1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: Are they going to pump this out? Alec asked as 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,839 he stepped awkwardly into the flooded basement, the water rising 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,960 to just below his knees. I don't know, I said. 4 00:00:13,759 --> 00:00:18,359 Are they renovating this place? I don't think so, I said, 5 00:00:18,839 --> 00:00:22,480 it's just this mural there After, Well, we're gonna need 6 00:00:22,519 --> 00:00:26,640 it dry, Alec grumbled. Can't run electricity down here like this. 7 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,879 You gonna need it for the imaging equipment too, Yeah, 8 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:34,840 I agreed. Plus, God knows what's in this water. Some 9 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:37,960 of these tunnels must lead off to the catacombs. You 10 00:00:38,039 --> 00:00:42,240 can't be serious, he cried, his flashlight suddenly snapping from 11 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:45,640 one bare stone wall to another. Are there actually bodies 12 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:50,399 down there? It's a church, I said. They buried people here, 13 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:55,240 not recently, but yeah, it has catacombs. Don't worry. They're 14 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:57,960 not just stacked up like firewood in some room. There's 15 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:02,719 gates and stuff to stop people desegrating them. Alec shone 16 00:01:02,719 --> 00:01:05,599 his light at the water lapping around his feet and 17 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:09,400 curled his lip. It was the color of old coffee. 18 00:01:10,519 --> 00:01:12,480 I don't know how anyone can expect us to work 19 00:01:12,519 --> 00:01:16,560 in these conditions for the money they're paying I'd work 20 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:20,280 waist deep in the Thames. I told him the guy's 21 00:01:20,359 --> 00:01:23,239 last painting sold for seven million. Do you know how 22 00:01:23,239 --> 00:01:25,319 excited the church was when they found out he'd be 23 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:28,480 down here in the seventies, whatever he put on the walls, 24 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:32,000 they charged them with vandalism then, But now there's money 25 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,480 on the line they want whatever he did restored, packed 26 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:41,680 up and sold alec coughed, where's the damn thing? Anyway? 27 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:49,280 I stopped momentarily to get my bearings down here. I 28 00:01:49,359 --> 00:01:52,439 waved him on and we delved deeper into the basement. 29 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,040 As I led us through a strange mix of large 30 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:59,239 rooms and awkward tunnels carved directly into rock, some of 31 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:02,719 which you had to do just to fit. Many of 32 00:02:02,719 --> 00:02:05,799 the rooms we passed had old boxes in them. One 33 00:02:05,879 --> 00:02:09,319 head furniture draped once white sheets that were now moldy 34 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:15,400 and stained. Another had an old piano, the lids still up. Thankfully, 35 00:02:15,719 --> 00:02:20,719 it wasn't far a few minutes at most. Once we 36 00:02:20,759 --> 00:02:23,439 found the door, we both put our shoulders to it 37 00:02:23,759 --> 00:02:29,840 and forced it open. Water must have built up, because 38 00:02:30,039 --> 00:02:33,000 it came pouring out at waste height and nearly tug 39 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:38,039 us both of our feet. Bloody stinks. Alec cried over 40 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:44,240 the raw of water, but I ignored him. Once it was safe, 41 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,560 we stepped inside, and it was as if our lights 42 00:02:47,599 --> 00:02:52,000 grew dimmer and the air colder, a distinct sense that 43 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:56,919 we crossed the threshold along an empty room where the 44 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:02,719 only sound was water dripping somewhere in the distance. I 45 00:03:02,759 --> 00:03:05,960 was about to suggest we'd taken a wrong turn, but 46 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:08,360 then I saw one of the walls that had been 47 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:14,319 painted black, and there was something strange about it. It 48 00:03:14,439 --> 00:03:17,120 was only when you let your eye linger that you 49 00:03:17,199 --> 00:03:22,080 saw the brushstrokes, no thicker than my thumb. They covered 50 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:25,360 every inch of it and caught the dim light of 51 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:29,680 our torches, shimmering with the brief flashes of iridescent color 52 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,800 that were impossible to focus on. The longer I looked, 53 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:36,599 the more I saw the great depths in that work. 54 00:03:37,759 --> 00:03:41,280 The texture alone was remarkable, like you were up high 55 00:03:41,319 --> 00:03:44,520 and looking down on a vast stretch of unbroken ocean, 56 00:03:45,439 --> 00:03:49,840 roiling waves made of slick black water, and the collar. 57 00:03:51,199 --> 00:03:54,319 The closest comparison is what you see when you close 58 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:59,120 your eyes. The whole thing made my stomach churn, but 59 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:03,240 there was no dinner. Its artistic merit the kind of 60 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:05,680 thing I could imagine hanging on a wall in the 61 00:04:05,719 --> 00:04:09,680 Tate modern No wonder the church wanted it restored and 62 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,800 transferred out of the basement, but it would be no 63 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:19,600 easy feet. It was huge. I don't I don't feel 64 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:26,480 too good. Alec wobbled momentarily before collapsing. I had to rush, 65 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:29,000 but I managed to catch him before his head went 66 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:33,639 beneath the water. Damn, I hissed as I struggled to 67 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:37,879 hold his weight with my arms beneath his shoulders. Panicking, 68 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:40,720 I looked around for somewhere to put him, but the 69 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:45,000 room was empty. If I let him go, he'd flopped 70 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:49,639 down and inevitably drown. But he was a big guy 71 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,759 and my arms were already getting tired. I had no 72 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:56,480 hope of making it all the way back to the stairs, 73 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:01,199 but I remembered that room was nearby, one with the furniture. 74 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:06,240 It'd have to two in a pinch. Struggling to keep 75 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:11,600 him upright, I dragged him slowly through the murky waters. 76 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:16,079 It wasn't easy. While the ground was firm, it was 77 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:19,720 still irregular, and I was walking backwards through knee high water. 78 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,720 My mind fluttered through all the possible outcomes of this situation, 79 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:30,000 and inevitably focused on the worst. He could drown, get 80 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:34,279 an infection, we could get lost. Those tunnels were tight 81 00:05:34,319 --> 00:05:39,480 and confusing. I can imagine it so very easily, the 82 00:05:39,519 --> 00:05:44,439 fear and panic of going around in circles, rough hewn stone, 83 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,920 wrapping in on itself. So every turn takes me back 84 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:50,839 to that place as my arms grow ever more tired. 