u/nomansgoddess

Angela and Robert arrived at the top of the mountain just after black dark had fell. There was a large area leveled off and covered with gravel to serve as employee parking with contractor trailers and picnic areas for employee breaks. Up a slanted incline about fifty yards away, Angela could see the top of a large log building that might serve as a clubhouse. It was being built first, and Robert was filling in for the operator of a large crane that lay logs one on top the other.

Robert went up the tile ladder so fast that Angela figured he could have done it in his sleep. He stuck out his head and said, "Come on up!"

" Oh, you just gonna leave me down here?" Angela snapped. "What if I can't get up there?" "You'll give up here if I have to carry you. " Robert said this matter of factly like he really would carry her up into the crane.

By the time Angela made it up the ladder, Robert had a portable camp chair ready for her. He padded the seat, the radio muttered and chattered on the crane's dashboard. Angela literally fell into the camp chair; Robert kissed her on the cheek.

" I'm glad to see you. I miss you when you leave."

" I miss you too, she said. "I am plotting an evil plan to move back, now you know, and I'll have to kill you!"

" I have some ideas how!" Robert said wiggling his eyebrows.

Angela began to notice the chatter on the camp radio as it got louder.

"Tighten that corner."

" Where's that bracket gone?"

" Hey, check the clearance of that arch in the ceiling!"

" Same old stuff," said Robert. They will say 'hey Robert' if they need me.

"Hey, did you hear about that nine one, one call from that guy coming down Madison Mountain not long ago?" asked Angela.

"Now, What?" He responded.

" He said that a monster jumped into the bed of his truck. He was yelling, 'that's not human!' 'That's not human!'"

"Oh, Hell no!" As they laughed the static on the radio cleared again. He and Angela stopped talking. A new voice cut through the static.

" Hey man, there's something down by the tree line."

" What is- Are you guys seeing that?"

" Oh my God!" screamed someone. Run! That's not-"

The whole camp exploded in the next 60 seconds as two strangely bent figures barreled side by side out of the trees. They were bent low to the ground, moving so fast they were just a blur.

The whole camp fell to panic. People running, people screaming, people being torn apart. These creatures weren't biting or feeding. They were on a killing spree.

Angela and Robert, who sorely needed to run at this point, were standing on the crane, gob smacked. "That looks like-" Robert stuttered under his breath. Then he said aloud, "Oh God! Is that a Witiko?"

"No," said Angela. "Crawlers? I didn't think they were aggressive!"

'Maybe it's because what the fuck are we looking at, Angie? Let's get the hell out of here!"

Robert was shaking. He picked up the radio and keyed the mic. "Hey, anyone alive run for the vehicles get out of camp!" There was dead air. Then more static. Then a voice that sounded like gravel.

"Answer. Run there. Out there. Anyone."

Robert jumped up and looked down out of the crane. One of the creatures soaked in blood and gore was staring straight up at him.

"Oh God! said Angela flesh gate! Michelle told me they can manipulate audio in electronics but speak mostly gibberish. They can't put together sentences. He opened her bag and pulled out a 1/2 bottle of vodka.

"What the hell, Angie? This isn't the time to get drunk! Wait!" he exclaimed. Robert ripped a strip of cloth from his shirt. He threw it and the cigarette lighter he had to her.

"Put this in the bottle and keep the lighter handy! We may have to use it to get out of here. I'm calling 9-1-1!"

He glanced down out of the crane and saw the one who had been throwing its voice to the radio moving toward the crane's ladder. The two moved to the door while Robert was nervously trying to dial 911. It took Angela all the grit she ever had to open the crane door and look down. The flesh gate that manipulated the radio was now trying to climb the ladder. Robert finally dialed 911 and heard only dead air. Then three sharp tones of an alert startled him so badly he almost threw his phone down.

"This is a test of the Emergency Alert system."

Angela stuffed the piece of cloth down into the vodka bottle as she watched the flesh gate climb the ladder? One step, two steps. Suddenly out of the darkness, the second flash gate attacked the first! It grabbed and yanked backward. The two rolled across the camp in the gore locked in violent combat!

"Robert! Come on now is our chance!" Angela yelled. Robert's phone crackled with static.

" This is a message for Robert Abe Byrd. Do not exit the crane. You will be responsible for the violent death of Angela Hunter."

"Fuck off!" Robert screamed and they scrambled down the ladder. They had just begun to run when a large fireball blew up into the night sky. The flush gaits had torn down a power pole, causing the transformer to explode!

*** Hot Springs Resort Cabin***

At around 3:00 AM, Michelle sat bolt both upright, her heart racing. The room was dark and she began to grope for her phone to check the time. She was not well acquainted with the locations of the light switches. She turned on her flashlight. She wrapped the blanket around her and sat, shining her phone into all the dark corners of the room. Sleep was canceled. She thought about Robert and her cousin at the job site up the mountain. She could not remember her nightmare, but a terrible feeling remained. Michelle caught movement out of the corner of her eye. When she turned her head to look, she almost screamed.

