Part 9: "Lizards, Drugs, and Church"

Pharmaceutical book wins! time to continue...

Chapter 7 - "Lizards, Drugs, and Church"


A pharmaceutical book...

[White Claudia]
"Perennial herb found near water.
Reaches height of 30 to 40 centimeters.
Oblong leaves, white blossoms.

Seeds contain hallucinogen.
Ancient records show it was used for religious ceremonies.
The hallucinogenic effect was key."

The next page is all blurred...

"[...........tis]
..de from from the above-mentioned White Claudia,......dr...has..........
u....to perform exor...... It is a viscous liquid, red....color, and is.....
adminis..........remedy.....illnesses for which the cause is not kn...."

I become gripped with the sense that my actions have been controlled
by someone this entire time.
Coming to the Library, seeing that specific page in the open book...
Even whatever it is that I must do now, it is a decision that is out of my
hands.

Everything that has happened has been in someone's hands.
I have gradually come to understand this.
Even still, I probably cannot determine my own course.

I accept the direction of the unseen one, to whom I must obey.
In order to find Cheryl there is no other alternative.

I now know where it is I need to go.

As I journey there I walk firmly, stepping forward one step at a time.
I descend a staircase from which uncomfortably warm air flows and find an
elevator at its base that invites me to descend even further, as its doors
slowly open.


Once I enter it's doors close, and in the next moment, with a rusty clunk
sound the elevator begins to descend at a high rate of speed.
Just how far down is it going? All I can do is go with the flow.

//MUSIC STARTS//


Gradually the elevator and I are enveloped in hot humid air.

The elevator stops, and I step off as its doors open.
Beyond a short passage a dazzling light emitted from a small room, a small
room which has been waiting for my arrival.


In the center the fires of hell burned, and everything made it look like
this room was meant for prayer.
And then it...was there.
It slowly moved around the enormous sconce from which flames and ash rose.

The lizard looks to have suddenly mutated.
Its outer shell is a mucous membrane type.
It just stares at me, and with surprisingly comfortable speed, it looks for a
chance to attack.

I fired the gun at its large body.
Smoke and powder emit from my handgun.
I am certain that I hit it.
However, those armor-like scales more than fulfilled their purpose.

This isn't effective at all. This is no good, I need to make my bullets
hit somewhere softer.

At that moment a part of my memory was suddenly awakened...


In the Teacher's Room...

The phone call I received.

Cheryl's cries dance about in my memory.

That's right...I cannot let myself die here.
Cheryl is...Cheryl is waiting somewhere for me to rescue her.
She is still alive.

I raised my head.
Its hard scales shined in the light from the hell fires.
It must have a weak point.
If I can just hit that.

I stood my ground and waited for its attack.
I let it draw as close as I could.
Inside its mouth.
If I can just fire blindly in there.


It had drawn close and then its mouth sprung open. It looked as if it were
planning to swallow me whole.
My fingers trembled at its size.

I can no longer hesitate.
I aimed at the inside of its mouth and quickly pulled the trigger.
Over and over, over and over, the sound of gunshots rang out from my weapon
for as long as I had ammunition.

And then I lost consciousness...


When I came to I found myself in the middle of a dark room.
Where is this? I wondered to myself.

The monster from before has vanished.
I heavily stood up and then waited motionless for a bit until my eyes
came into focus.
Somehow...somehow this looks to be the boiler room.
It is oddly quiet.

Maybe I was dreaming?
My very exhausted body seems to have also recovered somehow.
The low hum of the boilers strangely calms my nerves.

And then I sense the presence of a person and I shift my gaze.


There was a girl standing there.
She was wearing dark blue clothing, and her light brown hair was
neatly combed.

The girl was just staring right at me.
Once I noticed her and began to step towards her she completely disappeared,
as if her body just dissolved into the air in the room.
I was alone in the room again.


"What was that?"

After standing for a bit I let out a long breath and then place my hand
on the door at the entrance.


Sunlight is shining into the hall of the school building.
As usual the snow is still outside, but I am gripped with a strange
feeling of relief, as if cancerous cells had just been removed from me.

Filled with relief I slowly walk toward the exit of the school building.
And then I learn that Cheryl is not here.
From the loud sound of the church bells that seem to call out to me.


I begin to run toward the church on a road half covered in mud.
Snow falls above my head, some of which freezes my hair as chilly air
flows by.

When I reach the church I push open the heavy door without hesitation.




A cross is mounted on the front wall.
Long benches are lined up on both sides of a small walkway.
It was as if time had stopped for this familiar style church.


In front of the altar a sly looking woman with cold eyes looks down at me
with a eerie grin.
As I walked up to her stepping one step at a time she gazed at me without
blinking. She looked as if she had predicted that I would arrive.

"Were you ringing that bell?"

The woman snorted with a humph.
"I've been expecting you.
It was foretold by Gyromancy."

"What are you talking about?"

"I knew you'd come.
You want the girl, right?"

"The girl? You're talking about Cheryl?"
My eyes grew wide.

"I see everything."

"You know something!? Tell me!"

"Stay back!"

The woman held the palm of her hand out at me and then lowered her chin
in a way that suggested, "please calm down."

"Nothing is to be gained by floundering about at random.
You must follow the path.
The path of the hermit, concealed by Flauros..."

"What?
What are you talking about?"
I asked once more without hiding my bewilderment.

"Here, the Flauros, a cage of peace.
It can break through the walls of darkness, and counteract the wrath of
the underworld.
These will help you.
Make haste to the hospital before it's too late."

The woman held up a strange object and then softly placed it on the desk
on top of the altar.

"Wait! Don't go yet!"


After receiving the strange information...


A ) Believe that woman's story.


B ) Her story was unclear and I don't understand it.
I cannot just carelessly believe her.