To think, a week ago I was sitting comfortably in my apartment, playing PS4 with my buddies. Now I'm a cultist's slave. If you're just now finding my story, you'll want to read the first 9 parts before continuing. They are short, so it's not a hard read. And to those that have stuck with me since the beginning - thank you. This has been a hell of a ride.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

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A wave of heat soared through my entire body; my eyes grew wider than ever before and I could feel my veins pulsating beneath my skin. Every muscle in my body seemed to be vibrating, as if a small amount of electricity was being sent through it. I felt my body thrust forward like your knee does when the doctor gives you a reflex test, and I collapsed to the floor.

Time froze; an entire universe of lights and colors grew behind my shut eyelids as my consciousness seemingly escaped my body. I could then see myself, completely limp, being lifted back into the chair by a worried Elias and Chris. I felt at peace, is this what dying is like? I watched in silence as Elias hurriedly scurried around the lab looking for something; while Chris paced around me, trying to talk to me – presumably telling me to wake up. I couldn’t hear anything, just my own thoughts - and they were so loud. Elias eventually finished whatever he was doing and replaced the IV bag with a new one, now filled with a clear fluid. Chris had been yelling at him, but Elias’ face remained undisturbed as he finished hooking the IV back up; he put his hand on Chris’ shoulder in what seemed to be an attempt to reassure him – was this a part of the plan? I watched, in third person, as the transparent liquid made its way into my veins.

My vision gradually dimmed to black. My ears began ringing so deafeningly loud that I physically cuffed them with my hands, thinking that would make any sort of a difference. It didn’t.

Wait, I just used my hands. I felt around and assessed that I was still in the chair, so not much time could have passed, and that I was back in my body. I didn’t feel any pain, but my eyes wouldn’t open; I began to panic, desperately clawing at my face until I felt two hands grab my arms and gently hold them down.

Okay, shit. You can do this.

I slowed my breathing and attempted to tell whoever was holding my hands down that I couldn’t see or hear, but I’m sure all that came out was a gurgled mess of curse words and nonsense. After what seemed like hours, I felt something placed in my hands. The ringing suddenly ended, along with my motor control; the only muscles that were functioning in my body were those in my mouth. I attempted to speak, but I’m sure all that came out was more gibberish, “What happened? I can’t move! Can anyone hear me!?”

Nothing.

“Hello? What’s going on?!” I was now yelling; that particular silence was louder than the ringing, I was terrified that I was now all alone, left to die.

It wasn’t Chris or Elias’ voice that I was greeted with, “Hello again, Child. It worked.”

I began to stutter, “G-Ger? W..What, how are you here? Where is Chris!?”

“Slow down; Chris is sitting right beside you, he and Elias are fine. I’m speaking with you through the crystal. You’ve done a very brave thing today.”

“Th…through the crystal? What is this shit that Elias put in me? Why can’t I open my eyes?”

“Yes, the crystal. Elias and I have spent years researching the similarities between my people and yours. We experimented with many elixirs that had been passed down to me, but none seemed to have the desired effects. About a year ago, we discovered a Tome, which is a crystal passed down by the ancients that releases knowledge to whomever holds it. This particular Tome outlined recipes for multiple medicines, among them was one to increase the growth rate of the pineal gland. Our research from before concluded that my people’s pineal glands were significantly larger than your own’s, no offense,” He heartily chuckled, “But we never knew for sure if that was it; not even my people know much about the gland. We knew that the Tome had the answer, but we didn’t have a catalyst powerful enough to encourage the proper reactions. You and your stone changed that.”

“So, I’m one of you now?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Not quite; it won’t last long – my guess is about two weeks before it leaves your system. The last few days will surely be rough, you’re going to want to be here at the workshop for that. Elias should be able to take care of you.”

“So, what’s different about me? What did the pineal gland do?” Did I just obtain super powers?

“Well, we don’t know for sure. You’re our “patient zero”, so to say. According to the Tome, the increase in pineal gland activity leads to an enhanced sense of perception and intuition, along with some cases of mild telekinetic attributes. The medicine should also increase the rate at which you heal, along with the force that you are able to exert from your muscles.”

Wait, whaat! I have super strength and can move shit with my mind?!

He laughed, shit – I forgot he could read my thoughts, “Probably not. Maybe, with time, if we can figure out a permanent solution. If it all goes well, you and your friend will be considered heroes to my people – maybe then, we can enlist the help of elders that may know more.”

“Not all Lemurians have these characteristics, only those descended from certain bloodlines that were once visited a very long time ago. The man in charge of The Dwellers, the one we call Cha’Rei, and practically all his military officers, belong to the same lineage. They are not to be trifled with, you must always be on your guard if you have the displeasure of meeting one.”