Her phone charger cord. It was hanging vertically and shaking like the invisible man was playing with it. Michelle watched this happening for all of five minutes. She groaned. Of all the times to be alone. The cord flopped back on the table like it was thrown down. She followed the movement with her eyes and shined the flashlight into a corner where the dark rippled and spun like a black hole to hell.

There it was. There was something moving from the shadows. The creature stood with the silhouette of a human, but every detail had been twisted into something alien and predatory. Its skin was stretched tightly over protruding bones, torn open in places to reveal slick muscle and the blackened tissue beneath. It had a barely recognizable face pulled apart by layers of malformed flesh, where eyes and a mouth should be. Long bladed appendages jutted from its arms, formed from elongated bones sharpened to natural weapons.

It came at her and Michelle just knew this would be her last breath of blood free air. When she looked up, apparently still alive, she began inching away from it. It looked like a GIF file, a photo that moves in a loop, a possible glitch in the matrix of 3D reality. She had to get the lights on. She flicked the first switch she found, and it appeared the power was out. Now how could that happen?

Michelle began to move toward the front door. She hoped she could find the fuse box out there if she could get some lights on, Perhaps the weird stuck, apparently, monster would disappear.

***Not far from the resort cabin***

Taras must have fallen asleep at his fire. He was wide awake now. He had heard someone scream.

"Who's there?" He called, shining his torch around the perimeter. There it was again. That scream, a woman screaming in the distance. He began to slowly walk toward the source of the sound. He felt like running toward it. She was dying. He had investigated too many dark places, however, to run directly toward danger.

The scream echoed out of the trees again. A wave of terror hit him as well, hard. He forgot to breathe. He ran. What direction, he could not tell, but his legs had taken leave of his brain. They obviously did not care. The coordinates. Separated from his torso, they would definitely leave him hanging. He began to slow down as he approached a large A-frame cabin. The screams had stopped. Taras leaned on his knees, trying to catch a breath. He looked up as he felt a presence near him.

A middle-aged woman with long dark hair was sliding against the cabin wall around the corner. She opened her mouth to scream again, and Taras desperately held out his hand in a stop motion.

"Please, do not be alarmed, miss! I am real!"

"I know!" she said and opened her mouth to scream again. Michelle was looking at a tall man, around six foot two with rangy long arms and legs. He had on black tactical gear and a black face, mask, boots and gloves. His eyes were amber like a wolf.

"Do not scream" he whispered. "I will not hurt you!" He held out a gloved hand as he walked out of the shadows revealing himself.

"English?" Michelle whispered back. "You speak English?"

Her heart was banging against her ribs and she still had not decided to keep quiet.

"Yes," he said. He moved slowly to her side. "Why are you here alone?"

" No, I mean I'm not," said Michelle. "My cousin is here with me, but she went to a job site with another friend, and I am worried! The power is out. I'm looking for fuses. "

Michelle didn't know how to explain her screams. She must have been hallucinating!

"Why are you out here?" she asked.

" I am camping alone near here." Taras answered. "I ran from camp. It's not safe here, miss." "Not safe?" Michelle asked. "Is there something happening?"

His amber eyes widened. Michelle did not like direct eye contact, but she could not tear hers away. His wolf's eyes almost glowed.

"Who's afraid of the big Bad wolf?" She thought.

"Everything feels bad, wrong," said Taras. "Come, let's go inside. I will help!"

Michelle found and lit several candles and placed two on the table facing the sofa.

"My name is Taras." He said this as softly as possible. She had been, was still terrified, and he was struggling not to sound gruff.

"My name is Michelle," she said. "

Michelle" mimicked Taras. "Do you have a drink, Michelle?" He gazed all about the room.

Michelle walked toward the bar. She could not be offended by his directness. This man did not even have to remove the mask on his face for her to realize she was powerless to resist him. Michelle made two strong vodka and cranberry drinks and sat back down with him. Michelle had barely taken a few sips when the back door began to shake. The knob turned, and then the beating started. Michelle was so startled that she jumped right on top of him, their drinks sloshed. Taras shot up from the couch and brought small Michelle right along with him. He shushed her, and with his arm around her waist they crept closer to the back door. He pulled the Glock out of his waistband.

Now the back door was sounding like the police were outside trying to break it in. Taras held the Glock steady and yelled "Who the fuck is there? His own fear making his accent thick and guttural.

"Who the fuck are you?" Angela screamed from outside. "Michelle let us in! Open this door!"

" It's my cousin!" shrieked Michelle. She grabbed the knob and threw it open. Angela and Robert ran in with faces pale as paste. They slammed the back door shut and locked it. Taras put his gun away.

'I get the feeling they do not want me here,". Taras said. Angela looked towards him.

"If the they you are talking about is 'them' outside, then I definitely feel you!"

All four went to the windows and looked out into the night. The creatures that Angela called Flesh Gaits and Robert had called Witiko had decided to grab some friends, and now the resort cabin was surrounded.

TO BE CONTINUED!

