The Ruin by Charles Lankiwicz (novel24 txt) 📖

of the tunnel the tracks had been replaced with curious long curved marks in the soil. A chill went trough her–could it be snakes?

The she noticed looking at the tunnel that it appeared convoluted with coil like objects. She stopped, breathing hard. She looked at them but they did not move. Where they alive or natural rock formations?

Everything in her wanted to turn back and leave. Her breath came fast and she felt a tremor in her limbs. This didn’t look good. Then shining the light ahead, she saw something on the floor of the tunnel. It was a shapeless mass. She crawled forward and saw that it was Jim, laying unconscious.

What had happened to him she though. Maybe he just slipped and knocked himself out on the tunnel floor. She crawled ahead and fearfully touched him.

He was still breathing and appeared unharmed.

A vast sense of relief flooded through her and she said: “Jim! Jim!–wake up! Let’s get out of here!’

But he did not respond. She thought I can’t just leave him here–I’ve got to get him out.

She pulled on him and it was dead weight. Jim was a big man and she herself, while not petite, would have a huge challenge to get him outside.

The she noticed something just up ahead that shined in the darkness. She shone her light there and saw what looked like a circular molding on the wall the same width as the tunnel. It was covered with curious carving of intertwined forms, that reminded her of the forms she had seen on the tunnel walls. In the center was a raised projection.

She put it out of her mind as she dragged Jim outside. It took all her strength to do so, and she had to pause numerous times before they reached the tunnel entrance.

When they did, she sat down panting, glad beyond words to be out in the light again and with Jim outside.

The clearer air outside seemed to revive Jim and he stirred, opening his eyes, saying, “ What happened?”

“You were unconscious and I had to come and get you. What happened to you?”

Jim looked confused and held his hand to the side of his neck. “I don’t know. Suddenly I felt this odd sensation and then everything went black. Maybe I slipped and hit my head on the ground.”

“Well whatever happened let’s get back to the house and away from this.”

On the way back Jim was oddly quite, Joan noticed and made no comments about what they had both seen. She didn’t press him, being glad that he was out of the dark tunnel.

When they reached the house, he said, “I don’t feel hungry, Hon–I’ll just go up to bed. I feel so tired.”

Joan looked at him with concern. He wasn’t himself. Hopefully when he woke up everything would be alright. Then she noticed something on his neck.

“Jim, there’s something on your neck–let me look at it!”

It was a circular spot about the size of a fifty cent piece and had a curious pattern of whorls embedded into his skin like a brand. Joan thought it looked a little like the pattern she had seen on the tunnel walls. She touched it.”

“Ahhh!” said Jim as he went down on his knees to the floor, holding the spot.

“Hon, I didn’t mean to hurt you I just touched that curious spot on your neck–you must have got it from the fall somehow.”

Jim continued to rub the spot but it didn’t seem to bother him like when Joan had.

“I feel it–probably its something I fell against when I hit the ground, left an imprint somehow. I’m going upstairs.”

He went up the steps slowly, almost woodenly. Joan stared after him. Something wasn’t right. He was different somehow. Well maybe he’ll be alright tomorrow.

All the rest of that day Jim did not come down. Joan went up to check on him. He lay on the bed fully clothed arms outstretched breathing shallowly. For a moment she thought something had happened  then decided that he was just exhausted.

When she went to bed later, he was still in the same position. She fell into an uneasy sleep. A dream came that she was running from something chasing her and getting closer and closer. She got up with a start and saw that Jim was gone. Looking at the night clock she saw that it was 2:35. I guess he must be in the bathroom, she thought and went back to sleep.

She woke up again later and saw that Jim was still gone. Looking at the clock she saw that it was now 4:55. She got up and called, “Jim where are you!”

But there was no answer. A cold feeling came to her stomach and she went into the hall calling again. But there was no answer. She went downstairs still calling but there was still no answer.

Something caught her attention a flash at the window.

The blue flashes were again visible. She went to the window and looked at them. This time there was more of a pattern. It seemed to be following a path through the woods to the house. She tensed. What was this thing. Where was Jim? What was going on?

The lights suddenly stopped. Then she heard a sound in the kitchen. It was a door opening.

Jim appeared and stood in the kitchen doorway looking at her with dull eyes.

“Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over the house for you?”

Jim looked confused and said, “I just felt that I needed some air.”

“At this time of night–in the dark?”

Jim just shook his head and went up the stairs to the bedroom. She watched him noting that he seemed to go up very slowly and hesitantly.

