Ebrugh Report 12: It Came From The Mines

Photo of the Gulag ruins near Solovsk, Russia.

This Ebrugh Report is about a KGB Agent who is tasked with investigating the happenings in an abandoned Soviet mine that start to spread into the nearby town.

## Summary

In a remote region of Solovsk, a KGB agent is dispatched to investigate a mysterious incident involving two geologists. One of them has descended into madness during an exploration of a tunnel.

Upon arriving in Solovsk, the agent delves into the happenings surrounding the geologists and their harrowing experience in the cave. Through their interrogations, the agent uncovers chilling details about a phenomenon known as "The Deep," which appears to be gradually emerging from the depths of the old mine shafts. The true nature and implications of this emerging presence remain shrouded in uncertainty.

As days pass, the darkness in Solovsk takes on eerie and unnatural characteristics, with bizarre properties that defy explanation. It begins to engulf people and objects, hurting them or making them disappear. Simultaneously, the behavior of the residents undergoes a disconcerting transformation, as if they are being influenced by an inscrutable force beyond their control.

In the midst of the unfolding chaos, the agent stumbles upon a young girl named Itrushka. In the end, the two narrowly escape the relentless advance of "The Deep," fleeing from Solovsk just in the nick of time. The once-thriving region, now engulfed in inky blackness, succumbs to the ominous forces that have manifested from its depths, whiping it off the maps.

## Report 12

### Rumoured Origin

*This document was sent to me by someone who reached out to me regarding my collection of reports. It is supposedly from the KGB archives, though I am not sure if that is the truth...*

### Main Report

In the winter of 1979, the KGB got interested in the old Gulag Isle Butugychag and its surrounding area, as it promised to hold gold, silver and perhaps even uranium. The camp had been deserted since 1955 and had not been manned again.

You might have heard of it?

What should not be known to you, however, is Solovsk. It had been a small town located near the Gulag Isle. I am not sure about the number of people who had lived there, but it must have been quite a few. I can only imagine the uneasiness of knowing so many criminals having worked nearby, but after twenty years, the camp had probably become just a memory for many.

Our geologists who had been tasked with exploring the area spent their nights in Solovsk, as it was close by. The Petrovs had worked for us before and had sampled some of the loneliest locations of the Motherland. They both were exceptional in their field of work and had been the first choice when we decided to explore the area and search for new precious resources. They had stayed in the shabby inn of Solovsk and ventured to the old abandoned mines close by to take samples. When they did not report back for some time and we got news from the local doctor of something traumatic having happened to them, I was tasked to travel to Solovsk as well to take care of things. I had not been happy at first, as I did not crave visiting that place at the edge of the earth, but soon I got over myself and set out.

The town and its surroundings were the most uninviting piece of dirt I had ever seen. The memories of the bleakness and desolation of that place still make me shiver nowadays. A run-down room in the local inn had been rented for me and I quickly tried to settle in. Even on the first day of my journey, I sensed that my time in Solovsk would not be blessed and I wished that another had been hired in my stead. But they had chosen me, as I was known for my thorough and discrete morale.

I hurried to question Mr. and Mrs. Petrov to be able to leave that dump of civilisation as quick as possible. As Mrs. Petrov was the only one still sane enough for a longer talk, I chose to deal with her first. We met in a small side room of the doctor's office that had taken them in and where they would stay until we could arrange for a specialist to take on their case.

The room was meagre, and I would have liked to say that it had seen better times, though that would have probably been a lie. It smelled stuffy and a bit rancid, as if decay had settled in over the years. Mrs. Petrov was sitting at a boring wooden table, her dark hair dishevelled, and her eyes underlined by wrinkles. She immediately started talking after I had finished my introduction.

"You know why they sent us down into those tunnels, don't you? Of course, you do..."

"Yes."

"Well, we have often worked for the government. Some of the most important mining locations have been established because of us! Please keep that in mind before you judge us! We came here some days ago and immediately started exploring after having rented a room.

The tunnels around these hills are not old, as they have been driven into the ground by the workers not more than twenty years ago. 'Camp', they called it. But the air told of many lives lost around that place. The run-down barracks, the strange feeling one gets...

I felt death resting there.

Demise.

You might think that to be laughable, but should you decide to venture there, be careful..."

"I am always careful. Keep talking."

"I am sorry, I just want you to understand how we already felt. How it was possible for my husband to... lose it.

The tunnels we explored during the first days were quite wide and the walls were strengthened with wooden bars that had already started to rot. Do you know the smell of musty wood? Disgusting! We did not find much, some traces of uranium...

I wanted to give up... But my husband would not hear me. He wanted to try one more tunnel. Just one more...

Why did I agree? Why did I not stop him...?"

She stopped and started to look around the room in confusion.

"Focus."

"Yes, I am sorry. That one shaft, that lonely, offside tunnel, was our designated target. It felt different from the others, in a way more barren, bleak and lifeless. That is why my husband thought it to be the most promising one. He had had a good sense for places bearing resources before. So, we took our tools and went inside.

I am still shaking when thinking back to that hole and to the freezing winds at that squared entrance into darkness. The air smelled used up and was bitingly cold, making my lungs hurt with every breath. The hillside that the tunnel was driven into was stony and barren, almost as if nature did barely dare to touch it. The tiny vegetation on that hill was dead and rotten – normally a good sign. Radiation causes similar effects and the old tribes of these lands did talk of these hills as a house of death, of people and animals getting sick when stepping too close. However..."

"However... what?"

"However, I am not so sure anymore that radiation was the cause of all those tales. You probably think of me as just a lunatic, but if you had stood in that tunnel yourself...

