Døllmaker | Cyan

(twelve)

Ryan suddenly stopped before they hit a turn. He expression was as unemotional as ever. The only time he really smiled or showed any change in the tone of his voice was around Chris. Otherwise, he had about as much passion as a brick wall. Ricky, not wanting to piss him off, made sure to stop the second he did.

He spoke as simply and as clearly as he could, "In order to get to my workshop, we have to go through tunnel nine. Tunnel nine is where things are left to be forgotten, forever. That extends to living things as well. You may see things that will make you question humanity. It's important that you keep your head down and keep your mouth shut. Be as invisible and meaningless as them, and they will let you pass." 

That wasn't unsettling at all. Humans, no matter how brave or fear-filled, all have some concept of bravery. They all do deep down think they can handle true horrors if they were faced with them, but you never truly understand the depth of terror until you really truly are looking into the gates of Hell. This past week, Ricky has learned how small and helpless he really is. When fear takes hold of your body, any confidence you ever had is completely destroyed. 

He listened to Ryan's words carefully. Head down, mouth shut. As they began to walk into the tunnel - tunnel nine as Ryan had called it - a gut wrenching smell filled their lungs. Even a hundred rotting dead bodies wouldn't smell so vile. Ricky raised his sleeve to his nose, though it didn't help much. He wanted to vomit, and he hadn't even seen the horrors producing those smells. 

Ricky kept his eyes glued to the back of Ryan's heels as they walked. He heard things, terrible things. Whispers, moans, growls, voices - ungodly voices. Not that he believed in God to begin with, but this would make any true believer into an atheist. No benevolent God would ever allow such monstrosities to ever exit. 

There were times he swore he felt breathing on his neck. Out of the corner of his eye, he'd see flashes of light. Often it'd be two piecing yellow circles, or one single red beam. Most unsettling, and what made him wish he could run instead of walk, was the occasional dragging noise. It sounded almost as if a corpse was crawling and clawing it's way over the abandon tracks. Ricky was prepared any minute now for something to grab him. He had no idea how many creatures were around him, but he knew it wasn't a small amount. His heart was ready to pound straight out of his chest.

Ricky heard the movement of something heavy. It sounded like stone scrapping across the ground. He glanced up when light fell upon his face. They'd reached the threshold that separated tunnel nine from Ryan's workshop. Finally, the pressure on his back lifted. The two walked inside a well lit passageway, Ryan shutting the heavy door behind them. Torches lined the wall, illuminating the space brilliantly. 

"I think I'm going to be sick." Ricky winced.

"If you're going to puke, you have to go back there. I don't want vomit in my workshop." He coldly replied.

"This is your workshop?" 

"The tunnel to it. We're not far." He said, "As soon as we get there, I'll start giving you some answers." 

"That'd be nice." Ricky remarked.

He was slowly starting to realize Ryan and Chris could be the most normal people here. Based on the Hellish shit he just witnessed, he's pretty grateful Ryan was the one that found them sneaking around down here. Granted, he did throw a knife at Ricky and seriously injure him, but he didn't kill him. His little experiments were also surprisingly humane. There wasn't much torture involved. Not as much as there could've been, anyways.

They walked for about five more minutes before reaching a dark oak platform. It was laid out in front of a dark brick structure, almost like a front patio. Ryan stepped up to the door, of which matched the wood beneath his feet, and waved his hand over the lock. A small white array appeared, turning until it unlocked the door. At this point, Ricky was pretty sure he'd actually died and gone to Hell. There was no way that shit could happen on Earth.

Inside, it was surprisingly inviting and warm. It was almost like walking into Santa's workshop. The fireplace along the right wall lit itself upon their entrance. It's glow illuminated most the area. The place was big compared to the tight train and tunnels. Doll parts, fabrics, paints, and all kinds of materials lined the shelves. A large work space was set up in the back of the shop.

"Feel free to take a seat." Ryan said, gesturing to a chair adjacent to the fireplace. He continued over to the back table. Unclipping the doll from his belt loop, he delicately propped the vessel up on his workbench. "I believe there's something trustworthy about you. I can understand your need to leave. It's human nature to run, but eventually, I think you will come to like this place. Even if you don't, you won't be able to leave. No matter how you decide to perceive, there are a few things important to your survival down here."

Hesitantly, Ricky sat down in the offered spot. "You're actually going to tell me about this place?"

"You sound surprised. There's no point in me hiding this information from you. As I've already made clear, you're never leaving here. And, Chris really likes you. So, I can't let you die, and equipping you with knowledge is a good way to do that. Understand that I keep most of this from Chris, or I tell him softer versions of the truth, because he is just a child. Don't break his illusions for me." 

He keeps this from him but he has no problem fucking him like an adult? How Ryan chose to raise Chris was obviously hypocritical in many ways, but their circumstances were so fucked up that they really couldn't be judged properly. Apparently, Chris had a way of comprehending sex in way that he couldn't process death or other horrors. 

Ryan grabbed a rolled up scroll off one of the shelves and handed it to his new assistant. "There are ten tunnels in total. You may have seen, the signs aren't reliable. Ignore them."

"Yeah, I know." He snit, unrolling the map. It laid out the underground maze in detail, showing all the secret paths and passageways. "Holy shit."

"I saw the map you had. It was outdated, to say the least. Over the years, those that live here have made their own mark, so to speak, but I'm getting ahead of myself." Ryan walked over to the shelf that held all his paints. He began to pick out a few for a new doll, continuing on, "The majority you'll have no reason to interact with, but on the off chance you do, you should know who they are. 

In tunnel on lives a very disturbed spirit. I wouldn't call him a poltergeist, because he doesn't want to torture anyone, but he's definitely not filled with purity either. His name is Angelo. He's actually not that bad. He just wants to be left alone. He does kill humans if they enter his tunnel, but that's just because he hates the noises they make. He's obsessed with the quiet. If you are to run into him, keep that in mind. Whisper, maintain eye contact. He likes to feel like people are comfortable around him. 

Tunnels two and three are inhabited by two demons, named Judas and Rush. They're the Collector's sons. Despite being brothers, they're also boyfriends. Demons don't really understand the concept of incest. Anyways, they're very... Morbid. They have an addiction to creating Frakenstein-like creatures. Most of them die. The ones that live get thrown into tunnel nine. Judas is the quiet, bruiting type. You won't get along with him even if you tried. Rush is an annoying little shit. He acts like a kid with ADHD that's been off his meds for too long. But, as long as you can hold a conversation with him, you're good.

Tunnel four isn't occupied. It's mostly just a passageway. Tunnels five and six are flooded. They belong to an asshole named Kuza. He's a potion maker, and he's dug out a whole other set of tunnels further beneath these. The only way to get to them though is if you can breathe underwater. Over the years, he'd taken in a lot of unwanted creatures. They're mostly demons that have been outcast from their homes. For the most part, they never come to the surface. You might see Croc or Asher from time to time if you visit there enough. Whatever you do, never actually go in the water. 

Tunnel seven is another tunnel that no one lives in. That's where you and Ghost came in when you came down here. Tunnel eight, as you know, is where my home is. Tunnel nine is the wasteland, and we're in tunnel ten right now. I mentioned the Collector a little bit earlier. He's a very powerful demon that lives deep underground. His home is even further beneath Kuza's tunnels. Most importantly, he's my boss. My job is to capture the souls of people that pissed him off and deliver them to him."

"And what exactly does he pay you that it's worth it?" Ricky asked. 

Ryan actually laughed, "That's more complicated of an answer than you might think..."