Madeline Darsby, Officer Crowley, Officer Marley, and Richard Corbitt belong to me. No stealing.
Madeline Darsby was just another bookworm in a sea of cell phones and laptop screens. Book spines found her fingers at a young age when she would do nothing but dive into pages of another world. She would immediately be drawn to fiction and often lived in those fantastic worlds were knights fought for princesses and witches brewed strange spells. Once she finished a world she would jump to the next, always trying out different places to make her imagination burst. Sometimes she would wander into ghost stories, only to be chased out by some horrible man eating monster or terrifying ghost. But she would always creep back in, waiting for the danger to subside, and words to bring her temporary solace until she would meet with the monsters once more.
Despite her thirst for books, she would often stand out with her copper locks that accented her freckles nicely which she always tried to hide behind her glasses. Madeline was often picked on for those crimson speckles just beneath her hazel eyes. Freckle face and pizza head were just to name a few. At first it bothered her, but the more she sought solace in literature the more the insults seemed to roll off her back. She didn't even notice after a while or care, knowing that nothing could harm her in the comfort of her books.
Madeline had a one track mind as to where her feet were taking her. She had been saving up money for the past few weeks at her part time job at the local cafe. Tips were grateful in aiding to her cause to visit the new bookstore that had just opened up in town. It had been open for at least a week and already people were drawn to it; so much so that there were rumors of people disappearing in the shop. Madeline's mother worried about that gossip and how it spread through the town. Already two women had gone missing with no sign of their return. Even the bookstore's owner appeared to know nothing other than the female's appearances and that they had supposedly disappeared no sooner they left his store. Officers Crowley and Marley, two cops in the town's crime force, had thoroughly examined the shop to see if the old man was lying; from their search they found that the old man had been right and that they were nowhere in the shop. The only clues found were loose hairs from the women's heads, but even they offered no information. Friends and families of the women were questioned and provided nothing useful other than the fact that the women claimed they were going to the bookstore.
Madeline shrugged off those rumors like the insults she had received from bullies. They were stories people had made up to scare people away from the shop. Though her conscious began to work, asking her questions and making her rethink her idea of the vanishing women. They couldn't have just disappeared into air; they weren't ghosts as far as anyone was concerned. There had to be more than met the eye in this case and maybe, just maybe the police knew something. Maybe it was all a giant conspiracy and the newspaper only told the people so much before they kept the actual truth to themselves.
Or maybe Madeline was just imagining things.
Her imagination did tend to get the best of her at times, despite her firm grasp on reality. Today her imagination wouldn't dominate her unless she was nose deep in a book filled with a thrilling adventure.
The street ahead of her vanished a little past the bookstore before her and converted to sand sweeping down to the sea. The bookshop was rested before the ocean which made Madeline wonder if the owner picked the place for a scenic view. Smiling to herself, Madeline knew she would have done the same thing if she was running a business in a beach town. As she neared the store, she watched the moon rise from the skies and the sun slowly set into the sea. Her mother's bakery would stay open at this time of the night, especially in this balmy summer. More people were out and about on the streets in the hanging lamp lit twilight. Tourists roamed the streets, looking for something new and her mother's bakery was no exception. The woman not only baked the usual pastries, but often whipped up her own creations like a maple cruller with bacon icing and pecans. That was the best concoction that everyone loved, but Madeline's heart belonged to the vanilla fudge pound cake. Madeline smiled, knowing her mother would be busy at least until ten serving the mouths of visitors. She wouldn't have to worry about her interfering with her plans.
The scent of ocean kicked its way up the road and clung to Madeline like a child who had found its mother. Her hazel eyes came in contact with golden numbers of 103 shimmering in the now growing moonlight. Immediately the shop sent off strange vibes from its ominous cherry wood frame adorned with intricate….tentacles? Tentacles. That was new. Tentacles were usually for a place pertaining to fish and looking down at the address in her hand, she doubted herself. This couldn't be the place, but sure enough it was. Corbitts' Corner 103 Mockingbird Drive, next to Williams' Tool Shed on the strip overlooking the sea. Furrowing her brow, she watched as the wooden tentacles led up to a winged beast that somewhat resembled Davy Jones from "The Pirates of the Caribbean". Maybe it was just some sort of fantastical beast that was bound in a book she had never read before.
