The Horror Below - Charles Lankiwicz (icecream ebook reader TXT) 📗

It came down slowly, air bubbles rising from the top of its spherical surface, at the end of a cable with an intertwined air hose. A shaft of yellow light from it barely penetrated the dark water, through which an occasional deep sea creature flitted. A circular port on one side showed two figures peering into the depths.
It was the year 1932, and it was the expedition of Arkham University looking for the wreck of the Aimebell, lost in 1685, in 10,000 feet of water in a curiously deep crater off the coast of Massachusetts.
It was believed that the wreck would hold not only the treasure of captain Zeke Stubbs, but information about the curious events of those years. He was a New England sea captain whose voyages took him into the South Seas. There he witnessed the strange rites of the natives who worshiped a mythical god called Cthulhu.

When he returned home to his native Kensington, he was very rich, having a seemingly endless supply of gold. His home became an opulent mansion and he lived lavishly, wearing fine clothes and going around in a magnificent carriage. He was the most envied host, with his extravagant parties. There was talk of him becoming governor.
However, dark events began to occur. People became missing. At first it was vagrants and travelers passing through the town of Kensington and little attention was paid. Then the son of an alderman disappeared and a strong investigation was made. It was found that he was last seen near the Stubbs mansion. Inquiries made found that neighbors would hear strange noises at night and weird lights in the windows of the mansion. Stubbs said he knew nothing and that the imagination of the neighbors was too fanciful. Still he had come under suspicion.
More disappearances occurred and finally it became too much as all evidence led to the Stubbs house. A mob came to his house and demanded he come out and be arrested. Stubbs fled to his ship, escaping by entering a tunnel under his house that lead to the sea shore. A strange sarcophagus was seen to be carried on board his ship by his Lascar sailors, which he used for servants in the house.
As soon as his ship left land a strong wind came up which developed into a storm strong enough to damage houses on shore. Stubbs ship the Aimebell was seen to founder off Dire point and disappear into a huge whirlpool.
When the sheriff entered the Stubbs house, he was horrified to find evidence of vile behavior with dead mutilated bodies in the basement. All his goods including some strange artifacts were taken.
It was in particular those artifacts that inspired the present expedition. They were of a highly unusual nature, belonging to no known historical period and being made of a strange material that was indestructible.

Carl Putnam looked out the porthole of the bathyscape intently, his eyes trying to pierce the gloom only partly penetrated by the light of the bathyscape. In the tight confines there was barely enough room for him and his partner, Jim Jacobs, to move around. Every spare inch was taken up by equipment and instruments.
Suddenly he pointed out the window and said: “Look there! A wreck! We’ve found it!”
Three hundred yards below could be seen a ship lying on the bottom. It was upright and still had its masts and spars. The hull too was intact. Only the rigging and sails were gone. It was of a design clearly from the 17th century with its extra mast on the bowsprit along with steep bows and stern.
“Not only have we found it–its in almost perfect preservation.”
Jacobs, frowned as he looked at it, and said: “Very unusual. In these waters all organic remains should have gone centuries ago.”
“You’re right. It is odd. But hey I’m not complaining. Let’s get closer and aim the search light better.”
The bathyscape descended until it was just above the wreck, its beam of light shining on the deck of the wreck. In the middle of the ship was a large sarcophagus still lashed down to the grating below it. Around it were dead fish in large numbers, their grey bellies showing stark in the light.
“I still can’t understand the lack of decay and why are there so many dead fish around it. It could not have been carrying any hazardous chemicals,” said Jacobs.
“All I can see is that its exposed on deck ready for us to pick up. We don’t have to dig up anything or enter any wrecks,” said Putnam.
“Almost too easy,” murmured Jacobs.
“The claw underneath the bathyscape should be able to latch onto it and those ropes will break as we pick it up. We’ll have to be careful not to damage anything on that sarcophagus. We’ll take that up first and come back again to find anything else.”
The bathyscape maneuvered until it was just above the sarcophagus. Underneath it, extended four steel arms that stretched out and down, then closed on the sarcophagus gripping it tight.
“Good. We’re hooked up-- now to signal the ship to take us up,” said Putnam.
Jacobs suddenly felt a sense of panic envelope him. He felt himself trembling. He at first wondered if he were having a attack of some kind but ignored it as just due to the excitement of the moment.
Then they began to rise up.
“Whoa!” said Putnam. “That thing is heavy! It must be almost solid metal or something.”
“Can we get it up–or should we release it?”
“No–we’ll make it. Just barely.
Slowly the bathyscape with the sarcophagus rose towards the surface. As it did so a glow began to surround it as the sun penetrated the water near the surface.