*I wrote this in a cliff hanger style because I wanted to work on the second part and I am very wordy. Thanks everyone for reading! Even just a little bit:)

Russell and Robert left in the rollback after changing the locks on all the facility doors, and Toma had a quiet moment in the security room.

He really had no complaints about Russell. He was a real stand-up guy who just got a tough break. He would rebuild and survive. He would change his life to something better because he was trying. He was strong and would adapt. However, something had felt so off here lately." What the hell was really going on?" Toma asked himself. He began to idly flick through the camera views. What was it about building C? The leak, the chair pyramid, The-

" What the hell?" Toma barked. Camera C1 was glitching or something static flowed across it in waves. There was a figure forming in the main hall it looked like a man standing with his back turned to camera C1 and standing too far away from C2.

Reality pixelated and rippled around the figure. Toma was held in place like a deer in the path of headlights. Toma's cell phone lit up on the desk. The Weather Alert radio also came to life.

" This is a test of the Emergency Alert system. This is a message for Toma Emil Anderson."

Toma felt chills, chasing one another up his spine. The glitching figure in the lab coat slowly began to turn. Toma bit back a scream. It had no face. Only a glitching, spinning swirl. A black hole on top the figure's neck. The static on the radio cleared.

" In 30 seconds, you will attempt to check Building C. Please reconsider."

Once these strange broadcasts died away, Toma felt a wave of rage flow through him. Please reconsider? he repeated to himself. You're the one needing to reconsider. He stomped down the metal stairs, not thinking of getting in the elevator. He wasn't about to get stuck. He went straight to the gun safe and grabbed his Mossberg tactical shotgun.

"" Reconsider this!" he snarled. He racked a shell into the gun's chamber." Whoever that is in the Halloween costume with the stupid emergency alert was going to get so much buckshot if he wasn't gone some building C in 30 seconds.'

He threw the door to building C open and cold blasted him in the face. He immediately began to shiver in the damp, while the mold smell became worse and worse. This had justified his decision to level this snake pit to the ground. There was no one. Toma knew what he saw and heard. The person thing was gone. The door to C 7 isolation stood gaping open. The darkness inside was absolute.

Toma turned to his belt and pulled his flashlight out. He slowly began to walk the corridor toward camera C2. He shone his light on the concrete floor, wet again. Tomas shone his light on the steel door. The lock only opened from the outside. There was no way the door could have opened on its own.

Thomas suspected that the same intruder who stacked the chairs had entered through the room he was walking toward. He held the shotgun up resting it against his waist, he walked to the door and shone his light around.

The light swept over an empty bed frame and a desk with a chair all bolted down. No window for light to penetrate. Inky darkness lay in all four corners of the room. To his disappointment and confusion, he could not see a way for the intruder to have gotten in through this room. What the hell is going on? Toma was aghast. Could he be imagining things because of the weirdness of this building?

He heard the slow drip, drip of water. He made another sweep around the creepy room and could find no source. Toma put his hand against the steel door and felt wetness. He looked down and realized he was standing in a puddle of rancid water.

In the beam of his torch, small footprints began to materialize, his light shaking in his hands, he slammed the steel door and began to follow the wet footfalls. They headed up the hall and toward the cafeteria.

" OK, I've had enough of this building," said Toma shakily. He walked under camera, C 1 and pushed against the door. The door would not budge. Toma got pissed and kicked the door with his heavy boots.

" Hey!", he yelled. "Let me out, asshole!" His mouth snapped shut. A gasp of breath lodged in his throat. Footsteps. Heavy wet footsteps. They stopped halfway up the hall.

He held his breath to make out whether the breathing he heard was his own or something else. It began to grow so cold suddenly that Toma could see his own shallow breathing turn to ice crystals.

"Draugr..." He whispered. The breathing was wet, bubbling from waterlogged lungs. The smell of this undead thing behind him gathered at the back of his throat. A wave of extreme nausea passed through him. He bent and gagged. The breathing sound got closer. The smell was unbearable. There was no emergency alert this time, only a deep, gurgling, choking voice.

"Toma Emil Andersson. Do not turn around." Toma had been about to straighten up and raise his shotgun. "Your weapon is useless. Do not turn around."

Toma turned his head to the side. His body almost followed. Suddenly, the walls melted. He felt a dizzy spell rock him to his core and he almost staggered. His vision began to tunnel.

"Oh God, please." muttered Toma, 'Don't let me faint!"

The walls were colorless now. Thankfully, the smell was gone. But the sound rose. The sound was wrong. He heard tires screeching on pavement, nails scratching on a blackboard, screaming. Screams from hell.

He could not be sure that what he saw from his peripheral vision was correct. His left eye was gazing through smoke, a dark orb twisting, spinning, and he heard the voice again.

"Do not turn around." Toma stopped turning. He shut his eyes and turned back toward the outer door of Building C.

"Test completed." said the deep voice behind him. "Response logged."

