and he questioned himself and his current location; dumbfounded because he remembered going to bed. From where his bed was positioned in his bedroom, he would have a direct view of his bathroom which now appeared to be a blanket of blackness without his nightlight. He groggily turned to see there was no television at the foot of his bed or a nightstand to his immediate left nor was there a wall closet to his right, accompanied with the faded dresser his mother had given him when he’d first moved out. He could feel himself drunkenly swaying whilst noticing there were no walls to his room, causing him to start hiccupping which began to stir the booze in his stomach. His clouded thoughts weren’t mixing well with his confusion and he could feel himself becoming dizzy as he sat there in the darkness. He stood up hoping it would relieve his vertigo, constantly rubbing his eyes as he tried remembering his actions throughout the night. He retraced his steps and distinctly remembered crawling into bed after having a few too many with some coworkers once they’d decided to call it a day. They’d invited him to The Corner, a mediocre bar that was usually filled with college students and enjoyed the happy hour before having dinner at Hooters to watch the UFC fight. The fight sucked and by eleven o’clock half of the guys wanted to go to a skin bar and Daniel joined the bandwagon because he had nothing better to do. Daniel did the drinking math for the night, covering everything from the three drink strip club minimum that cost him twenty bucks to the forty he’d spent during happy hour. A couple of rounds and a couple of dances and they were all ready to call it a well spent evening. Matt, a buddy from work, had dropped him off around three or so and Daniel recalled going into his apartment, making some instant Mac-n-cheese, watching Family Guy while putting on his pajamas, and falling into bed after he was through stuffing his face. His tab wasn’t too bad for eight hours of guy drinking, although he was currently feeling every bit of the one hundred forty nine dollars he’d spent on booze and thankful that he had the foresight to spend some of that on food. He still came up empty for any type of an explanation as to where he was now or how he’d gotten here, because this was not home and definitely didn’t correspond into his evening. This can’t be real he told himself, trying to sound as confident and convincing as possible while he gave the underside of his arm a hard pinch; hoping he would immediately wake. It hurt, he was awake and this was real he realized noticing he was still wearing his pajamas. Had he been sleepwalking, if so, he wasn’t exactly sure where he’d walked to as he looked around again? He’d never sleepwalked before and even if he had; wherever this was outside wasn’t anything that he was used to seeing.

His apartment building was on the outskirts of downtown; close enough that he could walk to any bar or market in ten minutes or less, but far away enough that he rarely heard the noises that accompany downtown. He had a nice view of the river from his balcony at the back of his apartment while the front allowed him a view leading into the city with all the beauty of green landscaping any outskirts provide. His spot was perfect for him in every way that he needed it to be. The rent was cheap for the amount of space he had available to him, big enough if he ever wanted to start a family or something, and every fair and festival that came set up directly below the hill at the front of his complex; so he could get totally obliterated and still walk home. That was definitely not this he thought noticing the sky had a color similar to dried blood with the surrounding air having a factory type of heaviness to it with a foul, aggravating odor that he could only compare to ammonia and rancid meat instead of its usual block out the stars black with river and smog smell mixed. He wasn’t sure if it was the booze or the odor, but it didn’t matter; one of the two made him vomit. As he stood up wiping his mouth, he looked around again; having it immediately affirmed…there was absolutely nothing here. He looked up at the night sky, watching the wispy clouds racing by, barely visible under the low light of a well hidden moon. Closing his eyes he tilted his head back while holding his arms outstretched…and waited for the wind to come. 10 seconds passed, 30 seconds passed, 60 seconds gone and counted…I don’t’ feel anything. There’s no wind here Daniel said opening his eyes and returning them to the clouds. He couldn’t keep from wondering how they could move so quickly without the presence of even the slightest breeze. He felt as though he were sinking into the ground as he stared into space, turning his eyes to the soft dirt. He began kicking at it, squinting to see the reaction from his foot; but there wasn’t enough light to see anything. It’s too fucking dark here! he said angrily tugging at his pajama shirt, undoing the top two buttons. It didn’t even feel like dirt he thought as he pressed his feet into the ground, rolling his weight from the arches to the soles of his feet. It felt like wet sand until he bent down and scooped up a handful; then it reminded him more of clumpy, used kitty litter. His feet felt greasy to the touch and he involuntarily brought his fingers to his nose; regretting the sniff as soon as it happened. The greasiness felt like oil on his skin, but he couldn’t be sure without having light to see; all he knew was his fingers now smelled as horrible as the air around him and this ground was like nothing from his home. He thought he heard something or someone and as soon as he was about to complain about the lack of light again, heard the sound once more. He waited to hear it again, listening for the low rustling until he realized he was holding his breath and he let out what felt like a full lung of air. Inhaling again, he rubbed his eyes feeling like he could pass out at any moment…I can taste the air, he thought to himself disgusted as he scraped his tongue against the underside of his teeth; hoping it would remove the foul film that had built up and overtaken his taste buds.

