The Thing Within #ONC2023

Chapter 2

Place: Northern Frigoria

Jenny

Three months had passed since the day I stumbled upon the dome and its inconceivable creature. After the discovery, the site, the Devil's Crater, a present-day mining site, had overnight stirred deepening interest. The site was recently believed to be the site of a legendary lost city. The moment they believed a present-day mining site to be the site of a lost city, the mining company issued an advert for a team of archeologists of mining. And that's where Sam and I came in.

Over the past three months, I relived the moment of discovery hundreds of times. I laughed at myself many times over my idea that I'd discovered a precious mineral. But, the idea wasn't farfetched for one who knew about metal detectors. And about metal detectors, I certainly knew. The last time a detector broke was during an excavation along a dried-up river when I'd discovered gold.

I also thought ceaselessly about the creature—a creature providence never allowed me to see again as two days after the discovery, the site was declared a danger zone and sealed. Besides me, none had seen it and none believed in its existence. But then again, how could they when the site was closed so soon after discovery?

Anyway, even Sam's occasional inquiry hinted that he, too, hadn't been convinced. "You're sure you saw something down there, Jen?" he'd ask.

Unless I believed myself to be raving mad, I knew my eyes hadn't deceived me. I had seen the creature. But the creature wasn't the only mind boggling thing about the dome.

A squad from a neighboring research facility joined in the exploration the day after I'd discovered the dome when they met their disastrous demise. They scored an opening into the dome, and before they could pierce through the glass and remove the insert, an unforeseen aftershock sent an enormous boulder tumbling down upon the dome's thick glass at the point of marking. At the moment of impact, everyone nearby succumbed to their harrowing deaths. What puzzled me was how come I hadn't met my death when the glass had cracked right before my very eyes?

Anyway, that day, I should have been there, together with Sam. Instead, we arrived late because of an event that proved itself a lifesaver.

After that tragic incident, everything changed. Frigoria was dying—people, wildlife, and even plants. Recent news painted a bleak picture. A fatal virus held Northern Frigoria at the precipice of death. And seeing the decaying fields, many claimed that some sort of biomedical leakage had seeped from the dome, sending our world into a downhill spiral to doomsday's door.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of my brain, I compelled my mind to focus on the present. The minivan slowed as my wide-eyed stare silently appraised the most unimaginable fields of blackness up ahead. Looking upward, the sky's heavy gray clouds seemed about to burst. Still, they'd been that way for days, and yet no rain had blessed these forsaken grounds. Minutes later, the ignition grew quiet, drawing my attention to Sam, who sat beside me. He exhaled as if in despair, as he stared with vacant eyes through the windshield.

He rolled the front windows down as a slight breeze brought with it a fetid odor that returned my attention to my surroundings. We exited the vehicle and stood, surveying the expanse of doom that encircled us. After a while, we began a slight trek into the area. The thread of Sam's boot upon the mushy ground seemed to scream at me—danger, death, doomsday!

The putrid stench lingered, weaving its way through my safety breathing equipment, making me wonder about its effectiveness. I held my breath, afraid of inhaling the sickly death-like scent. Suddenly, an intermittent itch began its grapple at my neck, which felt hot beneath the protective suit and helmet I wore. I fought to keep from scratching. One laceration was enough for any uninvited organism or element to seep into my bloodstream, poisoning me. Within moments, I could be dead.