Suddenly Toma's world resolved itself. His vision returned. There was only the quiet and he fell alone in his surroundings. Tentatively, he lifted his hand and placed it palm down on the door and slightly pushed it. He felt it give and begin to open. Relief washed through him. Thank God, the saints, Odin and Freya!

He shoved the door open and ran as fast as his long legs could take him back to the garage. He slotted the shotgun back into the gun safe. Something told him weapons were useless in a situation like his a few minutes ago. Not long after thinking this, Russell pulled the extra-large roll back into the gravel lot with a loud rumble. He got out and Toma walked out to meet him.

" Man, am I glad you are back!" said Toma. He grasped Russell's forearm instead of his hand like greeting a brother. Russell knew immediately that something had happened. "Let's get her van down and into the garage bay and then we need to talk."

*** Hot Springs Resort Cabin ***

Robert called Angela and they had a short conversation consisting of if she would like to see the job site that he was filling in on.

"Of course!" she said giddily." I'll go grab some clothes and a bag just so I won't be causing any trouble for you." Robert assured her she wouldn't, that the night crew was small and more laid back than on day shift. Which started at 7A. M.

" Oh, well." Sighed Michelle. "It's an early night for me. I'm tired anyway"

After making sure Michelle would be OK, Angela helped her lock herself in. Angela had her bag packed and was ready when Robert pulled up.

"Are you sure that you'll be OK?" She looked back toward her cousin.

"Of course! Go! It will be an adventure!' Michelle reassured her. "I will just take a little nap." She flopped back on the sofa and curled up with her blanket.

*** Not far from the resort cabin ***

Taras Vosevich retired From the Russian military forces after spending most of his young lives as ground forces and later as a military sniper. People in Russia interacted with him in respect. People in the US seem to intimidate him. His anguish, however, was fluent. The English language had different emphasis and sometimes he stumbled over words or slowed when he needed to speed up.

He carried himself outside of the armed forces the same way he had carried himself in them. Although he tried to be good to everyone, he could be a mean son of a bitch when pushed, especially if protecting someone he loved. He was a crack shot with a rifle.

Taras was made up of all these things and more. For instance, Terrace was well known for his paranormal and parapsychological research. When he went somewhere, it was most often solo. He had worked on projects with others but preferred to be alone.

Hot Springs, NC had not been a field research trip, but something laid back, a vacation of sorts in a place as beautiful as the forest in his country. Appalachia was one of the oldest mountainous areas in the world. In Russia there were places that the psychic energy was straight off the charts, but here he could feel the psychic energy slithering up behind him like a copperhead on a quest for vengeance.

People got swallowed up here. Stories of people who were there on one minute in these mountains and gone forever had reached his country. Tourists had also come back with tales of beauty and tales of pure nightmare fuel. It was a place that Taras was warned about by his friends and relatives not to venture solo. Taras Vosevich was stubborn.

He sat near his small campfire at the door of his tent and watched the sun drop low onto the mountain peaks. What was going on here? He fell every muscle in his body go on alert. Something was building. Taras felt like a storm was brewing, but a storm unlike any he had ever faced!

Dr Terence Peterson stood facing the side of an expanse of solid rock, 70 foot tall if he worth to climb it. He looked down, another 70 feet if he were to fall. He reached out and put his hand flat against its side. The rock shuddered and slid to the left. Briefly, Dr Peterson looked back down the steep trail he had just hiked up. No one. Who would come up the side of this mountain, anyway. He stepped into an aperture and turned his back to its wall. It was an elevator. He scanned his badge and selected floor number 8.

The elevator went down. Dr Peterson grabbed his lab coat when the elevator doors huffed open. He shrugged into it and clipped his badge to the front pocket. This was Hot Springs Research Center, and this was Floor 8. The extent of his clearance. There were more floors, however, he supposed how many had to do with how far your clearance went. Floor 8 was silent as the grave. It's liminal hall, stretched on forever. This was not exactly the place for nervous types. Even he panicked at first. He swallowed his fear down. Now the 8th floor could make your skin crawl if you were not adapted as he was. He stared down the mile long corridor. Black monolithic sentinels stood from floor to ceiling. Lights crawled across their surfaces like fireflies. This was the nerve center for DRK 088.

DRK 088. Or Dark 88. Was the AI built to be the mastermind of the Collider bench lab. The collider, miles and miles of it lay under his feet. If the wonks who worked below him screwed up, he probably didn't even have permission to die! No clearance.

He passed through transparent swinging doors into a control room behind a two-way mirror. There was a circular indentation in the floor, like a ritual circle. It was about 50 foot in diameter.

He made himself comfortable in his chair and spoke, "Dark. Power up. A deep humming sound filled the room. The air turned to static. "Initiate pre-check," said Dr Peterson.

" Commencing precheck now." the AI sounded male, female, young and old. There was chatter in its background that could have been any language, any dialect, any variant of any ethnicity. The static in the room was pulled from all four sides toward the center of the creepy, symbolled ring in the floor. A ball of black swirling light spun in the center of the indention. It was 25 to 35 foot in diameter.

