The voices faded again as the plane crossed the range of mountains and reached a place where the winds didn't rage anymore. Even then, I had a nagging feeling in my head, as if it something was trying to get in. Yet, I still could feel overwhelmed by the Cyclopean city once more. It was so big, so alien, so ancient. Its towers and defaced houses were still there, stern and proud, despite all the decay. I still could see the bridges and the doors under the glaciation. For a brief moment, all my fear was transformed in pure wonder. I was back. After what I thought that would be a final goodbye, I was back to this place.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice that Van Helsing was trying frantically to get my attention without taking his hands off the controls until something hit me in the head. I didn't see where the object came from or how it was tossed so precisely on me, but whatever happened, it worked. I got myself together and answered the man.

"Phew. I thought you would never notice me. Sorry for your head." So, it was him, after all. "Are you all right?"

I shrugged and explained the voices and the headache that followed it. He frowned and, for a moment, I felt my discomfort getting worse. Finally, he start talking again.

"Your mind is too closed. We will have to work on that later. First and more important, where should we land to reach the place where you found the shoggoths?"

This casual mention to the beasts made my blood cold for a moment, but I remembered myself to be brave. I perused the landscape, looking for the big tower that let Danforth and I escape. It wasn't easy. Four years are four years, and there were too many similar buildings out there. The whispers that were filling my thoughts and, sometimes, becoming full words, weren't helping.

In the end, I chose the landing point that seemed closed to my tattered memories. The plane landed smoothly and we finally did it. We set foot on legendary Leng.

The first thing that my partner did was to pick a big sled in the plane. I'm not phrasing it wrong. He carried it like it weighted nothing and strapped the dog harnesses to himself. I could only ask what he was doing.

"It wouldn't be wise to defrost the Elder Things in enemy terrain." He explained, calmly. "We will have to transport them out of there. The sled will do the trick. Which one of those buildings we have to enter?"

I focused as hard as I could and pointed a ruined tower nearby.

"Good", Van Helsing nodded, approvingly. "But before we enter these buildings, we have to solve your mind problem. It will be useful if we have a way to speak without words, for we will have to be as silent as possible. Since you don't have much telepathy prowess, I'll have to wire your mind on mine, so I can receive the psychic waves and retransmit them to you."

I didn't lose my time questioning him about that. To the hell with the telepathy and the physics (or rather metaphysics) behind it. It was far too late to be bothered by this thing. I simply asked him how he would do it.

"Oh, it's a simple procedure. I'll need a spoonful of your blood."

"…"

To be fair, it was not the weirdest thing that someone asked from me to complete some kind of magic ritual.

"Don't worry," he went on, "I'm a professional in bloodletting. I just need a tiny little bit of blood to be able to pick your mental waves right."

I could only sigh. "Right, right, go ahead."

"Thank you! Now, close your eyes for a moment. I don't want fainting at this critical point."

"Why would I… You know what, never mind. Just tell me when you are finished."

I closed my eyes and started to sweat. I felt he pulling my sleeves until my left wrist was exposed to the freezing air. He raised my arm a little and, for a split second, I felt my skin being pierced. The pain vanished almost immediately and I felt like I had a leech attached to that place. (In case you are wondering, yes, I already had leeches on me in one occasion and no, I don't want to talk about that.) A few seconds later, everything stopped and I felt a fabric pressing my wrist.

"I'm done. You can see the light of the day again, professor."

When I did it, I was baffled by the fact that he had no instruments with him, and even more baffled that actual leeches weren't employed. Instead, I felt a deep discomfort as I saw the small wound in my wrist and turned my eyes up again to see him licking a dark spot in the corner of his mouth.

"You didn't… you didn't… You did, didn't you?" I stammered.

He didn't pretend that he didn't understand me. "Drink your blood? Yes, I did. What else would I do with it here, in the middle of nowhere? Tasted like chicken."

Haha.

Anyway, I guess I found you. You are hearing me, right?

I answered him out loud until I figured that he wasn't moving his lips to speak. Then, I awkwardly tried to make the conversation in my mind.

You will hear everything that I think?

I know you are trying to communicate, but I didn't hear you. Try to imagine yourself speaking normally, just don't vocalize the sound. I'm wired to your speech center. I'll only hear whatever you pretend to speak aloud.