No word was heard from the Arkham University ship for days then a week. A coast guard cutter is dispatched and eventually finds the ship.
“The ship does not answer our signals sir,” said the cutters radioman.
“Hmm,” said the captain. It looks perfectly intact and I can see that the lifeboats are still aboard. Strange.”
“Foul play sir?” said the 1st officer.
“In this day and age Mason, we don’t have any more pirates and besides that ship carries only scientific equipment. Nothing to tempt thieves. Send over a boat with six men.”
“Armed sir?”
“Perhaps it would not hurt to take a few rifles–OK let’s get moving!”
Later the 1st officer stood on the deck of the university ship with his chin in his hand looking at the strange sarcophagus. It had a swirling pattern on its case that gave him a headache just to look at it. If one stared at it long enough it almost seemed that he could see strange and monstrous shapes in it. It was about ten foot long, six foot wide and five foot high. The color of the metal looked almost to be gold but wasn’t. There did not appear to be any way to open it. It was like a sealed block of metal. He turned away from it as a sailor came up.
“Nothing down below sir; no sign of any life whatever. I don’t even think that this ship has any rats alive,” said the sailor as he too looked at the sarcophagus.
“Looks like another Marie Celeste incident. Well all we can do is to tow it back to port and have the university reclaim it.”

Eighty years later Sue Putnam sat in the old documents section of Arkham University. She was 25 and attractive, the sun shining through the windows casting an aura over her auburn hair. She was an archeology student doing research on her doctoral thesis, and had come across the dairy of Zeke Stubbs. She knew that one of her ancestors had been working on finding the remains of his vessel the Aimebell. She held in her hands a worn, leather bound book that had the musty smell of old age. Most of it was filled with nautical data with endless references to latitude and longitude, and weather data, all written in archaic old English script. Finally she came to a very interesting part:

May 1685 I have discovered a strange cult on Ponape. They seem
to worship a sea god called Cthulhu. I intend to investigate further, as they have strange, golden objects.

June 1685 The cult is revolting and uses human sacrifice. But
it is also a source of gold. If I can tap the source, I can make far
more in a single transaction than I can make in a year of trade.
I intend to get that gold!

July 1685 Gold! I have gold! I have had to do some things to get it that I cannot put into writing–things that I could not have
conceived of before, but it was worth it.

August 1685 I have done all I could here for the Master. I must
return home where I can accomplish more.

February 1686 I have arrived at Kensington and sold my gold,
Already I have made contact with the Master’s servants off
Dire Point.

April 1686 It is going well so far. I have taken vagrants,
criminals and travelers. They are presumed to have wandered
off or to have been killed by the savages.

May 1686 It is not enough. I must go into the town for victims-
whatever the risk. The Master is insatiable.

June 1686 They are at my door to arrest me–the dogs howl for
vengeance . I and the Lascars must take the sarcophagus to
Dire Point for safety.

She also investigated the town’s records for 1686 and found that a pattern of disappearances of men, women and even children led to Stubbs door. He was declared outlaw and an attempt was made to arrest him. He escaped his pursuers but his ship had foundered off Dire Point.
Investigating further into the Arkham University’s Expedition, she saw that an unusually large number of wrecks occurred off Dire Point all centered above a sea pit 10,000 or more feet deep. It was the intention of the Expedition to investigate this as well as look for the wreck of Stubb’s ship.

The next day Sue sat in the office of Professor Baxter, the head of the archaeology department. Baxter was in his sixties, grey haired and very distinguished looking. He sat looking at her with his hands clasped together in front of him. The office was lined with bookshelves with artifacts as well as books on them.
“How can I help you, my dear?”
“I’m Sue Putnam, working on my Masters in archaeology. I’m here to get more information on what happened to my great uncle Carl Putnam in 1932 when he disappeared.”
“Ah yes, I remember the incident well. It happened right after I started here. Most mysterious and unfortunate. Neither he nor his colleague Jacobs were ever found as well as the crew. But I can tell you nothing about what happened to them as nothing was ever found.”
“Do you have anything from the expedition?”
Baxter hesitated, then said: “Well we do have the sarcophagus that they found. It is in the basement, along with other items not on display.”
“Can I see it?”
“It really would not help you,” said Baxter looking uncomfortable.
“But I have an interest in its archeology as well as its connection with my ancestor.”
“Very well then. Let us go downstairs.”

The basement was dim and dusty with a musty odor. Sue had to suppress a cough at the dust.
“I’m afraid that we don’t often clean down here. I must apologize,” said Baxter as he flicked on the light switch.
Bathed in the glare of a low wattage bulb was