This story was inspired by the story Welcome to Night Vale by cupidity11
This is Carlos/Cecil, rated M for possible adult themes and language (though I doubt I need it but it's better to be safe than sorry)
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8
The next day the hospital was open again, and accepting new patients. Samantha drove Brian down, and he'd been checked in shortly after he arrived. He'd have to stay there for a little while, but we all knew that was going to happen. It had been about a week since then. I'd been sitting in my office shifting papers around, trying my best to recover from the incident still. It was quite a strain on all of us. I wasn't sure if I should be grieving for those who died, or if I should be feeling lucky I wasn't among them. I felt guilty that I was alive though. The two died protecting me. I couldn't shake that feeling of guilt.
"Hey, did you know that there were lights and sounds from Radon Canyon last weekend?" Amber asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked up at her and shook my head. Amber read my expression and sighed, shifting her weight. I looked away from her silently.
"Hey, just so you know…" Amber started, "None of us blame you."
"I can't help but feel guilt." I replied quietly. Amber sighed. She nodded
"Well, you should mention it to Cecil." Amber said. I gave her a quizzing look.
"Why?" I asked her.
"We don't have much on the incident. Maybe someone saw it and can give us a synopsis." Amber said.
"Alright. Can you give me the notes so I know what's going on?" I asked her. She smiled, seeming to notice that I was getting back to normal. She handed me the notebook she had on it. I quietly looked over it. It said that there were strange lights and noises coming from the Canyon, and it seemed suspicious. It might be something harmless as a concert, or it could be something much worse. I got very nervous all of a sudden. What could it be if it wasn't a concert? This town was so strange I wouldn't be surprised of someone was trying to summon Cthulhu. I sighed and closed the notebook. There wasn't much, so I would need to go ask about it. I picked up my bag and slipped the notebook in it. I waved to Amber and told her to keep things calm here. She said it wasn't any problem for her and chuckled a little. I got outside and into my car. I hadn't really thought about the model up until this point, but it was a hybrid coupe. I didn't remember buying the car, then again the one we'd had before was destroyed by the Glow Cloud. So, I went to the car lot and picked up the one I saw first (more or less). Shaking my head, I started the car. Much to my surprise I wasn't greeted with Cecil's voice. It was Morse code right now. I cocked my head as I drove. Maybe it was earlier than I'd expected. I checked the time on my watch, and sure enough it was six in the morning. I was typically up at eight. I winced silently. I was obviously missing sleep now.
I got to the station, almost missing it because I was trapped in thought. I pulled over and parked, shutting the car off. I sighed, rubbing my head. I wondered if I looked sleepy or sleep-deprived and shrugged it off. I quietly got out of the car and headed to the door leading into Night Vale Community Radio. I knocked politely, though I immediately questioned why I did. Someone opened the door and looked at me. Purple eyes greeted mine, and a quick smile flashed on Cecil's face.
"Good morning Carlos." Cecil said.
"Hello. May I come in and ask you some things?" I asked. Cecil nodded quickly and stepped aside, allowing me to enter the radio station. He and I walked to the recording booth quickly. On my way down I got a quick glance into the door of Station Management. I saw tentacle-like appendages flailing around, and I heard soft growling. I stepped into the recording booth and Cecil closed the door behind me.
"What do you need Carlos?" Cecil asked me. I turned around and looked at him. I forgot for a second why I'd come after looking into his eyes for a little, but eventually remembered, shaking my head.
"This past weekend my scientists told me that there were strange lights and sounds coming from Radon Canyon. In the notes they were quote 'bright and colorful' and the noises were quote 'unintelligible noises'. They think it was some sort of signal jamming technique, or some coded communication but they're not sure. Could you ask your listeners if they've seen anything or heard anything coming from Radon Canyon?" I asked him.
"Are you concerned?" Cecil asked. I sighed.
"I'm concerned, yes." I replied, "I have a feeling it could have been something sinister, but then again it could have just been a loud electronica concert. We can't be too sure of either because of the strange events that seem to occur on a daily basis in this town. I'm…scared for this town. For all of you. I want you all to be safe and I want to keep you all as safe as possible."
Cecil stared at me for a while, blinking. He shifted awkwardly. I'd obviously rambled a little too much. My face started to burn as I stood there, regretting everything.
"Do you want to stay for an interview about it?" Cecil asked me, not seeming to notice my embarrassment.
"I shouldn't. The other scientists would be wondering where I am if I stayed too long. But I appreciate the offer." I said, turning towards the door. I stopped and sighed, writing down my cell phone number on a piece of paper in the notebook I was holding. I ripped it off and handed it to Cecil.
"If you get any developments you should call." I said, turning back to the door and opening it.
"Would you like to have dinner sometime?" Cecil asked me quietly, "Or hang out this weekend or something?"
To avoid more awkwardness I quickly ducked out of the room, taking out my notebook and jotting down "Station Management" in my notebook. I got outside and in my car, turning it on.