There it is again he told himself as he listened and his senses began coming into focus. He cocked his head and waited… waiting to hear anything. There it was again! He could feel himself getting excited, with his excitement slowly turning into apprehension as the sound seemed to move closer. Relaxing his eyes, he focused on the sound hoping it could be referenced. It sounded like dragging footsteps and he opened his eyes, unsure if he should be disappointed that he still couldn’t see anything. He listened for a few more minutes before deciding to call out to the nothingness. Is anybody there? he asked, realizing how tacky he probably sounded. He called out again, listened, and continued forward, constantly checking behind him. He wasn’t sure why, but it almost felt like he was being followed even though he hadn’t seen anything since he’d woken up. He couldn’t feel any grass under his feet; hear the buzzing of insects, or the rustle of wind blowing through the leaves. He didn’t know where he was going or why he had started walking at all; it wasn’t like he knew his way around or anything. He just started walking the same direction he was facing at the time to keep from throwing up, which hadn’t helped he thought wiping his mouth again. He knew he would have to stop soon for more reasons than just not knowing which direction to head towards. His head hurt, his body was tired, and of all the problems to occur while shitfaced he thought…waking up like this was a first. His feet slowly dragged to a halt, doing their best to balance his wavering frame as he looked around again. It looked exactly as it did when he started he thought. No trees, rocks, or grass and nothing to lean against….There’s really nothing here he said as he plopped to the ground, trying to make himself as comfortable as possible. He positioned and repositioned himself over and over, trying to find the most comfortable way to keep the smell out of his nostrils. He was overly tired and could feel sleep moving on him quickly despite his inability find a comfortable position. Hopefully, he’d be safe here he told himself; wherever here was. Actually, he hoped it was nothing more than a dream induced by spicy food and alcohol and found himself beginning to pray as he drifted off…something he hadn’t done in quite some time.

He welcomed the water as it touched his lips, reaching for the ladle that brought it to him. He was incredibly thirsty which wasn’t uncommon for the amount of drinking he’d done. Sitting up, his eyelids still felt heavy like as if he were stoned and forcing them open again, realized he had been brought somewhere as he’d slept. He paid no attention to the stranger at his right or the ladle he held, looking around at the large plain concrete room. Twenty maybe thirty foot ceilings with a row of columns on either side of him he told himself, trying to think of possible locations that would fit what he saw. It wasn’t too much brighter inside than it had been outside, but he was relieved that he was no longer out in the elements. At least there were some lights in here, he said to the man; asking about the ammonia and bad meat odor that seemed to occupy here as well. Where am I? he asked as the crouching stranger dipped the ladle back into the bucket of water…Hey, what is this place? Daniel wondered if the man was deaf or ignoring him on purpose and asked why he wouldn’t answer. The stranger didn’t respond or even look up as he balanced the full ladle of water, waiting for Daniel to drink again. Daniel reached out to touch the strangers arm as he repeated the question, but quickly pulled his hand back when the stranger leered away from it. I was just trying to… Daniel said slowly before cutting off his sentence completely when the stranger stood up. The man was a massive human being, towering high above an Indian styled sitting Daniel. The image of David standing before Goliath popped into Daniel’s head because the man was extremely close to, if not seven feet high and twice as wide as any normal man. The stranger made a follow me gesture saying Mau do, in the lowest voice he’d ever heard. Daniel was unable to move and realized he was gawking at the giant man before he heard him say Mau do again; only this time with more urgency and force behind his request.

