chapter 3

 Authors note: I have just reread this chapter so I feel it is only fair to warn you that this is the most intense chapter thus far, and contains some of the most intense imagery and raw terror as I can render. I have done my best to make it possible to stand, but I am not responsible for any nightmares you may have on reading this. This is just a taste of what this story is really about, I've been building to some of the stuff in this chapter since I started so I'm glad to see some of it happening. anyway on with the show, keep reading and I'll keep writing
Hubris is a dangerous byproduct of success.  Pride in your own success can build in you a sort of false bravado, a feeling that you can take on anything and are unable to be harmed, perhaps even immortal. Many great men from gladiators to emperors have been struck down by an overconfident sort of hubris.  Most religions and philosophies try to remove this  malady by trying to remove pride, perhaps even considering it a sin. This does not work as taking pride in your success is a natural human emotion, and no amount of shame at your supposed sin can truly stop this in the end. Another strategy that has seen more success is to surround yourself with people capable of reminding you of your human frailty, and failings. The flaw in this is that human groups are just as capable of falling into a state of overconfidence in their group accomplishments, which often leads to miscalculating the dangers present and becoming another causality of hubris.

As I woke in such a strange location, I saw nothing. Once again I heard nothing, not even breathing of my companions. I groped in the dark, searching for a light to check the room around me. I don't know how long I groped in the dark, disoriented in the strange room. What I do know is that by the time I found the lantern and matches to light it my heart beat in my chest like a snare drummer beating time and my movements had become trembling in the cold dark, and I had to spend a moment warming myself by the flame of the lantern before I could check the room.
I felt a great amount of relief to find all of my companions sleeping quietly, unplagued by the uneasy kind of sleep I had experienced. In my mind I imagined the amount of noise I must have made as I tossed and turned trying to find a peaceful state of repose. I sat up with my back to the wall, leaving the lantern aglow on it's lowest setting. I found it restful to plan out our team's plan for the day. I decided to send the surveyors into the west wing of the lodge, I felt no need to accompany them as they could reach me or any of the other members of the team by walkie talkie. The professor, Dr Kent, I desired to spend time studying the logbook he had come across, as it may hold clues to unlocking the doors they had found so far and perhaps cast more light upon the mysterious structure. For the two survival experts I decided to send them out into the surrounding land, as knowing the land was what they were best at. They should still report in and return to our base of operations at the end of the day as I did not find it practical to have them camp and waste daylight hours setting up a structure. Finally I set for myself to explore the cellar and pantries under the great lodge. I had an attitude of efficiency and applying our resources as best as possible. My sister would best be at use in this kitchen, receiving and recording reports from the field.
As I finished deciding these things my companions began to stir, and we decided based on our watches that we could open the doors and have more natural light as we took care of our bodies needs and prepared for our tasks. We gathered together for a hearty breakfast, or as hearty as can be had on limited supplies. The planning was done over breakfast to take the best advantage of the daylight hours ahead. I was pleased to see that each person took to their task well and was excited to begin on their task for the day. I told the professor we would discuss what he learned when I returned, and that he was to stay within sight with my sister. Every man was made to understand to report any danger encountered so that those nearby could drop what we were doing and come to their aid. Having provided my team with their instructions I set about my job for the day, namely the lower floor. The stairwell to access the cellar was close to our base in the kitchen. The door seemed a tighter fit than most, and when it did finally swing ajar a draft of stale air  flowed out, pulled by me breaking the seal and equalizing the pressure. A thick dust coated the stone steps down into the darkness. In the dust I saw several sets of footprints. I lit a lantern and descended the steps, trying as best as I could to leave the footprints undisturbed. as I reached the bottom of the steps and proceeded to try and gaze through the darkness, perhaps see a wall or something to guide myself by. In every direction I saw great stone columns supporting even greater stone arches. The arches reached so high that I could not reach and touch any part of them, the ceiling was out of my sight. Unlike most cellars this one appeared to be much more spacious, and far from  being cramped it was eerie in it's spaciousness and silence. The footsteps I had followed to the bottom of the stairs proceeded ahead of me to the north, so with a lack of other clues I decided to explore in that direction first. Several feet on,  as I lost sight of the stairwell, the footprints gave way to a wide path, made by something being dragged across a floor thick with the dust of time. I was ill at ease with this discovery, and I wondered if I was soon to find the fate of my missing companions from my first attempt. As i reached the wall I found the shape of a door engraved on the wall. Both inside and