85 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:55,560 What would I do in that situation, I wondered? Would 86 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:58,199 I let him drown? Or would I keep going until 87 00:05:58,199 --> 00:06:02,319 I collapse from exhaustion? And how long would I last? 88 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:08,120 A few hours, a day, maybe more. It was a 89 00:06:08,199 --> 00:06:13,399 silly idea, but it got my heart racing. Tried telling 90 00:06:13,519 --> 00:06:17,199 myself that I had it under control. I had a plan, 91 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,319 a good one. Get him upright in one of those 92 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:25,319 old chairs. He'd probably just fainted because of the air 93 00:06:25,399 --> 00:06:29,120 down there. Maybe he was more sensitive to it than most. 94 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:32,560 But while I tried to keep my eye on him, 95 00:06:32,879 --> 00:06:36,680 watching for any signs of consciousness, I kept looking up 96 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:42,000 at the tunnel ahead. With each step, the darkness felt heavier, 97 00:06:42,519 --> 00:06:45,439 and the lapping of the water grew so loud it 98 00:06:45,439 --> 00:06:49,480 seemed to almost hurt my ears. And yet at the 99 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:52,959 same time, I could hear my every breath as clear 100 00:06:53,319 --> 00:06:57,600 as if I was standing in total silence without any 101 00:06:57,639 --> 00:07:01,199 real reason for it. A cold red crept over me. 102 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:05,920 I didn't feel alone down there, No matter how hard 103 00:07:05,959 --> 00:07:09,600 I tried to dismiss it as a childish feeling, it 104 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:14,600 just kept getting stronger. Each time I looked up, I 105 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:18,680 expected to see something God knows what I thought would 106 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:23,839 be waiting for me, But it didn't matter. The mere 107 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:27,040 thought there was something in the dark or lurking beneath 108 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:31,000 the water was enough to make me hurry, even as 109 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:34,240 I kept reminding myself that was a great way to 110 00:07:34,319 --> 00:07:39,639 make a mistake. Thank God, it wasn't far to the 111 00:07:39,759 --> 00:07:43,639 room with the furniture. There was no door, so I 112 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:47,240 simply turned and plodded backwards until I saw a chair 113 00:07:47,279 --> 00:07:51,560 that looked good enough. Sure it was disgusting and green 114 00:07:51,879 --> 00:07:55,319 with mold and mildew, but all it had to do 115 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:59,720 was hold his weight. Alec is a good six inches 116 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,600 taller than me and built heavier too, so by the 117 00:08:03,639 --> 00:08:06,879 time I lugged him onto the chair, I was exhausted 118 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:10,639 and had to stop and catch my breath and to 119 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:14,720 my knees, the entire body trembling I took a few 120 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:19,160 seconds to comfort myself before leaning over him and calling 121 00:08:19,279 --> 00:08:26,439 his name. Alec, I cried, Alec. I gave him a 122 00:08:26,439 --> 00:08:30,399 few gentle pats in the face. He seemed to stir, 123 00:08:31,199 --> 00:08:36,559 but I couldn't say for sure. For goodness sake, I hissed, 124 00:08:37,399 --> 00:08:40,159 hearing just the slightest hint of alarm in my voice 125 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:44,320 and trying to suppress it. Alec, wake up and let's 126 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:48,559 get the hell out of Someone pressed the key on 127 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:53,399 the piano, and everything inside me came to a screeching halt. 128 00:08:54,879 --> 00:08:57,879 It was dull and off key, but there was no 129 00:08:58,039 --> 00:09:01,279 mistaking the sound that had come from the nearby room. 130 00:09:02,759 --> 00:09:05,399 I thought of there actually being someone else down there 131 00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:10,200 made my skin tight and my head ice cold. Took 132 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,480 every ounce of willpower. I had to stand upright and 133 00:09:13,639 --> 00:09:20,399 look towards the doorway Mike. Alec groaned, and I, damn it, 134 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:25,879 jumped out of my skin. I don't feel well, he muttered, 135 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:30,519 while rubbing his face. It's so dark in here, I 136 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:35,440 think I might be dreaming. As the initial shock left me, 137 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:39,320 I was flooded with relief and no longer being alone 138 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:44,559 in that horrible place. You fainted, I said, with as 139 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:47,559 friendly a laugh as I could manage. Must be the 140 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:50,519 air down here. We'll need respirators from here on in. 141 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:56,960 I'm cold, he moaned as he pushed himself upright. I 142 00:09:57,080 --> 00:10:01,679 want to go home. Can I go home? Please? Damn right, 143 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:04,759 I said, while taking his elbow and leading him to 144 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:09,080 the exit. I felt a lot safer knowing it wasn't 145 00:10:09,159 --> 00:10:13,240 just me facing the darkness, but I still found myself 146 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:18,600 hesitating as we passed the next room along. What is it? 147 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:23,759 Ali asked as he paused the look of the old piano. Nothing, 148 00:10:24,399 --> 00:10:32,039 I muttered, before hurrying us both along. Someone had closed 149 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:39,360 the lid. It's like a different painting when photographed. Marie 150 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:41,759 pursed her lips as she looked at the camera display. 151 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:46,320 Something to do with how it catches the light. She 152 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:49,039 picked the tripod up and moved it several feet to 153 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:52,519 a right. She pressed the button, and the flash went 154 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:55,039 off in the dark room like a bolt of lightning 155 00:10:56,320 --> 00:11:00,519 for an instant. The whole place was laid bare, roughly 156 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:05,679 hewn stone and stagnant water. Look, she called me over 157 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:10,759 it happened again. I stopped my work setting up the 158 00:11:10,799 --> 00:11:13,080 fourth pomp at the far end of the room and 159 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:17,480 wandered over. So far I'd managed to pump out most 160 00:11:17,519 --> 00:11:20,559 of the water, but it still lay an inch thick 161 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,960 along the ground. Of course, the rest of the tunnels 162 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:28,240 were still flooded. No hope there, so the room itself 163 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:32,039 was sealed off sand bags, had the only doorway with 164 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:37,320 further waterproofing from rubber tarps. I'd since spent days trying 165 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:39,399 to figure out where the last of the water in 166 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:42,120 that one room was coming from, and had been so 167 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,279 busy chasing leaks that I'd had to hire Marie to 168 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:50,000 help with the imaging. Looks funny, I said, as I 169 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:53,000 leaned over a shoulder and looked at the latest picture. 170 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:58,600 The wall appeared as an explosion of psychedelic colors, closer 171 00:11:58,639 --> 00:12:01,320 to a tied eyed T shirt then the black obelisk. 