We went on to explore the old mine shaft. It was not wide enough for both of us, so my husband went in first. The flashlights did not pierce the darkness more than thirty feet in front of us. The walls were hard and limy, trenched and dry. I am somewhat afraid of close spaces, not the best condition to have in my profession... One more reason to be glad for not having to go at the front.

Our instruments did not show any remarkable radiation, against our hopes. Our spirits were down, and the air started to get thinner. I could not see that much ahead, he was in front of me after all, blocking most of the sight...

And...

Suddenly, he stopped.

Listend.

He claimed to have heard something. Decided, that it just had been the wind wheezing. I hadn't heard a sound. But I felt a bit sick. Perhaps radiation after all?

Not ten feet later, my husband stopped once more. Asked me to be silent.

We listened into the darkness.

I almost expected to hear a giggle, a howl or some other terrible sound, perhaps an animal having gotten lost, but there was nothing.

He must have been mistaken.

Still no remarkable readings on the Geiger counter. Even a bit less than outside. Probably the rocks shielding us from the background radiation.

Slowly, we ventured on, breathing heavily. The air got thinner and thinner. I was freezing, but not only from the outside, but also... from deep within. From the inside of my soul. That is the best description I can give you."

"Your soul was freezing? What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, but that is how it was, down there. My husband must have felt something similar, because when I tapped him on the shoulder to show him the readings, he jumped. It was as if he had almost forgotten that I was behind him.

Then, he let out a hollow laugh and moved on. I followed him.

The darkness in front of us was truly unpleasant. Behind us the same.

Suddenly...

Suddenly..."

"What?"

"He screamed."

"He screamed... what?"

"To... run. And that 'it' was 'over there'."

"And what was 'over there'?"

"I didn't see anything, I am sorry. He was panicking, shoved me towards the exit. So, I ran, trying not to lose my mind...

Do you know what that is like?

Him just snapping?

Just like that.

We got to the entrance. You know the rest."

"Okay, do you remember anything else?"

"There was a bang, I think the tunnel collapsed behind us."

"Of course. Thank you."

The information I had gotten out of her was not worth a lot. Probably they had just encountered some stray animal or their own fear. The woman had sounded a bit unstable, anyway. It would perhaps prove more useful to speak with her husband, after all.

Talking to Mr. Petrov was making me feel more uneasy, but I reminded myself to stay professional and to think about everything from a rational perspective.

We met in a treatment room and it was a lot harder to have a conversation: Mr. Petrov seemed to have gone slightly insane and did not seem to be able to give any sensible answers to my questions.

Again and again, he started to ignore me and talk to himself.

"Mr. Petrov. You know why I am talking to you?" I started.

"I know, why you are here. Because of the Deep!"

"The Deep?"

"The Deep. Inside the hills. Inside the ground."

"I am here, because we were waiting for you and you did not report back. Then we got a call from the doctor..."

"A report?"

"Because of the uranium."

„I... I remember. We were supposed to find, to search and to find and to bring it to you. The glowing miracle."

"If you want to phrase it that way, yes. Your wife has already..."

"Where is she? Is she safe? Is she safe from the Deep?

I don't suppose she is.

Nothing is safe from the Deep.

Not me, not her, not you..."

"What is 'the Deep'?"

"The Deep is below. Below the ground.

But it is not going to stay there.

Slowly, it will surface, to get us all.

I have seen it, down in the tunnel."

"That is what I want to talk to you about. Focus and tell me what happened."

In that moment, he seemed to go completely off the rails and looked at me with his piercing gaze, never closing his eyes.

"That is what you want to know? Are you absolutely sure? There is no going back, once I have told you. You will only get that knowledge out of your head by a bullet."

"Trust me, that is something I have... dealt with before. So, keep talking!"

„We were just exploring – at least in the beginning. A hole in a hill, wanting to be explored...

So, we did it. Went inside. Me first, my wife second.

I should have known, I should have felt it...

She warned me, told me she was sick. But we carried on. No radiation to be felt, no sound to be heard.

Or was I mistaken?

I swear, there was something in the air. Only barely audible.

My wife did not hear it. So clueless. Maybe she did not want to hear it? Who knows? We carried on.

Deeper into the tunnel, into the darkness. What might we discover? Glowing rocks? We went on and on, until I heard it again.

A whispering breeze.

Almost like a child.

But I did not see anything, it was too dark. Only darkness in front of me. The eternal blackness.

We carried on again, the journey, the search... and then, I saw it."

He fell silent. His face suddenly showed pain and fear, as if the memories were knifes piercing his stomach.

Carefully, I asked:

"The... Deep?"

He continued to look at me. His eyes seemed to be begging me to end his life.

"The Deep. In front of me, not twenty feet away. The Deep sat there in that tunnel.

At first, I did not comprehend what I was seeing, what was happening in front of my eyes. It was darkness, but the flashlight should have pierced it...

The light was eaten, eaten by the Deep.

I thought something was inside of it, inside the black, but I must have been mistaken. There was nothing. I felt like gazing into an infinite abyss.

And... yes... the Deep is infinite, you see? The Deep is infinite!"

"Infinite? And then, you ran from it?"

"Of course I ran! Pushed my wife towards the exit, because you see, the Deep was slowly closing in on us. It got closer and closer, ate the tunnel and the light. I think it might be here already, here with us! You have to warn them! Perhaps... perhaps we might still escape from it? Somehow? The Deep is already here!"

Then, he just seemed to give up and started to giggle like a madman.

I left him and his wife in the care of the local doctor. We had to search the camp and its surroundings, as I reluctantly understood.

When I took some men to the mines, I found exactly what the Petrovs had told me: a caved in tunnel. There were some other shafts close by, but nothing noteworthy was inside. Not far away, near a pile of rubble, we found a tramp that must have slept close by. He was brought to the station of the local Militsiya, where I interrogated him. The man was dirty and reeked of urine, though he was quite happy to talk to me:

"Where do you want me to start?"