"I'd love to go to dinner with you, Cecil." I answered in my car, quietly. I closed my eyes and sighed. I couldn't distract myself at this time with something like dating. It was too trivial, and I'm not sure I could trust whoever I got into a relationship with. It wasn't Cecil's fault, though. I drove away, quickly but carefully. I pulled into the parking lot in front of the lab and got out, heading inside. My face was still flushed and I sighed, leaning against the door and closing my eyes.
"What?" Amber asked.
"I said too much…" I said, "I told Cecil that I was scared for the town and its people."
"Aw, but you're telling the truth." Amber said. I nodded.
"We should get down there and see what's going on ourselves." I said. Amber nodded and called a few of the scientists over. She nodded to me.
"Do you want to come with us?" She asked.
"I think it would be best." I said. Working and taking my mind off of everything would be nice for a change. Amber nodded and I followed the crew outside and to one of the vans. Amber tossed me the keys and we all piled in. We drove out towards Radon Canyon. Amber mentioned that she grabbed my camera. I'd completely forgotten about that, so I thanked her. She smiled at me and looked out of the window. We drove for what felt like forever, until finally we arrived at Radon Canyon. We got out of the van and walked out towards the canyon. I looked down. There's no way in hell there could be a concert there. Amber handed me my camera without me so much as asking her to and I thanked her. I snapped a picture of the drop.
"So the lights and sounds were not a concert." I said, "Now we know that much."
I wish we could have gone down there and actually investigated the place. I think we spent about four hours just looking and jotting notes down while some of the other scientists used machines to get readings. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, there was no radiation at least. I walked around to have a better look at what was going on down there. It looked like a small child was standing there. A chill ran down my spine when the child looked up at me. Amber came to my side and looked. I quickly took a picture of her. Amber looked at me when I was finished.
"Who is that?" Amber whispered.
"I don't know, but I don't think it's good." I said.
"I told you I'd kill you, and I will." The girl said. I shivered intensely. She walked away from us, heading into a cave. She hid from sight. Just then I received a phone call. I looked at the Caller ID and it was unknown. Then it must be Cecil.
"Hello?" I asked, answering the phone.
"Hello Carlos!" Cecil said, "We've gotten a lot of calls and we got one from the Parks Department in particular. They said the flickering lights and unintelligible noises you had me talk about were coming from the Pink Floyd Multimedia Laser Spectacular!"
"Wh—." I started, but cut myself off and sighed. I placed a hand to my forehead and began to rub it. I was starting to get a headache from the lack of understanding Cecil seemed to have about my worries. Then again, I'm outside eyes. He's been living here long enough that everything is normal.
"So nothing too serious, right?" Cecil asked.
"Yes, Cecil. It's very serious! There's no way a concert could—." I started, "Look, the situation is worse than I imagined…I need to figure a few things out for the time being. I'll call if I need anything else, alright?"
"Alright…"Cecil said, sounding depressed.
"It's not your fault, Cecil." I said softly, "I just have a bad feeling about it. I'll call you if I need anything, okay?"
"Alright." Cecil said, sounding happier than before. He hung up the phone. I added him as a contact in my phone. Might as well, right?
"That little girl…" Amber said, "Does she know you?"
"I'm pretty sure she does. Remember when they wanted to remove the big iron door that prevented dangerous Plutonium from leaking into Night Vale?" I said.
"Yeah…" Amber said, "They passed it without us explaining anything."
"Well, I went just before it was passed. I checked for Plutonium but there was none. I was greeted by that little girl, who said that she'd kill me because I kept her locked away." I said.
"The next day you took the day off. Was that part of it?" She asked. I nodded. Amber sighed and rubbed her head.
"Let's head back for now." Amber said. I nodded, and we called the other scientists in. Thankfully nobody fell into the Canyon, as it would have been awkward trying to explain that to everyone else. When we got back, Samantha greeted us.
"How are you all doing?" She asked.
"What's going on?" I asked. Normally she didn't come out and greet us like that. She smiled softly when I spoke, her face flushing. Crushed could be dangerous.
"Oh nothing. I just wanted to say hi." Samantha said, "I was also curious as to where you all were."
"Radon Canyon." Amber replied bitterly. I nodded. We all fell silent for a little while, standing there in the entryway. I began to walk to my desk but Cecil stopped me dead.
This just in: We're receiving word from the City Council that there was absolutely not a Pink Floyd Multimedia Laser Spectacular this weekend at Radon Canyon…that there was never a Pink Floyd Multimedia Laser Spectacular ever near Night Vale. "Pink Floyd is not even a thing." said the Council in a very stern, but quiet, statement just received by me, here, via phone.
The Council…and this is strange… the entire Council—not just a representative of the council, the entire Council—issued this statement, all speaking in unison, just now, over the phone: That Night Vale citizens are prohibited from discussing any lights or sounds coming from Radon Canyon this past weekend, and that they should just stop remembering Pink Floyd shows altogether.
The Council reiterated that there is now way that they are huge Floyd fans, privately using public funds on a laser-powered séance to talk "hard-rockin' classic jams" with the ghost of original front man Syd Barrett, and that Syd "wouldn't even say anything juicy anyway, because he is such a gentleman, and an artist." This did not happen at all.
