Falling into the Abyss

Chapter 74: Atonement: Pales (XXIII)

Ethan lost his sense of direction in the dark and did not know where he was going. The rugged and intestine-like ground under his feet seemed to have a slight incline. The invisible force of gravity was pulling him to an unknown place bit by bit.

Those wacky babbles still haunted him with every breath he took. He could not even be sure whether the sounds came from his surroundings or his mind.

Where is this? he murmured.

The voices stopped for a moment, then said again in a confused, childish voice:

At home, we are at home.

On the planet.

Its been hollowed out by us.

Its almost filled.

Ethan swallowed saliva down his throat that was dry and sore from coughing and asked, What are you planning to do to us?

This time the silence lasted longer than before. Ethan wondered if the voices in the dark were discussing something in a language he couldnt hear.

Then, in front of him, a beam of light appeared in the distance. The ominous scarlet light seemed like a sirens song, beckoning him into the distance like beating the pulse of a heart. He looked back in hesitation, but it was still silent around him.

He had already lost his way, with nowhere to go.

He could only stride in the direction of the light.

Are you sure this is a good idea? Samuel looked uncertainly at the laser gun that Schneider was adjusting. Ive never heard that a laser gun can be used as a knife.

Although it was a joke, the other three couldnt laugh, especially Stan, who was lying on the ground. The situation for his legs was not optimistic, and his legs lay on the ground as if they were boneless. He didnt unwrap the bandage to take a look at them. He didnt know what they looked like, and he didnt want to find out.

Just now, the sergeants festering wound was covered with white and fleshy bud-like creatures. He still felt nauseous when he thought about it.

Samuel helped the sergeant lie on the ground and straightened his right arm against the ground. He then braced his entire body tightly against the sergeants shoulder to keep him from moving. Schneider pressed the trigger on the laser gun, and a hot beam of light was ejected like a flame, burning continuously in the air. He succeeded! He looked at Samuel, who nodded to him.

The sergeant closed his eyes.

Schneider steeled his heart and directed the laser beam downwards. In a flash, the sergeants scream rang throughout the entire open temple, echoing among the pillars with strange sharp corners.

The dark, pitted arm was kicked away by Samuel. He quickly sprayed disinfectant on the wounds neat cross-section before wrapping his shoulder with the last bit of bandages. The sergeants body was soaked in cold sweat, and he passed out.

Samuel wiped the sweat from his forehead, and he let out a long breath. Schneider also sat down against the nearest pillar and threw the gun aside. He asked Samuel, How long has Eldridge been gone?

Samuel estimated, At least four or five hours.

Its been a long time. Do you think something has happened to him? Schneider turned his head and looked at the holes in the tall wall in the distance that would drive someone with trypophobia crazy. If he doesnt come back in another hour, well go in and find him.

Do you want me to find him while you wait here? Samuel asked.

No, Schneider swiftly decided, From now on, we must all operate together and can no longer separate.

The red light was getting closer. Ethan finally saw that it was a hole.

The disturbing red light cast deep and shallow shadows. The cave he was in was very wide and nearly circular. There were many ring-shaped folds from the ground to the ceiling, all smoothly reflecting the red light. These regular patterns were like fine patterns stacked in layers, appearing as though they were moving to form an uncomfortable-looking vortex. At the end of the vortex, the space suddenly widened. Ethan stopped at the edge of the steep cliff at the cave entrance, and his green eyes widened due to shock.

It was a huge space, just like an underground city, with cliffs scattered around like islands. In the foggy abyss, many huge pillars that were thick at their ends and thin in the middle rose up to support the distant dome above. If you looked carefully, you would find that there were many huge worms coiled on those pillars. Although he was far away, they appeared very thick and long. Nonsensical, childish murmurs came from within the thick red fog above them. Ethan was almost certain that these worms were the terrifying worms that had burst out of the underground caves during the horned peoples sacrificial ceremony.

However, if you looked closely, you could see thin purple-red threads towards the rear of the worms bodies, with the other end of the threads leading downwards. Ethans line of sight followed along the threads until it finally descended into the abyss. After that, he held his breath.

The red fog gradually dispersed before his eyes. He saw the thing that covered the ground and almost occupied his entire field of vision.

If the giant worms they saw previously were as large as a train, then the huge fleshy worm that was constantly moving below was almost as big as a city.

