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Speaker 1: I travel a lot. Without getting too in depth about

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the particulars of my life and career, I will say

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that my job ends up taking me all over the world.

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I've been to just about every continent on the planet,

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with the exception of somewhere like Antarctica, and the number

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of countries I haven't stepped foot in rapidly shrinks every year.

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It's absolutely amazing as I've been able to see and

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partake in so many different customs, cultures and lifestyles. And

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one thing I always love to do is purchase a

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souvenir to take home with me, a sort of keepsake

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to mark my first time in a new country that

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I can take down from the shelf and look at

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when the nostalgia hits me. It can be anything, whether

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an ornamental figure, a glass, or a book. That's where

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the reason I'm posting here comes in, you see. A

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few months ago I was sent to Algeria to help

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oversee a business deal that a client was involved in.

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The main dealings had wrapped up, and after a few

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days of exploring the capital city of Algiers, I decided

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to take a final straw through one of the many

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bazaars I had come to a door perusing in my

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off time the day before my flight left back to

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the States. I had already had it in mind to

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find something to buy some memento, and so I strolled

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past the vendors selling fruit and various foods, looking for

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something interesting. And as I passed the table which was

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selling various bits and bobs, it caught my eye. It

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was an old leather bound journal, clasped tightly shut with

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what appeared to be a belt closure of some kind.

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The leather looked extremely weather beaten and worn, as if

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it had sat in the burning desert sun for decades,

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and the edges of the pages I could see were

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yellowed with age. My curiosity piqued, I pointed to it

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and asked the seller about where it had come from.

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Rather strangely, he seemed weary of saying exactly where and

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when it had come into his possession, instead only saying

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that he stumbled across it during his travels. My curiosity

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now firmly in the red zone due to its mysterious nature,

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I inquired to its price. He had no sooner quoted

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me a price than I was pushing the money into

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his hand. It was practically as steel. However, I admit

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one thing which unnerved me, to say the least. As

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I hurried back in the direction of my hotel, I

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chanced a look over my shoulder and found that the

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man was watching me leave, a strange, almost intense look

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on his face. That night, my bags packed and dying

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in bed, I found myself unable to sleep. After trying

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to tempt the Sandman for a few hours, I finally

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gave up, and, wanting something to pass the time, I

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picked the journal up, unbuckled it and opened it to

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the first page. To my surprise, I found the entries

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were in English. The journal had belonged to a British

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explorer and adventurer whose name, according to the inscription on

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the back cover, was Liam Wentworth. The day inside ranged

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from the late nineteen forties through the early fifties, and

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I read each page with rapt attention, extraordinary images swirling

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in my mind as Liam narrated to me expeditions which

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range from continental Europe to Africa. I couldn't help but smile,

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as the infectious excitement in his writing pulled me further

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and further into the past. And I must wish that

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I could be transported back in time to join him.

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That was until I began to read the last expedition

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log in the journal. From the very first entry, I

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could tell there was something different about this particular journey,

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Something about the man's words filled me with an unexplainable

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sense of unease, and as the entries went on, I

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felt any sense of excitement and wonder wash away like

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a flood victim. The initial uneasiness first replaced with tension,

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then a strange sense of paranoia, and finally, as much

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as I hate admitting it, fear, a palpable sense of fear,

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an existential dread I've never felt before, one which raised

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all the hair of my arms, and even in the

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safety of my hotel room, made me turn on every

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single light, vanishing away any shadows in the corner, especially

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because the final written pages are stained with long dried liquid.

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That God, I still hope isn't what I think it is.

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And when my plane took off from Hiri Bermardine the

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next morning, my window giving me a clear view of

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the sprawling Algerian desert stretching out away into the distance,

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I involuntarily shuddered. For months, I was unsure what to do.

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I considered taking the journal to a historian or museum

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to verify its authenticity, but I'm worried that it will

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be simply written off as a hoax or a forgery.

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A few friends and acquaintances of mine I have shared

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a little of the contents with I've met it with

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the same response, it has to be a stunt, just

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something to scare whoever bought it. Worse still, I've had

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some of the worst nightmares of my life, horrible dreams

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that wake me up covered in a sheen of sweat

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even months later. Finally, though, I've decided to just share it.

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This is transcribed exactly as originally written, and are all

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relevant entries from William's last expedition. Let me know what

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you think of it and if there is any shred

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of truth to what is written here. As much as

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it might cost me work in the future, I may

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never step foot in that part of the world again. Monday,

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twenty third of June nineteen fifty two, after a four

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month rest, another adventure is at hand. A fortnight ago,

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I received a call at home from a wealthy American,

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a business magnate by the name of Tally. Apparently mister

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Danvers had boasted of my qualifications and invaluable help during

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his expedition to Mauritania at luncheon with him, and when

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told of a similar endeavor that the man wished to

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embark on in the nearby country of Algeria, he instantly

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recommended me to him. I was already interested when he

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told me of his intentions, and after he quoted me

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the fee he would pay, I hastily accepted. The amount

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of money offered is the kind that not even many

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film stars in the country receive. Indeed, it is triple

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what Diana Dawes was reportedly paid recently for a part

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in the last page, and with my dear sister's health

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always in flux, it is an amount I would be

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a fool to refuse. And so, after much planning and

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subsequent connecting flights from London, I am now in the

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city of Algiers, where the rest of our party have assembled.

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I first met Tally as he met me just outside

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the airport at all lankach with thinn and black hair.

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He instantly struck me as inexperienced with such expeditions. It

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set me a little on an edge, if I may

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be Frank. Too many parties have tragically failed due to

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such sponsors. Yet, as I was taken to a nearby

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cafe and introduced to the rest of the team, I

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felt somewhat relieved at the faces that greeted us. Three

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of the expedition's nine members are ones I've worked with before, Soign,

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a hulking giant of a Dane. Richter, a quiet yet

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intimidating German Erne Muretti whose boastful demeanor sometimes hides how

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brilliant of a leader the Italian can be. Three of

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the four, excluding myself and Tally, are people who have

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heard spoken of in similar circles. Blake is the group's archaeologist,

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a fellow britt and alluring brunette who seems as if

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she should be on a movie screen instead of here.

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Karn the group's medic, a bloke who earned the scars

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on his face from his time in the war. And

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Tamir is one of our two guides, a man whose

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wild hair and beard doesn't seem to match the intelligence

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that I see behind his eyes. The final member of

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the group is our second guide, an almost gaunt young

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man no older than twenty whose name I was told

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is Tarik. He did not speak when introductions were given. Instead,

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he merely nodded at us. I find he gives me

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an uncomfortable sort of aura. But according to both Tali

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and Moretti, he is indispensable to our ultimate goal, which

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is when discussions shifted over to our ultimate aim. In

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a hush tone, Tally leaned in and told us of

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a tale he had stumbled across during his dealings in

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the area. He had hinted about a great tra measure

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lost in the desert decades ago over the phone, But

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as I listened to him extrapolate, I felt my jaw

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drop open. According to accounts, a decade and a half

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or so ago, a group of soldiers belonging to the

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French Foreign Legion, searching for a safe haven, had stumbled

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upon a fortress built into a vast mountain range centuries old.

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The structure had been abandoned, and after discovering that a

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pump connected to an underground water source of some kind,

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the soldiers had set up a base camp, complete with

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radio and arsenal. They stayed in contact with their superiors

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for approximately five months, reporting back periodically and requesting supplies.

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Then on the sixth month, the forts went silent. No

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matter how long it was hailed, no one ever answered

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the radio calls. A reinforcement group had been sent to

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try and as attained what had happened to them, but

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they seemed to disappear into the desert as well. Eventually

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all of the men were declared lost in action. It

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wouldn't have been the first time that soldiers had met

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their end on the receiving end of the local swords

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and guns. After all, fearing further casualties, the fort was

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declared a hostile's own, and any further attempt to reach

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it was forbidden. As the years went by, and with

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the outbreak of the war, the fort's location and the

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reports on it were lost in the shuffle, further hampered

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by the fact that it seemed someone in a high

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position had stricken it from all maps and public record.

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But somehow, after hearing the stories, Tally had used his

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connections to obtain one of the only remaining maps which

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marked its location. As he finished, I cocked an eyebrow

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and asked him how this all connected to what he

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had lured me with Here the reports of a vast

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lost treasure, an almost childish smile spread across Tally's face.

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You ain't heard the best part yet, my dear boy.

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That was when the penny dropped. According to a radio

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report that the fort's commanding officer had made, they had

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found in the bowels of the fort a room which,

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when breached, had revealed a staggering amount of jewels, coins,

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and other treasures. The exact monetary value it had had

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never been calculated, but seeing how most of the horde

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was dated back to the Ottoman Empire, it had to

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be a tremendous amount. By this point, our sponsor had

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our undivided attention, and dreams of being forever logged in

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the history books danced in our heads. That's when Tally

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let us in, and the most important fact of this expedition.

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If we locate the fort and find the treasure was

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only a tale, or failed to find it at all,

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you will all be paid the exact amount I quoted you.

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He began, his eyes twinkling. But if we do find it,

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each of you will receive an equal share of the treasure,

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in addition to your name's forever written as the finders.

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To say that you could have heard a pin drop

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amongst us would be a grievous understatement. For a moment,

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nobody spoke. I was the first to open my mouth. Yes,

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bloody hell, Yes, As if my words had been a

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sort of catalyst, everyone else pied up with their own agreement.

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Tally beamed. He knew he had ensnared us, and he

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reveled in it. He told us that we would board

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a plane bound for Sellah in the next day. From

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there we would continue on landrover into the desert itself,

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and with that he bid us good night, retiring with

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Moretti to their hotel After a few drinks. The rest

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of us disbanded as well. And now here I sit,

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staring out the window at the rising moon with my

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pen in hand. I am beyond thrilled. The prospect of

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becoming wealthy, beyond my wildest dreams, of being able to

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afford all of my sister's medicine and procedures, to say

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nothing of my own frivolities and fantasies, is intoxicating. And

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yet I can't help but feel a strong sense of

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trepidation over what I was told. As well, the fact

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that two different groups of soldiers seem to simply disappear

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without a trace. It gives me pause. Even though I

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attempt to push it away. A small whisper of dread

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climbs over me. Sure the men carrying at night guns

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frantically aimed into the dark as something moves towards them,

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But surely anything that happens to them so long ago,

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any people who did them harm surely have moved on,

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which means we should be perfectly safe. I worried too much. Tuesday,

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twenty fourth of June nineteen fifty two. I write this

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entry by the firelight next to my tent, and the

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only thing that banishes away the almost impenetrable darkness that

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stalks the edges of the flickering embers. Early in the morning,

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just before the sun rose, our team bordered a chartered

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plane and flew south to Insula. There we found two

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land rovers, paint shimmering and fresh off the production line

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in Soliul. They had been special ordered by Tally for

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the journey. Supplies and enough fuel the lasts a fortnight

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were loaded on board, and after wedging ourselves inside the

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space that remained, we set off in a westerly direction,

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following the road past towns with names such as Ghar

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and Olaf. Finally we passed through Regane, and after a

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last look back at civilization, we left the road and

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headed out into the desert itself. Saying that the intense

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00:16:31,559 --> 00:16:34,600
heat would rival the flames of Hell itself would not

240
00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:39,080
be much of an understatement. The sun beat mercilessly down

241
00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:43,639
upon our vehicles, turning them into saunas, and as we

242
00:16:43,639 --> 00:16:47,399
were attempting to conserve our water supply, soon we all

243
00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:51,960
felt the first inklings of heat exhaustion. After stopping to

244
00:16:52,039 --> 00:16:56,279
quench our thirst quickly, and following the blessed liquid with lunch,

245
00:16:57,039 --> 00:17:00,240
we continued on as the sun dipped lower into the sky.

246
00:17:01,679 --> 00:17:04,680
As I was riding with Tally, I had the opportunity

247
00:17:04,759 --> 00:17:08,480
to ask him about Tarak. The man still gave me

248
00:17:08,519 --> 00:17:11,599
a bad feeling, and I inquired as to why he

249
00:17:11,759 --> 00:17:16,599
was so important to our expedition, after all, I asked,

250
00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:22,079
would simply somemear not make a decent enough guide. It

251
00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:25,039
was then that he revealed to me the secret surrounding

252
00:17:25,039 --> 00:17:28,680
the man. Tarrek was one of the few men left

253
00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,559
alive who had seen the fort with his own eyes,

254
00:17:32,599 --> 00:17:36,240
or so he claimed. He had told Tally of a

255
00:17:36,319 --> 00:17:39,319
time as a small boy, traveling through the desert with

256
00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:43,640
his father and grandfather and spying on the horizon, perched

257
00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:47,400
the upper mountain range like a sentry, the imposing structure.

258
00:17:49,039 --> 00:17:51,359
Both of his elders had warned him away from it,

259
00:17:51,839 --> 00:17:55,519
telling him that it was a cursed place, load of

260
00:17:55,559 --> 00:17:59,640
local superstitious bull tally said to me, waving a hand

261
00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,880
as if to physically repel the words. For my part,

262
00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:08,079
I too did not believe in such things, and yet

263
00:18:08,599 --> 00:18:11,519
that his words, I was unable to suppress the shiver

264
00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:17,640
that flowed my spine slightly. It felt too coincidental, too

265
00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:20,319
close to the feeling of dread that fell over me

266
00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:24,880
last night. The second thought came to mind, as if

267
00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:29,319
pushing away the emotions, I asked, with not knowing if

268
00:18:29,319 --> 00:18:32,160
the young man was telling the truth, how he could

269
00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:34,759
be sure he was not simply luring us into the

270
00:18:34,799 --> 00:18:39,920
desert for a sinister purpose. With a small, almost concealed wink,

271
00:18:40,599 --> 00:18:44,799
he raised his shirt, revealing a hidden pistol underneath in

272
00:18:44,839 --> 00:18:49,359
a holster. Informed me that several others were armed as well,

273
00:18:49,759 --> 00:18:54,119
and a shotgun and ammunition were among our supplies. Liam,

274
00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:58,400
my boy, relax, I have thought of everything. We will

275
00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:01,039
be ready whether the locals are, if any surprises in

276
00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:05,319
store for us, or either of our guides do just

277
00:19:05,519 --> 00:19:10,519
enjoy the trip. In the meantime, I pray that his

278
00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:14,720
confidence is not misplaced. We are a long way from

279
00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:17,200
where anyone could help us if things were to go

280
00:19:17,279 --> 00:19:21,319
barely up, And that is in all I'm the only

281
00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:24,640
member of our groups still awake. All the others have

282
00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:27,480
retired to their tents, or, in the case of Tarak

283
00:19:27,519 --> 00:19:31,720
and Samir, into the land rovers to sleep. The only

284
00:19:31,759 --> 00:19:35,079
sounds I hear are the crackling of fire and the soft,

285
00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:40,119
almost lonely sound of the wind whistling in the darkness.