Well, there's one answer. The little girl was probably giving City Council the ability to talk with him. But how could she do that? How could City Council even get down to see the concert in the first place, much less install equipment and remove it by this point in the week? I had so many questions buzzing in my head that it hurt.
So, listeners, we urge you to look away from Radon Canyon. Avert your eyes, ears, and memories from that which is no longer allowed you.
"What do we do now?" Amber asked.
"Let's just stay away. It's better to follow what they say, anyway." I said, "Even if we're not citizens we should still listen to the Council."
"Do you believe Cecil?" Samantha asked. I nodded.
"It makes the most sense." I said, "We don't have anyone telling otherwise at this point."
"But City Council just said they didn't—." Samantha started.
"Did you hear that sarcastic tone Cecil used?" I asked her. She nodded.
"Cecil was covertly telling us that it was City Council. Or at least that's the vibe I'm getting. Maybe he's trying to ease my worries." I replied.
We worked for a little while, getting all of this new information sorted out. I stopped when Cecil's voice came back on.
Teddy Williams, over at the Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex, has an update on the doorway into that vast, underground city he found in the pin retrieval area of Lane Five.
What? When did that happen?
He says that every window of the city is now glowing both day and night. And he heard the shouts and footsteps of what sounds like an army marching upwards toward the world above. He also said that, given that nothing really matters now, bowling is half-off and each game comes with a free basket of wings.
What the heck? Why didn't he contact me? I jotted this down in my notebook. Maybe this was all tied to the girl. She could have summoned the ghost of Syd, while also giving these "people" a way up to the surface. I had to call Cecil.
It is a good night, listeners.
Goodnight.
I dialed Cecil's number after the show re-started itself, and he answered almost right away.
"Hello Carlos." Cecil said happily.
"I need you to tell me when Teddy noticed the doorway in bowling lane five." I said.
"Is this a part of your research?" Cecil asked.
"Kind of." I said.
"Alright. Hold on one moment." Cecil said.
It sounded like he opened a filing cabinet. Over the phone he mumbled "teddy…teddy…" over and over again, as if he was searching the papers to find what he was looking for. I shifted, and he said a little "ah" as it sounded like he found what he was looking for. The cabinet didn't close, but he hummed softly as he read the paper to himself.
"It appeared the day you came here, actually." Cecil said, "Is that important?"
"Possibly." I said, "I guess I just didn't hear that part…"
This was strange. I could have sworn that little girl was involved…
"Carlos?" Cecil asked. I jumped out of my thoughts at his concerned tone.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I said immediately, "I'm just worried about something that's been happening."
"You can tell me." Cecil said, "I might be able to help remember."
I sighed and nodded, even though he probably couldn't see me nod. I walked to my desk and sat down.
"Well, do you remember when the town wanted to get rid of that iron door with the yellow sign that read 'DANGER PLUTONIUM DO NOT OPEN DOOR RISK OF DEATH' with the scull and crossbones?" I started.
"Yeah!" Cecil said, "We finally removed that eyesore."
"Well, at first I was worried that Plutonium was actually behind the door. In which case it would have leaked into the city killing everyone." I said, "But when I got there and took some readings, nothing was there. There was no trace of Plutonium anywhere."
"Huh…" Cecil said, "Is that…weird?"
"Yes." I said, "Why would you put a door there if there wasn't even going to be plutonium there?"
"True…"Cecil said. It sounded like I was going a little over his head with this, but I shrugged it off.
"I heard a voice coming from behind the door." I said, "It said that it was going to kill me."
"Kill you?" Cecil asked, worried.
"Yes. I even double checked with it. It sounded like a little girl. I thought maybe this "girl" was connected to the bowling alley lane five development, but maybe that's wrong." I said, "Anyway I went to Radon Canyon and saw her there, in the Canyon. It seemed like there was a natural stage there that was "not used for a Pink Floyd concert'."
"You picked up on it, huh?" Cecil said, smiling, "I think maybe that girl was involved with that."
"Which is what lead me to think maybe she had something to do with the small city under bowling alley lane five. But that doesn't seem to check out now." I said.
"You don't know that for sure." He said, "Maybe she did this while trapped behind that door. Now she can just move freely."
I paused for a moment. Cecil was right; there was nothing suggesting otherwise.
"You're right." I said, "I'll make sure to keep tabs on it. And, Cecil, thanks. I've got one request though."
"Yes?" He asked.
"Don't talk about this conversation on your radio show. I don't want to get you into trouble." I said.
"I'd already be in trouble, Carlos." Cecil said, "The Secret Police and Vague yet Menacing Government Agencies are always listening. Is there anything else you need?"
"How about dinner next weekend?"
"No. Thanks again." I said after a pause. Cecil took a moment to answer.
"Goodnight, Carlos. Goodnight." Cecil said, much like he was signing off of his radio show. After that he hung up. I felt warmth in my chest. I found myself grinning at my own signoff from Cecil.
After jotting a few things down in my journal, I headed upstairs and got into bed. As I closed my eyes, Cecil's words came into mind.
Goodnight, Carlos. Goodnight.