Ethan could not see its tail or head, but he could vaguely distinguish that it appeared incredibly soft, and it had bent and twisted itself until its body was tangled. He couldnt even be sure whether it was a single worm or many worms entangled together. Its skin appeared very soft from a distance, almost like a thin film. Underneath the gray film, countless blood vessels spread out, emitting a hot red light. If you looked closely, you would find that its body was moving slowly and rhythmically, just like a beating heart.

All the purple-red threads attached to the rears of those giant worms were connected to this ancient, primitive, and unimaginably large worm, and the silk-like threads formed a giant net in the air. The entire space was filled with a sour smell that Ethan was familiar with, but now, he no longer felt disgusted.

Ethan looked at the terrifying and magnificent scene, vaguely aware that these worms had a hierarchical system similar to bee and ant colonies. The little worms that descended from the trees and attacked people were equivalent to worker bees. Those coiled around the pillars were likely to be male worms, which transported their sperm through the purplish-red tubes. The city-like giant red worm in the abyss was their queen.

It turned out that this was the meaning behind the temples existence and why the horned people called this the Mouth of the Earth. Ethan was suddenly enlightened.

These giant worms were the sacred race worshipped by the horned people. They lived in a planets interior and devoured its core. When a planet was about to be hollowed out, they spread their eggs into the universe to find the next planet that they could parasitize. They worshipped the God of Disorder, and it was they who passed on the belief in the so-called Great Wise Man to the ignorant horned people. They were citizens of evil and chaos.

Schneider was the first to hear a sticky noise, like a snail crawling across the ground. He sat up straight and swept around the light that could now barely illuminate their surroundings.

He didnt see anything suspicious and just felt that it was much darker now. The darkness was pressing in all around them, giving off an indecipherable scent.

He looked back and saw Samuel sitting up alertly as if he was perking his ears and listening to something.

You heard that, too? Schneider asked.

Samuel frowned and nodded.

Shhhlupshhhhlup The sticky sound grew clearer as it continued ringing out. Now, even Stans eyes had opened. He was lying on the ground, but when he opened his eyes, his expression suddenly froze. He opened his mouth but could not speak and just reached out and pointed above them.

Schneider turned the spotlight on the area above his head.

They saw that the dome quite a distance away from them was undulating. It originally glowed due to fluorescence but was now dark, covered by the white-gray worms. The mouths at the front of their bodies were opened wide, and they slowly crawled down the pillars, revealing a big ring of red teeth.

Samuel picked Stan up from the ground, and Schneider also pulled the sergeant up. They wanted to run somewhere, but they found that the numerous worms on the pillars in the distance had already reached the ground and were spreading out in their direction.

They turned around again, only to find that the dense holes in the tall wall were no longer empty. Worms were squeezing out of the holes like strips of toothpaste, leaving translucent tracks as they wriggled down from the stone wall. Along with their appearance, their stench occupied the group of humans entire sense of smell, which made them all feel nauseous. What terrified Samuel the most was that at the entrance of the black cave that Ethan had headed into, Samuel saw a huge worm as large as they had seen drill out of the cave by the altar. Its teeth were stained with blood and flesh, causing his chest to tighten.

That was to sayEthanmay have become a pool of flesh and blood in its belly

Strangely, he didnt feel his heart ache too much. Maybe it was because he knew that he would soon become excrement for these disgusting creatures.

The four of them stood back-to-back, surrounded by the worms that had suddenly approached from all directions. Schneider fired, and the lasers brilliant light lit up the crowded temple again and again. But it was useless. The worms seemed to have no Achilles heel. The places burned by the laser would soon heal, just like the clouds, and they werent truly injured.

Their encirclement continued to narrow, and many of the worms were waving their disgusting heads in the air, making a sharp hissing sound. It was a hymn of death from hell, a hymn that amplified fear and deepened darkness.

The four mens heavy gasps could be heard clearly. Samuel felt his heart beating wildly in his chest, and he could hardly breathe. He had faced death many times, but he could never get used to his fear of the end. He turned to look at Schneider, but he was just met with the other partys expression of despair and fear.

Had his luck run out at last?

After the laser guns energy finally dried up, the nearest worm raised its head at them. Schneider suddenly turned his head and looked deeply at Samuel, before taking the initiative to move forward and desperately kiss his lips.

Everything was clear, like a lost memory that had been engraved in his mind, and he recalled it over and over again. Ethan hated this feeling because it was like he was being forced to receive memories that didnt belong to him.

He was sure that the voices in the dark just now were the holy race communicating with him.

Obviously, these worms understood his language. So, he called out to the abyss, Why are we trapped here? Answer me!

For a long time, a childish voice echoed in the abyss, booming as loud as thunder, We want you to take us to a new world.