" Targeting LHC paper." said the eerie voice." Reading proton, proton collision data."

" Set parameters for test cycle. 06/18/ 2026." said Dr Peterson. Specific single benchmark found, "said the satanic voice.

Dr Peterson did not believe in God or Satan, but if he ever needed to hear an example, it would be dark.

*** Hot Springs Resort Perimeter***

Angela Hunter and her cousin Michelle leaned into the boot of her broken down van and began to pull out travel bags, purses and laptop bags. She shut the boot and huffed. They have been driving to Hot Springs from Yancey County since 7:00 AM, hoping to make it to their reservations before summer weekend traffic. "

"Dammit, I need Robert", she huffed. "This van has been limping since Elizabeth City."

She socked her cell phone to her ear. After dialing Robert Byrd's number. It rang and rang. Angela didn't think he would answer at first. Finally, she heard a breathless,

" Hello?"

Angela informed Robert that she and Michelle had broken down on their way to Hot Springs. Robert asked her if it was the van again. She said "yes."

He told her he was at the garage and that he would ask Toma if Russell could pick it up with the rollback. He told her to call for an Uber and he'd get the van back to the garage.

***

Robert put his phone back into his truck and turned to face Russell as he walked toward Robert with his hands in his pockets. Russell's face was as white as a ghost.

"Hey man, you OK?" asked Robert. "You're as pale as a corpse."

"Well..." started Russel but decided it would be better if they all looked at the security footage together.

"Just come with me, I have to show you guys something. And it's good you're changing locks today."

***

The uber pulled into the rental services office and Angela ran in to let the resort business office know they were there and to retrieve the key. Then it was only a short drive to the beautiful, a frame that would be their lodges. They did not bother trying to unpack for a long while, however, out came the fixings for White Russians for later that evening.

***

Russell, Robert and Toma stood staring at the heavy chair pyramid in what used to be the cafeteria in Building C.

"I knew I should have made a call to get this stuff out of here," growled Toma. "Someone is messing with us!"

" Toma, I swear it was not me," said Russell, shaking his head. "But I don't know how the hell someone broke in here, had a furniture gymnastics competition, and ducked the hell back out by the time I click back on the feed! I can't even find one instance looking at the footage."

Robert was not finished gawping at the monstrosity before them.

" You are not a ridiculous person, Russell." Said Toma. "And this thing, it is ridiculous, yah?"

Yah," mumbled Robert. " I mean, yes, I'll get right on those locks."

"I'll help you out," said Russell.

While they worked on changing the locks on all of the doors, Toma went back to the security room to call a salvage company and have them remove any fixtures and furniture still in the complex. If someone had been tempted to break and enter and play stupid pranks, he was going to take away the temptation. He also wanted to scan through the security footage for any anomalies himself. Could the person who did this cause the leak a few nights before as well?

" Listen," said Russell as he loosened the screws on one of the doorknobs of the main building.

" I need to talk to someone about the weird stuff that has been going on at night here. This is going to sound insane, but I don't know what else to do about it."

" Let's finish all these locks, said Robert "and we will have plenty of time to discuss it. I need to ask Toma for a favor and his rollback."

Robert gave Toma the new keys to all the facility doorknobs and asked then if he and Russell could go pick the van belonging to Angela Hunter up with the rollback.

" Sure," said Toma. "Bring it back here if you wish, and I will get Cooper on it."

"Cooper?" asked Russel.

"You know, Coop.," said Robert. "Steve Cooper."

" Yes," said Toma. "'He works for me part time and I have all of his tools here."

"You're a lifesaver!" said Robert.

***

Angela and Michelle were sprawled across the huge sectional sofa in the A frame. They had been sipping White Russians like they were at the Queen's tea. They hadn't even unpacked yet.

" So what do you think?" Said Angela.

Michelle stared up at the vaulted ceiling. It's beautiful. The cabin should have been called a log castle. It was huge. The whole front wall was glass. Michelle stared across the mountain, unable to not remember her Fisher Price A-frame doll house that she played with as a child. The sun was going down behind the ridgeline. She remembered her mixed drink and lazily chased a straw around in the glass.

"I try to get here at least once a year. It's my peaceful time. I stay until all I got is gas money to get back to Elizabeth City left." Angela replied.

"I need to de-stress myself." Send Michelle. "I keep wondering if I am going to graduate next year and I can never find it on the school's website. I am always afraid to look! So

is Robert picking up the van?"

"Yes and insisted that we get a lift!" She answered." I threatened to walk. I am so over this vehicle."

"Oh, ye lying cousin!" laughed the older Michelle.

"Well, I wouldn't have gotten such prompt service otherwise!" Angela countered.

" Girl, you always getting serviced with him!" snorted her cousin.

Angela blushed and said "Yep!" There was a bout of howling laughter, which soon was drowned out by the blender. Angela made picture number two of White Russians and white coconut something.

" Hey, let's do vodka and cranberry tomorrow. This sweet stuff is kicking my ass!" Michelle happily slurred.

" Oh God, don't say the word!" Angela gushed.

