Part 2 (Conclusion) - A Light in the Darkness: “Cut it Off!”

Seaman Donald Galliford (Keith): suffering Anxiety, jumping at sudden noises.

Pharmacist Mate Lewis Baker (Matt)

Petty Officer 3^rd Class Eric Jones (Brian): suffered 20% Sanity loss leading to ‘Bout-of-Madness’ that began as inability to focus, to now seeking darkness because his eyes burn and sting.

Seaman Horace Beatty (Denny): wounded by a ‘Servant’ centipede.

June 17, 1945: Lewis treats Horace’s wounds with stitching, morphine, and anti-fungal cream as the others scour the tank for useful gear. Donald distributes 2 flashlights as he keeps another for himself along with a crowbar. Patched up, Horace uncrates a demolition charge complete with fuse cord. Eric picks up a Tommy-gun but his itching eyes are too distracting, “Let’s get out of this sun.” Said not as a suggestion but rather explanation why he’s walking straight at the pillbox. 

Horace falling inline behind, “Careful. May still be manned.”

Which prompts Donald and Lewis to serpentine around the berm for cover, and approach cautiously. Someone mumbling. With rifle ready, Donald peeks around the corner finding a wounded Jap officer sitting with his back braced against the wall and a Hari-Kari blade in both hands. Black fungus growing over both arms. Startled when Lewis steps forward to aid the wounded per his Hippocratic oath. “Aso desu. Oso sugiru.” Then in broken English, “I see you. Too late. My men go to ring bell now. WE gain control of those servants.” And with that, with his last strength, he plunges the blade into his stomach.

Horace distracted between the encounter to his left and Eric in front already on his knees trying to crawl thru the gun port of the pill box. “Hold up man. What’s the rush? There’s a door over there.” Eric reluctantly yielding to the stronger, “Get it open then. My eyes are burning. I gotta get out of this sunlight!” And that’s when Horace notices the Japanese samurai sword. And reaches for it to then hand to Donald, “Souvenir.” And that’s when Lewis notices, “Oh shit Horace. Look, there’s fungus growing on your arm!” [Earlier, Horace had made a Hard-CON save which suppressed his thoughts and feelings about his throbbing wounds. His fumbled 000 Listen meant his focus on Eric’s strange actions rather than monitoring his own health.]

Realization and panic, “CUT IT OFF! Don’t just stand there, cut off my arm!” Lewis can only watch as Donald raises the blade and swings at the outstretched arm. Weakly as the first swing doesn’t cut through. His own panic at the thought of failed mutilation. A 2^nd swing drops the left-forearm at their feet. “AHHHHH….AHHH!” “BURRRRR…BANG!” Horace’s screaming in sync with the full-auto discharge of a Tommy-gun. No one noticed Eric pass around them to first try to lockpick the pillbox door, then open it with bullets. Everyone wheeling at the sound, catching a glimpse of Eric entering the pillbox. Alone.

With Lewis treating Horace (cauterizing with gunpowder from an open bullet), Donald also enters the door shining his flashlight only to find Eric paused just inside (adjusting to the dark). “Get that light out of my eyes!” Dim light from the gun-port just ahead to the right. The floor littered with spent shell casings and empty ammo boxes. And dead Japs. Donald pausing to notice the inside lined with concrete as Eric edges further in to get out of any light. By now, Lewis is ready to follow his fellow Seabees. Horace stays, “I’ll keep watch.” Thus, Lewis catches up to the others standing in a cloud of dust. [Critical Medicine] “Cover your noses. That’s dust pollen and probably fungus spores.” A momentary thought to burn it away till Donald mentions he left the flamethrower back at the bulldozer.

Ten yards further in they come upon a large concreted alcove used as a barracks. But a collapsed wall to the left reveals a natural cave. The walls covered in dried blood. Spent shell cases and grenade pins litter the floor. They step thru the opening. The faint sound of waves crashing further ahead. Donald pauses as his light dances across something on the wall. Exposed runes and cave paintings. 

“I think this is what the Jap officer was talking about. Look at the stick-figures pointing at the centipedes as if commanding them. There must be more Japs inside trying to find the bell to gain control.”

But that’s when Donald notices loose dirt beneath the paintings. As if recently knocked loose; probably bomb concussions. And notices the ridges of more carvings beneath the first. “Give me some water to wash off more of this dirt.” And with that, Donald soon exposes the full painting. Prone figures beneath the centipedes as if being attacked. Those pointing; more in fear.

Another bell ringing depicts a swirling maelstrom rising from the bell. As if a 2^nd bell ringing will call forth something evil! Sanity check at the realization what is about to happen!