That was a relief.

Like that?

Yes, you are getting it. You just have to work a bit in your pronunciation.

My pronunciation. In telepathy. Haha. It was hilarious. My pronunciation. I started to giggle like a little girl. I guess I was starting to become hysterical.

Van Helsing, apparently, guessed the same thing, because his next words were spoken normally.

"Well, no need to fill your head with so much weirdness at once. Lead the way."

This sobered me at the spot. I was being a fool. A sudden development of telepathy was the least of my worries. Down there, in the dark tunnels of that dead city, formless monsters waited us. Fear. Madness.

I couldn't afford to become mad this early.

My friend was probably worried about my mental health, too, because he didn't rush things. We entered a tower that had breath-taking sculptures, in the best style of the Elder Things, all in epic and inspiring victory poses. My old interest by their history surfaced and I couldn't help but stop every few steps to look at one. My hands were aching to sketch them as the dim light of the torch passed by them, but the rest of my body was aching even more to run away.

I did a good job of forgetting where I was and what I was doing until we reached that domed room. Gedner and the dog were still there, covered, in the same corner we let them last time. Then, I froze there. I just… froze. I wanted to go away from there as quick as possible, but my legs simply refused to walk. Everything was so close, every memory of horror so vivid. If I had heard a penguin squeak at that moment, I would have screamed my lungs out and fainted.

Van Helsing had the patience of a mother. When he saw that, instead of walking, I was doing an awkward rocking movement, he urged me to continue. I wanted to do what he said, but couldn't. At this point, he shoved me on his sled and literally dragged me to the dark path that I didn't want to follow. If I was in my right state of mind, I would have rebelled, but as things were, I was barely able to stay quiet. I shut my eyes and kept them firmly like that.

Sitting on the sled calmed me down a bit. Yes, I was painfully aware that we were exploring that accursed tunnel that lead to the mysterious underground sea where the Elder Things lived in their last days. Danforth's desperate face haunted me each inch of the way and a strange murmur was forming in my head, but I couldn't understand any words.

At some point, we stopped and I felt a kind of gentle push in my mind.

Which tunnel do we take?

I let a deep sigh before opening my eyes. Everything was pitch dark, something that I didn't expect. I mean, Van Helsing should be using the torch to see the path, right? Suddenly, he himself seemed to be aware of my disorientation, because the small light was finally turned on. He tried to focus on the ground, but I still could see that the walls were covered with those crudely made dots that hinted so ominously of the presence of the dreaded shoggoths. Slowly, almost against my will, I turned my head to the ground in the front of the sled. We were in a fork with two possible ways of marching on. I didn't remember a thing about it.

We kind of followed the penguin droppings last time. I explained. I'm not sure which one is the right. If in doubt, take the descending path, since we were trying to reach the sea and it's deep underground.

Roger.

I closed my eyes again. Would we... Would we see again that place where I saw the beheaded Elder Things? I was trying so hard to forget this. It was the point when the horror started.

Everyone can imagine, then, how I felt when I heard Van Helsing "saying", in a emotional mental voice:

We reached a place with a enormous dark stain in the groud. It smells weird. I guess we are near.

I trembled. If I wasn't so paralyzed with fear, I would have run. As things were, my hands clasped the sled as I waited to feel the pungent smell of the Elder Things' blood. The smell never came. Odd. I thought that Van Helsing had just...?

There's another kind of smell here. He said, cutting the flow of my thoughts. It's faint, but not as faint as I hoped. Look, I know that being here is difficult for you, and if I wasn't bringing you on that sled, you wouldn't be there. Yet, there's no other way. I need you to open your eyes and tell me where the shoggoth came from last time. Don't fear. I'll protect you from anything, even if it costs me my life.

I feared that. It took me every ounce of courage, every bit of curiosity, every single shred of mental fortitude that I could spare to make me open my eyes again.

I was extremely proud of myself when I did. The vision of that stained - and empty - space on the ground and all the dark implications of that made my sanity wave for a moment, but I clenched my teeth, looked around and pointed the right corridor.