172 00:12:01,519 --> 00:12:05,799 It was in person, but it's a weird piece, very textured, 173 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:09,639 and the paint itself is quite unique. I'm not surprised 174 00:12:09,639 --> 00:12:13,840 to behave strangely into a camera's flash. But look at it, 175 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:19,679 she said, I did, I replied, while wandering off, unwilling 176 00:12:19,759 --> 00:12:24,279 to stare too long. It's weird. I don't like it, 177 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:28,679 she said, before quietly moving the tripod another few feet 178 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:33,200 along me. Neither, I snapped as I knelt down next 179 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:36,279 to the broken pump. So let's get on with it. 180 00:12:36,799 --> 00:12:39,799 I need all the help I can get. All Right, 181 00:12:40,159 --> 00:12:44,559 she touttered, where's your partner in crime anyway? Alex's not 182 00:12:44,639 --> 00:12:48,679 been feeling well, I said, Ah, that's a shame. Always 183 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:54,799 liked al. Another flash. For a brief moment, my silhouette 184 00:12:54,879 --> 00:12:58,519 was painted in the wall opposite the mural. I could 185 00:12:58,519 --> 00:13:01,399 have sworn it was a different kind of black, as 186 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:06,799 if my shadow had texture brushstrokes. Even before I had 187 00:13:06,799 --> 00:13:09,840 time to think about what I'd seen, Marie was suddenly 188 00:13:09,879 --> 00:13:14,679 standing by me. Still no luck with that pump driving 189 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:18,120 me nuts, I said, well, I want to set the 190 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,320 X ray up now. It won't take long, but we'll 191 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:23,840 need to leave the room each time, or at least 192 00:13:23,879 --> 00:13:28,519 I will, since this is something I do daily. I 193 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:32,879 thought about staying in that place alone, scrit I'll join you, 194 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,919 I said, Well, before we get going, I'm going to 195 00:13:37,039 --> 00:13:41,240 need help getting it into position. Sure thing, I said, 196 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:44,360 as I took a hand to get up. It was 197 00:13:44,399 --> 00:13:48,480 a big unit designed to capture high resolution images of 198 00:13:48,519 --> 00:13:52,840 what lay beneath paintings and canvases, essential for seeing the 199 00:13:52,879 --> 00:13:56,559 early work of a painter. In a few years I'd 200 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:59,720 spent in the archives of the National Gallery. I'd always 201 00:13:59,759 --> 00:14:05,759 enjoy documenting the strange artifacts found beneath famous paintings. Sometimes 202 00:14:05,919 --> 00:14:08,559 you could even see a timeline of the artist's process, 203 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:15,799 preliminary sketches, features removed background details added late into the process. 204 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:19,240 Most people don't see. There's more than one mona Lisa 205 00:14:19,639 --> 00:14:25,279 lurking under all that paint. Okay, Marie said, as we 206 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:28,360 man handled the machine under the first little yellow marker 207 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:32,360 she'd put on the ground. First of four, I'll hit 208 00:14:32,399 --> 00:14:34,759 the timer. Then we'll make our way to the corridor. 209 00:14:35,519 --> 00:14:40,759 It'll be when it's done. Good to go. I nodded, 210 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:45,080 and she hit the button. We walked briskly to the 211 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:49,039 exit and climbed over the barricade, pulling aside the plastic 212 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:53,360 sheeting I draped over the doorway. Just as Marie was 213 00:14:53,399 --> 00:14:56,240 on the other side, we heard the beep telling us 214 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:59,919 it was done. Then we were back inside, where she 215 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:03,399 remove the plate, put it into a waterproof duffel bag, 216 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:07,879 and the process began again. Each time we moved it 217 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:11,799 further down into the long room. Each time it took 218 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:15,240 a little longer to get back to the exit. It 219 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:19,879 was a pain in the ass, but necessary last one, 220 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:24,440 Marie exclaimed. We finally hauled on to the fourth yellow marker. 221 00:15:25,519 --> 00:15:28,320 I'm actually curious to take a closer look at these pictures, 222 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:31,960 you know, she added, before pausing to look at the mural. 223 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:35,679 It's horrible to look at, but you have to admire 224 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:42,279 the skill that went into it. It's almost well familiar. 225 00:15:45,159 --> 00:15:48,360 Her words trailed off, and she slowly tilted her head. 226 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:51,279 I had to give her a nudge to remind her 227 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:55,840 to press the button. She laughed, pressed it, and with 228 00:15:55,960 --> 00:16:00,279 that we were both marching back towards the exit. I 229 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:04,200 quickly climbed over the barricade once more turned to help Marie, 230 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:10,799 but found myself staring at an empty doorway. The machine 231 00:16:10,799 --> 00:16:13,519 beat to say it was done, and I poked my 232 00:16:13,559 --> 00:16:20,279 head through the top and looked around, but couldn't see her. Confused, 233 00:16:20,519 --> 00:16:26,960 I climbed back in and scanned the room nothing. The 234 00:16:27,039 --> 00:16:30,799 machine was still there, humming away, but no sign of 235 00:16:30,799 --> 00:16:34,720 the woman who until just a few seconds ago was 236 00:16:34,799 --> 00:16:41,240 right behind me. Marie. I called out, but there was 237 00:16:41,279 --> 00:16:47,919 only the sound of dripping water. I was baffled. I 238 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:51,720 couldn't understand where she had gone. She couldn't have gotten 239 00:16:51,799 --> 00:16:55,039 past me into the hallway. It just didn't make sense. 240 00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:00,799 But as the seconds turned a minute, confusion was replaced 241 00:17:00,879 --> 00:17:06,640 with a chilling panic. Marie. I shouted again, and then 242 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:12,519 again and again. Each time my voice got a little louder, 243 00:17:12,839 --> 00:17:17,240 and the repetitions grew closer together, until I was pacing furiously, 244 00:17:17,839 --> 00:17:23,000 just screaming her name over and over. My voice grew hoarse. 245 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:26,000 I even stuck my head out into the corridor and 246 00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:31,880 cried out, but there was never any response. I checked 247 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:34,920 every inch of that place, and when I didn't find her, 248 00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:39,240 I checked every inch again. Part of me started to 249 00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:43,960 visualize her eventual return to hope for it, started to 250 00:17:44,039 --> 00:17:47,839 imagine that moment of relief, the sight of her appearing 251 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:52,279 at the doorway before explaining where she'd gone. I held 252 00:17:52,319 --> 00:17:55,680 on to that fantasy so hard that at times it 253 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:58,359 felt as if I was alive in two worlds at once, 254 00:17:59,319 --> 00:18:03,200 one where Marie and I were laughing about a slight misunderstanding, 255 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:07,359 and another where a woman could disappear into thin air. 256 00:18:08,839 --> 00:18:12,480 Surely the latter isn't reality, I thought to myself, as 257 00:18:12,519 --> 00:18:17,640 I shouted over and over this one has to be 258 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:21,759 the dream. But if it was a dream, I wasn't 259 00:18:21,799 --> 00:18:26,039 waking up, and eventually I accepted that I had to 260 00:18:26,079 --> 00:18:30,039 go get help. I didn't even grab my things before 261 00:18:30,079 --> 00:18:33,599 stepping out into the corridor. I was in a rush, 262 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:37,599 desperate to get this nightmare over with, to get help, 263 00:18:37,839 --> 00:18:41,240 and to find Maurice somewhere safe and sound. But I 264 00:18:41,279 --> 00:18:44,519 only made it a few feet when I heard a 265 00:18:44,599 --> 00:18:50,400 voice call out to me from behind, Mike, I don't 266 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:56,759 feel so good? Am I dreaming? She was leaning on 267 00:18:56,799 --> 00:19:01,160 the doorway. I just left, eyes sunken and cheeks sallow. 