286
00:19:41,079 --> 00:19:46,759
And yet I can't help but feel watched. Even though

287
00:19:46,799 --> 00:19:50,400
we are certainly the only people for miles, I feel

288
00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:53,559
as though eyes are upon me, upon all of us.

289
00:19:54,799 --> 00:19:57,839
It is a feeling that is most unwelcome, and it

290
00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:00,880
makes me again wonder about the fate that befell the

291
00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:05,599
French soldiers. I find myself shooting the looks out into

292
00:20:05,599 --> 00:20:09,400
the dark. Every few lines I write, almost convinced I

293
00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:13,240
will see eyes staring back at me from the blackness.

294
00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:17,519
As much as I don't want to, I must retire

295
00:20:17,599 --> 00:20:21,279
to my own tent dawn will be here soon enough,

296
00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:24,880
and we will need all of our strength for the

297
00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:34,920
next few days. Thursday, twenty sixth of June nineteen fifty two,

298
00:20:35,319 --> 00:20:38,599
after a second day of driving straight and following both

299
00:20:38,599 --> 00:20:41,880
the map and directions that Samir tells us Tarik had

300
00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:45,599
given us, as the man speaks no English, we seem

301
00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:48,880
to have finally arrived at the base of a mountain range.

302
00:20:49,519 --> 00:20:53,599
According to Tarak, these are the mountains in question, and

303
00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:56,440
we are not far now, less than a day away.

304
00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:00,480
I crane my neck to look at the imposing walls

305
00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:04,519
which rise higher over our heads. I'm not a good

306
00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:08,000
estimator of such things, but I would not be surprised

307
00:21:08,119 --> 00:21:11,559
if the top lies hundreds of feet above us or more.

308
00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:15,440
If the fort is real, then how are we to

309
00:21:15,519 --> 00:21:19,480
get to it from down here? All questions that will

310
00:21:19,519 --> 00:21:23,519
have to be answered soon. For now, though, I will

311
00:21:23,559 --> 00:21:26,559
go and sit with the others, eat supper, and go

312
00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:32,000
to sleep. If we are being told the truth, tomorrow

313
00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:39,920
will be the day. Friday, twenty seventh of June nineteen

314
00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:45,200
fifty two. It's real. I find that even as I

315
00:21:45,279 --> 00:21:48,359
write these words, I feel I'll suddenly wake up from

316
00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:52,680
a dream. And yet right there in front of my

317
00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:57,240
eyes is the bloody thing terracles indeed telling the truth,

318
00:21:57,799 --> 00:22:01,559
and it looks exactly as tally heard. The structure is

319
00:22:01,599 --> 00:22:06,640
perfectly nestled atop and similarly among the mountains, surely built

320
00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:09,799
there by some Ottoman architect or soldier with a perfect

321
00:22:09,799 --> 00:22:13,640
idea of strategic planning. The fort has a clear view

322
00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:16,839
down the desert where we stand below, and is set

323
00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:19,440
far enough back that the surrounding land acts as a

324
00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:23,359
sort of natural shield. It is the perfect choke point,

325
00:22:23,519 --> 00:22:28,799
to say the least Churchill himself would be impressed. According

326
00:22:28,799 --> 00:22:32,599
to Blake, the style and architecture is indeed indicative of

327
00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:37,440
the Ottoman Empire, either Arabic or North African. The three

328
00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:40,759
front turrets rise imposingly above the rest of the complex,

329
00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:46,519
their windows dark and unrevealing of their secrets. Surprisingly, and

330
00:22:46,599 --> 00:22:49,359
thankfully as well, there will be no need to worry

331
00:22:49,359 --> 00:22:53,559
about climbing. Tarak pointed us to a set of steps

332
00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:58,079
carved into the mountains themselves. They are fairly steep, but

333
00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:02,640
they surely beat the alternative. As it is late, we

334
00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:05,519
will make camp here at the bayse tonight, and in

335
00:23:05,599 --> 00:23:08,680
the morning we will pack all our supplies and make

336
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:13,839
the climb to the fort itself omittedly, I must admit

337
00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:16,079
that the feeling I had in the desert two nights

338
00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:20,400
ago remains. In fact, it almost feels stronger in a way.

339
00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:24,559
But with the excitement palpable amongst all of us, I

340
00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,880
refuse to let it sour the mood. It will be

341
00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:32,680
stored away in the recesses of my mind. Tomorrow we

342
00:23:32,839 --> 00:23:42,799
begin to take a step towards both history and possibly fortune. Saturday,

343
00:23:43,119 --> 00:23:49,079
twenty eighth of June nineteen fifty two, I write from

344
00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:52,960
inside the central courtyard of the fort itself. I was

345
00:23:53,039 --> 00:23:55,720
correct in my assessment that it would be a steep climb,

346
00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:58,920
But aside from a few scrapes among all the bloody

347
00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:04,279
knuckles suffered by Son, we reached the top uneventfully. From

348
00:24:04,279 --> 00:24:08,279
there we found a path already made, albeit almost hidden

349
00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:12,240
by the ever sweeping sands, but the cracked wooden rail

350
00:24:12,359 --> 00:24:14,400
that marked the edge of the cliffs showed the way.

351
00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:17,920
After a trek of about a quarter of an hour,

352
00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:21,200
we found ourselves at a gate which marked the outer

353
00:24:21,319 --> 00:24:25,119
rim of the complex. The top was wrapped in barbed wire,

354
00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:30,119
and an unlocked gate sat half open in front of us. Richter,

355
00:24:30,599 --> 00:24:33,200
feeling that we would be better off closing it behind us,

356
00:24:33,559 --> 00:24:36,599
walked into a neighboring guardpost and lowered a barrier to

357
00:24:36,599 --> 00:24:40,559
prevent anyone from entering. When our backs were turned together,

358
00:24:41,039 --> 00:24:43,079
we made our way up a steep path to the

359
00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:47,240
front of the fort itself. At the front gates, we

360
00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:51,000
discovered a relic from the First World War, a French

361
00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:55,720
ft tank sitting empty and half buried in sand. The

362
00:24:55,759 --> 00:24:58,680
turret faced away from us back the way we'd come.

363
00:25:00,039 --> 00:25:02,920
Wundered both how it had gotten up here and what

364
00:25:03,039 --> 00:25:06,799
it had been put in place for. With a last

365
00:25:06,839 --> 00:25:09,559
look at the armament, we pushed open one of the

366
00:25:09,599 --> 00:25:16,839
two colossal wooden doors and entered the fort. We found

367
00:25:16,839 --> 00:25:20,880
ourselves inside an expansive courtyard that stretched out before us

368
00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,160
to both sides. To the right was what appeared to

369
00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:27,559
be a smaller courtyard of some sort, embellished with a

370
00:25:27,559 --> 00:25:32,119
few small bushes and date palms. Wandering over to it,

371
00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:34,880
I found that the far end of the smaller space

372
00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:40,720
was a fountain, a rusted pump set into the back corner. Tentively,

373
00:25:41,039 --> 00:25:44,079
I put my hand out, gathered some water from the fountain,

374
00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:49,240
and raised it to my lips. The water tasted somewhat stagnant,

375
00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:54,039
but otherwise was fine. Reaching out and operating the pomp,

376
00:25:54,599 --> 00:25:59,119
I found it readily supplied fresh water. Turning, I found

377
00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:05,799
Moretti beside me. He smiled, hit a water garden. Well,

378
00:26:05,839 --> 00:26:08,319
then this solves any concerns of running out of water.

379
00:26:09,039 --> 00:26:11,799
There must be an underground lake or river somewhere beneath us.

380
00:26:13,039 --> 00:26:16,160
I agreed with him, and after a last look around

381
00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:20,759
at the peaceful scene, we returned to the others. After

382
00:26:20,839 --> 00:26:24,279
telling them of our discovery. We set our supplies down

383
00:26:24,519 --> 00:26:28,839
and began as a group to explore. Aside from the

384
00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:32,359
water garden, there were two main buildings inside the fort.

385
00:26:33,359 --> 00:26:37,000
The largest building, according to the rickety wooden sign hung

386
00:26:37,079 --> 00:26:40,200
by the front door, declared it to be the living quarters,

387
00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:46,359
while the second sunken building was designated the arsenal. After

388
00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:50,440
a small deliberation, we chose to enter the main building first.

389
00:26:51,799 --> 00:26:54,640
The interior showed that nature had taken its toll on

390
00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:58,480
the fort. Beams had collapsed from their upper levels and

391
00:26:58,599 --> 00:27:01,759
sand rose up in small man, making us have to

392
00:27:01,839 --> 00:27:06,000
navigate around the debris. The rest of the quarters were

393
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:09,759
in much the same condition, though with much more signs

394
00:27:09,799 --> 00:27:15,720
of life. Pillows, rugs, and other furniture were around. There

395
00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:19,400
were also plenty of candles and lamps hanging from beams above,

396
00:27:20,039 --> 00:27:23,759
all of which we lit. As we passed. We located

397
00:27:23,759 --> 00:27:26,319
the radio room, which I noted with a pang of

398
00:27:26,319 --> 00:27:30,440
her knees had been vandalized. Both the radio and telegraph

399
00:27:30,559 --> 00:27:35,039
machines had been destroyed. Clearly, someone had not wanted anyone

400
00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:39,599
to send any messages or calls for help. What made

401
00:27:39,599 --> 00:27:43,039
the scene worse was the obvious signs of struggle, which

402
00:27:43,039 --> 00:27:46,720
are ever present throughout the whole building. Some of the

403
00:27:46,759 --> 00:27:49,920
group didn't notice, but I saw that Soreren and Richter,

404
00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:53,920
along with myself, the three who saw the most combat

405
00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:58,480
in our lives did. The spilled chairs, crumpled blankets, and

406
00:27:58,519 --> 00:28:02,279
broken glass and wood all told a tale, and it

407
00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:05,119
was one that made the feeling of dread rear its

408
00:28:05,119 --> 00:28:09,680
head in my mind, and worse, the feeling of eyes

409
00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:13,640
on me was at a feverish pitch. As we made

410
00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:16,799
our way through, My head swung about like an owl's,

411
00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:20,480
looking not only to the shadows, but up into the

412
00:28:20,559 --> 00:28:24,480
rafters as well. At one point, as I brought up

413
00:28:24,519 --> 00:28:27,519
the rear of the group, I felt as though fingers

414
00:28:27,559 --> 00:28:30,160
as slipped along the nape of my neck, and my

415
00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,839
pulse quickened, my breathing going shallow as I froze on

416
00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:39,279
the spot, terror filling every fiber of my being. I

417
00:28:39,319 --> 00:28:45,119
whirled around and found no one. All I could hear

418
00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:48,680
was the soft creaking of the building and the whistling

419
00:28:48,839 --> 00:28:53,559
of the wind outside. Not wanting to remain alone, I

420
00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:58,839
hurried after the others. After leaving the main quarters and

421
00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:02,319
with daylight fading fast, we made a quick pass through

422
00:29:02,359 --> 00:29:07,319
the arsenal, where we discovered a grisly scene. In the

423
00:29:07,359 --> 00:29:11,200
Ford's jail, we discovered the remains of a man dressed

424
00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:14,640
in one of the old uniforms which designated him as

425
00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:18,400
part of the French Foreign Legion. His body seemed to

426
00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,480
cower in the far corner of the cell, away from

427
00:29:21,519 --> 00:29:26,640
any of the bars. Stranger still, Samir pointed out that

428
00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:30,279
he had locked himself inside a set of keys, could

429
00:29:30,319 --> 00:29:34,279
be seen by the desiccated corpse's hand. From what we

430
00:29:34,319 --> 00:29:37,440
could tell, the man hadn't died of any injuries either.

431
00:29:38,839 --> 00:29:46,359
Mouretti summarized he must have either perished from hunger or thirst.

432
00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:50,319
We retreated back to the courtyard afterward, where we set

433
00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:55,119
up camp in the water garden. For this, I'm eternally grateful.

434
00:29:56,279 --> 00:29:58,880
While their living quarters may offer more shelter from the

435
00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:02,200
elements than the ten, I would not be able to

436
00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:07,000
sleep a wink inside. I feel constantly on edge after

437
00:30:07,039 --> 00:30:09,880
what has been seen today, and I pray to the

438
00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:15,279
Lord that in time they will fade from memory. And

439
00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:20,240
I still feel we are watched. In fact, the feeling

440
00:30:20,279 --> 00:30:23,960
is stronger than it ever was, as if whatever is

441
00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:28,720
doing the watching is almost directly over us, staring down.