The young pilot put his hand on my shoulder with a reassuring smile and I felt a lot lighter. I wasn't brave enough to walk by myself, yet, but I was ready to do it with my eyes open. I informed my friend of that and he laughed and gave me the torch. It will make you feel more secure. It's all yours.

What about you? How will see the path?

He laughed and it was all the explanation I ever got, as he walked decidedly the pitch black corridor. I noticed that he would stop in every intersection, look to both sides, tilt his head and then follow one of the corridors with a new-found resolution. He kept doing this until we stopped at a partially collapsed wall. My heart almost stopped when he "said" in my mind:

We did it. They are behind that.

I was ready to ask how he knew when a gust of wind brought me the unforgettable smell of the Things. So, I jumped to my next better question:

How do we get in?

He sighed. Look, I've noticed a pattern in your actions. Every time you become too nervous about something… uh… unusual, your face suddenly relaxes and you simply don't make questions. Since I would like that you don't have a nervous breakdown while we are down there, I guess that we should avoid… uh…

I got it. In short, you want me to sit in a corner with my eyes closed as you do something that will probably shatter my sanity if I see it?

You're smart, that's why I like you.

Somehow, I didn't feel complimented by that.

I looked at the dark corridors, so dark that the light of the torch barely showed anything and gulped. In the beginning of our descent, I had kept my eyes shut, but it's because I felt oddly secure with Van Helsing near me, frail-looking as he was. Now that I knew I would probably be alone, the prospect of closing the eyes was frightening. I repeated to myself that it was so dark that it was almost like I had closed eyes anyway and went on with it. I still heard in my mind a warning: If you hear something, anything, tell me. It doesn't matter if it's just imagination, I want to know. Nothing big should be close, but warn me anyway.

After that, I heard a couple of steps, a strong breath and then, nothing. Silence was absolute and disturbing. I started to think of so many things and to remember so many things that I forced myself to stop. It wasn't helping. My priority was to keep myself sane.

I heard the faintest of the sounds and that startled me, but a immediate It's me followed that. The pungent smell became almost unbearable as a heavy "thud" marked something being dropped on the sled. I couldn't help but think Ugh, it stinks.

You tell me. my partner answered, giggling. Hang on a bit more. I'll bring the second one.

Now, I was both scared and curious. I wanted to see the Elder Thing. A complete Elder Thing, not a mangled corpse. Oh my God. If only I could open my eyes. But I couldn't risk it. What if Van Helsing was doing something too horrific? Blast it. I was almost opening the eyes when I heard footsteps and a Done. Hop in the sled.

His tone was different. It sounded so… serious. I opened my eyes and immediately looked to the sled, but, to my annoyance, the bugger had covered the Things with a blanket. When I finally focused the torch on the young man, ready to berate him, I was shocked. He was looking so pale and so tired. He was drinking something from a small flask, but it didn't seem to help him improving.

Ugh, it was much more tiring than I was expecting. Way more tiring. Those guys are enormous and heavy, I'm starving. We have no time to lose. Ride the damned sled, we have to get out of here now.

Why all this urgency? What's happening? It's… I trembled …them?

Shoggoths are the least of you problems if you don't get to the sled right now. Stop wasting time.

His voice became increasingly serious and commanding as he said that, and I could see the soldier he was for the first time. I obeyed and he pulled the sled even quicker than before. He did hesitate in any of the intersections, always quick and decided. All the time, he was ominously pale and refused to speak to me in any way about any topic. His silence and the morbidity of the place started to play on my nerves and, when I finally paid attention to myself, I discovered that I was muttering desperately that accursed verse: "the dead travel fast".

At first, I scolded myself. It wasn't time for Dracula quotes. I asked myself what would put it in my mind in the first place. Then I lighted the red hair of my partner with the torch, remembered his name and felt completely stupid for asking.

After what looked like an indecent short period of time, the light of the day shone again. We were out of the tunnels. We were free! And alive! And (presumably) sane! I felt great! Aaaand I also felt that it was a little too easy. Way to spoil the mood.

Van Helsing made a beeline to the plane, running desperately. I asked myself if I should follow him and see what he was doing, but then my good sense remembered me that I probably didn't want to know. Two minutes later, he went out of the plane again, cleaning his mouth and tossing a bottle aside. His appearance was healthier and he seemed in a bubbly mood again.