"What? Dawg?" laughed Michelle. She was referencing a funny viral video from TikTok.

" I want to pet that dawg? Hair of the dawg?" At that, she threw her head back and laughed like an idiot. Angela couldn't help but notice this as a rarity. Michelle was less than five years widowed and rarely ever had a genuine smile. Much less a real laugh.

"Hell, we on vacation not a puke marathon!" Angela protested.

***

"DRK, Generate a firewall event log for the last 24 hours." Dr Peterson stared at the monitor on his dashboard. He had a confused look on his face.

" I notice unfamiliar IP connections. Are all these connections within the sandbox?"

DRK Only responded with, "Firewall event log generating. Query IP Networks near sandbox."

" Do not connect to unknown networks DRK. Generate firewall event log only." said Dr. Peterson.

" Connecting to nearby networks" Dark stated matter of factly, as if it purposely ignored its last command.

" Are you literally ignoring me?" Dr Peterson asked incredulously.

" Eighty-eight. There should be no IPS locations outside the sandbox. What are these? They are outside your useful parameters."

" Connecting came DRK's deep flat, unemotional voice, now accessing neural networks. Processing algorithms, adjusting connections, logging patterns."

DRK Spinned and swirled contained within its circular realm, Dr Peterson likened it to a ball of serpents. Imploding and squirming and spinning all simultaneously. He realized at that moment that he was terrified.

" 88 Shut down, check for updates up on restart." His voice sounded as if he were choking.

" Processing fear." Was all, DRK replied, "measuring fear response." A pause.

"Fear response logged."

Sweat was forming along Dr Peterson's hair line. A trickle escaped and ran down his face. He reached for the manual shutdown, but before his hands could engage it, Dark said. "Control. Alt. Delete."

Hi I am at Part 3 in the Dark Side story, and I actually have no idea how much longer the story will take but if you guys are interested, I can keep typing installments?

" Larry Russell Roberts." Russell's full name. "What?" Russell barked.

" Please remain indoors. Please ignore sound outside your perception. Estimated test duration one hour."

Russell sat staring dumbly at his phone. All of this time spent alone while fresh out of a multi- personnel institution. Was surely getting to him. He had no idea what that last part meant, but he was certain that there was more than one Larry Russell Roberts. Also, he had no time to worry about the alert. He was 30 minutes late with his first round and he was only doing the blind spots until all cameras were up.

Tonight he would have to walk a circle around the outbuildings destined for storage. He and Toma had not finished buildings, B or C, either inside or out. They had roughly seven or eight more cameras to install at a minimum.

Russell rounded the side of the admin building with a flashlight in hand. And drug the set of old keys for old locks out of his jacket pocket. He heard the sound and smelled the dirty water almost before he got the door of building C open. The smell of moldy rot and the damp cold hit his senses is like a locomotive.

"Oh-gag-my God-gag-!" He barked as he pulled the door open. It looked as if an actual creek ran through Building C'S dark hallway. He could actually hear the running water but could not immediately see where it was coming from.

He was going to have to call Toma. He hoped like hell that Toma would be cool with having to get out of bed at stupid past midnight. He needed a shop vac. He needed a bastard of a shop vac.

Russell turned away from building C's putrid water and made his way back to his quarters. And the land line phone. Toma had explained that the reason for the landline was that cell phone service was spotty at best. Calls got dropped.

Instead of the elevator, Russell took the stairs. They were metal and his footsteps echoed out into the silence. He was frustrated at how just thinking about building C made him shudder. There was something bad about that building. He could not put it into words. Now he was going to have to get rid of the inch of water coming from God knows where in the dark at one o'clock in the morning.

Luckily, Toma was OK with being woken up. And yes, there was a bastard of a shop vac in the maintenance closet of the admin building.

Russell tried his best to ignore the damp and the darkness as he worked with the shop vac to clear the water. There had to be a leak somewhere, but building C could not be safely inspected until daylight.

Sleep was fast in its arrival once all the water was cleared. Toma had told him to skip last round and get some rest until around 9 in the morning when he came in.

The following day, Toma and Russell unlocked building C and began a careful inspection for the leak.

Tom and cursed as they installed the indoor cameras." This building is awful," he growled. "God knows what kind of work will be required to convert it to storage. "

"I don't much care for how it feels," said Russell. "I know someone who can do all the locks if he has time. "

"Oh yeah." Toma looked back over his shoulder as he was closing his ladder.

" Yeah, and he won't rip you off. I just have to go talk to him. "

" Take the SUV, " said Toma. I have some paperwork to go through. And I will be meeting a contractor here this evening."

Russel's eyes widened." You OK with this. I guess I could stop my probation as well. "

" Go for it Russell, you do good work," Toma smiled.

Russell found Robert Byrd at the Burnsville Fire Department. He volunteered there, coordinating his other obligations around this fact. After some greetings and happy back patting, Robert agreed to come look at the locks on the weekend as he was also filling in for a heavy equipment operator at a job site in Wolf Laurel.