Beneath the beast rested large glass windows with painted gold letters that read 'Corbitts' Corner'. She had never heard the name before which didn't surprise her. Corbitt was probably a new man in town with a clean slate, willing to start a life anew with some small business like a bookstore. For her sake she hoped that the bookshop was a success and that his fares were cheaper than Barnes & Noble's or any big brand name bookstore. Below the store's name, the windows revealed leather bound books that made Madeline's heart escalate with elation. All those worlds to visit, all those words to absorb, all those well developed plots and characters – it made her lips curl to her ears, grinning with excitement.
Shoving the address into her jacket pocket, she approached the cherry wood door and grasped the golden, curled door handle. Giving it a turn, the bell to the shop rang and immediately drew the attention of an elderly man behind the register. From behind the counter, he poked his head out from a book written in a language Madeline couldn't decipher. Grey wisps of hair were combed over, attempting to hide a dry scalp as the man tried to straighten it with his wrinkly, slender fingers. Slate eyes stared at Madeline as her eyes gazed about the book store. Another lady; he knew what happened to women here. Smirking to himself, he rolled his sleeves down to hide a faded tattoo written in a foreign language.
"Ah yes, yes welcome to Corbitt's Corner, my dear. My name is Richard Corbitt, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Oh no, just looking around."
Madeline roamed around the store, eagerly reading snippets of books and their summaries. She felt like a child on Christmas morn with no one to stop her. Her conscious acted up once more, the panicky tone in her head demanding she turn around and go home. But how could she listen to her conscious at a time like this with all these books and in a new place? Temptation got the better of her as the scent of old, weary books wove their way about her and trapped her in a bookworm's bliss. Price tags rang out cheaper amounts than a big brand name bookstore and Madeline did her best to refrain from squealing in delight. Deeper she plunged into the bookstore, book titles calling out to her like ghosts. She knew almost every book by heart and yet there were some new titles just dying to be read by her. By now she had grabbed a few books; two classics and two new ones.
Her adventure came to a sudden halt when she encountered a dimly lit office at the back of the bookstore. With the door slightly ajar, curiosity got the best of her as her hazel eyes attempted to peer inside, not wanting to be nosy. Though in the least, she could have informed Corbitt that his office door was open in case any other customers should enter the shop and discover it much like she did.
"Mr. Corbitt?"
No response. Maybe he had stepped out for a minute or maybe he was waiting for her behind that door or maybe he knew that she would enter there. Her conscious screamed, demanding her not to venture any further and to run back home, never to enter this shop again. The bell to the shop chimed and this time she heard Corbitt's spiel once more, but with a half-enthused tone. Maybe he was growing tired from being open for so long today. Shrugging it off, she entered the minuscule office.
Light vaguely shined down upon the beaten up furniture and shelves as once more she was met with that winged beast. What was this man's fascination with a winged octopus she didn't know as she examined the books on the shelf. Most of them were written by a man named H. ; was he new? She would have to find some of his works in the bookstore. On a scratched desk were papers scrawled with theories about some mystical being that apparently lived in the ocean. It appeared to be far from a mermaid or a leviathan, as her fingers attempted to decipher the man's sloppy cursive. An open folder revealed something called the 'bloop' with a drawing of that strange yet frightening beast once more. By its leering eyes were coordinates of where the 'bloop' was supposedly heard as well as scribbled, but brief theories of what could have possibly caused that sound.
He might have been a monster hunter if such a category existed for careers. Though she realized that no one would ever apply for such a job in real life. Maybe he was a legend hunter which made Madeline grin. The idea of chasing something that could very well not exist was foolish, but exhilarating and in that moment she contemplated doing something like that in her life. It would be a fun adventure before reality brought her to its harsh surface and once more she would shuffle her feet with those in the working world. But a little adventure wouldn't hurt anyone or so she believed.