"Well, you told us that you sometimes sleep near the mines?"

"That is correct. Normally, I don't have a roof above my head, you see? And that's why I go to the mines. There are many tunnels leading down into the ground. And the trenches nearby are roofed as well. The ones that the workers pushed the carts through, long ago. Was easier that way. You know? That said, I would have liked it if those criminals had had it a bit harder."

"I heard of that, yes. Were you staying there during the night to escape from the rain?"

"Exactly. Because of the rain. And those damn birds. The mines are the only place where I can get some quietness. I hate those doves and owls. They did not let me sleep all week, stupid things. Do you know how annoying cooing can be? I bet you do!"

"Yes, happened to me too, once or twice, when I was camping. But back to the mines. You said that you were there when those two people came running out? Please, tell me about that evening, try to remember every detail."

"Of course, of course! I already told you that I was just looking for a quiet place. I know about the Camp – of course – that had been there until shortly before I arrived here and I heard that they were digging up some uranium. The latter part is only a saying, you see. I do not believe that. Uranium, in these parts? Never. Nowadays, they claim to find it everywhere. The area around the mines is not that bad, anyway. Yeah, there are stories of death and a curse, but what do I know? Sounds made up and superstitious. If you ask me, live itself is a damn curse, at least when you are a poor sod without a place to stay. But at least I am not a kulak."

"Didn't you tell me that you refuse to go to a shelter? No one is forcing you to sleep out in the open, or am I mistaken?"

"They suck. Who knows what they do to you in those so-called 'shelters'! If only that bitch had not left me, everything would still be fine! Her fault..."

"I see, let's say it can get pretty bad. But now, tell me! That evening...?"

"Alright, sorry. So, I was looking for a dry place and went to the Labor Camp. You were there, you know that there are plenty suitable spots. So, I looked around. The sides of the hills were covered by snow and the bare trees would have not protected me from the weather. I did not want to get sick, after all. Some houses are nearby – if you can even call them that – where the workers had slept. I thought about resting there, but I didn't like that place. Seemed uninviting, slightly... evil, but perhaps that is just because I remembered some of the stories..."

"Stories? What kind of stories?"

„Just some crap. Crap that is told about places like that. Where... people have died. The work here had not been pleasant... yeah, let's put it that way. Insanity spread among the people, perhaps because their minds started to rot away... or perhaps there was uranium after all, frying their brains...

But I think that is not likely. If you are forced to work like that, day after day, year after year, until the end of your life... Yeah, you just snap. Well, they got what they deserved, right? At least I am free... and not a traitor to the Motherland. Those sons of bitches. Some people say... they did experiments on the inmates. Probed their brains after sawing off their skullcaps. Without anaesthesia, imagine that! I wonder if at least they learned something new? Well, whatever, people are said to have died every day, that changes a place, let me tell you that!

Yeah, those are the stories. Some killed themselves. Some just died laughing maniacally. Hanging was apparently quite the trend... And, to all that grisly stuff... add the skull field that the old nomads had created many years before the Camp had opened its gates. They said that that place is the seat of death itself. Take all that together and I think you understand why I did not want to sleep there. Better not. And the smell, as if everything was soaked in piss. Disgusting.

So, I looked for another place. The entrances to the mines seemed much more inviting. Well, as far you can call such a gaping hole in a snowy hill inviting at all. But it would protect me during the night. So there I lay down, in the entrance of one of those tunnels."

"And there you stayed, until those two geologists..."

"Yeah. That was the fourth night of me sleeping there. Nothing much happened in the nights before..."

"Nothing much? Or nothing?"

"Um.. Well, in the third night... I was a bit drunk, but only a bit..."

"How much?"

"A bottle of vodka. Yes, I know, don't look at me like that. Can't do nothing about that. Makes me feel warmer than a campfire ever could. I did not have any matches left, anyway. I had spent all my money on..."

"I get it, I do not want to judge you, only to find out what happened. So... what did happen? The thing that was... nothing much?"

"Don't know why, but I did not want to go deeper into the tunnel. There was this bad inkling. Sickness. But it was not fear! I think... Probably the vodka, yes. I am not afraid of a stupid mine."

"Of course not."

"Yes. But nonetheless, I think there was something with me. Perhaps some animal? Deep inside the shaft? Who knows, wolves can sometimes get pretty lost. Whatever, I stayed at the entrance and did not go further in. Not deeper into the dark. Why would I? The night was clear, the full moon shone brightly. Quite pretty, you know? It can be very pretty over there, even when it's day. The sun and the bushes cast funny shadows...

I slept at the entrance, protected from the snow, safe... What else could I wish for? It was alright for some days. After that, I planned on getting some food. One of the bakers sometimes lets me have some bread."

"Did you see something? Was there more than a suspicion?"

"No, that was it. The next evening, I suddenly heard screams. When I got up, I barely could see two people running away. They looked as if the devil himself was pursuing them. Then, roaring and part of the hill crashed down, BAM!

I was shocked.

At first, I thought of going into those barracks nearby – I did not want to get crushed – but I deemed it better to be careful, because of the... thought of spirits of the dead workers. So, since then, I stayed below a big tree. The weather changed for the better, after all..."

"I see, so you are telling me that two people ran away? Did they feel sane to you? Can you tell me anything about that?"

"No.. well, yes, the guy was screaming something like 'in the blackness, in the blackness, the Deep', or something along those lines. I think. And the woman seemed just confused, as confused as one is when having just escaped a rockslide. Don't really know."

"Thank you. You have been a great help. You may leave."