"Wow, I was starving! What, didn't you raised the blanket yet, professor? I'm disappointed."

Now that the sled had my undisputed attention, I was excited again. I was about to see intact and living Elder Things. I would see their true aspects and, after we took care of them, I would see them moving. My heart raced.

The blank was lifted to show the creatures that poor Lake has described so well. They had tall barrel bodies with tentacles sprouting from each ridge, wings, a starfish-like head with a closed eye in each point of the star, a big starfish-like set of legs and smelled like rotten algae. Don't look at me like that. I'm a geologist, not a biologist. If you want an accurate scientific description, just read the transcription of Lake's report in At the Mountains of Madness.

As I marveled at the two specimens, my partner had assembled a pile of wood (don't ask me where he got that) and lighted it. He motioned me to wrap each of the Elder Things in a blanket. After we did that, he started opening food cans, one after another.

"They will be starving when they wake up and they are omnivores." He explained. "These guys are big; I won't feel comfortable if they don't have access to the food of at least four humans."

I shuddered at my repressed memories of Lake's camp and started helping him. When we were satisfied at how many cans were open and within reach of our guests, I inspected them again. Their skin already looked more shiny and elastic.

Van Helsing turned the sled to its side and put it in a safe distance from the creatures. We hid behind it, like it was a barricade, and waited for the fire and the sun to do their work.

I don't even know the name of the game of cards I was losing at when we heard a motion sound from the Elder Things. It was incredible. It was beautiful. The eye tentacles from both started moving. It was followed from movement of their many arm-like tentacles. So fascinating. I didn't know if I should feel wonder or terror and, for the first time in this crazy trip, I didn't care.

They stood up much quicker than I expected and waved their head and arm tentacles around, like they were confused. I could hear in my mind that my pilot friend was sending them calming thoughts, telling them to pick the food we left for them and relax. Everything was fine, now.

They followed the advice. When they stopped destroying the cans of food in their eagerness to eat, we felt more secure to reveal ourselves from behind the sled. By which I mean, obviously, that Van Helsing revealed himself and dragged me by the arm.

The Elder Things stood roughly 9 feet tall and their red eyes turned to us in which seemed to me a stern glance. If I hadn't emptied myself earlier, I would have done it in that moment. Then, they did a reverence gesture that I had seen in sculptures before.

Thank you, dream travelers. a strong voice echoed in my mind, ancient and alien. We waited for you for a long time, but our waiting was rewarded. I am Tilili and this is my companion Telili. I have not words to tell how grateful we are.

I heard a kind of grunt that, in a way, I knew that came from the Elder Thing in the back. It could have sounded menacing, if a feeling of gratefulness hadn't invaded me at that moment.

Now I wanted so much to touch them. Scientists are just big children, after all.

It's nice to finally meet you in person, my friends. I'm Maarten Van Helsing, who contacted you first, and this is Prof. William Dyer. He studied the ruins of the city… uh… last time you were unfrozen.

I just managed to wave nervously and Tilili mimicked the movement with one of its small sets of five tentacles. It was oddly cute.

Everything was so perfect that, in the back of my mind, I felt that something was about to go horribly wrong. Maybe the Things were feigning politeness to grab us and kill us. Maybe we were about to be devoured by giant shoggoths that could sprout out of nowhere. Maybe an Other God would zap us for our meddling with forbidding things.

None of these things happened. Not exactly as I pictured, anyway. As we were trying to find the next polite thing to say after the introductions, we heard a strange sound coming from the behind the sled, followed by a strong smell of mold. Van Helsing turned his back to us with a savage growl. He pointed a hand to the sled and curled his fingers a little in tension. I didn't understand what he was doing until he suddenly raised his arm.

Following his movement, a dark blob with green flickering eyes raised from behind the sled. It was small, probably would be the size of my knees if it was still on the ground. Also, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, A FREAKING SHOGGOTH. Way smaller than the last one, but AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH.

Van Helsing was still growling like a rabid wolf when he twisted his hand. Then, a new voice joined the already crowded choir in my head.

VRHGGWQDICC… BRGUHHH… EEDRRGGH… SSSGGGRRR… SSOOOGGGTTT… SOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYY! I'M SO SORRY!

Wait, what?