She sat down and thought, it must be his injury; he’s still feeling the effects from it. He’s definitely not himself. Maybe this will clear up. If it doesn’t she intended to get him to see a doctor. With that she went up to bed.

 

The next day Jim just lay in bed. Joan tried to get him to eat but he said he wasn’t hungry. She didn’t know what to do. Give it one more day she thought–then he’s going to the doctor’s.

That night she again got up at 3:00 in the morning to find Jim gone. A surge of fear went through her and she went to the windows. This time there were no lights but there was still no Jim. She resolved to stay awake until he came back. But sleep claimed her.

She woke up to see Jim staring at her with an intent look, one she had not seen in him before, almost or even predatory.

“I suppose you again needed some fresh air last night!”

“Yes...Yes I did.”

Then she notice something on his sleeve a spot. When she went over to it she saw that it was blood.

“What’s this–blood! What have you been doing? This is it! You’re going to see a doctor–today!”

“No I’ m not!” said Jim with a glare in his eye.

“For a moment Joan thought that he was going to attack her.

“Honey it’s for your own good. You haven’t been right since that you went into that tunnel.”

“I’m OK. It’s you that’s worrying too much.”

With that he turned around and walked up the steps to the bedroom.

Joan sat down and put her head in her hands. Then she heard a thump on the porch. It was the district’s daily paper, The Country News. Normally she got her news on the internet but it seemed appropriate to get a newspaper out here. She went to retrieve it.

One item on the front page caught her eye:

Missing Farmer.

Jonas Fernan was listed as missing by his wife

this morning. When he went outside late to

attend to the cows in his barn he did not return.

She mentioned that she saw strange lights in

the woods that night.

Anyone that can provide any information

should contact the County Sheriff’s Office

 

Joan could not help but think of what the woman in the general store had said about lights and disappearances. She too had seen strange lights and just where was Jim going at night?

 

At dinner Jim reluctantly came down and toyed with his food. He seemed abstracted and barely noticed her.

“I read in the paper that there was a disappearance of a farmer last night.”

Jim looked up at stared at her, saying “Well what of it?”

“There was also mention of strange lights in the woods. I seen some lights outside myself.”

Jim got up and said, “You’re sounding like an old woman! Lights!” With that he left the table, leaving his food barely touched.

Joan put her head in her hands and thought. Something is going on here, and I’ve got to find out just what it is.

 

That night she pretended to sleep and waited. About 11:30, Jim got up and left the bedroom. Carefully she got up too. She had slept with her clothes on and had only to put on her shoes.

She heard him go down the steps. Waited until he reached the bottom and opened the back door. She went quickly down and went towards the door. She was torn between fear of him hearing her and fear of losing him.

Once outside she could barely make him out in the darkness. There was no moon and she dared not shine a light. She still went forward despairingly, thinking that this was a bad idea if she could not find him in the dark. Still she kept on, as she could hear him tramping through the shrubbery. She fell forward as she tripped on a root and barely suppressed a cry. How could Jim move so confidently through the woods. He should be having the same trouble as she was.

Then she noticed the lights. At first it was a bare flickering just at the edge of consciousness then it became stronger, even strong enough to give some light in the woods. Joan stopped. What was this? Was she and Jim in danger? But Jim still walked forward the same as before. The lights did not seem to bother him any. A part of her wanted to call out and ask him to come back, but she knew it would be useless. With grim determination she still followed him through the woods. Then they came to the barren area.

 

It looked even more spectral at night with the blue lights flashing, barren trees and spongy soil. Dimly ahead, she could see Jim going towards the ruin. The ruin itself seemed to be lit up from within with a strange blue glow that seemed to be the source of the traveling lights. Joan hesitated; this was seriously weird. What was going on? But Jim just continued ahead to the ruin. She repressed a desire to call him and tell him to come back. I must see this through, she thought, whatever it is.

Jim came to the tunnel and went inside. She carefully followed forty feet behind him. When she came to it, she also entered. The interior of the tunnel was lit up with a strange pulsating red glow. It throbbed as it alive. The strange shapes on the walls seemed almost alive, they seemed to be subtly moving. But she dismissed the thought.

Up ahead she could see Jim still moving forward. The carving that she had seen before, that looked like a door was now open. From it issued the reddish light. A curious odor came from it, unlike anything she had ever smelled before, as well as a surging sound. Then he was through the door. Joan stood still, unable to comprehend what was happening or what to do.

As she did so she came close to the wall and nearly touched it. Looking closer, she saw that the convoluted shapes were indeed pulsing and a red light was circulating through them, almost she thought like blood through veins. Something told her not to touch it and she moved away.

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