Donald's Bout of Madness

Eric's further collapse

[Donald reaches his 20% loss and thus ‘Bout of Madness’ (Hear No Evil 1) while Eric suffers another of his own (See No Evil 3).]

Donald pats his ear, “Anyone else hear that buzzing? Hang on while I go get Horace.” Donald soon exits the pillbox only to find Horace nervously focused on the beach to the north. “We gotta go! The Japs are already anchored in the bay and loading landing craft! They could be here within the half-hour!” Donald revealing their find, “Let’s drag the device inside. But right now our biggest threat is what the Japs inside are doing.” Rigging a dolly, they load the device and wheel it inside the cave system. Slower going as Horace can only lend one hand to help guide the dolly. They soon arrive… where Lewis and Eric used to be.

As Donald retreated from the cave, Lewis was caught off-guard when Eric moved further into the cave system. “Wait up.” Lewis’ flashlight barely catching the shape of someone ahead. The light prodding Eric faster…he breaks into a jog. Waves sounding louder. Eric stumbles but catches his balance. Lewis yelling louder at his retreating brother. Behind, Horace hears the echoes (while Donald continues to hear buzzing), “You go ahead and check on the others. I’ll wait here with the device.”

Once again Donald takes off alone. Leaving Horace digging into his pockets to extract the dial knobs. He sets the timer to just 40 minutes before he returns the knobs to his pockets. Meanwhile, Lewis pursues Eric till he sees the light behind him. Turning to Donald, “Something strange is up with Eric. He took off almost in a run.” Donald convincing Lewis to return to help drag the device, “The fool is going to run into those Japs alone. We need to protect the device. Hopefully we can reach him in time.”

As Donald, Lewis, and Horace roll the device further into the caves, they hear a shot ring out. They quicken their pace. And soon arrive at the mouth of a huge cavern. And just catch sight of Eric standing before a bell mounted on a crossbar…

When Lewis stopped for Donald, Eric continued into the cave in his mad craze to find a bell, “I’m coming oh great Zushakon.” Thus, he found the bell cavern before the others. As he knelt to cross the bridge on all four, he only focused on the bell. Not the Jap soldier dying just inside the tunnel opening. It was the soldier who fired the shot. Not at Eric but rather, suicide knowing what the American was about to do. Eric not concerned about the shot as he saw another soldier braced against the bell crossbar with a striker in his hands. Relief when he found the soldier dead which meant Eric would be the releaser. “I am here oh great Zushakon. Bathe me in your glory.” He raised his knife…

Thus, the trio arrive just as Eric strikes the bell. “DONG!” A mind-bending peel. Unnatural. Shock waves echo outward. The ground shutters. Stalactites fall from the high ceiling. Along with a dozen servant centipedes that were resting much like bats hanging upside-down in caves.

Falling thru a maelstrom rising above the bell. The humans? Acceptance of their own death. Till Lewis points out light below. Light entering the grotto from another cave opening at water level. “There’s our way out!”

Lewis and Donald jump the 40-foot plunge into the surf around the taga stone pillar. Lewis injured in the jump but soon surfacing and stroking toward the opening [Hard Swim]. Donald easily making the jump but fighting the surf. [Failed Swim/Push] Till he kicks off the pillar, timing the outgoing wave. Lewis and Donald surge out into the Pacific Ocean surrounding the island just as darkness envelops the grotto. Leaving Eric in all his maddened glory standing to accept his fate…and death.

Meanwhile, with darkness closing in, Horace fumbles [Penalty DEX, pass after burning Luck] for the knobs as he works to reset the device timer…to zero!!! The device shimmers thru the darkness revealing a tiny orb of fire at first.

That quickly expands into light as bright as the sun. Horace already consumed in the fire and thus not witness to the thousands of tendrils writhing across its surface. Cthugha has been called forth to the planet Earth. On a desolate island. Burning like a solar flare. Mushroom.

EPILOGUE: Lewis and Donald now on their back as they try to conserve their energy for the long survival swim ahead of them. Oh so close to surviving had Horace not reset the timer. Thus, they see but are caught off-guard as the ball of flame emerges from the same cave opening and consumes them. Not enough time to escape the growing cloud of fire and steam belching from the cavern. Any thought to dive under the water would have only meant them boiled at sea.

Nor do the landing Japanese survive the arrival of Cthugha. The Great Old One easily consuming the lesser primitive Zushakon. Cthugha eventually growing tired of the isolation and thus returning to his own plane of existence

At least the American fleet far out at sea can witness the mushroom.

Commander Webster standing at the windows of the USS Hutchins with Dr. Alfred Förster at his side. “Well, I think we can report a success for our backup device in case the Manhattan device fails next month.”