Of course, he had not really helped me at all. But what was I supposed to say to that poor tramp? I let him go and he went back to the mines to look for a new place to sleep. Perhaps everything would be easier than I thought: a man having gotten exposed to too much radiation, an unfortunate rockslide, nothing more. Back then, I was confident, was sure that I could soon deal with important things again. I thought of the events as insignificant. I would be proven wrong.

A young girl, perhaps nine years old, was standing at my doorstep the next morning, a little self-made doll in her hands. She nervously introduced herself as Itrushka. I asked her into my room, hesitantly, as I was not good with children and did not have time, anyways. But maybe she had heard something. She lived at the edge of town, after all. In addition to that, there were no other clues at that moment.

"Okay, you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes. Are you looking at secret things? That is what my mum said. Everybody talks about you. I have seen something secret. And something scary."

"I see, you mother... Okay, what did you see, what is secret and scary?"

"I was playing, a bit away from the houses. I always play there. And it was there, where I observed something. You need good observations, don't you?"

"Yes, indeed. Please tell me, what did you observe?"

"Do you know the trees? A bit away from the houses? Those old, gnarly trees that grow everywhere, that grow and bloom in summer..."

"I have seen them."

"I have a hiding place nearby. But that is a special place, so please tell anyone about it, promise?"

"It is my job to keep things secret, so, yes, I promise. Please, tell me more."

"Usually, I am climbing those trees with Andrej, but he has the flu. That is why I was alone. I played with my doll and sat inside my hiding place. Then, I decided to go climbing. And that is why I went to that tree. My favourite tree..."

Suddenly, she got calmer. Her once firm manner of speaking faded and her voice began to crack. I did not know what to do, so I offered her some cookies. That seemed to help a bit.

"Very kind. That tree...my tree... it has a hole. Not just a small knothole, but a big one. As big as my hands. A bird lived there last summer. Do you know something like that?"

"Yes, I do. Perhaps a strong woodpecker made it. They sometimes do stuff like that."

"That's right! That might be. Or, perhaps, it was just an old tree. I did not really take note of it. At first. I probably only looked for it because I remembered the cute little bird from last summer. Did it fly South? But then, I spotted it... or... in a way... did not..."

She fell silent. I started to get nervous, perhaps I should call her mother? This was her job. But then, I stopped.

"In a way... did not? What do you mean?"

"It... it was just black. Very dark. Terribly dark and... mean. I was very afraid. I am still afraid, but don't tell my mum, because she might not let me play by the tree anymore! And that is where my secret place is, you see?"

"Don't worry, I will not tell her. The hole was black... In what way? Was it evening?"

"No, it was about three. That is what the clock at the church tower showed. I can already tell the time, you see? The sun was shining, but the rays never reach the hole. Because that part of the tree does never look at the sun. It is always covered in shadows, that hole. But not yesterday. Yesterday, it was just... black. As if light could not go there. Can't light go everywhere? I could not even see the remains of the bird's nest from summer. I also couldn't see the inside of the tree. Nothing, just darkness. Just blackness. I was so terribly afraid. It was weird. And it had no smell. Then, I took all my courage and got a bit closer. I swear, something was inside that darkness, I think. But nothing alive. No animal, no plant... but something, something that could think. I felt like being washed away by it, as if I could barely hear anything around me, because the darkness bewitched me. As if the hole got bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger..."

"It grew?"

„No, that is just what it felt like. I took a pebble and threw it inside. From far away. It took some time until I hit the hole, I am not good at throwing, but then I made it. Do you know what happened then?"

"No."

"Nothing. And that made me even more afraid. No sound. And the pebble did not bounce back. Scary. Was the tree bewitched? As if it had eaten the pebble. I ran home, took a flashlight... to make the dark go away. When I came back, nothing was there anymore. No nest, no pebble. Just a cavity in the tree. Then, I went home, was afraid of outside. But today, I immediately ran to you, as fast as I could, because I knew that you are looking for secrets and might be able to help me."

She was exhausted and I called her mother. The woman was quite nervous, as she had a rough idea about my profession, but I hurriedly told her that Itrushka had done nothing wrong. After they had left, I went to their neighbourhood and finally spotted the tree. At least one thing had not been a lie: A strange smooth hollow sat inside its trunk.

For the rest of the day, I started planning the clearing of the caved-in tunnel, which I had set for the next morning in light of the events. It had already gotten very late at night, when suddenly a call from the Militsiya reached me. I got somewhat uncomfortable, as they told me another half-mad person had come to the station. With worries, I set out and arrived not ten minutes later. A young woman was sitting in one of the interrogation rooms, visibly shocked and sweating. Under normal circumstances I would have described her as attractive and pretty, but the crazy look in her eyes did not sit well with me at all.

"Can you help me? You... you have to help me, please!"

"How?"

"He... it... I don't know if it's still there... the train station..."

"Take a deep breath. What's that about the train station?"

"A... I was coming back to town, had been visiting my sister for the last week. All the way back home, there was this feeling... a premonition. That something terrible was about to happen. And when I finally left the train... I immediately spotted him... or did I smell him? This stench...

The train left and the platforms were drenched in darkness, most of the lights broken. He was sitting there, leaning against that old lump of concrete they call concourse. I knew... he was planning something! That dirty tramp!"

"Did he harass you?"

"No, not at first... he just sat there with his filthy sweater and that felted hood. Wasn't he freezing at all? Perhaps he was already dead, killed by the cold, or so I thought. I mean... it is not very warm around this time of the year..."

"But he was still alive?"

"Yes. I was just standing there, waiting for my taxi. The train station is some distance away from town, so you would not expect me to walk with all my luggage, wouldn't you?"