442
00:30:30,279 --> 00:30:32,680
I wonder if the feeling has anything to do with

443
00:30:32,759 --> 00:30:37,119
the corpse in the arsenal jail. After all, what could

444
00:30:37,279 --> 00:30:39,920
drive a man to such terror that he would rather

445
00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:42,720
face a slow death from lack of food and water

446
00:30:42,799 --> 00:30:48,559
than it? Perhaps I hope to never find out, nor

447
00:30:48,759 --> 00:30:53,119
where the rest of the soldiers disappeared to. I hope

448
00:30:53,119 --> 00:30:55,759
we can find the fable treasure quickly and be gone

449
00:30:55,799 --> 00:31:00,920
from this place. As much as I love adventure, I

450
00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:04,000
long for being back in the bedroom of my home

451
00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:12,680
in Maidenhead. Monday, thirtieth of June nineteen fifty two. Two

452
00:31:12,759 --> 00:31:16,160
days have passed since my last entry. We've continued to

453
00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:19,279
work to locate any hint of the treasure, but have

454
00:31:19,359 --> 00:31:22,119
failed to find any trace of it anywhere in the fort.

455
00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:27,440
I'm beginning to think it may never have existed. Tally

456
00:31:27,599 --> 00:31:30,519
is trying to bolster all our spirits, but I can

457
00:31:30,559 --> 00:31:34,519
sence him begin to grow weary like the rest of us.

458
00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:38,039
A foreboding feeling that has hung over my head like

459
00:31:38,079 --> 00:31:42,559
a noose seems to have spread among the expedition. I

460
00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:46,200
see it in all their faces. It increased when we

461
00:31:46,279 --> 00:31:50,000
found more signs of a struggle around the fort. Fingernail

462
00:31:50,039 --> 00:31:53,640
marks etched into the walls as if someone were dragged away,

463
00:31:54,359 --> 00:31:59,359
spent ammo casings, and more. I catch others swinging around erratically,

464
00:31:59,759 --> 00:32:03,200
as though they had sent somebody near them. I caught

465
00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:07,359
some mere Tarik and corn huddled together, whispering softly to

466
00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:12,400
one another. When I approached, hearing words about leaving spoken,

467
00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:15,839
they stood up straight and gave me a strange look

468
00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:20,279
before moving quickly away. I also find that Blake tends

469
00:32:20,319 --> 00:32:23,599
to stick close to me. Now. She says it's because

470
00:32:23,599 --> 00:32:27,039
she feels safest with another from Britain, but I know

471
00:32:27,279 --> 00:32:31,119
there's a deeper reason. She would not admit. Back in

472
00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:34,759
the war, my sergeant had told me that paranoia is

473
00:32:34,799 --> 00:32:38,119
one of the forces that whittle men down the quickest.

474
00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:48,160
I do believe he is right. Tuesday, first of July

475
00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:54,640
nineteen fifty two, we are trapped. During the night. I

476
00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:58,000
awoke to hear a thunderous crashing sound, but in the

477
00:32:58,079 --> 00:33:04,319
darkness know what it was. When daylight broke, we set

478
00:33:04,359 --> 00:33:08,200
out for the steps down to the land rovers. We

479
00:33:08,319 --> 00:33:11,960
found that during the night something had caused a large

480
00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:15,039
section of them to give way. Whether it be a

481
00:33:15,039 --> 00:33:17,720
crack in the rock which caused the landslide of some sort,

482
00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:21,880
it doesn't matter. The section is too vast to be

483
00:33:21,960 --> 00:33:25,119
able to safely jump down from a gap of over

484
00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:30,160
two hundred feet, and without rope he couldn't climb down.

485
00:33:32,039 --> 00:33:35,680
We are stuck hundreds of feet above the desert floor,

486
00:33:36,079 --> 00:33:41,599
with no signs of people anywhere. Fortunately, Tarak informed us

487
00:33:41,599 --> 00:33:44,839
through Samir that he believed, as a boy, he had

488
00:33:44,839 --> 00:33:49,000
seen a way down further down the ridge. After a

489
00:33:49,119 --> 00:33:53,359
quick deliberation, it was decided that Samir, along with Richtor,

490
00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:57,279
would set out and try and find it. The weapons

491
00:33:57,319 --> 00:33:59,880
we had brought were finally broken out from our supplies,

492
00:34:00,559 --> 00:34:03,240
and the two men were given a pistol each along

493
00:34:03,279 --> 00:34:06,440
with a small supply of extra ammunition and two torches.

494
00:34:07,519 --> 00:34:10,239
They said they would attempt to return at nightfall if

495
00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:14,360
they could not find a way down. It is dusk

496
00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:18,079
now and they have not returned. I worry that they

497
00:34:18,159 --> 00:34:21,679
might have slipped and fallen to their deaths, or worse,

498
00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:26,920
may have successfully made it down and bolted well. I

499
00:34:26,960 --> 00:34:29,719
may have worked with Rictor before and heard good things

500
00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:33,960
about Sameir. In a situation like this, even the most

501
00:34:34,079 --> 00:34:40,559
rational men can do the wrong things. I wait, I

502
00:34:40,599 --> 00:34:44,840
thought I heard something. The silence has fallen again over

503
00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:48,679
the fort. But for a second, as the wind had died,

504
00:34:49,679 --> 00:34:52,360
I almost swore I heard a cracking sound in the

505
00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:59,480
distance two three times, then nothing, but it sounded too

506
00:34:59,519 --> 00:35:05,760
small to be gunshots. It can't have been. I hope

507
00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:14,639
they come back soon. Wednesday, second of July nineteen fifty two,

508
00:35:16,679 --> 00:35:21,480
Samir and Richter never returned. At dawn. I volunteered to

509
00:35:21,559 --> 00:35:24,159
try and set out to find any trace of them.

510
00:35:24,679 --> 00:35:28,719
Blake asked to accompany me, as did Corn, who said

511
00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:32,559
if they were injured, they would need his training. So,

512
00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:36,840
gathering the medical kit, we prepared to leave when Muratti

513
00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:41,679
stopped us. I want you to take this, he said,

514
00:35:42,119 --> 00:35:48,280
reaching into a supply bag. He withdrew the shotgun, when

515
00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:52,199
I instantly recognized as a Winchester Model eighteen ninety seven,

516
00:35:53,199 --> 00:35:55,719
handing it to me. He also pulled out a box

517
00:35:55,760 --> 00:35:58,760
of shells and passed them to Blake, who placed them

518
00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:03,079
in a pack. Be safe and God be with you,

519
00:36:03,719 --> 00:36:08,320
he said. I nodded, and holding the gun tightly in

520
00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:12,199
both hands, the three of us stepped out of the fort, and,

521
00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:17,760
after locating two sets of footprints, set out following them.

522
00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:20,719
None of us spoke a word as we followed the

523
00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:25,239
trail along, occasionally having to navigate around boulders and passed

524
00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:28,599
treacherous narrow paths in what I hoped would lead to

525
00:36:28,639 --> 00:36:34,920
our compatriots, our friends. But as we continued on, the

526
00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:39,760
footprints seemed to endlessly continue. I began to feel as

527
00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:43,679
though we three had, like them, seemingly slipped into an

528
00:36:43,719 --> 00:36:49,679
alternate reality where we would be trapped forever alone. That

529
00:36:50,159 --> 00:36:53,719
was when we discovered the end of the tracks. I

530
00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:55,760
don't mean to say that they led to a way down,

531
00:36:56,320 --> 00:37:00,480
or even to the edge of the cliff. Rather, both

532
00:37:00,559 --> 00:37:03,119
sets came to a halt in the middle of an

533
00:37:03,199 --> 00:37:10,719
open space dominated by low hanging clif faces behind us. This,

534
00:37:10,719 --> 00:37:14,519
this doesn't make any sense, Corn said, as he looked around.

535
00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:19,400
Where the hell did they go? Neither of us could

536
00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:22,480
answer him. But as I focused again on the tracks,

537
00:37:23,119 --> 00:37:28,039
I noticed two small details I hadn't before, ones which

538
00:37:28,079 --> 00:37:30,800
made my heart begin to beat quicker in my chest.

539
00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:35,719
The first was that the footsteps, one so oddly and

540
00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:39,440
in rhythm with one another, suddenly began to ratically dance

541
00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:42,440
around each other, almost as if the men had begun

542
00:37:42,599 --> 00:37:48,000
wildly spinning around, looking in all directions. The second was

543
00:37:48,039 --> 00:37:50,880
the glint of brass I saw hidden among the sand.

544
00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:55,679
I reached out with one hand, and brushing away the

545
00:37:55,679 --> 00:37:58,239
top layer that had settled over it the night before,

546
00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:03,559
found myself looking yet several spent bullet casings. There were

547
00:38:03,599 --> 00:38:07,400
approximately three or four of them, all clumped together, as

548
00:38:07,440 --> 00:38:11,679
if someone had emptied a revolver on the spot. I

549
00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:15,719
picked one up, rolling it over in my fingers. The

550
00:38:15,760 --> 00:38:19,239
beating sun made it almost too hot to handle, but

551
00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:24,519
I could instantly tell they were fresh. Wariness and dread

552
00:38:24,559 --> 00:38:29,760
began to gnaw at my insides. Something had happened here.

553
00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:36,920
That was when I heard Blake gasp. Turning, I found

554
00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:39,639
a staring at a section of wall behind and to

555
00:38:39,719 --> 00:38:42,679
the left of us, a section which had been obscured

556
00:38:42,719 --> 00:38:46,280
by an overhang before. Her face had gone as white

557
00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:50,800
as a sheet and her eyes wide as saucers. With

558
00:38:50,880 --> 00:38:54,480
a trembling hand, she pointed at something and moaned out

559
00:38:54,599 --> 00:39:02,920
three words, Mother of God. A single smear of blood

560
00:39:03,079 --> 00:39:07,320
ascended the rock face. It wasn't a lot, but it

561
00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:10,599
was enough to spite my dread into full blown terror.

562
00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:14,920
Quickly arching my neck, I could see where it led to,

563
00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:18,320
but it was obvious that its owner had been dragged

564
00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:24,079
upwards and in a violent manner. Instantly I raised the shotgun,

565
00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:27,960
feeling my hands go cold, and Clammy, Blake and Corn

566
00:39:28,039 --> 00:39:32,159
huddle behind me. As we looked around rapidly, both at

567
00:39:32,199 --> 00:39:36,760
the overhang above us and farther down the path. All

568
00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:40,639
I could hear was the whistle of the wind, nothing more,

569
00:39:42,039 --> 00:39:47,039
and that fact alone terrified me to no end. That whistle,

570
00:39:47,639 --> 00:39:51,639
that silence, it all seemed to hold her threatening edge

571
00:39:51,679 --> 00:39:55,119
to it, now a prelude to something horrific to come.

572
00:39:56,840 --> 00:39:59,400
I motioned silently for the others to begin to back

573
00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:02,960
up behind me, alternating the shotgun's aim between the area

574
00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:06,000
above us than in front of us, trying not to

575
00:40:06,039 --> 00:40:09,960
make any noise. We slowly began to move back to

576
00:40:10,039 --> 00:40:15,599
the fort. As we retreated, I swear I thought I

577
00:40:15,679 --> 00:40:20,119
heard the small pitapatter sound of pebbles moving. I thought

578
00:40:20,159 --> 00:40:22,360
I saw a slight blur of motion just beyond my

579
00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:26,239
line of sight. My heart was raising in my chest,

580
00:40:26,639 --> 00:40:30,519
and my mouth turned as dry as cotton. In my

581
00:40:30,639 --> 00:40:34,559
time during the war, I'd bore witness to many horrific sights,

582
00:40:34,920 --> 00:40:38,599
many atrocities. More than once I was sure I was

583
00:40:38,639 --> 00:40:42,320
about to die, And I swear on my sister's soul

584
00:40:42,679 --> 00:40:45,400
that I never felt as terrified as I did in

585
00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:49,320
those moments, my hands holding the gun beginning to shake.

586
00:40:51,280 --> 00:40:54,079
Despite feeling as though whatever had taken Samir and Richter

587
00:40:54,280 --> 00:40:57,880
were lurking just beyond our field of view, we made

588
00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:01,639
it back to the fort unharmed. As soon as we

589
00:41:01,639 --> 00:41:05,039
were inside, I dropped the shotgun to the ground, and

590
00:41:05,119 --> 00:41:07,320
I found what must have been the board to barricade

591
00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:10,599
the doors. I picked it up and slammed it into

592
00:41:10,639 --> 00:41:15,039
place in the large metal hooks. As I did so,

593
00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:18,800
the others raced out from the water garden, demanding to

594
00:41:18,840 --> 00:41:22,719
know why we were sealing them inside. Korin turned to

595
00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:26,280
them as we finished, his eyes wild and face ashen

596
00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:30,400
in the fading light. Because Samir and Richter are dead.

597
00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:36,199
That's why his tone slammed the words home, and I

598
00:41:36,239 --> 00:41:41,639
saw horrified looks cross everyone's faces, even Tarrex, even if

599
00:41:41,639 --> 00:41:45,840
he couldn't understand us that well. Trying to remain calm,

600
00:41:46,039 --> 00:41:49,440
I stepped forward, and with as much rational clarity as

601
00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:53,880
I could, Muster explained in crystal clarity everything we had seen,

602
00:41:54,679 --> 00:42:01,000
everything we had come across. As I finished, a deathly

603
00:42:01,079 --> 00:42:06,199
silence settled over us. All. In those moments, all we

604
00:42:06,239 --> 00:42:09,239
could hear was the wind, which had now risen from

605
00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:13,199
a whistle into a howl. The sun was beginning to

606
00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:16,880
set on the horizon, and it cast eerie shadows over

607
00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:22,199
the fort's courtyard. Nobody dared speak as the implications of

608
00:42:22,239 --> 00:42:28,880
our predicaments sunk in, until I began to hear a

609
00:42:29,039 --> 00:42:35,000
low whine. For a moment, I was unable to discern

610
00:42:35,119 --> 00:42:39,440
where it came from, but as I looked around, I

611
00:42:39,559 --> 00:42:46,440
realized it was coming from Tarak. The Algerian looked, if possible,

612
00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:51,599
petrified to death, and beyond his face held the expression

613
00:42:51,599 --> 00:42:54,480
of one which had just had a death sentence passed on.