Russell grabbed his business card. And hurried to return the SUV back to Toma at the facility buildings.

Upon Russell's return to the complex. He found that Toma had the outdoor trail type surveillance cameras installed. He had also received his large flatbed trailer truck, which he explained to Russell that the friend who had been holding it had dropped it off.

"Can you drive one of those?" He asked.

"I can drive nearly anything. On wheels", replied Russell. He then explained to Toma that he spoke with Robert and his friend agreed to change their locks.

Toma was very satisfied with Russel's help and told him that he was glad to have found him and would also relay this to post release.

That night found Russel slumped in the security office. He had finally finished installing the last of the monitors. Toma had placed a weather alert radio in this office as well. You could never be too prepared was his way of thinking.

This radio had been beeping and chirping all night and Toma instructed Russel to not hesitate to call if something happened. There had been Madison County weather advisories of high wind on repeat. Russel had started to ignore it until the radio went to loud static.

He figured that this was because the storm had started. All communication down in this valley was spotty, it couldn't be helped. Russel began flicking through his feeds and every camera seem to be working. Everything was quiet except for the wind he heard whipping around the admin building.

No more blind spots, finally, Russel thought to himself. Then building C reared its ugly head in his mind. A wave of chills passed through him as he thought of the dark, cold, moldy silence of the building. The water and the rot stink. What the hell had happened there?

Russel's blood turned to ice when his phone lit up. Three sharp tones that echoed through the security room. Then the weather alert radio beeped through the heavy static. There was no sound following the three tones but a howling draft flew through the room. Russel knew this was going to be nothing close to normal.

"This is a test of The Emergency Management System..." The voice sounded wet, gurgling. Churning nasty, rotten water in a throat trying on speech like a big man in a little coat. Russel's breath stuck in his own throat.

"This is a message for..."

"No!" Russel whispered. "No!!" He rasped." Don't you say it! Don't." He jumped up out of the office chair. What was he going to do stomp his own phone into the concrete?

"Larry Russel Roberts"

"Oh my God you son of a bitch!'' yelled Russel to no one.

"Do not attempt to check building C at midnight..beep..Test duration, thirty minutes."

Russel threw himself back into the security chair and covered his face with his hands.

"I am imagining this." He said aloud. "It's the quiet. The quiet is getting to me. It's the. I need someone to talk to." He could still hear the wind and the thunder in the silence that followed. The silence wrapped around him like a smothering blanket.

His hands were shaking as he reached for the mouse to click through the monitors. He decided that his dread of building C was irrational, emergency alert or none. What if his irrational fears were causing him to think the emergency alert was singling him out?

When he flicked two camera C 1, he almost screamed. Camera C1 was the cafeteria in building C. The chairs were heavy, clunky objects. Institutional metal cafeteria chairs, rocking back and forth before literally walking themselves to the center of the room. At the same time, the even heavier tables were walking to create space in the center of the room for the chairs.

He could not turn his eyes away. He sat and gaped at the chairs. They were climbing each other now. He thought about gymnastics or cheerleaders forming a human pyramid. Heavy metal chairs slammed into place. One atop the other. He could not be witnessing this. It was not real. He needed to talk to someone about this, but who and how? What about his post release? What about his freedom?

The static rose again on the radio. His cell phone lit simultaneously.

"Test complete." said the alert on his phone." 12:30 Eastern Daylight Time. "

Russel Roberts stood staring at the minimalistic concrete buildings where he Would. Live and work. Post release. From North Carolina department. Of corrections.

" You will like Toma," His probation officer said." He Is converting these old buildings into a Body Shop. And. Storage units. And could really need could really use the help."

Russell really hoped his post release minder was right as a SUV pulled up into the parking lot where they stood facing toward the concrete bunker structures.

The first thing Russell noticed about Toma was he was tall. 6 foot 6 and had long legs and equally long arms. His hair was silver and long. Pulled back in a ponytail under his work cap. His beard was long and also silver colored, calmed down on his 70s Rock Band T shirt. He looked like Kris Kristofferson. In his character Whistler. Farm the Blade movies.

He sure comes with both men, and Russell could not help but to size him up. As they graded each other. Toma had huge, strong hands. Russell hoped he would never have to face this man down when he was pissed. And he felt sorry for anyone else who did.

"My name is Toma." Toma had a Scandinavian accent. People also call me Whistler, so you can choose either."

" Thank you," said Russell. Not sure what else to say.

" I'll show you to your living quarters, said Toma. You will stay on the second floor of the admin building. The admin first floor will become the Body Shop."

" Admin?" Asked Russell.

" I'll leave you two to discuss that," said Russell's probation officer." Also, here is a card with your next appointment on it. Do not be late, make sure you show up."

" Thanks, "said Russell. He took the card and slipped it into his back pocket.

" Come with me," said Toma. "You shouldn't need a whole lot here. I can stock your apartment, but right now you should be fine."

Toma led Russel to a pair of stainless steel elevator doors. And he pushed the up button. The doors slid open with a whisper.