"No, of course not"

"Exactly. I was keeping an eye on him, that dirty lot. He was just sitting, leaning against that wall, his head deep in the hood. I could only see his chin from where I was standing. Then, he started shaking... perhaps a bad dream? But nothing else happened. Despite that, I was afraid, afraid that he would get up and drag me into some bushes. It is known that young women are sometimes..."

"I understand your reservations."

„Indeed. I was so afraid, what if he jumped at me? The last rays of light the old lamps on the ceiling gave off made me feel somewhat comfortable, though. Despite that little bit of comfort, I was feeling chilly, not because of the temperatures, but because of something growing deep inside of me. Something that made me feel... true fear. It was not just a little fright, it was bottomless, true fear. I must have scanned my surroundings, as my instincts told me that I might not have been alone with that tramp after all, but there was only the blackness of the night. Then..."

At this point in time, she stopped telling her story and just looked at the table she was sitting at.

"He... started coughing, then almost to roar, screamed in terror... The shock almost made me lose my senses and I nearly fainted. I was afraid of him getting up, running at me, determined..."

Again, she stopped. Took a moment to collect herself.

"But he just sat there, not moving anymore. Only... the hood... this darkness... I could not see the features of a man anymore, no chin, no skin... just darkness. A deep darkness. As if the shadows had swallowed his face. Just like that. And then, he rose. Turned around, towards me.

Just stood there...

Oh Lord, this darkness. Like an eternal abyss filled with abominable demons. Hypnotizing. Evil. Somehow, that... thing started moving. Made one step. Even though, I am sure that it did not have a head anymore. No human one, at least. Who knows, what wraith was resting under that hood, what terrors hid in its depths.

Another step towards me.

I couldn't stop looking.

Another step.

I had to escape, escape that being!"

She started hyperventilating. I had a dark suspicion but did not tell her. I asked her to calm down an keep on telling her story.

"I could not get away, he was blocking me! It was blocking me! Came closer. Was almost there!

Thinking back to those moments... I finally turned around, ran and ran, ran away into the other direction. The road runs around the hill, so I managed to get here after all... But you know what...?"

"What?"

"In the dark... I was not alone anymore. Not alone anymore... Not alone anymore..."

She seemed to start dozing off, right in front of me. I did not stop her but took some officers of the Militsiya and went to the train station. Our flashlights parted the night and we were ready to search the surrounding area, but that proved to be unnecessary. Next to the tracks, below dead ceiling lamps, we found the ragged clothes of a man. Their owner, however, was gone. I knew the hooded sweater, had seen it not long ago. They belonged to Alexeiy U., the poor soul we had found near the mines and that I had interrogated before. I don't know what I found more disturbing: The fact that something might have infected him when he had returned to the mines in search for a place to sleep, against all reason, or the fact that we discovered the belt still being buckled. How... could he have possibly undressed? We never saw the tramp himself ever again and the most insane theories of about his whereabout are still keeping me awake at night even to this day.

At that point in time, it started to become apparent that we were not dealing with tall tales, but possibly with some kind of bioweapon. What else would cause such hallucinations? I was so sure that American agents had smuggled them in and that they had used them to hurt our great country. I immediately called my supervisors. To my dismay, they decided to observe the situation for a bit longer. Had I been the one making a decision, I would have ended all of this with a clean area bombing. We deemed it unwise to inform the residents of Solovsk about the situation as we knew that otherwise we would not be able to keep the people in town. We had to contain this... virus at all costs!

During the next days, I started interrogating as many locals as I could, beggining at the edges of Solovsk that were closest to the mines – the same area, where little Itrushka was living as well. The statements painted a rather unsettling picture, but at least they all seemed to verify that somewhere around that part of town there were hallucinogens poisoning the air. I have added the statements that are probably the most relevant:

*Testimony of Dimitri Y., 28.12.1973*

„Whether I saw something? I damn well did! Those children were trespassing again! Can you believe that? Irresponsible parents... Do you know how often they nowadays let their children fetch water from their well? Every day at least ten buckets. Even more when frost is imminent. Do you know how much energy is wasted when they heat up that water for their baths? Irresponsible. They have once been normal people; I have known them for long. Probably forgot harder times."

"Was there anything else?"

"No! I have to get back to work... And there they are, trespassing again! GO AWAY! Ask them!"

\*\*\*

*Testimony of Guskov W. and Apalkova S., 29.12.1973*

"We don't want to play over at our place anymore, our parents are so strange."

"Strange? What do you mean?"

"Strange. Can't tell you more."

"Same for me. They just... feel different. Foreign. Even though nothing has changed. I have to admit that I am a bit afraid of them now."

"Me too. So we go to Dimitri. He shouts at us a lot, but at least he is normal."

"Anything else?"

"No."

\*\*\*

*Testimony of Sedova A., 29.12.1973*

„Are you the electrician?"

„No, I am not. I am a party member. We are currently investigating. You will understand that I require your full cooperation."

"I didn't know, I am so sorry! I have been waiting for the electrician for two days now, that is why I just assumed... The streetlights are not working anymore. How am I supposed to walk my dog at night without breaking my bones?"

"Since when are they broken?"

"Three days ago, I think."

"Did something else happen these past few days?"

"No, nothing."

"Thank you."

\*\*\*

*Testimony of Salko O, 29.12.1973*

„The government?"

„Yes, I am investigating."

„Because of the air?"

„What about it?"

„It smells disgusting all the time. Reeks of vinegar. Sometimes, the air is fresh and clean and suddenly..."

"I see. Where exactly?"

"Everywhere. Here. At the other end of Solovsk. That is all I can say."

After I was done, I went back to the Militsiya to think everything through. Much of the things the locals had told me sounded rather unimportant at that time. That is why I was not in good spirits when I remembered that the old Camp had not been searched yet. Maybe I would get lucky there.