268 00:19:02,519 --> 00:19:06,039 Even her hair looked thinner. She looked like a woman 269 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:10,359 who just spent a week on a desert island. Geez, 270 00:19:10,839 --> 00:19:14,480 I cried, before running over and grabbing her. She was 271 00:19:14,519 --> 00:19:18,279 closed to collapse, wobbling back and forth and clutching the 272 00:19:18,319 --> 00:19:22,279 door just to stay standing. Where the hell did you go? 273 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:27,039 It's so dark in here. I want to go home, 274 00:19:27,839 --> 00:19:30,799 she said, in a quiet drone, like a child that's 275 00:19:30,839 --> 00:19:34,440 been pulled out of a car crash. All right, all right, 276 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:42,359 I said, let me what is that? She was holding 277 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:45,920 something in her hands. Who was one of the plates 278 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:49,480 from the X ray machine? She didn't even register me 279 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:53,839 taking it from her down in the dark, it didn't 280 00:19:53,839 --> 00:19:57,160 look like much, and being in a hurry, I simply 281 00:19:57,200 --> 00:19:59,799 tugged it under one arm and helped her over the 282 00:20:00,039 --> 00:20:05,400 barricade and into the water. Everything that followed was a 283 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:09,240 rust blur. I took her into the church, sat her 284 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:13,440 on a pew, and called for an ambulance. Paramedics quickly 285 00:20:13,519 --> 00:20:16,759 arrived and rushed her off. Asking a few questions here 286 00:20:16,799 --> 00:20:20,559 and there about what I think might have happened. I 287 00:20:20,559 --> 00:20:23,440 had no real answers to speak of. But when I 288 00:20:23,519 --> 00:20:26,920 mentioned she didn't ever respiate her honor, they all seemed 289 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:29,240 to take it as a given that she had carbon 290 00:20:29,279 --> 00:20:34,559 monoxide poisoning. That was the official diagnosis for alec, and 291 00:20:34,599 --> 00:20:37,279 I recognized the few of the paramedics from when I 292 00:20:37,319 --> 00:20:40,599 called them out for him, so they must have connected 293 00:20:40,599 --> 00:20:46,039 the dots. But carbon monoxide poisoning didn't explain why she 294 00:20:46,079 --> 00:20:53,440 looked so thin, and I don't know broken. She looked 295 00:20:53,559 --> 00:20:57,960 worse than awful. Seeing her in that state had terrified me. 296 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:02,480 At Least she's in fans, I told myself. As I 297 00:21:02,519 --> 00:21:07,200 watched the ambulance doors close, I decided it was time 298 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:09,480 to call it a day and went to grab some 299 00:21:09,559 --> 00:21:11,640 of the things I had left on a nearby bench 300 00:21:12,839 --> 00:21:16,480 when I saw the slide Marie had been holding. The 301 00:21:16,559 --> 00:21:19,640 light was a little better in the church, especially since 302 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:22,920 it was midday and that broken roof filled the place 303 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:26,799 with rays of amber light. I took the X ray 304 00:21:27,079 --> 00:21:30,200 and held the back plate up, squinting to see what 305 00:21:30,319 --> 00:21:35,720 it showed. It looked like a hurricane of swirls and 306 00:21:35,839 --> 00:21:41,039 spiraling bone white shapes, a confusing mess of strange distortions 307 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:44,839 that reminded me distantly of the background of Van Go's 308 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:49,960 starry night. Only there in the middle of all those swirling, 309 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:58,000 rolling lines and growths was a woman, Marie. In fact, 310 00:21:58,759 --> 00:22:02,920 I was sure of it, and she had both hands 311 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:06,200 clutched to the side of her head, like she was 312 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:13,759 screaming for her life. You saw it. The old man 313 00:22:13,799 --> 00:22:17,720 who'd entered the door was practically skeletal, but he was 314 00:22:17,759 --> 00:22:21,960 an infirm He glared at me with twitchy anticipation of 315 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:29,000 my answer. He seemed ready to explode. You saw the mural. Yes, 316 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:34,359 When my secretary got your phone call, I was ready 317 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:39,279 to dismiss you entirely. Slowly, he looked me up and 318 00:22:39,319 --> 00:22:46,720 down like a piece of meat. You look intact, I was. 319 00:22:48,319 --> 00:22:51,839 I tried speaking that. Something about the old man's intense 320 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:56,599 stare caught me off. Noticing this, he pulled the door 321 00:22:56,640 --> 00:23:00,359 open and gestured inside his luxurious apartment with one eye. 322 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:04,720 Come in, he cried. I had my staff confirm you 323 00:23:04,839 --> 00:23:08,240 really have done work in the church. I'm fascinated by 324 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:12,119 what you might have seen. I was told you bought 325 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:16,039 mister Halswell's paintings, I said, as he ushered me into 326 00:23:16,079 --> 00:23:20,920 a room decorated with gleaming hardwood furniture and beautiful red 327 00:23:21,039 --> 00:23:26,440 velvet wallpaper. A collection had an auction. I stammered, you 328 00:23:26,559 --> 00:23:31,160 spent quite a lot of money on them. Yes, he replied, 329 00:23:31,279 --> 00:23:36,079 while sitting opposite me. Halswell was touched, you know, spent 330 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:41,240 his life trying to exercise the things he saw. Ah right, 331 00:23:42,039 --> 00:23:45,400 I stammered. I just wanted to know if you had 332 00:23:45,599 --> 00:23:49,880 any information on the mural at the church. My boy, 333 00:23:50,599 --> 00:23:53,519 you've actually seen it, which makes you far more of 334 00:23:53,559 --> 00:23:57,720 an expert than I am. He spoke like he was 335 00:23:57,799 --> 00:24:01,759 giving me the greatest compliment. I never had the nerve 336 00:24:01,799 --> 00:24:05,200 to go. Look. I love my esoteric hobby as much 337 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:08,559 as anyone, but I prefer the occult, where it is 338 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:13,200 unlikely to do me any harm. Well, I'm just concerned. 339 00:24:13,759 --> 00:24:16,200 I had two friends collapse in there, and one of 340 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:20,839 them well, I can't really explain it, but she went 341 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:23,960 missing for a while. The church aren't a lot of help, 342 00:24:24,279 --> 00:24:25,839 but they told me to speak to you if I 343 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:30,440 wanted some information about the artist. Oh, the church has 344 00:24:30,559 --> 00:24:35,920 no real record of that place, not properly anyway. What 345 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:39,839 is it? I asked, growing tired and wanting to cut 346 00:24:39,839 --> 00:24:43,799 to the chase. What did George Housewell paint. I've had 347 00:24:43,799 --> 00:24:46,480 two colleagues pass out down there, and now one of 348 00:24:46,519 --> 00:24:52,440 them is in entering my calls. Please, I need answers. 349 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:58,480 George didn't paint anything, he said with a shrug. He 350 00:24:58,599 --> 00:25:01,319 was sent down as a handyman and found it behind 351 00:25:01,319 --> 00:25:05,200 the crates of old rubbish. Whatever he saw, he felt 352 00:25:05,279 --> 00:25:09,519 compelled to paint over it, an attempt at censorship. He 353 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:13,279 wanted to hide it away. That's why he was charged 354 00:25:13,279 --> 00:25:16,440 with vandalism by the old priest, who was long since dead. 355 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:21,160 But George's efforts were in vain. He could not unsee 356 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:25,240 what he had seen, and it would stick with him forever. 