614
00:42:55,679 --> 00:42:59,880
The wine intensified, and he suddenly began to babble, speaking

615
00:43:00,159 --> 00:43:06,199
rapidly strings of sentences. I didn't understand what is he saying,

616
00:43:06,679 --> 00:43:11,920
Tali demanded. Moretti, knowing a little Arabic, raised a hand

617
00:43:11,960 --> 00:43:15,320
to silence him and stepped forward, asking a question to

618
00:43:15,360 --> 00:43:21,559
the panicking man. In response, Tarek babbled some more at him,

619
00:43:21,760 --> 00:43:26,119
and after a moment, I saw Moretti's brow furrow in confusion.

620
00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:33,440
He asked another question and received another panicked response. Tally

621
00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:40,519
stepped forward. What did he say? Please tell me? Moretti

622
00:43:40,639 --> 00:43:43,960
continues to look at Tarak for a moment, then turned

623
00:43:43,960 --> 00:43:48,639
towards us. I'm not sure, but I think he says

624
00:43:48,679 --> 00:43:53,159
that they are in the mountains, They hunt in the mountains,

625
00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:56,559
and they are wise. Father and grandfather warned him to

626
00:43:56,599 --> 00:44:03,039
stay away from here. Suddenly, and without warning, Tarek turned

627
00:44:03,079 --> 00:44:06,960
and bolted for the fort's living quarters. I saw Maretti

628
00:44:07,039 --> 00:44:10,079
begin to take a step after him, but then stopped.

629
00:44:11,599 --> 00:44:14,440
We watched as the man slammed his shoulder into the door,

630
00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:19,960
rushing inside and slamming it shot behind him. Fortunately we

631
00:44:20,039 --> 00:44:24,880
did not hear it lock. After a moment, Tali turned

632
00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:29,840
back to us. He took a deep breath. Right, everyone,

633
00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:36,239
we need a plan. The man's words seemed to bolster us,

634
00:44:36,639 --> 00:44:40,920
and we quickly and quietly began talking among ourselves. We

635
00:44:41,039 --> 00:44:44,599
decided he was no longer safe to stay outside, and

636
00:44:44,679 --> 00:44:48,119
following Tarak's footsteps, we would shelter at night in the

637
00:44:48,159 --> 00:44:54,039
living quarters, barricading ourselves inside. We would also try to

638
00:44:54,079 --> 00:44:57,239
repair the broken radio to try and send a call

639
00:44:57,320 --> 00:45:02,159
for help. Blake, in a to being an archaeologist, was

640
00:45:02,199 --> 00:45:06,880
also proficient in repairing equipment. Our plans set in motion.

641
00:45:07,480 --> 00:45:11,800
We grabbed our supplies from the tents and moved inside,

642
00:45:12,119 --> 00:45:15,920
and now we all huddle trying to sleep in shifts

643
00:45:16,039 --> 00:45:19,960
in one of the main bunk rooms. Blake sleeps beside me.

644
00:45:20,960 --> 00:45:23,800
I can hear her uneasily rolling over. As I write,

645
00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:28,719
Corn is doing the same a few cuts away. Sorry

646
00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:31,840
to Moretti. Patrol the wholes of the building with two

647
00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:35,760
of our four remaining guns. Tally holds onto the third,

648
00:45:36,599 --> 00:45:40,039
and in the meantime, I've traded Moretti the shotgun for

649
00:45:40,119 --> 00:45:43,840
a pistol of my own. I know I should try

650
00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:46,639
to rest my own. Patrol shift will be in a

651
00:45:46,639 --> 00:45:54,280
few hours, and yet I cannot. I feel as though

652
00:45:54,280 --> 00:45:58,039
my dreams will be worse dreams seeing what happened to

653
00:45:58,079 --> 00:46:01,639
Samir and Richter, seeing the dragged upwards to a fate,

654
00:46:02,480 --> 00:46:06,199
I feel it is a blessing not to know, and

655
00:46:06,239 --> 00:46:10,199
I'm terrified that if I close my eyes, I'll open

656
00:46:10,239 --> 00:46:14,039
them to find something looking at me, half hidden in

657
00:46:14,079 --> 00:46:17,000
the shadows from the dull light of the lamp over

658
00:46:17,079 --> 00:46:20,920
our heads, ready to leap, and in my existence in

659
00:46:20,960 --> 00:46:39,159
a blister of pain and horror. God, please save us. Thursday,

660
00:46:39,639 --> 00:46:44,320
third of July nineteen fifty two, I write today with

661
00:46:44,719 --> 00:46:47,360
what feels like for the first time in an eternity,

662
00:46:47,880 --> 00:46:52,159
a shred of good news. Blake has given an initial

663
00:46:52,159 --> 00:46:55,760
inspection of both the radio and telegraphs, and it's come

664
00:46:55,800 --> 00:46:58,599
to the conclusion that while he will take a small

665
00:46:58,639 --> 00:47:02,039
amount of time, the damage dealt to both is within

666
00:47:02,199 --> 00:47:05,920
her means to repair. She told us that it will take,

667
00:47:06,480 --> 00:47:09,760
with her combination of supplies found within the living quarters

668
00:47:10,000 --> 00:47:12,920
and from our own bags, a maximum of two to

669
00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:16,519
three days to get them back up to snuff. I

670
00:47:16,559 --> 00:47:19,920
can also report that during Soren and Maretti's watch, as

671
00:47:19,960 --> 00:47:24,199
well as accompanied by corn my own, we saw and

672
00:47:24,280 --> 00:47:29,639
heard no trace of whatever lies out there. I hold

673
00:47:29,679 --> 00:47:33,199
no delusions that they may have left, though all throughout

674
00:47:33,199 --> 00:47:35,960
the night I could feel their eyes upon the fort,

675
00:47:36,960 --> 00:47:41,559
especially when I passed the window. Several times I would

676
00:47:41,639 --> 00:47:44,400
stop in front of them, swinging my head around and

677
00:47:44,519 --> 00:47:49,559
squint into the blackness. Of course, I saw nothing, but

678
00:47:49,599 --> 00:47:52,119
the hair that rose in my arms every single time

679
00:47:52,159 --> 00:47:55,280
assured me that if the night were able to withdraw

680
00:47:55,519 --> 00:47:58,960
and allow the secret it covers to be visible, I

681
00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:01,840
would have borne witness to a sight both blood chilling

682
00:48:02,079 --> 00:48:06,599
and macarb in its appearance. In the past, I often

683
00:48:06,639 --> 00:48:08,800
wish that God had given us the night vision that

684
00:48:08,920 --> 00:48:13,880
large predators were bestowed with, but now I'm beyond thankful

685
00:48:14,599 --> 00:48:19,920
he did not. For the most part, we have remained

686
00:48:19,960 --> 00:48:23,920
inside the living quarters, only venturing outside for brief periods

687
00:48:23,960 --> 00:48:27,320
of time to fetch water from the water garden. The

688
00:48:27,480 --> 00:48:30,800
fear and tension felt when doing so, though, is palpable

689
00:48:30,920 --> 00:48:34,519
enough to slice with the bloody razor, especially as it

690
00:48:34,599 --> 00:48:37,480
sits directly next to the main wall of the fort.

691
00:48:38,840 --> 00:48:41,719
When it was my turn to refill our canteens, my

692
00:48:41,800 --> 00:48:46,039
head swiveled around my neck, not unlike an owl's, turning

693
00:48:46,079 --> 00:48:49,400
this way and that and feeling that if I allowed

694
00:48:49,440 --> 00:48:52,320
even a second to glance away from a particular spot,

695
00:48:52,920 --> 00:48:55,199
I would turn to find the last thing I would

696
00:48:55,199 --> 00:49:00,800
ever see gazing into my eyes. Fortunately, due to the

697
00:49:00,880 --> 00:49:04,400
material the fort was built with or its position against

698
00:49:04,400 --> 00:49:09,239
the mountains, the interior remained relatively cool, even as the

699
00:49:09,280 --> 00:49:12,320
noonday sun beat down to the point I could see,

700
00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:15,840
both up close and in the distance, the air itself

701
00:49:15,880 --> 00:49:21,719
shimmering from the temperature. I do have to mention one thing. Ever,

702
00:49:21,800 --> 00:49:25,159
since Tarak fled inside the building the other day, he

703
00:49:25,280 --> 00:49:29,280
refuses to try and help us in any way. When

704
00:49:29,320 --> 00:49:32,599
asked by Moretti, all he would do is shake his

705
00:49:32,599 --> 00:49:35,159
head and repeat the words he spoke to us the

706
00:49:35,199 --> 00:49:38,239
other day, the words about the ones who live in

707
00:49:38,280 --> 00:49:44,440
the mountains. Before retreating into a supply closet. He remains there,

708
00:49:44,920 --> 00:49:48,639
only coming out briefly for food or water before returning

709
00:49:48,679 --> 00:49:54,199
to it. One other important thing to note. As we

710
00:49:54,280 --> 00:49:57,039
had some free time on our hands, I used it

711
00:49:57,199 --> 00:50:00,960
to further explore the living quarters through a checking every

712
00:50:00,960 --> 00:50:04,559
lock box in supply case for anything we could possibly use.

713
00:50:05,920 --> 00:50:09,599
In most I found only medical supplies, and in the

714
00:50:09,679 --> 00:50:14,440
upper levels of the building two cannons along with fuses, gunpowder,

715
00:50:14,800 --> 00:50:19,320
and half a dozen cannon balls. However, as I further

716
00:50:19,440 --> 00:50:23,039
explored the upper areas, I found a metal lock box that,

717
00:50:23,719 --> 00:50:26,320
after breaking the h lock with the bottom my revolver,

718
00:50:27,280 --> 00:50:31,719
held two flare pistols within. Each one has a single

719
00:50:31,760 --> 00:50:36,199
flare already loaded inside, with no sign of additional flares nearby.

720
00:50:37,400 --> 00:50:40,280
I showed them to Moretti and the others, who agreed

721
00:50:40,320 --> 00:50:42,679
that they should be stowed away to be used if

722
00:50:42,719 --> 00:50:45,320
any sign of life was spotted in the desert below.

723
00:50:46,559 --> 00:50:49,679
These may be what end up saving our hides, Tally said.

724
00:50:52,000 --> 00:50:54,880
The sun is setting now, and with the descent of

725
00:50:54,920 --> 00:50:58,800
the orange, almost blood red sun over the horizon, it

726
00:50:58,840 --> 00:51:02,039
feels like whatever say we felt in the daylight is

727
00:51:02,079 --> 00:51:08,280
disappearing before my very eyes. I pray we make it

728
00:51:08,280 --> 00:51:17,159
through the night. Friday, fourth of July nineteen fifty two.

729
00:51:17,800 --> 00:51:21,519
The screams. I find it a struggle to put ink

730
00:51:21,559 --> 00:51:24,840
to paper the abject horror and shock that I feel

731
00:51:24,880 --> 00:51:28,840
this morning. But I must, if only to try and

732
00:51:28,920 --> 00:51:32,639
help reserve the fleeting sanity that almost seems to precariously

733
00:51:32,679 --> 00:51:37,360
cling to me. Last night, Soron and I were tasked

734
00:51:37,440 --> 00:51:40,920
with taking the first watch patrolling the halls and rooms

735
00:51:41,239 --> 00:51:44,360
until half past one in the morning, when we would

736
00:51:44,440 --> 00:51:48,800
rouse and be relieved by Moretti and Koren. Sarren carried

737
00:51:48,800 --> 00:51:54,519
the shotgun while I remained with my pistol. Slowly, silently,

738
00:51:55,079 --> 00:51:59,199
we moved through the building, occasionally convening to confirm no

739
00:51:59,239 --> 00:52:02,159
sign of trouble, and poking our heads into the bunk

740
00:52:02,239 --> 00:52:05,719
room to check on the others. The only sound that

741
00:52:05,800 --> 00:52:09,320
could be heard, aside from the whistling wind and creaking

742
00:52:09,400 --> 00:52:12,519
of the ancient building, was the soft ticking of the

743
00:52:12,559 --> 00:52:16,719
watch on my wrist, its unstoppable march, seeming to bring

744
00:52:16,840 --> 00:52:22,320
a little comfort to me. That was when I heard it.

745
00:52:25,239 --> 00:52:29,280
At first, I couldn't identify the sound. It was too

746
00:52:29,320 --> 00:52:32,320
far off in the distance and too muffled to properly

747
00:52:32,400 --> 00:52:36,519
make out. It barely carried on the wind, almost being

748
00:52:36,559 --> 00:52:41,039
whisked away completely. But as the moments spilled over into minutes,

749
00:52:41,719 --> 00:52:46,159
I realized that it was slowly growing louder, which meant

750
00:52:46,440 --> 00:52:52,960
whenever it was, it was getting closer. Feeling my heart

751
00:52:52,960 --> 00:52:55,920
begin to raise in my chest, I raised my revolver

752
00:52:56,239 --> 00:52:59,880
and pulled back the hammer, my eyes straining to sea

753
00:53:00,079 --> 00:53:04,480
in the darkness. The sound continued to increase in volume,

754
00:53:05,000 --> 00:53:09,239
and for a moment I froze. For a moment I'd

755
00:53:09,239 --> 00:53:13,840
almost recognized it. A shiver passed through me as I

756
00:53:13,880 --> 00:53:16,719
gripped the window sill tightly in one hand, the other

757
00:53:16,800 --> 00:53:19,880
shaking slightly as I aimed the gun into the black.

