THE LIFE INSTITUTION

RED SIGNAL

[click]

[SCOTT]
Sorry. Could you repeat that?

[???]
I know I've been gone for a while, but you have to believe me, I don't know how much time has passed since I last entered this archive.

[SCOTT]
Did you work for Grian?

[???]
Yes, Yes, I did. I- well, should this sound official?

[SCOTT]
Probably. Statement of...?

[MUMBO]
Mumbo Jumbo, Regarding my time in something I can only describe as the "empty".

[SCOTT]
Original statement recorded direct from subject August 31, 2023. Audio recording by Scott S. Major, Head Archivist of the Life Institute, Edinburgh. Statement Begins?

[MUMBO(STATEMENT)]
Right.

You said 2023? It mustve been around 4 years ago, then. It was December, in 2019, when I left that day. My birthday. Grian told me to go home early, to celebrate.

It was when I tried to enter my flat, that it happened. I opened the door, stepped in, and fell into the empty.  I... well, I mustve landed at some point, but I swear. It felt like I was falling for hours. I landed completely painlessly, as obvious by my not knowing that I landed.

When I, of course, realized I wasn't falling anymore, I stood up. The empty was pitch black, except for a red aura under where I assumed the floor was. I could see myself, so I knew I hadn't spontaneously gone blind, and so I started yelling. If anyone was there, maybe they could help me understand what had happened.

Noone answered.

I was alone for a long time. I spoke, to- to keep myself sane. I complained, sang, anything to hear the sound of a human voice. When I wasn't speaking, I heard this... awful wind. Howling in the distance. Even with all that, I only felt like it'd been... a month or two?

Then, suddenly, I wasn't alone. For a small amount of time, at least.

He was... Blond. Looked somewhat like Grian- if you stretched him out and cut his hair shorter, of course. Looked like he'd been through a lot, too. His skin was sunken into his face, ashy and gray in colour. His arms were covered in claw marks, like he'd been attacked or something. He made eye contact with me, and his eyes... (shudder)

They were Red. Not bloodshot- no, I know what that looks like. They were red, as if he were wearing red eye contacts, but he wasn't. It was so, so obvious he wasn't.

He lunged toward me, and disappeared as quickly as he appeared. And as quickly as before, I was alone again.

(Mumbo coughs.)

Sorry.

His red eyes lingered with me as I walked for a long time, but again, it only felt like a few months. Long, empty months. Then I found... Grian.

He was laying down, far away enough from me that I had to run over to get to him. Then... Then I saw it.

Blood. Blood was pooling just beneath him, spreading with no stop in such a way where it- it almost looked like those sped-up videos of mold growing, the way the red liquid raced in all directions.

A door appeared behind me, red and glowing, just like anything else of any importance I'd seen in this hellscape.

I opened it. If I'd been in there any longer I would've thrown up.

When I stepped out, I was at the stairs to the archives, and It'd been four years since anyone had seen me.

I'm sorry to bother you-

[SCOTT]
Not a problem at all. That being said, you don't exactly have anywhere to go, do you?

[MUMBO]
I'll bet they sold my flat.

[SCOTT]
There's a makeshift bedroom in the archives. If you need, you can stay there. I remember seeing a missing person's report for you in 2019, I'll have to call the police department to say we found you.

[MUMBO]
Thats kind of you.

[SCOTT]
Can't have a "missing person" wandering around the streets, now, can we?

Uh... (scott turns in his chair, making a vague "what the hell is scar doing" sound. You know the one. He groans)

Alright, Come in, Scar!

[DOOR SLAMS OPEN, CLOSES SLOWLY]

[SCAR]
MUMBO!!

(scar tackles mumbo, obvious from the sound of mumbo falling from the chair he was sitting in.)

OH MY GOD-

(Mumbo starts laughing, very loudly)

[MUMBO]
Hi, Scar!

[SCAR]
-We thought you died! Pearl filed a missing persons report! Where were you?

[MUMBO]
(mood dropping) I'll... tell you later.

[SCOTT]
Scar, can you help Mumbo find that bedroom you made?

[SCAR]
(shambles to stand up)
You got it, boss!

[DOOR CREAKS OPEN]

[MUMBO]
It was nice to meet you!

[SCOTT]
You too.

[DOOR CLOSES]

Hm.

O-Oh, right. Statement ends.

[click]

[click]

[SCOTT]
I called the police station to tell them I found Mumbo.

Other than that, Mumbo's description of the first person he saw describes the picture of Jimmy Solidarity-Fairchild from his statement in 2020- which I'm still rattled about, F.Y.I. He's sleeping at the moment, I think, though I don't imagine how he could with the image of Grian's dead body still fresh in his mind.

I... also found a notebook from around these times. The first few pages start off normal, listing off notes about statements I've yet to read, but... it starts to dissolve. It mentions Mumbo's disappearance a number of times, scribbled and panicky.

This note, though, is concerning me.

[papers rustling]

In red ink, the only thing on this page is... "ALL THE DOORS ARE OPEN NOW".

Recording ends.

[click]

//- OMG HES HERE!! THE JUMBO! THE BOY!! Also in my document this statement is 5 PAGES LONG, making it the longest I've written ever! I've been on a magnus archives spurr so far, and I've been having a great time. <3! I do need suggestions for my next chapter, so please comment if you have an idea!!!