357 00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:33,200 I don't understand the mural is. He leaned forward and grinned. 358 00:25:34,319 --> 00:25:38,599 I could tell he was hoping for this. Yes, yes, 359 00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:44,839 he whispered, Tell me about it. It's not just tar 360 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:49,000 on the wall, I said. It's more. It has a 361 00:25:49,079 --> 00:25:54,119 kind of depth. There are brushstrokes all over, thousands, if 362 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:57,440 not millions. They don't look like they form a pattern, 363 00:25:57,480 --> 00:26:01,160 but they do. It sits behind your eyes and burns 364 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:06,119 the sinuses. It's an impression of something. The darkness inside 365 00:26:06,119 --> 00:26:12,200 a coffin. He looks featureless, but it isn't. Sometimes it's 366 00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:18,480 as if it crawls, fascinating. Well, the brushstrokes don't surprise me, 367 00:26:19,319 --> 00:26:23,400 he said, while sitting back with a satisfied grin. George 368 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:27,000 used his hands. But whatever he tried to hide it 369 00:26:27,039 --> 00:26:30,039 didn't just go away because he painted over it. He 370 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:34,960 didn't erase anything, merely changed it. Gave it a different 371 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:40,440 face to wear. But if it didn't make it, who did? 372 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:48,240 He shrugged? Who knows? Those tunnels are so extensive because 373 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,799 there were multiple archaeological dig sites held there throughout the 374 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:56,000 nineteenth century. They found mosaics stated to the Romans first 375 00:26:56,079 --> 00:26:59,240 arrival in Britain, along with pods and clay that were 376 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:03,000 even older. Some say the churches built atop it to 377 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:06,559 hide the darkness below, but that was too long ago 378 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:10,200 for anyone to remember. When I called the archbishop to 379 00:27:10,319 --> 00:27:12,839 check if they had really sent you down there, they 380 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:16,480 seemed under the misconception George had created the mural from scratch, 381 00:27:17,279 --> 00:27:21,839 but the painting on that wall predates us. All his 382 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:24,960 shoulders sagged and a look of defeat took over him 383 00:27:25,039 --> 00:27:28,680 as he added, I wish I had the courage to 384 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:33,359 see it. I was afraid so often the truth can 385 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:37,960 be frightening. When I heard Helshall's daughter was auctioning off 386 00:27:38,039 --> 00:27:41,400 some of his later works, I thought, I thought maybe 387 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:43,440 this could be a chance to catch a glimpse of it, 388 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:47,720 a way of seeing what George Halshall saw as retold 389 00:27:47,799 --> 00:27:56,119 by him through new artistic expression. I sighed, this visit 390 00:27:56,359 --> 00:28:00,519 hadn't really told me a great deal so far. Sensing 391 00:28:00,559 --> 00:28:04,599 my disappointment, the old man smiled, would you like to 392 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:10,359 see them? His paintings? Suddenly he was the spry and 393 00:28:10,519 --> 00:28:13,519 lively person who'd opened the door to me just a 394 00:28:13,559 --> 00:28:19,799 short while ago. He sprang to his feet and clapped happily. Come, Come, Come, 395 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:24,079 he said, in a frantic tone, Come, there's something special. 396 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:27,960 Whatever George saw down there had really did a number 397 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:34,000 on him. He wasn't taking no for an answer. He 398 00:28:34,039 --> 00:28:36,960 even reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me along 399 00:28:37,079 --> 00:28:40,519 like an excited child, until we arrived at a small 400 00:28:40,599 --> 00:28:45,279 room he decorated as a gallery. The walls densely packed 401 00:28:45,279 --> 00:28:48,880 with paintings and prints worth millions, some of which I 402 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:52,680 recognized as worth millions, but he strolled past them like 403 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:56,920 theym meant nothing. When he shoved me eagerly in front 404 00:28:56,960 --> 00:29:05,279 of his newest collection, I understand why Halswell's paintings were 405 00:29:05,319 --> 00:29:10,240 not pure black, spiritual relatives of the mural, but with 406 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:15,000 just enough light to see things beyond. They were detailed 407 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:19,079 and beautiful, at least in the artistic principles used to 408 00:29:19,119 --> 00:29:23,640 make them, with forms and anatomy, the use of color 409 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:27,440 and space. But it was the contents that gripped me 410 00:29:27,759 --> 00:29:33,559 and made me nauseous. There were seven, all showing an 411 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:40,920 array of people in various forms of torture and deprivation, flaying, amputation, drowning. 412 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:45,160 Bright white eyes stared at me from the wretched abyss. 413 00:29:45,799 --> 00:29:48,279 But it was two of them in particular that had 414 00:29:48,319 --> 00:29:51,240 me feeling like my heart was about to fall out 415 00:29:51,279 --> 00:29:59,279 through my stomach. They showed me Marie and Alec thin 416 00:29:59,559 --> 00:30:04,799 and Starle harved, weeping and broken, screaming into the emptiness, 417 00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:09,000 and some unseen force dragged them into the icy black water. 418 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:15,759 It shouldn't be possible. George Haswell had died sixteen years prior. 419 00:30:16,519 --> 00:30:18,839 There was no way he could have painted my friends. 420 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:22,839 But there was no mistaking the people in those images. 421 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:30,279 Christ It even showed Alex's tattoo. Whatever was buried down 422 00:30:30,319 --> 00:30:34,279 there and found by George, the old man said, as 423 00:30:34,279 --> 00:30:38,000 he savor the shock and terror on my face is 424 00:30:38,039 --> 00:30:41,599 an open invitation to something no one wants to meet. 425 00:30:43,079 --> 00:30:45,799 I would say best of luck to you and your colleagues, 426 00:30:46,680 --> 00:31:01,240 but there's no point. You're already done for. Oh come on, 427 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:04,559 let me in. I banged on the door for the 428 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:09,000 tenth time without reply. Last time I'd seen Alec was 429 00:31:09,039 --> 00:31:12,240 when i'd driven him home from the hospital after he collapsed, 430 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:16,279 and that had been three weeks ago. I just assumed 431 00:31:16,319 --> 00:31:18,400 he had gone to stay with his parents, like he 432 00:31:18,519 --> 00:31:21,400 told me he was going to do. But after I 433 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:24,880 saw those paintings, I had a terrible feeling that something 434 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:28,920 bad had happened. To him. I called his parents, hoping 435 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:31,680 he'd be there, but they told me they hadn't heard 436 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:36,519 from him, didn't even realize anything bad had happened. Half 437 00:31:36,519 --> 00:31:39,599 an hour later and I was outside his door doing 438 00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:44,720 everything I could to reach him. Come on, I shouted, 439 00:31:44,759 --> 00:31:49,119 before knocking again, Marie's missing. Is she with you? Please? 440 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:53,559 I'll tell me you're both okay. Anxious and scared for 441 00:31:53,599 --> 00:31:56,839 my friend, I put my ear to the door, hoping 442 00:31:57,039 --> 00:32:03,480 I might hear him approaching. Only faint sounds of movement, irregular, 443 00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:10,559 the slightest suggestion of someone talking. Al I cried, al 444 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:16,640 please open up. Something loud struck the door and made 445 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:20,440 me jump, and that sinking feeling in my chest grew worse. 