758
00:53:21,760 --> 00:53:26,760
That was when a hand fell on my shoulder. I

759
00:53:26,800 --> 00:53:30,000
nearly jumped out of my skin, whirling around a fine

760
00:53:30,079 --> 00:53:33,760
sorens standing beside me, the shotgun raised toward the ceiling

761
00:53:33,800 --> 00:53:36,760
in his free hand and an intense look upon his face.

762
00:53:38,360 --> 00:53:43,079
He looked at me. I hear it too, he said, simply,

763
00:53:43,639 --> 00:53:48,920
in response to my unspoken question. For another moment, the

764
00:53:48,920 --> 00:53:51,960
two of us stood there, straining our ears as we

765
00:53:52,079 --> 00:53:55,480
held by the window. The sound continued to grow nearer,

766
00:53:55,960 --> 00:54:00,639
and I felt another shiver pass through me. I couldn't

767
00:54:00,679 --> 00:54:06,400
understand why, but I almost swore I recognized the sound. Finally,

768
00:54:06,760 --> 00:54:12,760
I whispered back to Saron, what is there? He remained

769
00:54:12,760 --> 00:54:15,760
silent for another moment or so. Then I saw his

770
00:54:15,880 --> 00:54:20,639
face go slightly pale in recognition, his expression changing from

771
00:54:20,719 --> 00:54:29,679
stone to clearly unnerved screaming. There was another stretch of

772
00:54:29,760 --> 00:54:34,039
silence between us as we both strained our ears. I

773
00:54:34,119 --> 00:54:37,519
prayed for a moment that he was wrong, But as

774
00:54:37,559 --> 00:54:40,480
the wind fell for a moment, I felt the blood

775
00:54:40,559 --> 00:54:44,079
in my veins turned to ice as it came again clear.

776
00:54:44,159 --> 00:54:50,840
This time it was indeed screaming. What's more, the sauce

777
00:54:51,400 --> 00:54:56,840
was unmistakably human. I had heard far too many men

778
00:54:56,880 --> 00:55:00,559
to count scream on the battlefield during the war. Heard

779
00:55:00,599 --> 00:55:03,320
men shriek their last after they had stepped on a

780
00:55:03,360 --> 00:55:07,159
land mine and lay blown apart and rapidly bleeding out

781
00:55:07,199 --> 00:55:09,719
on the ground with it too dangerous to try and

782
00:55:09,760 --> 00:55:13,360
retrieve them. I heard the screams of captured Germans and

783
00:55:13,400 --> 00:55:17,559
the bunkers as operatives went to work extracting information on them.

784
00:55:18,840 --> 00:55:25,159
These screams not only rivaled them, but surpassed them. They

785
00:55:25,159 --> 00:55:28,480
were the most horrible, panicked, and pained sounds I had

786
00:55:28,480 --> 00:55:33,440
ever heard a human being utter. It sounded nothing less

787
00:55:33,639 --> 00:55:37,199
than if the screamer were being flayed alive, feeling every

788
00:55:37,239 --> 00:55:41,519
single cut and peel of their skin, and then their terror.

789
00:55:41,559 --> 00:55:46,679
I felt compounded as the second rose up a second scream,

790
00:55:47,039 --> 00:55:51,559
one which rose and fell beside the first, occasionally overlapping it,

791
00:55:52,000 --> 00:55:54,440
until it sounded as though we were hearing the damned

792
00:55:54,480 --> 00:55:59,400
souls of hell itself crying out for release. His eyes

793
00:55:59,480 --> 00:56:03,639
wide saw and turned to me and said only three words,

794
00:56:05,679 --> 00:56:11,360
roused the others. Soon we were all standing by the window,

795
00:56:12,079 --> 00:56:15,440
every expression a mirror of fear on the other as

796
00:56:15,480 --> 00:56:19,280
we listened to the infernal sound that now almost sounded

797
00:56:19,360 --> 00:56:21,519
as if it were coming from just beyond the sealed

798
00:56:21,559 --> 00:56:25,639
front doors of the fort. Blake clasped a hand over

799
00:56:25,679 --> 00:56:29,519
her mouth, closing her eyes and leaning against me. I

800
00:56:29,559 --> 00:56:32,679
wrapped an arm protectively around her, pulling her close to me.

801
00:56:32,840 --> 00:56:36,480
As I looked at the others. Karin looked as though

802
00:56:36,519 --> 00:56:41,119
he were about to faint from terror. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

803
00:56:41,599 --> 00:56:46,480
He breathed. I saw Tarie swallow hard. But it was

804
00:56:46,519 --> 00:56:50,079
a look that swept across Maurette's face that drew my attention.

805
00:56:51,559 --> 00:56:55,719
It was one of recognition. He fought to find his

806
00:56:55,840 --> 00:57:00,239
voice for a moment, then softly spoke. His voice was

807
00:57:00,320 --> 00:57:08,440
lost to the shrieks outside sameir. Everyone turned to look

808
00:57:08,440 --> 00:57:11,840
at him. At this single word he uttered, I felt

809
00:57:11,840 --> 00:57:16,760
a small wave of confusion wash over me. Then, if possible,

810
00:57:17,360 --> 00:57:20,760
I saw Soren's face grow even paler than it already was.

811
00:57:22,480 --> 00:57:27,239
God Almighty that is sameir and that other scream. I

812
00:57:27,280 --> 00:57:29,800
remember how Ricty yelled as he broke his angle a

813
00:57:29,800 --> 00:57:35,159
few years ago. That's him. Fresh ways of horror rolled

814
00:57:35,159 --> 00:57:38,360
over us like the sea as the information sunk in.

815
00:57:40,079 --> 00:57:42,320
I had been on the same expedition with the two

816
00:57:42,440 --> 00:57:45,559
men when Richta had broken his ankle climbing a rock.

817
00:57:46,599 --> 00:57:49,400
I prayed to the God. I hoped was listening that

818
00:57:49,480 --> 00:57:53,960
they were wrong, But in my bones I knew they weren't.

819
00:57:55,199 --> 00:57:57,639
I knew we were hearing the screams of our two

820
00:57:57,760 --> 00:58:02,599
lost compatriots. Tally suddenly began to turn towards the stairs

821
00:58:02,719 --> 00:58:06,000
to the lower floor, yanking his own pistol from his holster.

822
00:58:07,360 --> 00:58:10,800
We have to help them, he yelled, beginning to sprint away.

823
00:58:12,079 --> 00:58:15,400
Just as quickly, Sorron and Moretti began to chase after him,

824
00:58:15,519 --> 00:58:19,320
telling him to wait, Still holding on to Blake, I

825
00:58:19,400 --> 00:58:23,639
jerked my head for Carran to follow, and hurried after them.

826
00:58:24,000 --> 00:58:27,920
When we descended the stairs, we found Soren restraining Tally,

827
00:58:28,519 --> 00:58:31,480
his face enraged in the flickering light of the lamp above.

828
00:58:32,599 --> 00:58:35,639
Like go of me, damn you, he yelled, attempting to

829
00:58:35,719 --> 00:58:39,519
kick the larger man to free himself. Moretti leaned forward

830
00:58:39,559 --> 00:58:43,880
towards him. Ucy brain, your stupid fool. There's a reason

831
00:58:43,920 --> 00:58:47,360
why it's coming from just outside the fort. It They

832
00:58:47,960 --> 00:58:50,480
whoever or whatever he's out there, wants us to go

833
00:58:50,559 --> 00:58:55,960
out there. It's a trap. Tally kicked at Sorn again,

834
00:58:56,360 --> 00:59:00,519
but this time it was weaker. I don't know that,

835
00:59:01,159 --> 00:59:05,000
he protested. They could have fought their way back. Sorren

836
00:59:05,039 --> 00:59:09,480
shook his head after what Liam and the others found. No,

837
00:59:09,639 --> 00:59:14,639
they couldn't, especially not after two days. I'm sorry, mister Tally,

838
00:59:15,159 --> 00:59:18,960
but Alessandro's right. They are counting on our emotions to

839
00:59:19,000 --> 00:59:22,000
get the better of us. It's designed to lure us

840
00:59:22,039 --> 00:59:26,559
out into the open. Tally closed his eyes and turned

841
00:59:26,559 --> 00:59:29,400
his head away, almost in denial of what I had

842
00:59:29,440 --> 00:59:33,159
realized was true myself. But I could see the words

843
00:59:33,199 --> 00:59:39,559
sinking in. He slowly slumped Sorren, releasing the man and

844
00:59:39,679 --> 00:59:42,840
allowing him to crumple to the ground, pulling his knees

845
00:59:42,880 --> 00:59:47,280
towards him and wrapping his arms around them. Standing in

846
00:59:47,320 --> 00:59:50,840
the narrow hall, we all listened to the screaming of

847
00:59:50,920 --> 00:59:55,199
our two friends continue outside for a few minutes. Then,

848
00:59:55,519 --> 00:59:57,519
as he began to feel as though the sounds would

849
00:59:57,559 --> 01:00:01,280
drive us all mad. They Slowly he began to move away.

850
01:00:02,360 --> 01:00:05,719
The screaming grew fainter, the sound of the wind beginning

851
01:00:05,719 --> 01:00:10,320
to mask it again, until finally he couldn't hear it

852
01:00:10,599 --> 01:00:17,840
at all. For a moment, nobody moved. I glanced at

853
01:00:17,840 --> 01:00:20,400
my watch, seeing that it was a quarter to three

854
01:00:20,480 --> 01:00:24,360
in the morning. I hadn't realized how long the terrifying

855
01:00:24,440 --> 01:00:30,559
ordeal had really lasted. Finally, Tally stood up. He refused

856
01:00:30,599 --> 01:00:34,920
to meet any other eyes, and slunk back upstairs. Karen

857
01:00:35,000 --> 01:00:38,440
followed closely behind him. I felt a sense of worry

858
01:00:38,519 --> 01:00:41,639
at what I saw in the second man's eyes. The

859
01:00:41,719 --> 01:00:45,320
look was akin to one a cornered animal. Weares, and

860
01:00:45,440 --> 01:00:49,760
revealed that he was close to the edge. Soon all

861
01:00:49,800 --> 01:00:53,599
of us had returned to the upper levels, Moretti relieving

862
01:00:53,639 --> 01:00:56,519
me of my watch and ordering me to try and rest.

863
01:00:57,880 --> 01:01:00,239
But sleep is the last thing I feel I could

864
01:01:00,280 --> 01:01:03,360
obtain right now, not when the horror of what we'd

865
01:01:03,360 --> 01:01:07,880
experienced is still so fresh in my mind. Blake has

866
01:01:07,880 --> 01:01:11,159
somehow managed to drift back off, though I can tell

867
01:01:11,159 --> 01:01:14,280
her dreams at nightmares by how she moans and wriggles

868
01:01:14,280 --> 01:01:18,599
and are caught, so I write, not knowing what else

869
01:01:18,679 --> 01:01:22,159
to do. I pray for the rising sun to come

870
01:01:22,239 --> 01:01:25,639
soon and banish away the small taste of hell that

871
01:01:25,719 --> 01:01:31,880
I witnessed to night. One last thing I only noticed

872
01:01:32,000 --> 01:01:35,760
once we returned from upstairs. But not once during the

873
01:01:35,920 --> 01:01:40,320
entire ordeal did Tarrek join us. I only saw him

874
01:01:40,360 --> 01:01:43,679
when we returned upstairs, peeking out from the closet to

875
01:01:43,719 --> 01:01:47,320
stare at us with wide eyes. The look on his

876
01:01:47,400 --> 01:01:50,480
face is when I remember well from the medical tents,

877
01:01:51,039 --> 01:01:54,320
on the faces of wounded soldiers who knew they were

878
01:01:54,360 --> 01:01:58,199
about to die. It was the look of a man

879
01:01:59,320 --> 01:02:09,960
who was resigned himself to his fate. Saturday, fifth of

880
01:02:10,079 --> 01:02:16,159
July nineteen fifty two, whatever lives in these god forsaken mountains,

881
01:02:16,840 --> 01:02:19,079
it will not allow us to make a call for help.

882
01:02:20,159 --> 01:02:24,400
Blake finished repairing both the radio and telegraphed today. For

883
01:02:24,480 --> 01:02:27,760
a few moments, we clung to a tiny scrap of relief,

884
01:02:28,199 --> 01:02:31,840
like a shipwrecked victim to a life ring. We crowded

885
01:02:31,840 --> 01:02:34,239
around her as she began to send a distress call,

886
01:02:34,719 --> 01:02:41,000
tuning to the proper frequency. Something answered us, but not

887
01:02:41,280 --> 01:02:45,360
what we had hoped. Almost as soon as she hit

888
01:02:45,400 --> 01:02:50,480
the transmit button, A sound spilled from the speakers. At

889
01:02:50,480 --> 01:02:53,800
first it was too soft to make out, but soon

890
01:02:53,880 --> 01:03:02,239
grew in intensity until we could clearly recognize it. Whisper voices,

891
01:03:02,679 --> 01:03:06,239
dozens of them or more, all whispering in a language

892
01:03:06,440 --> 01:03:11,280
none of us could ascertain or understand. It was not Arabic.

893
01:03:12,280 --> 01:03:14,840
I doubt it a language any human has spoken in

894
01:03:14,840 --> 01:03:19,840
a millennia, if ever at all. The sound made chill

895
01:03:19,920 --> 01:03:23,639
after chill shoot up my spine. I could see horrified

896
01:03:23,679 --> 01:03:28,639
looks in the other's faces. The whispering continued, soon joined

897
01:03:28,679 --> 01:03:33,159
by screaming, and I swear I heard some Mirra and

898
01:03:33,280 --> 01:03:37,119
Richter's screams among the others, the same screams we heard

899
01:03:37,119 --> 01:03:42,199
the other night. Finally, the radio just seemed to die completely,

900
01:03:43,039 --> 01:03:47,000
the glowing dial dimming to black. No matter how much

901
01:03:47,039 --> 01:03:49,960
Blake fiddled with it, she couldn't get it to turn

902
01:03:50,000 --> 01:03:54,559
on again. And no sooner had she turned to the telegraph,

903
01:03:54,960 --> 01:03:57,119
using Morse code to type out an S O S,

904
01:03:57,559 --> 01:04:02,119
than we received an answer far than anyone could possibly respond.