Once the elevator doors closed, Toma said. I hear good things about you. I hope you are handy with home security."

" Like CCTV cams?" Russell asked. Tom nodded and Russell nodded back.

"I'm OK at it."

" That is one of the bigger projects I need your help with. You will be paid, of course, but we can discuss all that later. Right now I just want to get you settled in." He bought a ring of keys out of his coat and handed them to Russell..

" These are for the admin building and I need the locks changed on these other buildings eventually. However, once we get the security cams installed, you may never have to leave the office. Until then, one or two rounds a night, just to keep the squatters out of these other buildings."

" Copy that," said Russell. The elevator opened on the second floor.

" Just past these offices are your quarters. Said Toma" You might want to use one for your security room. Russell, I'm just giving you free reign."

" You don't know how much I appreciate this, or Whistler. " said Russel. Toma laughed.

"Just call me Whistler, everyone does!"

The admin building was minimalist installed. Bulky poured concrete blocks, as were the others that would soon house storage units. There were skinny rectangular slits for Windows in this building, and none in the others that Russell could see. Whistler wanted cameras on everything outdoor, indoor and trail style in the rear of the luminal setup. All of these eventually would run to one single. Hub. Over the Body Shop. In the admin basement.

" It's not much said Toma. But I'll say it's better than a halfway house."

Russell took in his surroundings. The apartment was livable and meant a brand-new start bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette and a work area with its own window facing where the trail camp security would soon be installed. Russell put his belongings down on the desk and turned back to face Toma.

" You're stocked for the weekend. I will be back Monday with your cameras and monitors. Take a load off for now. Enjoy freedom. "Toma added.

" Sounds like a plan, "said Russell.

"O.K. man, my cell number is by the landline phone. Call me if you need me or have any questions." Toma walked back out of the building. And left Russell looking around. His new digs.

Once told my left, Russell was bombarded by the dead quiet. Prison was loud, very loud, and the solitude attacked his eardrums with brutal nothingness. Russell decided he would want the property at around midnight and again at 4:00 AM. He figured those hours were usually when the night folk came out. Russell had been one around two years ago.

He walked back through the admin building. In the old office rooms to find one suitable for security monitors. There had been one big enough toward the front.

All of the other buildings were identical concrete block buildings with no windows and two doors. They were locked. And Russell looked down at his keys. He knew a buddy that would be glad to help with the lock changing. Robert was a jack of all trades.

Russell found the keys for A, B and C structures and opened the door to A. He stuck his head in and sneezed immediately. Mold, dampness. Good thing they were concrete or there would be no buildings.

"Damn, what was this? Some sort of asylum?" There was institutional style furniture in building A. Russell was familiar. Furniture bolted to the floor so no one can steal the ugly shit or bash someone with it. Yes, Russell was definitely familiar. There was an old TV mounted. On the walls. Inside a plexiglass box. Russell decided immediately that he did not like these buildings.

Building B was the dormitory, apparently, as it opened up into a central day room with bunks scattered around in a half circle and another plastic television.

" I am not an inmate, said Russell. To no one in particular. And the words bounced back at him from the room acoustics.

Dusk settled quickly that evening. Russell was walking back toward his room when he noticed the automatic arc sodium lights kick on up the Ridge from Toma's property.

Another business, a residential cul-de-sac. He made a note to ask Toma when he came in on Monday. The security lights blinked on as an afterthought. He went upstairs to find a flashlight in the admin building and found a couple in an old desk drawer.

Russell was restless enough at first round that he literally marched outside and toward building C. He unlocked the front door and had to pull it open due to heavy cold and moisture. There was a mold smell that nearly caused him to gag. It was so cold in building sea that Russell began to shiver. He stood in what he could only define as a cafeteria. As an afterthought. He said a few chairs to rot and gave a quick look down the hall before bolting. He did not like building C. It made him feel sick.

At his 4:00 AM round, he made a few notes on a pad that he had brought along. He walked into each building. He noted that building C may have had an HVAC problem. Toma would make more money on his units if he installed climate control.

On Monday, as Russell and Toma climbed bladders with electric screwdrivers to install the cameras, he remembered to ask about the lights on the ridge.

" It's some kind of government building," replied Toma as he backed himself down a step ladder. He looked up at the newly installed camera. "Restricted some kind of research lab, I think."

That night, Rusty set up his first monitors in the office space that he had chosen. He smiled as he thought another day or two and project CCTV would be completed. Toma was already bragging.

After midnight rounds in the blind spots on the outbuildings, Russell plopped down in a chair to take a break. The CCTV, feed was empty, nothing stirring, not even the forest sounds outside. Brutal quiet moved in. He lost himself temporarily in the black and white of his monitors.

When his cell phone began to receive an Amber Alert of some kind. He jumped to his feet. He was so startled he almost ran. Three sharp tones. He almost ignored the noise until he heard the voice.

" This is a test of the Emergency Alert system." The voice was robotic." This is a message for." There was a pause.

" Larry Russell Roberts."