446 00:32:21,839 --> 00:32:25,039 He was alive, at least, but that didn't mean he 447 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:29,279 was okay, even if it meant making him mad. I 448 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:31,359 was going to have to get in there and check 449 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:35,119 on him. Thankfully, I had a spare key from a 450 00:32:35,119 --> 00:32:37,759 long time ago and used it to pop the door 451 00:32:37,799 --> 00:32:42,279 open just an inch or two and peer inside. But 452 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:48,920 there was only darkness. Al I cried to the small 453 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:55,559 opening and immediately regretted it. Something about the smell of 454 00:32:55,599 --> 00:33:00,720 that place, mildew and damp, It made my skin crawl, 455 00:33:01,799 --> 00:33:04,039 and the carpet was soggy, like there had been a 456 00:33:04,119 --> 00:33:07,839 leak no one had bothered to fix. He reminded me 457 00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:12,200 of the church basement, not just the water or the smell, 458 00:33:13,359 --> 00:33:17,640 but the shadows, the distant sight of doorways leading into 459 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:23,279 empty spaces wreathed in darkness. I didn't want to announce 460 00:33:23,319 --> 00:33:26,039 my presence in that place, but I had to let 461 00:33:26,119 --> 00:33:32,440 Alec know I was entering his home. Alec, Alec, it's Mike, 462 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:37,839 are you in? There was a muffled bump way off 463 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:41,200 in the back, so I pushed the door open the 464 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:44,000 rest of the way before propping it in place with 465 00:33:44,039 --> 00:33:48,599 a nearby extinguisher. The light that streamed in was feeble, 466 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:54,839 but it offered me slight comfort. Unfortunately, I only took 467 00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:58,759 a few steps before the door slamb shut and I 468 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:04,079 was left in total darkness. Desperate, I grabbed my torch 469 00:34:04,119 --> 00:34:08,280 and turned it on, and what I saw nearly made 470 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:12,960 me drop it again. There was someone staring at me 471 00:34:13,039 --> 00:34:15,480 from a doorway at the far end of the hall, 472 00:34:16,599 --> 00:34:21,039 sunken eyes and pale skin, hair thinning so badly. I 473 00:34:21,039 --> 00:34:26,159 could see the scalp inflamed and roar and that expression 474 00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:31,760 a dull but hateful glare, the drooling gaze of a 475 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:36,679 lobotomized killer. I didn't even recognize it as Alec at first. 476 00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:40,039 It took a few seconds of being gripped with terror 477 00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:43,719 before I realized it was my old friend leering at 478 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:50,880 me from a darkened room. Alec. I stuttered, are you okay? 479 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:57,199 He said nothing. He simply stepped backward and seemed to 480 00:34:57,199 --> 00:35:02,599 dissolve into the very shadows. I summoned what little bravery 481 00:35:02,639 --> 00:35:05,960 I had left and took a few careful steps towards 482 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:10,119 the doorway where he'd been, But I still couldn't see anything. 483 00:35:11,519 --> 00:35:13,920 Only when I stood so close that I had one 484 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:16,440 hand on the jamb did I manage to get a 485 00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:21,920 good look inside. Alec was crouched in the corner near 486 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:27,039 some broken furniture, nude and pale, spine jotting out between 487 00:35:27,079 --> 00:35:32,760 distended shoulder blades like a starved survivor. He was muttering 488 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:38,679 quietly to himself the same phrase again and again. I 489 00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:41,800 couldn't be certain, but it sounded like he was saying, 490 00:35:43,039 --> 00:35:46,920 it's so dark in here. I wanted to call out 491 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:49,480 to him, but the words were caught in my throat. 492 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:52,639 When I saw his blackened fingertips and the buckets of 493 00:35:52,679 --> 00:36:00,199 empty paint. He had remade the mural, or perhaps some 494 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:05,239 version of it, a dark and confusing mess of thick, glassy, 495 00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:10,760 obsidian brushstrokes that covered an entire wall. His TV lay 496 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:13,519 smashed on the floor where he pulled it down, his 497 00:36:13,639 --> 00:36:18,559 sofa pulled out, the coffee table tossed aside. It was 498 00:36:18,679 --> 00:36:20,559 like he'd been in a mad rush to get at 499 00:36:20,559 --> 00:36:26,000 the wall. Now everything in that place was broken, taken 500 00:36:26,039 --> 00:36:30,159 to pieces. Worse, even a lot of it was rotten, 501 00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:35,000 turning to filth and mold. It was as if the 502 00:36:35,119 --> 00:36:39,440 church basement was crawling out of that black wall, musty 503 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:43,199 air and stagnant water seeping through the waxy paint to 504 00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:49,400 taint everything it touched. Al I said, unable to hide 505 00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:52,639 the tremor in my voice. We need to get out 506 00:36:52,639 --> 00:36:59,599 of here now. He looked at me with teary, desperate eyes. 507 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:06,320 He says, if you want uspack, you know where to look. 508 00:37:10,159 --> 00:37:14,159 With alarming speed, Out jumped upright and ran towards the wall, 509 00:37:15,639 --> 00:37:19,800 where he disappeared into the paint, like a rock falling 510 00:37:20,519 --> 00:37:26,400 into water. I thumped down into the water with a splash, 511 00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:31,599 and immediately scanned the basement. Black water rippled away into 512 00:37:31,639 --> 00:37:35,440 the distance as my chalky lights swept over old boxes 513 00:37:35,480 --> 00:37:39,599 and broken shelves. I tried everything to hold onto that 514 00:37:39,679 --> 00:37:43,000 sense of urgency and bravado that had compelled me to 515 00:37:43,039 --> 00:37:46,599 come rushing over to the church. But in the face 516 00:37:46,679 --> 00:37:49,159 of the aching darkness that lingered at the edge of 517 00:37:49,159 --> 00:37:52,719 my torch light, I could already feel it slipping away. 518 00:37:54,239 --> 00:37:57,039 I knew I had to go marching into those shadows, 519 00:37:57,599 --> 00:38:00,639 deep into the tunnel, at the fire under the room 520 00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:04,440 that would take me to the mural. I had to 521 00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:08,880 save my friends. Every time I thought about leaving them 522 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:12,960 to their fate, I remembered that painting, the look on 523 00:38:13,079 --> 00:38:18,360 their faces, agony and torture written in such despairing eyes. 524 00:38:19,639 --> 00:38:22,880 If there was even a chance of reaching them, I 525 00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:27,320 had to try. And giving Owl's words to me in 526 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:31,800 that apartment, there really was no doubt about where to look. 527 00:38:34,760 --> 00:38:38,320 Each step was a struggle. The sound of water drove 528 00:38:38,400 --> 00:38:42,239 my paranoia to new heights as I kept stopping, expecting 529 00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:46,320 to hear the footsteps of some unseen pursuer, or perhaps 530 00:38:46,559 --> 00:38:50,599 something up ahead. But it wasn't until I reached the 531 00:38:50,679 --> 00:38:53,440 room with a piano that I finally heard the sound 532 00:38:53,480 --> 00:39:01,199 of someone else down there with me music. I stopped, 533 00:39:01,559 --> 00:39:05,199 not quite sure whether I could trust my senses. Was 534 00:39:05,199 --> 00:39:08,519 I really hearing it or was my terrified mind just 535 00:39:08,599 --> 00:39:13,480 conjuring the worst case scenario. But soon enough, the background 536 00:39:13,480 --> 00:39:17,639 noise died down, and clear as day, I could hear 537 00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:23,519 a dreadful song, a strange, discordant tone, weak and off key, 538 00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:27,760 played with only the vague memory of real musical talent. 