Marathon

Prologue

There is an old urban legend that tells of a strange creature which dwells underneath a decrepit and abandoned radio station within the Rocky Mountains. People say that many have went to explore this radio station but never returned; there were no traces of them ever found. On Internet forums, they dub this rumored legend the "Radio Reaper." In these forums, they speculate many possibilities of this creature. Some say it is an alien creature, dragging people to the depths of the world to experiment and eventually dominate the planet. Others still debate that it is a group of people cannibalizing their victims that happen to stumble upon them. However, no real information has been released, leaving the rumors unfounded and questions unanswered.

The few who have entered the building but have not entered the basement claim to have heard the faint sound of static and the crackling of electricity from below. They find this to be very peculiar due to the fact that the radio station has not been receiving power for more than three decades and has even been cut off the grid entirely.

This is the story that many have talked about and even a few news channels have dipped their toes in, but Liam was far from convinced that any sort of creature really existed. On a whim, Liam's more dramatic and occult-following friends suggested visiting the rumored haunted radio station themselves. After all, a drive there would only take half an hour. Being the oldest and most down-to-Earth, Liam was nominated the driver. Saturday at nine in the evening after dusk, since it was not a school day and they had no school the next day.

Liam, despite having no belief in the supernatural or paranormal activities, could not wave a dreadful feeling lingering over him. No matter how much he told himself it was not real, it did not exist, or he was just being foolish, the feeling only got stronger as each minute passed.

As he drove, he could feel his body start to form a cold sweat. He swallowed and told himself he was no pussy. For fucks sake, he faced death itself during a wreck on the highway two years ago in which one of the other vehicle's parts was inches away from impaling his heart. In the nick of time, he steeled himself and stood up against a mugger attempting to rob a woman with a knife. Fortunately, the mugger ran away without attempting to assault either of them. Why was he feeling this way now?

Pulling up to the radio station, he sees the left portion has collapsed. Half finished graffiti is sprayed along the front over the door. A wooden sign has been planted in the ground reading for all to turn away and that it is not a game. Scoffing, he pulls the sign from the ground and tosses it aside. His friends, eager to supposedly investigate this rumor, follow just behind him, chattering away. As he stands several feet from the door, he could feel his heart sink and his body start to tremble. Although it was far from hot outside, he felt the sweat trickling down his forehead. He cursed at himself under his breath. After a deep breath, he approaches the door and grabs the handle.

The door creaks as it twists upon the rusty hinges. As the door opens fully, he hears a snap as the door oddly clunks against the hinges. Inside, he could see tarps over some of the items, but many of them have been removed, presumably from previous individuals. Dust had been settled on almost every surface. Cobwebs span across lengths and some hang in the corners of the building. The light switch had been flipped on, but clearly the lights were not active. He sees many bugs scurry away as the light from his phone shines against them. When he steps in, his friends file in behind him.

They all stand in the center of the building, looking around and discussing what to do among one another. As Liam listens, he sighs. Bored of this game already, he cannot help but want to leave as the sense of dread builds within him. Zoning his friends out, he begins to hear the sound of electricity crackling. It is faint, but it is certainly there. He shakes his head and listens to his friends again. However, he cannot focus on them. As the crackling continues, he starts to hear the sound of static. Where? How is this possible?

Liam speaks, his friends all turning to him. He asks if they can hear it. As they all silence themselves, they each try to listen. Each of them look around at one another, trying to get confirmation. As Liam loses his patience, he tells them to follow him. Slowly, he finds himself stepping over fallen equipment until they reach further into the back of the radio station. He can hear it much more clearly now. The static echoes, the electricity snaps. Looking down, he sees an already open hatch leading to the lower portion of the station. He looks around and his friends all seem to hear it as well.

They look around at each other, all of them now seeming much more skeptical and uncertain about their curiosity. Then, one suggests that they go down. All of them turn to look at him. He shrugs and says it was only an idea. Although another was much more curious and said Liam should check since he was so certain there was nothing here. Liam takes a breath and swallows, his fight or flight sense now beginning to kick in, and he was much more keen on fleeing this time. But to avoid being called a coward, he swallows his pride and turns to the hatch, darkness enveloping everything below. He sighs and looks back, his friends all watching, few of them now eager to do anything. He turns back to the hatch.

He reaches down and takes hold of the ladder, bringing his legs down looking once more at his friends as he takes one more deep breath. He goes to take one step down and his foot slips. Unprepared, he slips off the ladder completely. His friends all hurry to the ladder, looking down into the complete darkness and calling his name. Over and over, they shouted for Liam. When they heard no response, one began to panic. Another grabbed hold of him and slapped him, telling him to calm down and that Liam probably hit his head. He pulled out his phone and began dialing nine one one. The last friend, still looking down the hatch, stared blankly into the darkness. His other friends were only background noise. For a moment, he thought he saw something. He was certain he did. He would never forget what he saw. He knew then and there that Liam was not coming back.

On a screen, Liam's eyes had been gouged and his tongue severed.