905
01:04:03,639 --> 01:04:06,760
I remember the look of confusion on her face as

906
01:04:06,760 --> 01:04:09,519
she reached out and pulled the small piece of paper

907
01:04:09,519 --> 01:04:12,639
from the machine, raising it to her eyes and reading it.

908
01:04:14,039 --> 01:04:16,679
When she lowered it, she looked to be on the

909
01:04:16,800 --> 01:04:22,719
verge of tears. What does it say, Moretti asked her gently.

910
01:04:24,559 --> 01:04:31,159
She took a moment before answering, swallowing hard, no saving.

911
01:04:35,039 --> 01:04:39,760
I find myself terrified now, not just for my life,

912
01:04:40,360 --> 01:04:49,360
but my very soul. Sunday, sixth of July nineteen fifty two,

913
01:04:50,360 --> 01:04:54,960
Soren is gone. I was roused shortly before dawn by Moretti,

914
01:04:55,480 --> 01:04:58,039
who gazed down at me with an expression which shocked me.

915
01:04:59,280 --> 01:05:03,760
Throughout the entire ordeal, the man had attempted to remain calm.

916
01:05:04,280 --> 01:05:07,159
Now as he pulled me to my feet, I found

917
01:05:07,159 --> 01:05:11,639
myself staring at an almost panicked face. Trying to keep

918
01:05:11,639 --> 01:05:14,599
his voice level. He explained that when he had not

919
01:05:14,679 --> 01:05:17,960
seen Soren crossing his path after doing so thrice before,

920
01:05:18,480 --> 01:05:21,719
he had gone looking for the man. He discovered the

921
01:05:21,760 --> 01:05:24,679
shotgun leaning against the wall near one of the cannons,

922
01:05:25,079 --> 01:05:29,519
with no sign of him at all. What's worse, as

923
01:05:29,559 --> 01:05:33,039
there was not a single sign of a struggle. It

924
01:05:33,119 --> 01:05:35,679
was as if it had been ambushed and simply lifted

925
01:05:35,760 --> 01:05:38,360
up and out of the world, with neary a splash

926
01:05:38,400 --> 01:05:41,920
of blood or a scream. He handed me the shotgun,

927
01:05:42,360 --> 01:05:46,159
asking me to help secure the building with him. Quickly,

928
01:05:46,480 --> 01:05:48,639
and with the worried eyes of the others turning on

929
01:05:48,760 --> 01:05:51,880
us as they awoke, we swept through the living quarters,

930
01:05:52,320 --> 01:05:56,719
our guns at the ready and eyes darting around. To

931
01:05:56,760 --> 01:05:59,920
my dismay, we discovered that the door to the court

932
01:06:00,119 --> 01:06:04,360
yard was still bolted from the inside, indicating that Siren

933
01:06:04,519 --> 01:06:08,679
hadn't walked out, which meant whatever had happened to him

934
01:06:09,239 --> 01:06:14,840
had happened in here. Every shadow cast by the flickering

935
01:06:14,880 --> 01:06:20,239
candles and lamps now seemed threatening whatever safety we felt inside,

936
01:06:20,280 --> 01:06:24,119
torn away like a favorite blanket from a child. I

937
01:06:24,199 --> 01:06:26,280
wanted to say my eyes were playing tricks on me,

938
01:06:27,079 --> 01:06:30,039
but I fear that as I moved through the living quarters,

939
01:06:30,519 --> 01:06:34,559
my eyes occasionally would spy something moving swiftly and silently

940
01:06:34,800 --> 01:06:38,280
among the rafters over our heads, only stopping for a

941
01:06:38,360 --> 01:06:43,559
moment to watch us before darting out of sight. When

942
01:06:43,639 --> 01:06:47,480
storm broke, and despite the door being locked, we left

943
01:06:47,480 --> 01:06:52,239
the living quarters and moved out into the courtyard. We

944
01:06:52,280 --> 01:06:55,039
still found no trace of the man, and the front

945
01:06:55,039 --> 01:06:59,280
doors were still barricaded. We made a quick pass through

946
01:06:59,280 --> 01:07:04,000
the armory, still finding nothing, before quickly stopping to refill

947
01:07:04,039 --> 01:07:09,000
our canteens. While water is obviously not an issue, we

948
01:07:09,039 --> 01:07:13,639
will soon begin running low on food. But I fear

949
01:07:14,960 --> 01:07:24,760
it is not starvation that will be the end of us. Sunday,

950
01:07:25,239 --> 01:07:30,199
sixth of July nineteen fifty two, A dendem. The scream

951
01:07:30,320 --> 01:07:34,599
is back. There came just after nightfall. It is still

952
01:07:34,599 --> 01:07:38,559
some here and read to screams, sounding almost exactly as before,

953
01:07:40,239 --> 01:07:47,199
only now I hear sorens, deep cateuro cries among them. God,

954
01:07:47,760 --> 01:07:50,400
I don't want to die here. I don't want my

955
01:07:50,480 --> 01:07:59,199
fate to be whatever theirs are now. Monday, seventh of

956
01:07:59,280 --> 01:08:06,760
July nineteen fifty two, Tarek is dead. At first, when

957
01:08:06,760 --> 01:08:10,920
we awoke, nothing new seemed out of place. The same

958
01:08:11,000 --> 01:08:14,280
creaking of the building could be heard, but nothing more

959
01:08:14,360 --> 01:08:17,399
screamed of the change. Until I went to try and

960
01:08:17,439 --> 01:08:21,199
bring the Algerians and water and food. I found the

961
01:08:21,199 --> 01:08:25,119
door to the supply closets standing wide open, and when

962
01:08:25,119 --> 01:08:32,000
I peered inside it was empty. Feeling tensions suddenly erupt

963
01:08:32,039 --> 01:08:35,239
from my body, I turned and began calling for the man,

964
01:08:35,600 --> 01:08:38,600
attracting the attention of Moretti and Tally, who were on

965
01:08:38,640 --> 01:08:42,840
their patrols. Once I showed them the empty closet. The

966
01:08:42,920 --> 01:08:45,880
three of us found out, all calling the man's name,

967
01:08:46,720 --> 01:08:49,760
and Moretti calling out what had to be soothing words

968
01:08:49,760 --> 01:08:54,439
in Arabic, but there was no response at all, aside

969
01:08:54,439 --> 01:08:57,279
from the confused calls of Korin and Blake as they

970
01:08:57,319 --> 01:09:02,000
awoke and joined us. That was when I saw the

971
01:09:02,079 --> 01:09:06,199
open front door. The sight of the living room stoor

972
01:09:06,279 --> 01:09:09,960
hanging wide open, gently waving in the breeze, and showing

973
01:09:10,000 --> 01:09:13,640
the sand outside, the sun just beginning to spread across

974
01:09:13,680 --> 01:09:17,760
it filled me with a sense of dread. Quickly I

975
01:09:17,840 --> 01:09:21,279
called the others, and after a quick discussion, Moretti and

976
01:09:21,319 --> 01:09:24,600
I moved outside. More tally closed and bolted the door

977
01:09:24,680 --> 01:09:28,640
behind us. Me instantly spotted a set of footprints in

978
01:09:28,720 --> 01:09:31,920
the sand, moving away from the building out into the

979
01:09:31,920 --> 01:09:36,399
center of the courtyard. We followed them, seeing that they'd

980
01:09:36,399 --> 01:09:39,239
stopped near the steps of the armory, as if the

981
01:09:39,279 --> 01:09:43,039
man had contemplated running to it, before turning and headed

982
01:09:43,079 --> 01:09:46,960
towards the front doors of the fort itself. Even from

983
01:09:47,000 --> 01:09:49,720
here I could see the board had been pulled down

984
01:09:50,800 --> 01:09:53,760
it now lay haphazardly on the ground, and one of

985
01:09:53,840 --> 01:09:58,000
the great wooden doors had been pulled slightly open gripping

986
01:09:58,079 --> 01:10:00,520
the shot un tightly. The two of us moved and

987
01:10:00,600 --> 01:10:06,039
looked outside. Nothing moved in the stillness, and beside the wind,

988
01:10:06,479 --> 01:10:10,600
no sound could be heard. I looked to him and

989
01:10:10,680 --> 01:10:15,279
he gave a short nod before stepping outside. Instantly I

990
01:10:15,319 --> 01:10:19,479
felt far more vulnerable with other buildings around me, just

991
01:10:19,520 --> 01:10:21,760
as when I had gone looking for Samir and Richt.

992
01:10:22,560 --> 01:10:26,079
My hands turned cold and clammy, and I nervously eyed

993
01:10:26,119 --> 01:10:30,920
the still, shadowy areas around us. Every sense was unalert.

994
01:10:32,119 --> 01:10:35,920
We followed the man's footprints as they continued forward, and

995
01:10:35,960 --> 01:10:39,159
with a sinking feeling, I realized that they were heading

996
01:10:39,199 --> 01:10:42,479
for the edge of the cliff. Moretti seemed to have

997
01:10:42,520 --> 01:10:45,399
realized it as well, and I saw him intentively take

998
01:10:45,439 --> 01:10:48,359
a few steps forward, putting one hand on the rickety

999
01:10:48,399 --> 01:10:52,960
wooden rail and peering over the side. For a moment,

1000
01:10:53,159 --> 01:10:59,920
he said nothing, then he closed his eyes. What the hell?

1001
01:11:01,600 --> 01:11:05,239
Quickly I hurried to his side and looked over. A

1002
01:11:05,319 --> 01:11:08,800
small sense of vertigo overwhelmed me, and I felt dizzy

1003
01:11:08,920 --> 01:11:12,479
looking down at the straight drop. But I instantly spied

1004
01:11:12,560 --> 01:11:16,479
what the other man had seen. Tarrek's body lay far

1005
01:11:16,600 --> 01:11:20,359
below us. His arms and I explayed out in various directions,

1006
01:11:21,239 --> 01:11:25,560
bright crimson blood splashed out around his body. Even from

1007
01:11:25,560 --> 01:11:28,520
here I could tell he had not landed on the sand,

1008
01:11:29,039 --> 01:11:31,760
but had instead slammed into one of the boulders at

1009
01:11:31,800 --> 01:11:37,399
the base of the cliff. The man had jumped, only

1010
01:11:37,479 --> 01:11:41,479
taken his own life. I whispered a silent prayer for

1011
01:11:41,520 --> 01:11:44,199
the man, hoping that God would have mercy on him

1012
01:11:44,239 --> 01:11:48,760
for such a terrible sin. Then I looked at Moretti.

1013
01:11:49,560 --> 01:11:53,239
All he could do was shake his head as we

1014
01:11:53,279 --> 01:11:57,319
stood there attempting to process it all. The noise behind

1015
01:11:57,399 --> 01:12:01,520
us caused us to turn around the pit, batter of

1016
01:12:01,720 --> 01:12:08,439
sand and small loose rocks being shifted aside. Instantly, all

1017
01:12:08,520 --> 01:12:11,560
thoughts of Tarak vanished as the sensation of eyes on

1018
01:12:11,640 --> 01:12:16,359
us returned with a vengeance. Terror began coursing through my system,

1019
01:12:16,640 --> 01:12:21,439
and we aimed at just about everywhere possible. Nothing moved now,

1020
01:12:22,279 --> 01:12:26,039
but I knew he could feel us being observed being stalked.

1021
01:12:27,319 --> 01:12:29,880
Without delay, the two of us ran for the fort,

1022
01:12:30,319 --> 01:12:33,920
rushing inside and pushing the door closed before again setting

1023
01:12:33,920 --> 01:12:37,600
the barricade. Just as quickly as we moved to the

1024
01:12:37,640 --> 01:12:40,560
door to the living quarters, banging on it and yelling

1025
01:12:40,600 --> 01:12:45,039
to be let inside. To our relief, the door unbolted,

1026
01:12:45,520 --> 01:12:48,279
revealing the ashen face of Blake as she yanked the

1027
01:12:48,319 --> 01:12:52,600
door open. We hurried inside as she closed and redid

1028
01:12:52,640 --> 01:12:56,760
the lock. Before we could tell her what we had found,

1029
01:12:57,239 --> 01:13:01,319
she pointed back towards the hallway to the stairs. You

1030
01:13:01,399 --> 01:13:04,680
need to see this, she said, before leading the way

1031
01:13:04,800 --> 01:13:09,279
back towards the main bunk room. Moments later, we found

1032
01:13:09,319 --> 01:13:11,920
ourselves at the supply closet that Tarak had hidden in.

1033
01:13:12,880 --> 01:13:16,159
The Others crowded around it, and I noticed something I

1034
01:13:16,239 --> 01:13:20,720
hadn't before. In my haste to locate the man, I

1035
01:13:20,760 --> 01:13:24,479
hadn't noticed that using a small, sealed kind of black

1036
01:13:24,520 --> 01:13:28,199
paint and a brush which had been left inside, he

1037
01:13:28,239 --> 01:13:32,840
had written something hastily on the wall in Arabic. Dally

1038
01:13:32,920 --> 01:13:35,720
turned to Moretti, asking him if he could read it.

1039
01:13:37,960 --> 01:13:41,399
He stood in silence for a time, either unable or

1040
01:13:41,520 --> 01:13:49,039
unwilling to answer. Then he turned towards us, his face grim.

1041
01:13:49,319 --> 01:13:53,760
Roughly translated, it says that death is better than what

1042
01:13:53,960 --> 01:13:59,000
fate awaits those who are taken. It is dark now.

1043
01:14:00,159 --> 01:14:04,720
Night has fallen again, though mercifully the screaming is not returned.