539 00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:32,360 Shaken with terror, I dipped my light in a desperate 540 00:39:32,400 --> 00:39:36,239 bid to make myself less visible, and approached the doorway. 541 00:39:39,320 --> 00:39:45,639 Marie was sitting there waiting for me. I recognized her 542 00:39:45,679 --> 00:39:48,920 as my friend, but this was not the woman I knew. 543 00:39:50,360 --> 00:39:53,320 She had aged decades in the time since I'd last 544 00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:56,440 seen her, and grown so thin she didn't even look 545 00:39:56,559 --> 00:40:02,559 human any more, and her eyes, beady and black, nestled 546 00:40:02,599 --> 00:40:06,920 above a manic and sadistic grin. There was anything but joyful. 547 00:40:09,119 --> 00:40:12,840 He's taking his time with you, she said in a 548 00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:17,800 lilting sing song, before rising to face me, her broken, 549 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:23,199 sagging body and full display with thick, knotted scars. This 550 00:40:23,719 --> 00:40:27,440 was not the woman I'd put into that ambulance. Maybe 551 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:31,119 it was her after she'd survived a nuclear war. But no, 552 00:40:32,159 --> 00:40:34,800 it simply wasn't possible that she could have changed so 553 00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:39,400 radically in so little time. But that was her face, 554 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:43,880 twisted with hate and a kind of hunger, but still 555 00:40:44,079 --> 00:40:48,519 her face. She looked ready to lunge at me, the 556 00:40:48,599 --> 00:40:52,679 tense anticipation of a coming, and I really didn't like 557 00:40:52,719 --> 00:40:55,800 the thought of those bitter and yellow nails scratching at 558 00:40:55,800 --> 00:41:00,559 my face and eyes. But instead of leaping, she simply 559 00:41:00,599 --> 00:41:06,159 giggled and slid quietly into the water, disappearing beneath the 560 00:41:06,199 --> 00:41:12,480 black surface. I contemplated leaving and turned to look the 561 00:41:12,519 --> 00:41:16,360 way I came, But some twenty meters away, my light 562 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:22,159 caught glimpse of Maurice's frightening face staring at me. I jumped, 563 00:41:22,559 --> 00:41:24,960 shocked at how she managed to slip past me and 564 00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:28,760 all the way over there without me noticing, And now 565 00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:34,559 she waited, daring me to try and leave. I wanted to, 566 00:41:35,400 --> 00:41:39,679 I wanted to march over there, but geez, the look 567 00:41:39,719 --> 00:41:44,079 on her face. I decided I had no choice but 568 00:41:44,199 --> 00:41:47,960 to move onwards to the mural. Maybe Alec would have 569 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:51,480 come to his senses and could help me. A slim hope, 570 00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:55,719 but that was all I had to steel myself. So 571 00:41:56,119 --> 00:41:59,400 I walked slowly to the final doorway and stepped over 572 00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:02,639 the sand bag and into the room with a mural. 573 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:08,760 Everything was where we'd left it weeks before. Even the 574 00:42:08,800 --> 00:42:13,519 old X ray machine was on its tripod. Slowly, a 575 00:42:13,599 --> 00:42:17,039 kind of darkness seeped into my thoughts, and the air 576 00:42:17,119 --> 00:42:20,480 grew dense and fluid, filling me up like I was 577 00:42:20,559 --> 00:42:24,400 drowning in filth. I tried to keep my mind in 578 00:42:24,519 --> 00:42:28,480 order and work out the next course of action, but 579 00:42:29,400 --> 00:42:33,599 it was useless. I fell to my knees and started 580 00:42:33,599 --> 00:42:37,000 to heave, but the harder I fought for breath, the 581 00:42:37,039 --> 00:42:41,519 worse it became. Minutes stretched on, as the edges of 582 00:42:41,559 --> 00:42:45,920 my vision pulsed red and black, and I realized it 583 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:48,480 was as if I was drowning but could not die. 584 00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:52,840 And then a horrible notion started to burn its way 585 00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:57,159 into my mind. Slowly, it came to me as a 586 00:42:57,199 --> 00:43:00,519 powerful truth that all the time I'd spent outside that 587 00:43:00,639 --> 00:43:06,920 room was a lie, just a kind of dream. All 588 00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:10,840 the daylight i'd seen, the mornings waking in my own bed, 589 00:43:11,400 --> 00:43:14,079 the sight of London's skyline and the sound of a 590 00:43:14,119 --> 00:43:18,599 world made of bright and colorful things. Those memories were 591 00:43:18,679 --> 00:43:23,559 just a thin plastic over a far deeper truth that 592 00:43:23,760 --> 00:43:29,960 room Alexis collapsed, Marie's disappearance. They were the only real 593 00:43:30,039 --> 00:43:34,519 things I'd experienced, and the cold and damp and dark 594 00:43:35,119 --> 00:43:39,840 roar that remained to me. There was no outside world. 595 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:47,000 All of that was a dream, his dream. The only 596 00:43:47,039 --> 00:43:50,159 thing that really existed was the ocean on the other 597 00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:53,880 side of that wall, and everything else was dreamt up 598 00:43:53,920 --> 00:43:58,199 by something that lay in its depths. I nearly collapsed 599 00:43:58,239 --> 00:44:02,320 beneath the weight of those thoughts. Every breath was a struggle. 600 00:44:02,920 --> 00:44:05,679 Every moment I tried to recall from my old life 601 00:44:06,119 --> 00:44:10,239 was like passing a kidney stone. And then I heard 602 00:44:10,239 --> 00:44:16,400 it a trickle. Looking towards the wall, I saw water 603 00:44:16,679 --> 00:44:21,159 seeping out of the paint, like sweat from skin, slowly 604 00:44:21,239 --> 00:44:24,800 at first, but then it grew and grew, until the 605 00:44:24,840 --> 00:44:29,280 trickles turned to a steady pouring, leaks springing in a 606 00:44:29,360 --> 00:44:35,519 dam that held back waters from another world. Eventually it 607 00:44:35,599 --> 00:44:40,280 gave all at once. A great and terrifying torrent of 608 00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:44,880 blackwater spewed from the painting. It did not last long, 609 00:44:45,480 --> 00:44:49,079 a few seconds at most, but it was enough to 610 00:44:49,159 --> 00:44:52,559 quite suddenly fill the room with another foot of water, 611 00:44:54,679 --> 00:45:01,400 and once the foam and crashing waves dispelled, I saw him, Alec, 612 00:45:02,079 --> 00:45:08,039 kneeling in front of the mural. It's your turn in 613 00:45:08,119 --> 00:45:13,159 the dark now, he groaned, and all thoughts of rescue 614 00:45:13,199 --> 00:45:17,239 fled my mind as I looked at him. What had 615 00:45:17,280 --> 00:45:20,400 I even been thinking going there? What was I going 616 00:45:20,440 --> 00:45:24,599 to do against that? You couldn't fight it, couldn't stab 617 00:45:24,639 --> 00:45:28,039 it or kill it. And Alex's words had chilled me 618 00:45:28,119 --> 00:45:33,159 to the bone. God No, I thought, No, I'm not 619 00:45:33,280 --> 00:45:37,400 going there. He wants one of us back in there, 620 00:45:38,280 --> 00:45:42,320 and it's only fair. It ain't me, Alec cried as 621 00:45:42,320 --> 00:45:47,079 he rose to his full height. Whatever he'd been through, 622 00:45:47,880 --> 00:45:51,079 he was in a far worse state than Marie. He 623 00:45:51,199 --> 00:45:56,440 wasn't just starved, he was falling apart, his torso covered 624 00:45:56,440 --> 00:46:00,039 in great weeping lesions, so large and deep that I 625 00:46:00,079 --> 00:46:03,920 could see exposed muscle and bone beneath. It was as 626 00:46:03,920 --> 00:46:06,679 if he'd been coughed up out of some giant belly, 627 00:46:07,360 --> 00:46:13,400 half digested and barely alive. No, I muttered, Oh no, no, 628 00:46:14,719 --> 00:46:19,280 we had our turns, he screamed. Suddenly we went in. 629 00:46:20,079 --> 00:46:27,000 It's your turn now. I ran, launched myself over the 630 00:46:27,039 --> 00:46:32,199 barricade and fled, screaming down the tunnel. I moved through 631 00:46:32,199 --> 00:46:35,519 the water like I never had before. I wasted no 632 00:46:35,559 --> 00:46:39,159 time looking behind me, didn't even waste energy and thoughts 633 00:46:39,400 --> 00:46:42,480 of what was happening. There was only the need to 634 00:46:42,559 --> 00:46:46,119 drive one leg forward through the water like a piston 635 00:46:46,280 --> 00:46:49,960 in an engine. The burning and my muscles didn't matter. 