Slowly, I set off towards those rotten barracks and tunnels of the old camp, hoping to find at least some clues. As soon as I set a foot into the first house, I got chills and unpleasant heaviness started to numb my mind. The building almost looked like a farm house, its walls covered in peeling off white paint, its windows wide and dull, making it impossible to look inside. After entering, a smell of stale, rotten air greeted me and I could hear the wind wheezing through cracks in the old walls.

The first room I entered was filled with rusty bunk beds which had resisted the flow of time remarkably well. I knew about the people that had perished at this place years ago, all those that had risen their dirty fists against our Motherland, all those traitors and kulaks. This is where they had paid their price and worked and died.

Carrying on, I got to an old prison ward where the worst of the worst had been held and killed, those who even refused to redeem themselves through a life of hard work. Most of the heavy iron doors were closed, but in one I found human remains, together with the savage smell of old rot. Looking at that old corpse made me sick and dizzy, even though I had seen dead men before. Remembering my objective, I exited the room and carried on towards the next part of the building.

I really wish I hadn't.

The place I entered etched itself into my mind: A strange sterile looking room, leading into several smaller chambers. Worryingly, I noticed the stench of death getting even worse, the sources undeniably being in some of those rooms. What did I even hope to find here? The solution to my case?

Never.

I should have left.

Hesitantly, I approached one  of the reeking doors. The floor in front of it was coloured dark – probably dried up blood. Slowly, my hand found the handle and opened the door. Inside, there was a treatment room, almost like a dentist's office. But on the seat, I found a horribly mangled corpse, its eyes long rotten away, its open mouth frozen in place by rigor mortis, making the body emit an eternal, silent cry of death. The skull plate was missing. It had been sawn off; electrodes still resting in the remains of the brain. What had they done at that place? The KGB's more secret research was known in parts to me, but I had never seen it first-hand. Quickly, I left the room and tried to keep my lunch in my stomach, though I failed miserably. Shaking, I spit it all over the ground.

Crap!

I would not find anything, so it would be wiser to leave this hell. When turning around, a strange sound started to echo through the building. It sounded like the choppy cries of a dove, disturbing me more than anything before.

That innocent sound of calamity...

Then, coughing and wheezing joined in and finally... whimpering. In shock, I saw one of the other doors slowly open and a man exiting one of the rooms, his stomach ripped wide open so that his decomposed intestines where hanging out, the arms and legs thin and haggard, the face a grimace, missing the eyes.

How was it alive? What was happening?

"Breee... Whaaa... What am I?"

The creature fell, twitching on the ground.

When it finally stopped, I decided – against all sanity – to take a closer look at it. I was terribly afraid but had a duty as well. And, after all, I still had a gun.

Slowly, I walked towards it, tiptoeing forwards.

Again and again, I stopped, waiting for the creature to suddenly get up again.

It didn't.

Finally, I managed to calm down and climbed over the body. A part of me expected it to try and grab me, but it was dead. After finally entering the room, I was in for another shock:

There, on a table, the same body was lying.

How? I did not need more questions, I needed answers! A whisper was in the winds that came through the open window into the room. Like in a dream, I looked at the corpses on the table and on the ground

That was not possible!

I left the building and leaned against a wall, slowly breathing. Then, I called for backup.

The Militsiya had come quickly and searched the barracks thoroughly, but aside from the copied body, nothing out of the ordinary was found. They took care of the bodies, the way they always did. After we had finished searching everything, we headed back to town. I went to my room and tried to relax, which I even managed after some time. My head seemed to quiet down. The empty room protected me and made me feel safe.

In the evening, an old man came by to visit me, having heard of my investigations and looking for a talk. He was a bit absentminded but had a friendly glimmer in his eyes. He immediately started talking:

"I know why you are here. Perhaps... Perhaps it has something to do with it..."

"Please, go on."

"I rarely leave my home as my bones have become weak due to all the hard work I have done and my mind has suffered from time as well. That is why I at first thought of everything as a hallucination, that I was imagining things...

I really love looking at the night sky, the only thing that can give me peace. Some time ago, I built myself a telescope to witness the beauty of the milky way. It is very romantic and me and my wife love looking up, observing things like the meteorites and lights some months ago or the comet that has passed by last year. The heavens are a truly magnificent place of wonder...

Two days ago, I was looking up into the depths of space as well. Towards Orion. My favourite constellation. Up there, the power of the stars slumbers. But..."

"What?"

"At first, I thought that there was dirt on the lens. Just a small mote. A dark spot, erasing some of my sight. Then, another thought dawned: The stars were going out. They were going out, one after another, perhaps eaten up by some sinister mass...

That was nonsense, of course. Something like that can't happen. The sky was clear when I looked at it with my eyes. So it had to be something on the lens. I decided to look at it the next day, as I was tired.

When morning came and I had finished brewing some coffee, I noticed my mug casting an unnaturally sinister shape onto the table.

It was not the dark itself, not the shadow I could see, clear and black, but whatever lay in that darkness. Waiting, drooling, seeking for something in me that I couldn't even begin to understand at all. Was the darkness looking in my direction? My mind told me that no creature could live inside that spot, as it was no bigger than the palm of my hand.

Nevertheless, a cold shiver ran down my spine when I looked at it. Like a small trench into nothingness, that is what the shadow looked like. I reached for the mug, my hands shaking. Perhaps I was just imagining things, but it felt... strange. Cold, but not at my skin but... inside my hand. It was difficult to touch the mug, as if an invisible barrier of fear kept me away. Or an instinct. But, finally, I managed to push the cup away. It flew off the table and shattered on the floor.