1044
01:14:06,199 --> 01:14:09,239
All I can think as I sit here writing, is

1045
01:14:09,279 --> 01:14:12,279
that whatever lies out there, whatever watches us from the

1046
01:14:12,319 --> 01:14:15,640
shadows in here up in the rafters, that I now know,

1047
01:14:15,960 --> 01:14:20,000
isn't a trick of my eyes. It is slowly toying

1048
01:14:20,039 --> 01:14:23,760
with us and picking us off one by one. They

1049
01:14:23,800 --> 01:14:27,520
have taken our strongest members first, a strategic move that

1050
01:14:27,600 --> 01:14:31,880
reveals their intelligence, and drove possibly the only person in

1051
01:14:31,920 --> 01:14:35,119
our party with any knowledge about them, to the point

1052
01:14:35,159 --> 01:14:40,199
he chose to take his own life rather than face them.

1053
01:14:40,239 --> 01:14:46,680
Whenever they are they will not stop until we are

1054
01:14:46,720 --> 01:14:56,000
all dead. Tuesday, eighth of July nineteen fifty two, I

1055
01:14:56,039 --> 01:15:01,000
saw them. Dear, sweet merciful God, I wish I hadn't.

1056
01:15:01,880 --> 01:15:04,079
I wish I hadn't decided to take a torch with

1057
01:15:04,159 --> 01:15:06,279
me when I was roused by Tally to take a

1058
01:15:06,319 --> 01:15:09,760
second watch with Coran. I wish I'd ignored the urge

1059
01:15:09,760 --> 01:15:13,159
I'd had to turn and look out the window. I

1060
01:15:13,279 --> 01:15:19,039
wish so much, But if wishes were horses, it happened

1061
01:15:19,159 --> 01:15:22,000
just a little before four in the morning. I'd just

1062
01:15:22,039 --> 01:15:26,640
finished speaking briefly with Corn. Ever since yesterday I grow

1063
01:15:26,680 --> 01:15:30,039
more concerned for the medic. The man looked nearer and

1064
01:15:30,119 --> 01:15:33,640
nearer to insanity, and I fear with a loaded pistol

1065
01:15:34,119 --> 01:15:36,800
he may do something brash or violent if he snaps,

1066
01:15:37,600 --> 01:15:40,199
but he assured me that he was still her sane

1067
01:15:40,239 --> 01:15:43,600
as he could possibly be in such a situation. And

1068
01:15:43,640 --> 01:15:47,119
feeling somewhat relieved, I moved off to patrol the outer

1069
01:15:47,199 --> 01:15:51,640
hallways again. As I passed a window which looked out

1070
01:15:51,680 --> 01:15:56,560
over the courtyard, the ceaseless sensation of being watched suddenly spiked.

1071
01:15:57,720 --> 01:16:01,000
I felt the biggest shiver yet shoot up mysel, and

1072
01:16:01,079 --> 01:16:04,279
I reached down for my belt. I chosen to take

1073
01:16:04,319 --> 01:16:06,720
a torch with me to light up any dark corners.

1074
01:16:07,920 --> 01:16:10,760
I flicked it on, turning and aiming it out toward

1075
01:16:10,840 --> 01:16:16,000
the window, into the dark towards the armory, and I

1076
01:16:16,039 --> 01:16:21,800
saw it. It crouched almost felinelike on the roof of

1077
01:16:21,840 --> 01:16:25,119
the armory, arms and legs wrapped around a section of

1078
01:16:25,159 --> 01:16:29,199
stone for support. As my light fell upon it, it

1079
01:16:29,279 --> 01:16:33,079
looked towards me before quickly leaping out of sight, but

1080
01:16:33,119 --> 01:16:36,399
not before I had time to see the details. The

1081
01:16:36,439 --> 01:16:40,119
sunken eyes sunken so far back that it almost looked

1082
01:16:40,119 --> 01:16:44,359
as if it had none, the recessed nose almost entirely

1083
01:16:44,439 --> 01:16:48,239
erased from its face, the mouth filled with jagged, razor

1084
01:16:48,279 --> 01:16:52,720
sharp teeth I could easily tear a man apart. All

1085
01:16:52,760 --> 01:16:55,720
of this filled me with in existential horror I only

1086
01:16:55,720 --> 01:17:00,199
ever felt when hearing about hell during church sermons. It

1087
01:17:00,239 --> 01:17:03,520
was the one additional detail that slammed me like a

1088
01:17:03,560 --> 01:17:09,800
freight train, the torn, tattered, and decaying uniform that hung

1089
01:17:09,960 --> 01:17:14,479
of its emaciated body. It was a uniform I instantly

1090
01:17:14,520 --> 01:17:19,680
recognized I had seen an identical, albeit much more intact,

1091
01:17:19,720 --> 01:17:22,199
one on the corpse of the man in the armory jail,

1092
01:17:23,159 --> 01:17:25,800
the uniform won by the soldiers in the French Foreign

1093
01:17:25,880 --> 01:17:29,920
Legion during the First World War and into the nineteen thirties.

1094
01:17:31,920 --> 01:17:35,760
As my mind scrambled to process the information, another shape

1095
01:17:35,840 --> 01:17:39,199
darted in view of my torch beam, and this one

1096
01:17:39,279 --> 01:17:42,920
nearly caused me to scream, because it wore a different,

1097
01:17:43,760 --> 01:17:48,560
much fresher uniform, the same one that Richter had won

1098
01:17:48,800 --> 01:17:52,960
when he set off with Samir that day. It is

1099
01:17:53,039 --> 01:17:56,720
midday now as I write this, I've not told anybody

1100
01:17:56,760 --> 01:18:01,319
what I have seen. I know I must, and yet

1101
01:18:02,680 --> 01:18:07,319
I cannot. I cannot bear to share the horrible truth

1102
01:18:07,359 --> 01:18:11,000
that I now know what Tarek almost certainly knew and

1103
01:18:11,079 --> 01:18:13,640
what made him choose death by his own hand over it.

1104
01:18:14,760 --> 01:18:16,960
Even though I now know that none of us will

1105
01:18:17,039 --> 01:18:19,840
leave this mountain alive, I feel that it would be

1106
01:18:19,880 --> 01:18:23,880
too cruel for them to know those things out there.

1107
01:18:24,720 --> 01:18:26,880
They may have been hidden in this mountain for lord

1108
01:18:26,960 --> 01:18:31,520
knows how long. When the fort was first built centuries ago.

1109
01:18:31,720 --> 01:18:34,720
They may have watched as it was constructed with the

1110
01:18:34,800 --> 01:18:37,960
horrible part about them was that when they came for them,

1111
01:18:38,520 --> 01:18:41,159
the same as they came for the French soldiers stationed

1112
01:18:41,199 --> 01:18:45,399
here decades ago, as well as the rescue party, is

1113
01:18:45,439 --> 01:18:48,720
that they did not kill them. They did not devour them.

1114
01:18:49,239 --> 01:18:52,560
As horrific a fate as that might have been, it

1115
01:18:52,560 --> 01:18:56,880
would have been a mercy in comparison. They dragged them

1116
01:18:56,920 --> 01:19:02,760
off and they changed them. They somehow turned them into

1117
01:19:02,800 --> 01:19:06,000
more of their own. And they have done the same

1118
01:19:06,039 --> 01:19:09,880
thing to those of our team who they took samir,

1119
01:19:10,279 --> 01:19:14,399
Ricter and Soeign. That's why the screams we heard always

1120
01:19:14,439 --> 01:19:17,920
came back, because even though they're not the same men anymore,

1121
01:19:18,439 --> 01:19:22,439
they're not even human anymore. Their souls have been stripped away,

1122
01:19:23,079 --> 01:19:26,239
leaving what I can only describe as demons spewing from

1123
01:19:26,279 --> 01:19:29,720
the mouth of Hell itself to wear their bodies. They

1124
01:19:29,720 --> 01:19:32,680
still retain enough for their intelligence to know how to

1125
01:19:32,760 --> 01:19:36,000
lure others to them, like a dock hunter with a

1126
01:19:36,039 --> 01:19:40,680
call to draw their prey out into the open. Tally

1127
01:19:40,760 --> 01:19:42,520
says he wants to try and use one of the

1128
01:19:42,520 --> 01:19:46,920
flair pistols to signal anyone who might be nearby. I

1129
01:19:46,960 --> 01:19:49,279
haven't had the heart to tell him that even if

1130
01:19:49,319 --> 01:19:53,520
anyone human is nearby, they know better than to approach

1131
01:19:53,560 --> 01:19:58,520
this place. They know it is cursed. It is only

1132
01:19:58,600 --> 01:20:01,720
a matter of time before they for the rest of us,

1133
01:20:02,439 --> 01:20:11,479
God of Mercy, and all of our souls. Wednesday, ninth

1134
01:20:11,479 --> 01:20:17,199
of July nineteen fifty two, These will be the final words. However,

1135
01:20:17,359 --> 01:20:21,079
right the others are all gone, and I'm the only

1136
01:20:21,119 --> 01:20:25,159
one who remains. Night is coming fast, and if I

1137
01:20:25,159 --> 01:20:28,640
do not act quickly, I know they will return for

1138
01:20:28,720 --> 01:20:32,399
me as well. So even if nobody finds this journal

1139
01:20:32,399 --> 01:20:35,359
of mine, I feel I must put to paper how

1140
01:20:35,399 --> 01:20:38,439
it ended, if nothing more than to serve as a

1141
01:20:38,479 --> 01:20:41,319
warning for anyone who hears the tale of this accursed

1142
01:20:41,359 --> 01:20:45,680
place and finds themselves one part brave, two parts full

1143
01:20:45,800 --> 01:20:49,680
to try and reach it. What awoke us was not

1144
01:20:49,760 --> 01:20:52,960
the hellspawne that lay in wait for us. It was

1145
01:20:53,000 --> 01:20:58,000
the sound of arguing, of babbling, screams, and finally, the

1146
01:20:58,000 --> 01:21:00,439
sound of a weapon of some sort being dis charged.

1147
01:21:02,000 --> 01:21:04,199
I remember the look on Blake's face as she awoke,

1148
01:21:04,560 --> 01:21:08,479
looking at me with wide doll like eyes. I snatched

1149
01:21:08,479 --> 01:21:11,319
at the shotgun from beside me, seeing Maretti pulling his

1150
01:21:11,399 --> 01:21:14,119
pistol from his waistbend as he shot to his feet

1151
01:21:15,439 --> 01:21:18,880
in unison. We sprinted for the hallway outside the bunk room,

1152
01:21:20,479 --> 01:21:24,720
and we opened it. It was to a truly grisly sight.

1153
01:21:26,359 --> 01:21:29,640
Tally lay on his back on the floor. The shocked

1154
01:21:29,680 --> 01:21:33,239
look was permanently affixed to his face, his wide eyes

1155
01:21:33,319 --> 01:21:37,560
glassy and forever staring at the ceiling. The sparks from

1156
01:21:37,600 --> 01:21:39,800
the flare that had been shot into his mouth still

1157
01:21:39,840 --> 01:21:44,000
skewed from inside, the horrific smell of buying flesh filling

1158
01:21:44,039 --> 01:21:48,039
the hallway. Standing in front of him, still pointing the

1159
01:21:48,079 --> 01:21:53,960
flare gun was caring. When he turned towards us, I

1160
01:21:54,079 --> 01:21:58,079
instantly knew that the man had snapped. An insane grin

1161
01:21:58,239 --> 01:22:01,239
was plastered on his face, and his eyes flew about

1162
01:22:01,319 --> 01:22:05,640
in the sockets Instantly, Moretti and I raised their weapons,

1163
01:22:06,279 --> 01:22:09,640
but before anything could be done, Korin had shoved past

1164
01:22:09,720 --> 01:22:13,199
us and raced down the stairs. We heard him unbolt

1165
01:22:13,199 --> 01:22:16,479
the front door, and running to the windows, saw him

1166
01:22:16,520 --> 01:22:20,600
sprint across the courtyard to the armory, disappearing down the stairs.

1167
01:22:21,760 --> 01:22:24,640
A moment later we heard the faint sound of the

1168
01:22:24,680 --> 01:22:31,560
door slamming shut. Nobody could speak. When I turned back,

1169
01:22:31,920 --> 01:22:34,479
he was to find Blake standing over the body of

1170
01:22:34,520 --> 01:22:39,359
our sponsor, unable to stop crying. Quickly, I raced to

1171
01:22:39,399 --> 01:22:42,680
her and embraced her, allowing her tears to soak my shirt.

1172
01:22:44,119 --> 01:22:47,439
After a few minutes, her crying had reduced the sniffles,

1173
01:22:47,840 --> 01:22:50,880
and she pulled back, wiping her nose with her shirt sleeve.

1174
01:22:52,199 --> 01:22:55,640
I look to Moretti. The man looked beside himself with

1175
01:22:55,760 --> 01:23:00,079
shock and confusion. He hadn't realized how close to the

1176
01:23:00,199 --> 01:23:04,359
edge his medic had been. Then he regained his composure,

1177
01:23:04,760 --> 01:23:07,279
looking towards me with a steely edge in his eyes.

1178
01:23:08,359 --> 01:23:14,039
When he spoke, his voice was deadly, calm. We have

1179
01:23:14,119 --> 01:23:18,279
to go after him. I was unsure as to why,

1180
01:23:19,279 --> 01:23:22,920
after murdering our sponsor, the man wanted to pursue him,

1181
01:23:23,199 --> 01:23:26,119
whether for a twisted sort of retribution, or a sense

1182
01:23:26,119 --> 01:23:29,479
of duty to those under his leadership even in such

1183
01:23:29,560 --> 01:23:33,079
extreme cases. I'll never know, but I didn't dare argue

1184
01:23:33,079 --> 01:23:37,039
with him. I knelt down, gently, prying the pistol from

1185
01:23:37,039 --> 01:23:39,840
Telly's hand and trying not to look at his face.