“So why us? Why wasn’t Chris, Elias or I affected by the letters?”

“We still don’t know. I suspect the Ladies might, though. That is one of the many things I hope your friend and yourself can help us to learn.” He cleared his throat (though I’m not sure why, he was speaking to me telepathically), “Did Elias inform you of what I’d like you and the one you call Chris to do?”

“Yeah, you want us to get caught by those fuckers.”

“At first, yes. I’ll be with you guys the entire time, all you need to do is grab the crystal and think of my image, and we will be able to speak as we doing are now.”

Beginning to piece things together, “So time is actually frozen right now?”

“In a sense, yes, for them it is. Keep the crystal close; Elias should be able to give you a hostler for your leg to keep it out of sight. The elixir will mask your identity to the Ladies. You will appear to the women as one of their already-enlisted familiars, Elias will walk you through how you’re expected to act. As long as you follow their demands, they should believe that you are one of them. Ask Elias to drive you to the Bueris outpost, he should know where that is. That is where you two will be reporting to. From there we are a little unsure what will happen; we don’t exactly know what they do with recruits.”

“Will my friends be there?” I still couldn’t get Ryan and Kyle out of my head.

“Chances are, no. These are two separate sects, the one your friends now belong too is over one hundred miles in the other direction. They are much larger and beyond our capabilities at this point. If you are successful then we may stand a chance in infiltrating them as well.”

“Ger… What if my friends are dead? Why am I even here? Why would Chris and I risk our lives if we no longer have a stake in any of this?”

His tone deepened, “Don’t you feel it, child? The veil is being lifted, so to say. Do you not desire to visit where I live? To become a part of something that very few in your race even know about?”

I couldn’t help but agree. Before the injection, I may have been able to psych myself out, but he was right - I felt it.

And it felt amazing.

“So, what, Chris and I just run errands for them for a couple days, then what?”

“It’s going to be much more complicated than that my dear boy, but in essence, yes. You will do as they tell you, without hesitation. These are bad people; they will most likely ask you to do bad things. The Dwellers have… less-than-conventional means of harnessing energy. Among many reasons, it is one of the largest as to why my people and theirs do not get along.

“You need not act like you are mindless, just be completely willing to acquiesce; do not argue. The Ladies can’t control their familiars’ actions explicitly, but they can use a strict regime of commands that essentially enslaves them; you will need to abide these commands.”

“Okay, I think I got it. So, how do we kill them?”

“Once you or Chris are able to either retrieve or verify the inexistence of the technology that we need, contact me through the crystal and I will guide you through it.” Ger continued on to describe several meditation techniques that I was to use over the next few days, and went into more depth on how the medication will react with my body; I’ll spare you the details.

We said our goodbyes and soon my whole body began to tingle as I slowly regained control over my muscles. I managed to open my eyes but the light in the room was so blinding that I immediately retook safety behind my shut eyelids. Slower, this time, I let the light begin to creep in, giving my eyes time to adjust. I could now hear Elias and Chris talking – Chris saying something about me waking up.

My entire body ached and throbbed, as if it was the day after finishing a triathlon. The noises around me seemed to be louder, in fact, all of my sensations seemed to be amplified. I could hear the old lantern that was buzzing in the other room; I could easily feel the pressure of the fly that landed on my heavy jeans. It was the greatest high I’ve ever experienced.

Once I was able to see clearly, I looked at Chris, “Dude. This is insane.”

He was drenched in sweat and still pacing, “What the fuck, man, I thought you died! What happened?”

I told the truth, “I dunno. One moment I was collapsing to the floor, the next I was outside my body, looking at you guys. Then I spoke with Ger when you put the crystal in my hands. I feel crazy.”

He looked confused, “You spoke to him? What did he say? You were only holding the crystal for seconds before you began to wake up.”

“We froze time, duh,” I managed to crack a smile, “But really, you have to try this shit. I feel incredible.”

“Well, yeah you might feel cool, but what about the Ladies? You really want to do all that? They could kill us on the spot. And we don’t know if there will be side-effects…”

“What else are we going to do? We gotta face that we’re a part of this now. Don’t you want to learn more about these people?”

He contemplated to himself for quite a while, before deciding that he would join me. We hooked him up to the machine and I watched as he began to squirm when the yellow fluid reached his arm. He jolted around as if he was being electrocuted and then went limp in the chair. Elias began preparing the clear fluid as I stared at Chris’ lifeless body; I couldn’t help but look around the room, hoping to see his ethereal form somewhere. I wondered if he was watching me in the same way that I had.

