The next day John and Rebecca are having lunch at Tamas Bistro. Matai approaches with another man. Matai motions with both hands flapping upwards that John and Rebecca should stand. “I want to introduce you to the Mayor of Savadisla, Costin Vlaicu.”
“We are truly honored,” Rebecca is quick to reply.
“Indeed, to what do we owe this honor?” John adds.
“Matai has filled me in on your interest in ‘De Blocare’ and that you have expertise that may be helpful to us. The state of De Blocare has many concerned, so I am here to ask for your help,” the Mayor spoke with the tact of an international diplomat.
“Why don’t we sit down and discuss this?” Matai suggested.
“I’m not sure we can help, or not,” John starts. “But we can tell you what we know. We know the brickwork is crumbling, failing, not due to itself but rather the gravel base below it that is slowly eroding”. Rebecca adds: “And we know the gravel base is contaminated with heavy metals, and we know that all those who worked to construct it, back in the day, are all in the sanitarium”.
“AHhh, umm,” the Mayor raised his hand a little to interrupt. “We know of the challenges, and I can tell you that you will be compensated accordingly.” This while Matai mimicked a large amount by holding his hands for apart and mouthing the word ‘BIG’.
“We’ll think on it,” John responded firmly.
That evening John and Rebecca discussed De Blocare. John relayed the story of Dinu, at the sanitarium licking his finger and mock movements of jointing the brick mortar. But mid-sentence it struck him. “They used the same sand!”
“What?”
“The tailings, they used the tailings sand for the mortar! The bricklayers all wet their fingers in their mouths, and then ran it along the mortar joint, but the sand was contaminated.”
“So they all had lead poisoning!”
“That’s why they all wound up in the nut-house!”
“What about Janusz, the one that fell into the asteroid thing?” Rebecca asked.
“I don’t know” John said.
“And what about the howling noises they all heard?”
“I don’t know that either, but I have a heading.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Remember Chicago? How the wind came off the lake and when it hits the city it’s forced to speed up to get through all those big buildings, and it howls, right?”
“I remember, of course, it almost blew me off my feet.”
“So the wind comes up the valley and blows up the west side of the Carpathians and when it hits the little spaces between the outcroppings it speeds up.”
“And howls,” Rebecca finishes John’s sentence.
“Yes, at least that’s my theory.”
John is pensive for a few seconds then without looking up he mutters: “We’ll have to get that door open.”
“WHAT!?” Rebecca freaks, but quickly composes herself.
“We have to go in there,” John reasons emphatically. “We need to get a look at that asteroid.”
Rebecca stares at John with stunned disbelief.
“OK look,” John starts. “De Blocare is built on contaminated soil. And heavy metals from that soil are getting in the groundwater and eventually it will be in the water supply. And then everyone in town is going to be in the nuthouse.”
“Any ideas on what to do with the asteroid?”
“Craigslist,” John snaps.
“Wanted: Contractor to remove and dispose of radio-active, soul-sucking, asteroid, mountainous site with limited access. Reply to Rebecca at TKO Ltd.” Rebecca laughingly reads the imaginary craigslist ad aloud.
Saturday Morning.
At De Blocare, John and Rebecca are suiting up. Lifelines, lanyards, harness, hard hats equipped with spelunker’s lights, radios. The Mayor and Matai as well as a number of other support staff and curious onlookers are there as well.
John goes over the itinerary with the crew as workers use torches to cut their way through the rusted shut door. “We have the radios so we get into trouble we’re on the radio, and you guys pull us out. If the radios fail, and one of us is in trouble, we yank on the rope three times, you pull us out. Got It?”
The crew nods.
They both carry a long yellow probe, each the same length as the ‘safe’ distance one must keep from the asteroid.
Welders are just shutting off their cutting torches as John and Rebecca walk towards the now open door.
They disappear into the darkness of De Blocare and in a few seconds the only trace of them is their lifelines slithering along the ground into the dark abyss.
It is damp, water dripping, every surface is slimy. Within a couple of turns this way and that, John and Rebecca can no longer see the door of the labyrinth like cavern.