Placing her books on the desk, Madeline discovered yet another opened door. Perhaps she would gain more of an adventure today than she had possibly anticipated. Approaching the door, she noticed a shimmering key from the corner of her eye. It would be useful for what she didn't know and Madeline took it without hesitation. The key's copper shine sparkled in the faint light as it bore no distinct decoration whatsoever. For once, Madeline was relieved to find something without the winged beast on it in Corbitt's office. Keys were often a sign of escape, a glimpse into freedom, a chance for victory; perhaps Madeline would be the successor of this adventure or so she believed. She would be like those knights who had always won the battle or the princesses who managed to escape without needing a savior. The mere idea made her grin and ignore her now shrieking conscious who demanded she run away and never return.
Entering the second door, Madeline was faced with a dark, short stretch of hallway. There wasn't that much space left between the bookstore and the sandy shore which made Madeline question where exactly this passage was taking her. Walking down the hall, she did her best to refrain her footsteps echoing. She kept her breathing to herself and did her best to engage in the best stealth nature she could acquire in that moment. The more her feet led her to this secret room, the more she swore the hallway seemed to stretch. With the darkness circling her, she felt like Alice entering the rabbit hole with no end in sight. Her heart tensed at the mere idea of Corbitt waiting for her at the very end of the hall. Anxiety slowly began to crawl up her spine, forcing her to reconsider turning back and leaving. For once her conscious jumped for the joy at that mere consideration, knowing how stubborn Madeline could be at times and how caught up she could be in an adventure. But this moment of internal triumph was extinguished by a sudden, faint light at the end of the hall. Anxiety slithered away and her conscious returned to its panicking, nervous state shouting suggestions in Madeline's ears that she ignored. Madeline's shoulders relaxed to see the end of the hallway drawing up so quickly as it was ignited by soft candlelight. From a distance she couldn't make out much, but from what she could see there were a few tables. The first one though held something that made her feet and heart quicken at the mere sight of the resting object.
What she stumbled upon was something she only pictured in fairy tales. A leather bound book as big as her torso waited for her, surrounded by flickering candlelight flames. The illustration of an eye stared at Madeline and tore into her soul like a tiger to an antelope. Looking at the eye she felt her head reel as though someone punched her in the face and stepping back, she shook off the sudden pain. What a horrific rush and yet it did not stop her from pursuing the book once more.
"You're a big one aren't you?" Madeline murmured to herself, eyeing the detail of the book.
Her fingers brushed along the cover, heart beating faster with the feel of the book. Its faded title read as 'Ne-r-nom-n', the letters frayed from many years. Madeline squinted, attempting to make out the faint, missing letters, but failed in doing so due to the dim light.
The book's metallic clasps glowed within the candlelight as Madeline swallowed hard, shoving her heart back into her chest. Fingertips ran over each clasp which bound the book in a tight security that made Madeline question what was written on the pages. The key didn't appear to fit into the locks this book possessed as Madeline wondered how this book could be pried open. Her mind salivated, wanting to dive into the book and explore its contents until there was nothing left. Doing her best to avoid the staring eye on the cover, her head throbbed once more with a pounding that felt like someone was beating drums in her head. Boom, boom, boom, the vibrations grew and merged into a migraine. No book had ever ad this effect on her which made her want the literature even more. Reinforcing her stubbornness, Madeline wrapped her fingers around the book. At the mere feel of her grasp, the book sent tremors through her skin and increased her migraine twofold as she gritted her teeth.
At the slamming of the door behind her, Madeline heard her conscious shriek as she released the book. The migraine seemed to settle some, soft throbs bursting in her head. Eyes darting about the room, she had to hide. Footsteps growing louder with conversation in the hall behind her, Madeline knew she had to conceal herself and quickly. The candlelight only exposed so much while hiding secrets as shadows fused with the darkness of the room. Madeline's eyes peered through the darkness only to find a closet. Shaking her head, she knew that would be the first place they would look. The footsteps grew closer as Madeline saw a distant table adorned with a cloth that seemed to shimmer in the candlelight. Hurriedly making her way towards the covered furniture, Madeline quickly noticed something rather odd.
