Part Fifteen

*A frightening past, a terrible storm, a monstrous presence...*

### Content Warnings

Drowning, child death, suicide ideation, chewing sounds, body horror (wooden finger), sandstorm, friction burns, electric monster, mention of vomit, eye injury, explosion, discussion of suicide, flies, creeping moss, mind control.

## Summary

After waking in Frank’s apartment, John and Arthur set out for the cliffs to retrace Frank’s footsteps. They seek shelter from a sandstorm in an old fishing boat, but they aren’t alone, and have to fight against a snake-like creature that can discharge electricity from its body. Maps they find on the ship lead them to a cave opening in the ground. The forking tunnels confuse them, and a voice whispers to them in the darkness, claiming it can help them escape the Dreamlands.

## Synopsis

Arthur has a dream about Faroe’s death. He wakes, crying, and John asks him if he’s okay. Arthur asks John if everyone who dies goes to the Dark World, and John says he isn’t sure. Abruptly changing the subject, Arthur recalls the vanguard saying Anna's name and searches the cabinet for food. John wonders if they should focus on going home, rather than the Stanczyk mystery. Arthur searches the apartment cabinets for food while John wonders if they shouldn’t just be focusing on finding their way home instead of solving a mystery that has nothing to do with them -- but Arthur disagrees that it doesn't.

Arthur eats a can of peaches. John thinks following in Frank’s footsteps is their best option. Arthur remarks it’s unlikely Henry ever found his letter. Arthur takes the letter with him, and changes into the clothes Frank left behind. They discuss Amanda and Anna while he changes, and John wonders if Anna is still alive.

Arthur brings up the vanguard. John frustratedly reminds Arthur that it’s not a power to be played with, but Arthur hopes it can help them find Anna. John tells Arthur that Amanda died because of them, and trying to find Anna could possibly lead her to the same fate. Arthur insists that the King in Yellow killed her, and that Anna could help them. Still, he agrees not to use it. Before they leave, John notices a picture missing from the wall.

They climb the nearest sand dune to get a better view. John sees the cliffs, but says that they appear more substantial, like the base of a mountain. They move towards them, and discuss the differences between Earth and the Dreamlands, and the effects of their past experiences on how they’re able to perceive this place. Arthur asks if there’s anything John misses, and John says the piano, to Arthur’s surprise. Arthur says he doesn’t miss the piano, despite how much he played it. John mentions Faroe’s Song, but Arthur doesn’t elaborate further.

John notices a large object in the distance, as well as a storm moving towards them. Arthur runs towards it to take shelter. It’s a boat, and John guides Arthur to a break in the hull. The sandstorm tore skin from the right side of Arthur’s face, and the blood obstructs John’s vision. A creature growls in the dark, long and snake-like. Arthur tries to make it to the ladder leading to an upper floor, but not before the creature shoots electricity at him. They end up in a cabin area, mostly destroyed, but the creature tries to follow them by making a larger hole in the floor. They try to attack its head with a metal pole, but the conducted electricity hurts them.

The creature tries to find another way to get to them, and they find multiple eggs in the creature's nest, as well as the ship’s engine. Arthur notes that they can use the gasoline left to create an explosion. While the creature tries to break into the room above, Arthur kicks at the tank until gasoline starts to leak, and when the creature discharges, it causes an explosion that Arthur narrowly escapes from. The creature is no longer moving, and presumed dead.

They look around the ship for something to clean Arthur’s eye with, and take a shaving kit, a box of hooks, and a flask of alcohol. In the helm, they find maps that John thinks are in Danish. The captain’s quarters shows signs of being lived in, with maps of the desert on the wall. John also finds a jug of water, and they use it at the sink to clean Arthur’s eye. After discussing the notation on the map, they decide to head south, to a location marked with a drawing of a flower bulb and ‘1600.’

They exit the ship and move in the direction of the flower bulb. Arthur wonders if they should have just stayed by the lake, but John says the King would have found them sooner or later. John also says being separated limits the extent of the King’s power, but John doesn’t know to what extent. John and Arthur agree that the worst thing that could happen would be the King finding them and reuniting with John. Arthur wonders if ending his own life would prevent the King from becoming whole, especially if the King becoming whole would cause harm to many more people. John thanks Arthur for the sentiment, but hopes it doesn’t come to that.

While they walk, they find a hole carved out of sandstone that leads into the ground. It’s not obvious why the map was marked with a flower bulb, but they decide to enter. The entrance leads to a fork, where they go to the right. Arthur steps in something black and thick, filled with thin worm-like creatures. They try to leave but get turned around by the tunnels and the shape of the room, and argue over it. John tries to find their footprints, but they’re already covered by a layer of growing gray moss. A voice starts to whisper to them, which scares Arthur, but he tries to talk to it. The gray moss starts growing on Arthur’s legs, and John insists they need to leave before it’s too late. Despite John’s concerns, Arthur asks the voice if it can help them get home, and the voice says that it can.

## Votes

* Chapter 71: Ask the Vanguard a Question [6] / **Leave well enough alone [18]**
* Chapter 72: **Climb the Ladder [14]** / Stay Still and Silent [3]
* Chapter 73: Check the Corpse in the Hull [4] / **Stay Focused and Clean Your Eyes First [17]**
* Chapter 74: **Head South Towards the "Flower Bulb" [15]** / Head Towards the Cliffs [4]
* Chapter 75: Stay and Listen To The Creature [10] **/ Run [13]**