1186
01:23:41,439 --> 01:23:45,399
Standing up, I handed it to her. Can you fire

1187
01:23:45,399 --> 01:23:49,479
a gun? She looked at me and nodded, after a moment,

1188
01:23:50,800 --> 01:23:54,359
nodding in return. I quickly retreated back to the bunk room,

1189
01:23:54,720 --> 01:23:57,359
picking up the pack with the still held shotgun shells

1190
01:23:57,640 --> 01:24:02,039
and slinging it over my shoulder, Returning at the others,

1191
01:24:02,239 --> 01:24:05,880
and together we headed downstairs and out the front door.

1192
01:24:08,319 --> 01:24:11,319
The wind howled as fiercely as a banshee as we

1193
01:24:11,399 --> 01:24:14,640
made our way across the courtyard, all three of our

1194
01:24:14,640 --> 01:24:18,439
guns shifting around aim I remembered what I had seen

1195
01:24:18,439 --> 01:24:22,600
the night before and felt my muscle's tents gaze shifting

1196
01:24:22,600 --> 01:24:25,039
to the tops of the ridges high above the fort.

1197
01:24:26,479 --> 01:24:29,279
I felt I would see the demons climbing quickly down

1198
01:24:29,359 --> 01:24:37,119
towards us. Thankfully, I saw nothing. Reaching the steps. We

1199
01:24:37,199 --> 01:24:39,800
descended to the front door of the armory and found

1200
01:24:39,800 --> 01:24:45,000
it unlocked. Stepping inside, the gloomy interior. We moved slowly,

1201
01:24:45,520 --> 01:24:51,479
occasionally calling out Koran's name. Not a soul answered, and

1202
01:24:51,560 --> 01:24:54,640
for a moment I wondered if the man had been

1203
01:24:54,640 --> 01:24:58,680
taken as well when his back was turned. After all,

1204
01:24:59,039 --> 01:25:02,319
we had barely explosed the building, choosing to huddle inside

1205
01:25:02,319 --> 01:25:07,119
the living quarters. As we rounded a corner, though, I

1206
01:25:07,159 --> 01:25:11,039
saw signs that it was still here. Barrels of gunpowder

1207
01:25:11,119 --> 01:25:14,119
lay on their sides, the black grains spilling out onto

1208
01:25:14,159 --> 01:25:19,199
the floor. A workbench had its tools scattered about. That

1209
01:25:19,319 --> 01:25:22,079
was when I noticed the hole in the floor, one

1210
01:25:22,199 --> 01:25:26,680
I hadn't seen previously. I would have ignored it completely

1211
01:25:27,000 --> 01:25:29,520
if it hadn't been for the sparkle that came from

1212
01:25:29,560 --> 01:25:35,119
something lying next to it. As we approached, I realized

1213
01:25:36,000 --> 01:25:39,319
it was a diamond, one of the largest I'd ever

1214
01:25:39,359 --> 01:25:42,520
seen in my life, and when I peered into the hole,

1215
01:25:43,039 --> 01:25:46,079
I couldn't help but feel my mouth drop open as

1216
01:25:46,119 --> 01:25:49,279
I saw precious gems and gold coins that filled the

1217
01:25:49,520 --> 01:25:52,600
entire hole, piled into what I could tell was a

1218
01:25:52,680 --> 01:26:01,039
hidden room below. The treasure had been real, even in

1219
01:26:01,119 --> 01:26:04,039
our predicament. The three of us couldn't help but look

1220
01:26:04,079 --> 01:26:08,840
at each other and laughed. Softly. Well, at least we

1221
01:26:08,880 --> 01:26:11,800
know that the stories of the treasure was true. Tally

1222
01:26:11,960 --> 01:26:17,960
was right, Blake said softly. For another moment, we stared,

1223
01:26:18,840 --> 01:26:22,239
and we slowly tore ourselves away from the treasure, moving

1224
01:26:22,279 --> 01:26:29,000
on and calling out Coran's name. Still nobody answered, and

1225
01:26:29,039 --> 01:26:31,640
I began to feel that we should simply leave the building.

1226
01:26:33,199 --> 01:26:36,039
As much as I understood to a degree Mourette's reasoning

1227
01:26:37,039 --> 01:26:41,680
this was being dangerously foolhardy. But I never had a

1228
01:26:41,760 --> 01:26:46,119
chance to voice my thoughts. As we rounded the final

1229
01:26:46,159 --> 01:26:50,399
corner to the jail, a shot rang out, the bullet

1230
01:26:50,439 --> 01:26:54,319
striking the wall, not a foot from Mourette's face. The

1231
01:26:54,359 --> 01:26:56,920
three of us leapt back, pressing up against the wall

1232
01:26:56,960 --> 01:27:02,600
for cover. Another shot rang out, then another, for a moment,

1233
01:27:02,760 --> 01:27:06,520
and eerie silence fell over the hall. Then I heard

1234
01:27:06,600 --> 01:27:12,039
Corn scream, the insanity audible in his voice, stay away,

1235
01:27:12,479 --> 01:27:17,920
I found the treasure. It's mine, mine, not yours. Mattie

1236
01:27:17,960 --> 01:27:20,600
chanced to look around the corner, snapping his head back

1237
01:27:20,640 --> 01:27:24,159
as the third shot rang out. His managed to get

1238
01:27:24,199 --> 01:27:25,840
the keys from the dead man in the cell and

1239
01:27:25,880 --> 01:27:29,479
locked himself inside, he told us, and he's got some

1240
01:27:29,520 --> 01:27:33,520
of the treasure. Scattered around him. He looked at us,

1241
01:27:34,520 --> 01:27:37,119
and I already knew what he would say before he

1242
01:27:37,199 --> 01:27:45,039
opened his mouth, scrim we have to go quickly. The

1243
01:27:45,079 --> 01:27:47,239
three of us back tracked through the armory to the

1244
01:27:47,239 --> 01:27:51,000
front door. We slipped outside and began to run across

1245
01:27:51,039 --> 01:27:59,079
toward the living quarters. They were waiting for us. We'd

1246
01:27:59,079 --> 01:28:02,199
barely made it halfway across the courtyard from what I

1247
01:28:02,199 --> 01:28:04,920
can only describe as a blur of motion flew down

1248
01:28:04,920 --> 01:28:08,640
from the window of the Living Quarters. I saw Maretti

1249
01:28:08,720 --> 01:28:12,680
look up at the shape rocketing towards him, screaming, saw

1250
01:28:12,760 --> 01:28:16,399
him raise his pistol to fire. He never even had

1251
01:28:16,399 --> 01:28:19,680
a chance to let off a single shot. The creature

1252
01:28:19,760 --> 01:28:22,880
slammed into him, knocking him to the ground and sending

1253
01:28:22,880 --> 01:28:27,439
the revolver tumbling from his fingers. The beast looked at me,

1254
01:28:28,079 --> 01:28:32,479
and with a horrified realization, I recognized the blue eyes

1255
01:28:32,800 --> 01:28:38,399
set deep in the already recessed sockets. Then gripping Marette's

1256
01:28:38,399 --> 01:28:41,239
shoulder with one of its clawed hands, it leapt off

1257
01:28:41,279 --> 01:28:44,079
the ground, pulling the screaming man with him as it

1258
01:28:44,239 --> 01:28:48,960
rapidly climbed the rock and out of sight. We had

1259
01:28:48,960 --> 01:28:52,079
no time to grieve or process any of it, because

1260
01:28:52,119 --> 01:28:57,960
the rest came for us. Everything blurred together in those moments,

1261
01:28:58,039 --> 01:29:00,880
much as it does in war when adrenaline and reflex

1262
01:29:00,960 --> 01:29:06,159
takes over. I cannot remember anything clearly, only faintly recall

1263
01:29:06,239 --> 01:29:09,439
the sounds of deafening gunshots as we fired at all

1264
01:29:09,479 --> 01:29:12,920
We could see the motion of reaching into the pack

1265
01:29:13,000 --> 01:29:16,039
for extra ammunition for Blake and myself, the sound of

1266
01:29:16,079 --> 01:29:19,000
the two of us shouting and screaming, and the pained,

1267
01:29:19,279 --> 01:29:22,399
enraged cries of the creatures as our shells and rounds

1268
01:29:22,439 --> 01:29:26,520
slammed home. I was dimly aware that we were moving

1269
01:29:26,560 --> 01:29:32,560
towards the water garden. Next thing I can recall is

1270
01:29:32,640 --> 01:29:39,159
the silence I found Blake and I slumped against the

1271
01:29:39,199 --> 01:29:42,800
wall near the fountain. She pulled me closer to her,

1272
01:29:43,159 --> 01:29:45,920
and she cup some water in her hands, using it

1273
01:29:45,960 --> 01:29:48,640
to sprinkle over my brow and drip into my mouth.

1274
01:29:49,840 --> 01:29:53,720
The refreshing, blessed liquid brought me back fully, and when

1275
01:29:53,760 --> 01:29:57,479
I asked what had happened, she told me after a time,

1276
01:29:58,039 --> 01:30:02,560
they had all retreated. None had died even after we

1277
01:30:02,640 --> 01:30:08,079
fired at them, but they still retreated. As I looked round,

1278
01:30:08,479 --> 01:30:11,600
wondering for a moment if we succeeded in frightening them off.

1279
01:30:12,800 --> 01:30:16,119
My eyes fell on a sight which wrenched whatever hope

1280
01:30:16,119 --> 01:30:20,479
I had left from my soul. The sun was beginning

1281
01:30:20,520 --> 01:30:25,520
to set in the sky. I instantly knew that the

1282
01:30:25,520 --> 01:30:28,840
only reason they had retreated was to wait until darkness

1283
01:30:28,840 --> 01:30:33,399
fell again. It had been a strategic move. They would

1284
01:30:33,439 --> 01:30:36,960
wait until night blinded us and they could still see perfectly,

1285
01:30:37,760 --> 01:30:42,079
and then they would come again, either to kill us

1286
01:30:42,520 --> 01:30:45,760
or drag us off like the others, like I'd seen

1287
01:30:45,760 --> 01:30:49,399
the best Sorn had done to Moretti, to make us

1288
01:30:49,479 --> 01:30:55,119
like them. In those moments, any remaining thoughts of surviving

1289
01:30:55,199 --> 01:31:00,600
fled from me. I said nothing, however, I climbed to

1290
01:31:00,640 --> 01:31:03,760
my feet, looking around. Then I looked down at Blake.

1291
01:31:05,000 --> 01:31:08,920
She gave me a strange smile. Even still, it made

1292
01:31:08,920 --> 01:31:14,439
her look beautiful. I smiled back. Finally, she sighed and

1293
01:31:14,520 --> 01:31:17,680
pushed the mousy hair behind her ear before looking up

1294
01:31:17,720 --> 01:31:26,079
at me. What do we do now? I didn't answer her. Instead,

1295
01:31:26,359 --> 01:31:29,079
I simply shook my head to indicate I didn't know.

1296
01:31:30,600 --> 01:31:33,399
I waited until she had lowered her head and closed

1297
01:31:33,399 --> 01:31:38,039
her eyes. Then, before she could open them again, I

1298
01:31:38,119 --> 01:31:47,760
swung the barrel of my shotgun and aimed. I find

1299
01:31:47,760 --> 01:31:50,239
a sort of peace in that she never knew what

1300
01:31:50,279 --> 01:31:53,720
was about to happen. And now that I am done

1301
01:31:53,720 --> 01:31:57,079
writing my account of all this, I have but one

1302
01:31:57,119 --> 01:32:01,159
thing left to do. I refuse to let the demons

1303
01:32:01,239 --> 01:32:04,239
change Blake into one of their own. As much as

1304
01:32:04,279 --> 01:32:06,560
I know, my soul is damned to hell for the

1305
01:32:06,640 --> 01:32:10,760
unforgivable sin I have committed against her, and it is

1306
01:32:10,840 --> 01:32:15,880
the same mercy I will give myself. I am going

1307
01:32:15,920 --> 01:32:19,600
to follow the same path that taraktuk. I will jump

1308
01:32:19,680 --> 01:32:22,840
from the cliff. I will face my own death at

1309
01:32:22,840 --> 01:32:25,720
the hands of the rocks below, rather than the fate

1310
01:32:25,800 --> 01:32:30,319
that has befallen the others. That is, beyond all shadow

1311
01:32:30,359 --> 01:32:33,800
of a doubt, her worse faith than any death imaginable.

1312
01:32:35,439 --> 01:32:38,319
I pray from my own soul, I pray for Blake's.

1313
01:32:38,520 --> 01:32:42,199
I pray for talies. I even pray for corns. I

1314
01:32:42,239 --> 01:32:45,319
hope that, like the soldier before him, it is thirst

1315
01:32:45,439 --> 01:32:50,279
or hunger that takes him. Please heed the dire warning

1316
01:32:50,319 --> 01:32:55,039
this journal contains. While there is treasure above, you do

1317
01:32:55,159 --> 01:32:58,000
not attempt to climb and retrieve it. You will not

1318
01:32:58,159 --> 01:33:01,800
live to spend a single bloody ship of it. The

1319
01:33:01,840 --> 01:33:04,960
beasts above have claimed it, and the fort is their own.

1320
01:33:06,239 --> 01:33:08,920
Let it be if you value not only your life,

1321
01:33:09,319 --> 01:33:13,640
but your humanity and very soul, For if you don't,

1322
01:33:14,840 --> 01:33:17,800
you will find yourself facing a fate that is more

1323
01:33:17,840 --> 01:33:23,680
horrific than written about in any tone. And please, if

1324
01:33:23,720 --> 01:33:27,079
you find this, get word back to my sister in

1325
01:33:27,199 --> 01:33:35,000
maiden Head. Tell her I'm sorry. God forgive me