On far most the wall was the same winged tentacle beast she had seen before above this glimmering cloth. Why Corbitt was so obsessed with this being she had no idea and it rattled her bones with a great disturbance. There was this creature's face in his office and even on the shop's exterior. What wondrous connection Corbitt had with the beast Madeline didn't know and as curious as she was, she didn't want to know.
Upon closer examination of the table cloth itself, she noticed it was covered in dark stains which smelled of something that made her blood crawl. She had known that coppery iron scent before and eyes widening, she wondered if it was all that was left of the missing women. Maybe Corbitt was up to something, maybe he actually knew where those women were, and maybe he was using them for some dark ritual that pertained to this beast. But then, wouldn't Officers Crowley and Marley know about it? There was no time to hypothesize; the footsteps were drawing nearer and her heart was sky rocketing into her head, beating as loud as a big band drum. Sweat ran down her fingers as she felt her body slightly calm at a relieving sight before her.
A circular door in the floor was Madeline's saving grace as she noted the heavy lock. Removing the key she found in the office, Madeline quickly unlocked the door and threw herself inside, closing it over her head.
"WHERE DID SHE GO!?"
Just in the nick of time, Madeline sighed in relief, but knew she had to escape fast. Nothing the tunnel's direction, she figured it would lead her out to the beach. From there, she could swim back to shore and run home and tell her mother everything that had happened and pray that the woman would forgive her. Eyes widening, her thoughts were broken by the sound of sudden footsteps nearing the door. Shrinking beneath the door, Madeline gasped in shock to find her body couldn't move. Frozen with fear she did her best to slink into the tunnel at her back. Her right foot jerked, willing to comply and it gradually brought her back into the darkness. Back, back, back into the shadows she slid. From above Corbitt tore through furniture and swung open the closet, as she heard a few muffled voices of men. No one else was in the shop that she recalled and swallowing hard, she contemplated what they would do to her should she be found. Madeline didn't want to know. All those hostage stories she would sometimes dabble in began to surface and melded with her conscious, screaming for her to run. Run, run, run and never look back, never enter this bookstore again, and tell everyone about the strange truth she discovered within. Her train of thought was broken by a single strand of candlelight now growing as the door violently tore open and Madeline's eyes locked with Corbitt's slate stare.
"GET HER! SHE CAN'T ESCAPE!"
The fear broke as Madeline tore through the tunnel. She would be led out to the sea, she would swim like a mermaid, she would climb onto the sand, and run. Panting hard, Madeline wasn't that great of a runner, but for once this wasn't gym class and she had to force herself to sprint. It didn't take long for the sound of running to emerge from behind. It wasn't just Corbitt now, no, there were at least two others. Who were they she dared not look, if anything she hoped to escape before they captured her. She dared not think or try to piece everything together as Madeline only focused on bolting to her freedom.
At the end of the tunnel was the inside of Kelp Cove, a cove that rested on the beach's far end and often received tons of kelp from the high tide. In the distance, moonlight glowed on the ocean in an eerie sort of way that Madeline had never seen before. As though even the night was feeling the strange effects from Madeline's adventure turned nightmare. Rushing forward to dive into the sea, Madeline felt her feet trip over the slippery rocks and her glasses leap from her face. Thankfully they landed with a clatter and not a splash as Madeline's fingers hurriedly searched for them. The footsteps of Corbitt and company had grown to a complete halt. Sighing in relief, she knew that they were possibly slowed by some obstruction and yet she still quickly looked for her glasses. Relief burst from within as Madeline found them and shoved them onto her face, only to be met with Corbitt, Officer Crowley, and Officer Marley.
"Officer Crowley, thank God you're here!"
"I suppose you can say that."
His voice was emotionless and cold like the surface of black ice and it struck Madeline as rather odd. Though she hadn't personally met Officer Crowley before, she saw from pictures and events in the town paper that he seemed like a rather joyous man. From what she could discern, the man appeared to be full of zest and life with a passion for his job. The man before her was not the same five o clock shadowed, beer belly official she had seen before. He was different with his unforgiving glare hiding beneath a velvet, violet robe. Below the garment she could still make out his police uniform as her breath caught in her throat. It was at then she remembered that he was one of the assigned officers sent to look for the two women who vanished at Corbitt's Corner.