He followed behind the giant man as a child would hide behind an adult, taking in everything he could see as they moved through the dimly lit hallways from empty corridor to corridor; each area appearing as if it were in the beginning stages of being built. They had started in a large open room, walking through a hall that made him think of a haunted motel with its narrow halls and wooden doors lining the walls of each side. Where are we going? Daniel asked, hearing the uncomfortable pitch in his question. Daniel could see other inhabitants shuffling about as they passed the series of rooms with most of the doors on either side of them being open; reminding him of any hotel back home after check in. Daniel thought of trying to find his room and peering into every open door along the way, hoping to see a hot girl or something, but never having been privileged to see anything better than a semi doable maid. People were lying down and sleeping, or talking with other occupants, and a few of them had been sewing or something he thought. After passing the first few open doors, Daniel noticed most of the people he saw up and moving seemed to be wearing the same kinds of clothes. Was this a cult or some kind of religious place, he wondered; noticing the man he was following seemed to be the only person wearing a dark colored robe. What is this…? Daniel’s question was cut off and he bit his tongue running into the giant’s enormous back as he stopped abruptly in front of him. Daniel was forced to walk around the unmoving giant, who had raised his colossal arm and pointed to a faintly lit room about 100 feet away from where they were standing. Daniel began walking the pointed direction turning around for the giant’s verification, but the big man was gone. Looking back towards the room, Daniel cautiously continued into the darkness; being sure not to venture too far in without knowing where he would need to go if he had to suddenly get out. He couldn’t keep from picturing a dozen other giants lying in wait in the darkness; each one ready to feast on his face as he distractedly walked towards the dancing flames at the center of the shadows. The room was actually overflowing with candles and had mirrors that seemed to converge most of the light into the center of the room Daniel realized when arriving at the concave mirror in what he was guessing to be the focal point. He was trying the mirror at different angles when a voice boomed through the vast emptiness. Sag bulan retch was all Daniel heard before turning around to see another unfamiliar robed person with the silhouettes of four others behind him. A man about his height approached where Daniel stood; approaching close enough to be audible but still able to keep his face hidden. He couldn’t help to wonder if the man was in some way disfigured or maybe the mysterious leader of this cult when the man raised his hand and pointed to Daniel repeating Sag bulan retch again. Daniel glanced around to see if it were he that was being pointed to or something behind him; he presumed it was him, but wasn’t sure how to respond. Daniel wasn’t sure if the man was asking him a question or telling him something, but did know that it didn’t matter which one was being done because it wasn’t comprehended either way. He waited through a few seconds of silence to see if anything more was to be said before asking his unanswered question for the third time.

Where am I? Daniel asked again, finally understanding why no one would answer him. He still wasn’t sure where he was or how he’d gotten somewhere that doesn’t speak English and could do nothing more than try to rub the stress from his head while the man huddled among the others, talking amongst themselves. It wasn’t until the one who had spoken stepped forward to be face to face with him that he began to get nervous. The stranger slowly lowered his hood and moved under the light to show Daniel his face. Worm Eye, he said pointing to Daniel, then pointing back at himself he said, Bhan. Daniel figured he was trying to make introductions, but wasn’t sure when the man continued to speak. Mau do Worm Eye, Bhan said as he walked over and grabbed Daniel’s wrist, leading him to the table of light. Daniel wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do, continuing to eavesdrop on what the others were saying until Bhan tapped the table top with his hand saying, Tabbau.

Daniel hesitantly sat on the top of the table; letting his legs dangle and kick around, more or less to relieve his tension. He was confused and anxious as the strangers approached; keeping his eyes on the exit just in case he would need it. He thought about the words the man had said, replaying the gestures over in his mind as he repeated the man’s words as best he could. He’d said worm eye a couple of times before having him sit on the table he thought to himself, wondering if Bhan had thought he said worm eye instead of hearing him ask where he