surrounding this shape were numerous carvings, almost like a system of hieroglyphics or runes. The carvings seemed to be untouched by time and painted with some sort of reflective or luminescent paint as they seemed to glow with a brownish green sort of light all their own. The most noticeable  carving of all was 4 feet tall by a foot and a half wide at the widest. It was perfectly centered in the door shape and glowed with a gold hue unique to this carving. Curiosity took hold and I set down my lantern and reached out to explore the large symbol with my fingers. The symbol consisted of a wide circle at the top, joined to a similar circle at the bottom by a straight line the same length as the circle is wide, then the line is crossed twice by line segments that extend to be even with the edges of the circles. I traced the edges with my fingers and  I heard a whispered sound, not quite human or mechanical, it seemed to say "Sekhmet." A low hum began beneath my feat, followed by a mechanical thumping that seemed to come from behind the wall, if that's possible. The thrumming and thumping set the dust in the basement into the air, becoming like a mist or smoke. The symbols shone brighter, shining and defusing into the dust creating a spiritual and mystic feeling in the room. My curiosity at this point reached it's apex, far outshining any fear that had gripped me before. A crack formed at the floor and the lines of the doorway became cracks as well. The stone doorway then quickly pulled back and slid to the side, opening a passageway. The passageway, far from being dusty like the cellar in which I stood was completely clean of any dust. If it wasn't for the style of construction and my own knowledge I could have sworn that it had been chiseled from the rock recently. My desire to unlock the mysteries from this mysterious new passage caused me to ignore the dangers and not even inform anyone of these new developments. I took my lamp and walked down the long narrow tunnel. At the mouth of the tunnel the carvings were sparsely covering the wall, perhaps a marking every six inches. As I got deeper into the passage the carvings got closer together and more numerous. Oh the stories that must have been told in those walls, if only I had the knowledge to unlock them. I  knew though there would be time for that later, for the moment I must investigate the source of the footprints and perhaps find answers to some of my questions.  The tunnel gently sloped downwards, which only eased my descent.  There is no telling how far I walked, it could have been a few hundred feet, it could have been miles, I did not count paces. Every once and awhile the tunnel would turn almost back on itself and go in the opposite direction, running parallel to the higher tunnel.   What I remember, or what I cannot  forget is reaching a wider chamber, circular and lit by the carvings on the walls, floor and even the ceiling. This was the densest the carvings had ever been, only millimeters apart and tiny and numerous. Thousands of pages could have been filled with all the markings on the walls of this chamber. It appeared to be a nexus for five other tunnels going in all directions.  The other tunnels were kept shut with metal doors cast out of a metal that I am not familiar with, it seemed to be etched with carvings as were the walls. I was so distracted by the walls and tunnels I didn't notice the center of the chamber for some time. I stood there marveling at the wonder of this chamber, so far down and far from where I had started. As I stepped into the great chamber a low hum began low, then got higher, punctuated by a clicking noise reminiscent of the dream I had received on my first night in the lodge. The carvings' glow changed colors, going from a greenish brown to brown to red as I approached the center of the chamber. The center of the chamber was the only exception to the carvings, a circle at least a hundred feet wide consisted of completely smooth stone. Chiseled from the living rock was a large alter. That alter, when that alter received the light from my lantern I screamed. The clicking got louder, and I swear I heard an inhuman howl of laughter echoing off the walls of that cavernous chamber as a cold wind came from every side of me, enhancing the shaking I was already doing. I tried my walkie talkie and all i heard was static. My lantern was out, I tossed it aside and ran. As I fled the horrors that filled my mind, the sounds from that chamber echoed up the tunnel behind me. I don't know how I got back to the surface through those dark and winding tunnels. I must have beat myself senseless on the walls of the tunnel on my way back up. My companions heard my shrieking as I finally collapsed on the steps back up to the lodge. They found me shaking, crying and shrieking in horror because of what I saw and heard in that chamber. I saw, a human corpse, mangled beyond recognition. It's blood still dripped over that unholy alter, and standing above it, if you can call it standing, I saw a figure naked and craven. The figure stood on two legs like a man but on it's face was an expression so horrible my blood ran cold. It's eyes shone with an unholy light of it's own. It's hands, it's monstrous dripping hands above the corpse it had been at some sort of horrid awful work at. I thank my luck that I screamed and lost my light, because the sounds that followed told me I was lucky not to see. I cannot even describe the sounds coming from the alter, only that when the horrible laughing drowned it out I believe that is ALL that protected my sanity from the twisted mangling of that mad horrible man shaped abomination deep in that awful chamber of horrors. I tried to tell my companions of my tale, but I passed out cold in the arms of my sister, and knew no more that day.