The shadow remained. Like a hole in the table. I got on my knees, took a look from below. There was nothing out of the ordinary. I got sick. I have seen a lot during the years, in the camp, but that hole was the most disturbing thing I have ever witnessed. It was so... deep.... Eternal and deep... deeper than space, which I had loved to look at...

Untouchable. Infinitly...distant."

„Is it still there?"

I had gotten anxious, but did my best not to show him.

"No, when the first rays of the sun hit it, it disappeared. Only a... normal hole in the table remained."

"I see."

"Yes."

"And that is what you saw? Yesterday?"

"Yes. This spot... This darkness. This... Deep. Since those moments...

It is... as if it is everywhere in my house. As if it has entered. Into all the dark spots there are. At every moment. I did not see the black again, but still... I know, that it still hides in every shadow. I could only sleep with all lights on. Can you imagine that? Just to escape the dark. Sleeping in the light, without a blanket. Because, under a blanket, there is darkness. Do You understand? Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do."

"I don't think so! It is even in this room. In every shadow!"

"Thank you. Would you be so kind to follow me? I want you to talk to another colleague of mine."

"Of course!"

I brought him to the local doctor. If he had gotten in contact with some contaminant, there surely were some tests to prove it.

But we did not get that far. When sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office, the old men got more and more agitated. Anxious. He was shaking like a little child.

"It is in all the dark... in everything. Don't you understand? Don't you understand what that means? If I were to close my eyes, the darkness will be there. I can't risk blinking anymore! So close. Inside of me. Please, help me!"

He tried to stop blinking. His eyes had started getting teary when I had enough and left the room. I was just telling the receptionist that I was leaving, when coughing and howling came from the waiting room. We stormed inside, but all that we found were two terrified patients and the corpse of the old man.

„He... he refused to blink, as he told you. What a mad man! Then... then, he wasn't able to keep his eyes open. He wasn't able to keep them open anymore. His lids closed, his gaze full of terror and...

When he opened them again...

His eyeballs were gone. Only a deep darkness remained.

An Abyss.

I think he was instantly dead. He fell, twitched around and then was gone."

The other patient was not able to give a statement and had to be injected with sedatives. The cause of death was quickly found: The old man's head was completely hollowed out. Looking at the corpse made me feel cold. And the effects it had had on the sanity of the other patients... Was it spreading through the air? Was I contaminated as well?

Or... what if there was something real? In that lonely town? Something in the dark? That possibility seemed crazy, but I had to start considering it.

You never know...

The situation got worse and worse in the following weeks. Rumors of a mysterious 'Deep' that slowly invaded the lives of more and more people began to spread. Mistrust started to grow as well. The way some behaved got increasingly stranger, some acted as if they did not feel at home in their skin. The edges of town were the first areas to show more signs of the Deep. Things disappeared. From cupboards, from garages, from bedrooms, from bags. The darkness was witnessed again and again, was dreaded and feared. I did not see it myself for a long time and looked for explanations, together with the local doctor and an expert for bioweapons I had sent for, but we found none. I felt more and more pressed to order an area bombing, but a part of me clung to hope. I think it was the night of 15th January when I got another call. Taking the current situation under account, I had waited for one on a daily basis. Despite that, I felt uneasy. After listening, I hurried into the night.

When I got to the place here it had happened, I was admittedly glad that little Itrushka was still alive and breathing, clinging to her ragged doll. But what she told my, crying, made my stomach hurt.

"They... They are gone..."

"Gone? Who?"

"My parents. They are gone. It took them. It took them both."

"It? Did you see something?"

"No, but I have felt it, deep inside of me. Since yesterday. I wanted to go to you, but they did not let me. They told me I was fantasizing."

"They? Who, your parents?"

"No... well, they looked like my parents, but... they were different. I did not notice it at first, only when I was with them for a bit longer. When we were eating lunch. They talked like always, were having a small argument. Suddenly, I felt it... As if someone was pouring really cold water on my head, you know?"

"And it happened suddenly?"

"Without warning. They suddenly looked different, Mum and Dad. The same ones, but different. Maype they moved in a strange way, talked differently... I can't really remember anymore. But they were not my parents, they were strangers in my house. Something must have taken them in the night, a monster?

I said nothing because I did not want them to notice. But they must have suspected something and did not allow me to go outside anymore. Only to wait in my room. The day passed by so slowly... I wanted to escape, but who would have believed me? Grown-ups would only have said that I was imagining things, that I was playing around. My real Mum always said things like that as well. All the time. So I stayed inside my room. With Aunt Ivi, my doll.

And then the sun started to fade behind the hills. It grew cold. Nobody talked during dinner. We were eating clear, watery soup. My real Mum would have made it with veggies, she would have! Because dinner is important! Nobody spoke. We only sat there, disgustingly silent. We did not even look at each other. And suddenly, I knew that they would come and get me as well. In the night. That they would call the monsters. I did not know what to do. I decided, to stay awake. As long as possible. I did not feel safe in the dark, because..."

"Because of the stories. Because of the hole in the tree."

"Yes. I only had a little flashlight. The light protected me and Aunt Ivi. Then, the time had come, my fake parents went to bed. I heard them walk down the hallway. They were breathing heavily. As if they had walked for an hour. Some light came from the hallway, I could see it through the slit below the door. It wanted to make me fell safe so I would go to sleep.

I was terribly afraid. Would it come through the window? Or through the door? Was it already under my bed? With me? Would it slither out, slowly, a pure evil? Like a snake? And take me away, leaving another Itrushka behind?"

"Did something come for you?"

"No, no, it was worse. I almost wish that a monster had come. But, no, everything was quiet... until..."

"What happened then? Itrushka, you don't have to be afraid anymore, I am here now, everything is fine. I am gonna make it right! So, please, help me and tell me what happened!"