"Officer Crowley….aren't you a part of the disappearing women cases?"
"Yes. "
"A-and you….officer Marley….didn't you join him on that case?"
"Indeed I did. But I found something much more rewarding."
"Do I…do I dare ask?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Officer Marley grinned as Madeline took another step back to the slippery rocks.
Officer Marley was a rather dull man who Madeline had only met once before. But now to see him actually smiling with a voice full of scared her even more. For once her imagination didn't run wild and there was more than met the eye. The blood stained table cloth, the winged octopus beast, the gossip; it had all turned out to be from some morbid fairy tale come to life. Fantasy overrode reality in this moment and Madeline's brain wracked for some sort of logical answer only to find none. The men before her were no longer the good cops that protected the town or its citizens. They were servants to an elderly man who killed women in his secret room and probably helped him with the murders as well. The mere imagery made Madeline pale and the men chuckle at her response.
Corbitt, now clad in the same velvet violet robe, stepped forth. His sleeves were rolled up to reveal a tattoo written in a language Madeline had seen on the papers in his office. It was a strange language followed by the word 'Cthulhu'. Fear had elevated in Madeline's slender frame as she tried to force it into her stomach. She dared not show any fear and would try to be strong, like the heroes in her books. Heart beating loud she hoped that the cove wouldn't echo her heart's rampant sound. By now her conscious was at a loss of words and only mumbled regrets that Madeline didn't abandon her adventure and run home.
"You see miss, we are firm believers in our great Lord Cthulhu."
Corbitt spoke, holding the leather bound book to his chest as though his life depended on it. Clasps were undone as pages were itching to be read in their native R'lyehian language. Corbitt could read those words easily, as though he had been imprinted with that language from the time of his birth. He had taken great pride into studying the language based on what he could grasp from many documents and Lovecraft's very work.
"The women they were searching for….well, you can say it's all a bit of a cover up."
"Wh….what?"
"See Cthulhu likes his womanly sacrifices and frankly, I can't blame him. The younger, the better. So when those two women stepped into my shop….how could I refuse? See if we sacrifice women to Cthulhu, he'll spare us from the day he destroys humanity. I don't know bout you hun, but it sounds like a good deal to me. Am I right boys?"
Nodding in approval, the officers heartily agreed with Corbitt with grins and chuckles that sent shivers down Madeline's spine. Her conscious cursed at her for pursuing such an adventure and realized there was nothing else that could be done but swim. Behind her, Madeline could hear the tide rising. The very sound of waves echoing through the cavern made Madeline smile. The tide was her saving grace and she knew how to ride the currents and avoid being pulled under. She would swim as fast as possible and run home to her mom and swear never to disobey her again and to promise herself to listen to her conscious more. Slowly walking back to the tide, Madeline felt the cool water at her ankles. The gathering seafoam was such a relief from the madness that had only happened minutes ago.
"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn! Ya uln Cthulhu hai, nog ah mnahn' uh'e! Uaaah…."
What gibberish he shouted with such praise and clarity, Madeline didn't know or care. Freedom was a mere leap away and nothing, not even made up words could stop her. Turning around, Madeline's eyes widened at the sight before her that stole her freedom with its mere roar.
Every book Madeline had ever read in her life told of no villain compared to this monstrosity that rose within the cove. Somehow it managed to slide into the cove with ease, like a jellyfish washing up on the shore. Pale green leathery skin cloaked its body as Madeline felt the world give out beneath her. Dropping to her knees, Madeline now understood the definition of fear; it was something not even her imagination could muster as she felt her body grow cold from the howling wind within the cove and the shock that rapidly engulfed her. She had never seen nor dreamed of something so ominous, as though the Devil himself was rising from the sea to bring destruction upon her world. Its leathery wings were bound by the cove and it growled in irritation at how cramped this location was. Corbitt murmured something which made the beast calm some and finally take note of its target. Staring into its crimson eyes Madeline felt that migraine emerge once more, more powerful than ever as though she would faint from the pain. Claws gripped the rocks and from the corner of her eye, Madeline saw those talons rapidly approaching her as she quickly neared the creature's massive tentacles and was met with everlasting darkness.