636 00:46:50,719 --> 00:46:54,199 The thunder of my beating heart so wild and furious 637 00:46:54,440 --> 00:46:56,400 he felt like I might just collapse and die at 638 00:46:56,440 --> 00:47:02,079 any second, didn't matter. None of it mattered. All that 639 00:47:02,239 --> 00:47:05,039 existed to me in those desperate few minutes of flight 640 00:47:05,760 --> 00:47:11,480 was the memory of the world above, sunlight, birds, smiling strangers, 641 00:47:11,480 --> 00:47:15,559 and delicious food, my home and my bed, a world 642 00:47:15,559 --> 00:47:20,079 where things made sense. I was crying when I finally 643 00:47:20,119 --> 00:47:23,079 reached the basement and saw the stairs leading up to 644 00:47:23,119 --> 00:47:26,880 the light. My heart quickened as I climbed up them 645 00:47:26,960 --> 00:47:29,920 on all fours, and my hand reached out for the 646 00:47:29,960 --> 00:47:39,480 final one. When the world exploded, pain red, something like 647 00:47:39,559 --> 00:47:42,760 lightning seemed to shoot out of my mouth, spreading across 648 00:47:42,800 --> 00:47:47,079 my face in terrible pulses of agony. I had slipped 649 00:47:47,239 --> 00:47:51,119 and smashed my face onto the final stone step, catching 650 00:47:51,119 --> 00:47:54,719 the very edge of my bottom teeth, shattering them into shards, 651 00:47:55,159 --> 00:47:58,920 and now floated freely in my mouth. But that wasn't 652 00:47:58,960 --> 00:48:02,840 what brought me out of the sh shock. No, what 653 00:48:02,960 --> 00:48:06,679 brought me back into awareness was the feeling of cold 654 00:48:06,719 --> 00:48:11,239 water rising over my shoulders and a hand clamping onto 655 00:48:11,280 --> 00:48:16,880 my ankle with almost machine like strength. Alec had caught 656 00:48:16,920 --> 00:48:20,239 me at the final moment. I was now dragging my 657 00:48:20,320 --> 00:48:27,039 floating body back towards the darkness. I wasted no time 658 00:48:27,800 --> 00:48:31,039 immediately thrashed and struggled to find my way back unto 659 00:48:31,079 --> 00:48:34,280 my feet as he turned and pummeled me with ape 660 00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:39,800 like blows. It's your turn, he bellowed. We spent our 661 00:48:39,880 --> 00:48:44,519 time in the dark. In the frantic struggle, I saw 662 00:48:44,559 --> 00:48:49,039 Marie crouched in the corner and sobbing. We were all 663 00:48:49,079 --> 00:48:53,880 his anyway, she whined, like a petulant child. We all 664 00:48:53,880 --> 00:48:57,599 have to take our turn one way or another. He 665 00:48:57,760 --> 00:49:02,800 has us. She launched herself towards me, and I finally 666 00:49:02,840 --> 00:49:06,719 lost all desire to help my friends. I hit her 667 00:49:06,840 --> 00:49:10,480 as hard as I could, one solid blow in the face. 668 00:49:11,559 --> 00:49:15,280 That scrawny little neck whipped back, and she disappeared beneath 669 00:49:15,280 --> 00:49:19,840 the waves. Jeez, I still don't know if I killed her. 670 00:49:20,679 --> 00:49:23,719 I only know that from that moment on, it was 671 00:49:23,840 --> 00:49:26,840 just Alec trying to drag me back towards the mural. 672 00:49:28,239 --> 00:49:31,519 He'd always been bigger and stronger than me, and while 673 00:49:31,679 --> 00:49:34,119 he was a bone thin ghost of his former self, 674 00:49:34,880 --> 00:49:37,559 he still held on to me with a steel grip, 675 00:49:37,960 --> 00:49:40,920 using one hand while he rained terrible blows down on 676 00:49:40,960 --> 00:49:45,440 my head with the other. Bloody and confused, I ended 677 00:49:45,519 --> 00:49:47,960 up using one hand to cover my face while the 678 00:49:48,000 --> 00:49:53,480 other groped desperately for anything I could use. Eventually I 679 00:49:53,599 --> 00:49:58,920 found something cold and wet and slick, an old piece 680 00:49:58,920 --> 00:50:02,519 of wood. I swung it as hard as I could, 681 00:50:02,800 --> 00:50:07,239 and it broke across his face like rotten mulch. He 682 00:50:07,280 --> 00:50:13,880 stopped and grinned. It hadn't even fazed him. But where 683 00:50:13,920 --> 00:50:16,920 the old piece of wood had broken, I now clutched 684 00:50:16,920 --> 00:50:21,599 the jagged collection of splinters, gritting my teeth and tapping 685 00:50:21,719 --> 00:50:24,840 into what little reserves of anger I had left, I 686 00:50:24,920 --> 00:50:28,039 reached forward and drove the few inches of broken wood 687 00:50:28,400 --> 00:50:33,280 into the largest open wound of his gut. This time, 688 00:50:34,119 --> 00:50:37,639 he didn't grin. He screamed and let go of me, 689 00:50:38,239 --> 00:50:41,239 staring in horror at the filthy wood jutting out of 690 00:50:41,280 --> 00:50:45,800 his flesh. My waisted not one second more, waiting for 691 00:50:45,880 --> 00:50:49,960 him to recover. I ran up the stairs and up 692 00:50:50,079 --> 00:50:53,000 into the open light of the church and slammed the 693 00:50:53,079 --> 00:51:02,239 trap door shut with a heavy final thud. Alec and 694 00:51:02,320 --> 00:51:06,119 Marie were found unresponsive in their homes just a few 695 00:51:06,159 --> 00:51:09,519 weeks later. Not much was made of the painting on 696 00:51:09,599 --> 00:51:13,400 Alex's wall, nor the one Marie had apparently made herself. 697 00:51:14,440 --> 00:51:17,519 The police questioned me briefly, but seemed to ask a 698 00:51:17,559 --> 00:51:21,679 lot of questions about drugs. I think, based on the 699 00:51:21,719 --> 00:51:24,239 state of their homes, the police thought that Marie and 700 00:51:24,280 --> 00:51:29,559 Alec had been addicts flooding mole decay. I did ask 701 00:51:29,599 --> 00:51:31,639 the police to destroy the murals they had made in 702 00:51:31,679 --> 00:51:34,199 their homes, but they told me it'd be down to 703 00:51:34,239 --> 00:51:37,599 the landlord to deal with the repairs, although they said 704 00:51:37,639 --> 00:51:40,800 that both apartments would likely have to be gutted and 705 00:51:40,920 --> 00:51:46,440 rebuilt from scratch. Alec and Marie are still in hospital 706 00:51:46,480 --> 00:51:51,840 to this day, comatose. It was years before I summoned 707 00:51:51,840 --> 00:51:55,880 the strength to visit them, and even then I never 708 00:51:55,920 --> 00:51:59,679 went further than the door to Alex's room. I merely 709 00:51:59,719 --> 00:52:03,119 linger there and watched him for a moment, hoping that 710 00:52:03,199 --> 00:52:06,760 I might convince myself that everything that had happened was 711 00:52:06,840 --> 00:52:10,880 just some kind of sick dream. Hopes there were dashed 712 00:52:11,400 --> 00:52:18,199 when Alec briefly came awake and turned to me. It's 713 00:52:18,280 --> 00:52:23,880 your turn in his belly, he said, this life or 714 00:52:23,920 --> 00:52:32,599 the next, you're going there, He grinned before collapsing back 715 00:52:32,760 --> 00:52:40,079 into unconsciousness, and I left and never returned. Since then, 716 00:52:40,519 --> 00:52:43,960 I've worked a number of jobs, the sole requirement being 717 00:52:44,320 --> 00:52:51,760 that I never want to work on another painting again, retail, construction, factories, anything, 718 00:52:52,199 --> 00:52:53,880 so long as I don't have to pick up a 719 00:52:53,880 --> 00:52:58,320 brush or look at one's work. Alex's words in the 720 00:52:58,360 --> 00:53:02,039 hospital have frightened me so deeply that I doubt the 721 00:53:02,119 --> 00:53:06,599 fear will ever fade. Each night I dream I'm back 722 00:53:06,639 --> 00:53:11,360 in that basement. Others I'm in a timeless void and 723 00:53:11,440 --> 00:53:15,880 something terrible is looming towards me. A mouth bigger than 724 00:53:15,920 --> 00:53:21,519 most football stadiums, ringed with teeth several stories high. Were 725 00:53:21,559 --> 00:53:26,000 the worst are the ones where entrapped suffocating in total 726 00:53:26,079 --> 00:53:31,840 darkness as some invisible fluids burns my skin but no 727 00:53:31,920 --> 00:53:35,880 matter how much I scream or cry, I can't claw 728 00:53:35,960 --> 00:53:41,159 my way to freedom. Instead, the more I thrash, the 729 00:53:41,159 --> 00:53:44,920 more those ribbed, mucous covered wolves seem to compress around 730 00:53:44,920 --> 00:53:50,840 me until I can hardly breathe. These dreams are growing 731 00:53:50,880 --> 00:53:54,960 more frequent, and recently I have begun to worry that 732 00:53:55,000 --> 00:53:59,199 Alec and Marie were right. It is my turn in 733 00:53:59,239 --> 00:54:04,440 the darkness. It has always been my turn, this life 734 00:54:04,719 --> 00:54:11,760 or the next. It's where I'm going. Oh maybe I'm 735 00:54:11,840 --> 00:54:16,719 just going mad after all. I woke up this morning 736 00:54:17,000 --> 00:54:20,920 to paint all over my hands, and the beginnings of 737 00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:26,880 something strange, daubed in filthy fingers, streaks upon my wall.