"These... screams... Coming from the fake Mum and the fake Dad. They screamed. Almost roared. They were not my parents and yet... I was so shocked and dropped my flashlight. Listened into the night. Then, I mustered all my courage and left my bed, holding onto Aunt Ivi. We had to stay together... The door was creaking, it was creepy. And, when I had opened it, the hallway seemed to get colder. And more humid. But maybe I just imagined that. I looked towards the room of my parents..."

"What did you see? You can tell me. I will believe you! I promise!"

"Nothing, just darkness. The long hallway was illuminated, the way it always was in the evening, but behind the doorframe leading to the room of my fake parents...

Only blackness.

Like the hole in that tree, but much, much bigger... An abyss, so deep... I am not sure, but maybe... it might be... That something was moving inside. Something like the monster that took my parents... Looking for prey. Or, maybe there was nothing. Nothing at all. A hollowness. You know? Just a big emptiness. A... Deep...

And then, it came towards me. The lights in the hallway went out and then it was really close. That darkness. I looked out of my room, out into the heavy darkness that made breathing more and more difficult.

And something approached. I felt it, was sure. I wanted to slam the door shut so it could not reach me. Could not come into my room. Not into the only room still illuminated by the flashlight on the ground. The door was almost shut, but then... something pressed against it, from the other side...

Something had come through the Deep. Or was it the darkness itself?

I don't know, I don't know...

Did I hear whispering? Or were those just my own thoughts? I just don't know. I am so confused..."

Her tears did not stop.

"You are really helping me. And you are very brave," I tried to calm her.

It took some time, then she regained some composure.

"What happened next?"

"I looked outside the window. The moon shone a bit. So, there was light outside. Moonlight. I... I ran to the window and climbed out. I don't know why, but it was not entirely closed..."

"Shh, you are very brave. Thank you for telling me. Very good!"

"Please, do not leave me alone out here! I don't want to be alone, Aunt Ivi is the only thing I have left..."

"I will take care of it."

The little girl was traumatized, but I admired her courage. The screams of her... parents... had notified the Militsiya and me and so she did not have to stay too long under that street lamp where we had found her, alone, only that tattered doll in her arms. I did worry about her, however. What.. if she had gotten contaminated? Or worse: What, if she had not, if truly there had been...

I did not want to think about it. But I had to know.

The house looked huge in the faint light of the moon. The windows seemed giant and I could not see inside as it was too dark. I did not spot any light and thus could not determine where Itrushka's room was located, until I saw the open window.

Had something from the outside...?

And there it was.

The Deep.

The Deep inside the house. Or somewhere else... inside my head? Hypnotizing, like a curse, like a siren. A darkness suppressing one's soul. A gorge of black eternity, making the heart pound. When I think back to the Deep, I can not tell whether something was hiding inside. Whether something rushed towards me through that darkness.

Though, the boundlessness I felt has never left me.

I was so glad that the moonlight protected me, warded it off somehow...

Suddenly, I realized.

New moon was near.

The black night that once every month fully robbed the nightsky of its gleaming disk. What would happen? Would the Deep swallow the town and everything inside? Erase the inhabitants? The houses, the buildings? The streets?

I had to think!

Because, if it were true... if the Deep would take everything... no bombs were needed. My hands could stay clean. I could just let it happen and did not have to worry anymore. Did someone else suspect it? That new moon would bring the end? I don't think so. Everybody was just too afraid to notice.

I made a decision.

The next day, I left town.

I turned my back on it, the way I should have done long before. After all, not only the Deep threatened my other comrades, no, those mysterious... strange people that had been seen more and more often deepy disturbed me as well. After I was gone, the problem would maybe solve itself.

I took a car and left, left that hellhole, that city of the Deep. My supervisors knew about it. They knew that all they had to do was wait until Solovsk and its residents would fall into darkness. And even if not, the bombers were ready.

I did not tell the Militsiya of Solovsk, just ordered them to calm the others down. I promised that help would come. One way or another.

When I sat in a safe place on the evening of 17th January, I prepared for the call I had to make. I had to be sure. That everything would go down as I suspected.

After some deep breaths, I called the station of the Militsiya in Solovsk.

"How is it over there? Is everything alright?"

I just heard a panicked voice, screaming:

"Thank God that you call. We did not get through to anybody else. The lights are fading! The darkness is coming. It is coming from everywhere, the hills, the houses, the holes...

It is coming. This horrible Deep! You know, don't you? You know! Please, help us!"

"Are you certain?"

"Of course! We can't escape, the lights... they are starting to flicker. The Deep, the Deep is here, you have to..."

That is all there was before the line went dead forever. They sent some planes over in the following days. We got some pictures. The town was gone. Not a soul to see. Only the mines. The mines where the Deep had come from in the first place. I do not know if it had gotten everyone. Perhaps someone managed to escape? Was someone out of town when it happened?

Solovsk had been isolated and the residents had not had many contacts to other towns, so it was more or less easy for us to cover everything up.

Whether I have a bad conscience because I left them behind? All those people, all those children? No, I do not.

I did what had to be done.

I had to make sure that no one survived.

You might think of me as a monster, but I don't care.

Though, independent of all those events, small good things happened as well.

About a week later, after a long time of waiting, my brother and his wife managed to adopt a little girl.

A little girl and her ragged doll.

## Audio Versions

1. Read by viidith22
2. Read by Fear Forge

## Characters

* KGB Agent
* Itrushka

## Entities & Objects

* The Deep
* Changed People

## Possible Connections to the Ebrugh

* The Deep seems to be similar to the Holes.
* The Changed People seem to share their immense thirst with the Changeling.

## Trivia

* The darkness in the hood bears resemblance to a scene from "Chô kowai hanashi A: yami no karasu"