Their helmet mounted lights illuminate only where they’re looking, everything in their periphery is pitch black. They fumble their way through the darkness for several minutes. Then they heard it… howling. “SS- so m-much’s-for your Chi-Chi-cago th-th-theory, we are in-indoors,” Rebecca stammered. “Wh-wh-whats your th-th-theory know?
“I don’t know! But it’s something!” John barks, in a stressed tone.
“Th-Th-Thanks, very Re-reassuring!” Rebecca continues. “F-F-Fucking embarrassing to b-b-be a W-W-Woman sometimes!”
They continue despite more howling, growing louder, and closer.
A howling noise then heads straight for them swooping down right over them! They both drop to the ground! It blasts past overhead. And the howl grows quieter, like a missed subway train.
“So if it’s just SOME-THING why are YOU dropping to the ground like a frightened rabbit?!!” Rebecca flips out from the intensity of the fear and darkness.
“Well the GOOD news is we must be getting close!” John answers sarcastically.
The howling attacks continue with John and Rebecca ducking and diving into the rocky, slimy pathway. More Howling noises
“Fuck! John I felt that one go through me! Through my arms!”
“I know! I know! Their attacking me too!” The howling attacks are from all sides and grow to be non-stop.
“John I don’t think they can travel through the rocks!” John and Rebecca stay low and try to keep them selves between the rocks for protection as they continue on.
The green blue glow comes into view, and as they get closer the soul attacks ease as the affects of the asteroid take hold of these tormented souls.
John stands and takes the probe, extending it towards the green blue orb, prying at the rocks around it. It’s sitting loose in the rocks. Rebecca pulls out her camera and starts shooting.
“Ok, let’s get out of here,” Rebecca announces.
“No shit, Sherlock.”
They grope their way through the dark, back towards the door, as the soul attacks pick up again. HHHHHOOOOOOOoooooooo.
“Great! there’s more now than before! What the fuck? Did they go and tell their friends?!” John shouts.
HHHHHOOOOOOOOooooooooo
“Keep moving, don’t stop!”
HHHHOOOOOOoooooooooo the howls continue with ferocity!
John and Rebecca keep grinding along the slimy rocks on the floor.
The attacks grow deafening. Rebecca sees the glow of the light through the door just as she hears the howls heading straight for her! HHHHOOOOOOOOooooooooooo
“PULL ME OUT! PULL ME OUT! PULL ME OUT!” Rebecca screams into the radio.
The crew outside jumps into action and grabs the rope.
Inside Rebecca is pulled rapidly through the rocky twists and turns that knock her around then OUT the door.
As she comes through the door she shouts at the crew:
“PULL JOHN OUT! PULL HIM OUT!
The crew grabs the rope and pull for all their worth but the rope is stuck!
Inside John can see the rope is wedged between the rocks and tries to free it up, but it won’t budge! He looks up and can see the door’s light, and with the howling attacks continuing. John unhooks the lanyard from the safety line, and makes a mad dash for it! As he comes flying out the door, workers slam it shut right behind him!
John and Rebecca sit down and wait for their heartbeats to slow down and some color to return to their faces.
Mayor Vlaicu, sensing the two will turn down the proposal, approaches them.
“I am hoping the harrowing experience will not dissuade you two from pursuing our offer?”
“There are some things going on in there that we cannot explain, Costin,” John replies.
“I ‘sweeten de pot’ as you say, 200,000 Euros, AND 1 night at the ‘Secretul Suita Vise’ now what you say?” Vlaicu clasps his hands in front of his chest, as if praying they will accept the offer.
“The Secretul Suita Vise at the Déjà vu Hotel!? – I’ve heard of this, it’s this magical suite where all kinds of incredible dreamlike things happen, people book years in advance to get in, we’ll take it !” Rebecca accepts the deal with excitement while John looks at her in stunned amazement.
Tune in next post for all the details of John & Rebecca’s stay at the Secretul Suita Vise, you won’t want to miss the intense magical (and erotic) night!