Orpheus - Haunting the Dead.pdf - Dice

HAUNTING THE DEAD
RICK CHILLOT
And when he feels the sharp pinch in his ankle, the
tugging on his leg, the sensation is so inconsequential
that it barely registers. Only when he feels his knees
against the edge of the furnace, feels his body tumble
backwards onto the floor, sees the dog release his ankle
from its jaws and look at him quizzically—only then
does Ed close his eyes.
Orpheus Facility #6, Level 4, Undisclosed Location
September 21, 11:12 a.m.
“They’re gone,” Ed says. “All of them. They’re
gone.”
The laboratory has been gutted. Bare wires hang
from the walls and ceiling. Chairs and tables lie sideways
on the floor. Torn papers, broken glass, books,
light fixtures and unrecognizable detritus are scattered
everywhere.
“What happened here?” Karen asks, placing a palm
on Ed’s shoulder.
Green looks thoughtful for a moment, then says, “I
don’t know, but I’ll find out eventually.”
Ed walks away from them, glances at Tina and the
dog as they wander between piles of trash. He faces a
bare wall and can see the outlines left on the paint by
the machines that once stood there. “They were right
here,” he says. “Ten pods. And in one of them… this
can’t be happening.”
“We’ll find it,” Karen tells him. “Somehow. We
won’t stop looking until we do.”
Ed closes his eyes. It’s far off, faint, but when
everything else is quiet he still can hear the voice quite
clearly.
COME.
“I think,” he tells Karen, “we’d better hurry.”
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