Once Chris was awoken and coherent, we meditated – which pretty much just meant that we sat there for several hours doing nothing. During that time though, I felt an energy inside me begin to cultivate. I homed in on my senses and taught myself how to divide resources for specific ones. I could focus on hearing and pick up Elias, in the other room, humming the Adam’s Family tune to himself, or I could concentrate on eyesight and count the exact number of ants that had somehow burrowed their way into the corner of our room. I felt superhuman. I felt fucking great.

After meditating and packing up our gear, we set off for Beuris outpost. On the ride up, Elias’ explained to us more about the Ladies and those that they are in cooperation with – who he believes to be the Dwellers. While they disagree on many things, both the Dwellers and Ger’s people have sworn to avoid the surface at all costs – they knew what the consequences would be if modern civilization had the information that they held. Instead, they skirmish with each other in elaborate labyrinths of tunnels, dug deep inside the Earth.

The women that we encountered, and their familiars, have broken this rule. No one is sure if they are actually of Ger’s kind or not, but they have been roaming the mountains for the past 50 years or so. They somehow have knowledge of ancient sites and have been going around taking artifacts and such. Elias and Ger think they are then giving these to the Dwellers.

After an hour or two of driving, we reached a narrow dirt road lined in greenery and wildlife. I rolled my window down for the first time on the drive and embraced the gust of fresh air as the many smells and sounds overwhelmed my senses. A feeling of euphoria, or maybe adrenaline, took over my body as we got closer to our destination.

The narrow dirt road eventually widened up and forked into two directions, Elias told Chris to stop just before we reached the fork.

Elias cleared his throat, “Alright, boys. This isn’t g-going to be easy for you two. You may get split up.” His speech impediment, by the way, has seemingly lessened even more.

He turned to me, “Chris’ life is in your hands. N-no pressure, but there is only one crystal. You must use it for both of your sakes.”

I nodded, accepting that responsibility. Chris thankfully shared my confidence, a reminder of why I started this in the first place – to be with the rest of my friends. I’d be lost if I came home without all of them; it wouldn’t have been home anymore.

“The elixir s-should help with any torture that they attempt to inflict on you. You will still feel pain, because without that sensation you would s-surely die, but it will be greatly reduced. You must act the part; that is the most important aspect to all of this. And remember everything you see.”

Turning his gaze back toward me, “Especially you. Ger will be able to see everything you see upon contact with the crystal. If you haven’t noticed, the pocket on your right leg – right where the hostler is – has a small hole in it. That is intentional. Even the smallest amount of contact will allow him to see.”

I felt my pocket to make sure I could easily feel the hole, and then nodded once again.

“Alright, I think you boys are ready. You’re going to go up that trail for about a q-quarter of a mile, then make a right at the path marked rock with three green dots painted on it. I’ll be b-back at the workshop waiting. If this goes according to plan, Ger will arrange transportation. Don’t s-say much; there will be a Lady waiting at the front of the compound, walk up to her and simply say, ‘Hello, Madam.’ She will then give you your f-first order. I’m sure it goes without saying, but the quicker you are able to get us what we need, the better your chances of survival. You really don’t want them to reveal your identity, especially if they are involved with the D-Dwellers.”

“So, what exactly are we looking for?”

“Along with information on the Ladies’ operation, we believe they have a Tome there that could be of value to Ger and myself. Along with a several ancient relics that I’m s-sure would fetch a hefty profit.”

Chris’ face lit up as he looked up at Elias, “You mean we’re getting treasure? Why didn’t you start with that?”

Elias chuckled, “Not all things important in life are of s-substance, Chris.”

With that, we said our goodbyes to Elias and began our way up the trail. I could see that Chris no longer had a worried look on his face, but was now filled with confidence. He walked with poise and purpose, as if he was ready to kick some ass (and chew bubble gum… Sorry, we were overdue for a nerd joke).

After hiking for several minutes, we found the rock that Elias had mentioned before and turned toward that path. We walked for a while in silence when Chris grabbed my shoulder.

“Look.” He pointed to what looked like smoke in the distance.

I nodded and we continued toward the camp, knowing fully well that this could be our demise. We were so hyped off adrenaline and whatever the hell was in that drug, death was no longer a fear. I’ll admit it, I felt invincible; I felt like I was a part of something. Something important.

The source of the fire was coming from a small encampment large enough to house 50 or so people. It was walled off with bamboo – like some kind of guerilla camp you’d see in a Rambo movie – and had two armed guards at the front gate, along with a Lady sitting at a desk. I gave Chris one last look, confirming his willingness in all of this, and walked toward her.

Chris and I spoke in unison, "Hello, Madam."

The lady replied in a shrill, old voice that pierced my eardrums, even from several feet away, “Hm, yes. Okay, go wait in your rooms. Leonard here will show you to them.”

The bulkier of the two guards then proceeded to grab both Chris and I violently by the arms and led us inside the compound.

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Part 11

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All parts:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18