Aberro Specus

When you’ve lived in a city as long as I have you notice things. Place people congregate, places people avoid, where the best hookers are, where to dump the bodies so it gets blamed on the mob… things like that. This is about one of those places people avoid. It’s not conscious, for most people, it’s simply a feeling of… uncomfortable-ness. A feeling of “this place isn’t right, lets walk over here..” It happens in the dark places, the places that evil still lingers. You still get the occasional person who feels more comfortable in these spots… goth clubs tend to be built on them (the real ones, were you see the couple drinking each others blood in a corner and you’re more likely to mistake it for a satanic rite than a rave…), but I digress. Living in this city for the past fifteen years has clued me in to a few of them. The couple that is heading to the opera and gets off at the wrong train stop, and hurries up the steps uncomfortably to get out of the abandoned station, or the alley that even the homeless and rats don’t inhabit. Usually there is some underground access there, and always, even if it’s above ground, sunlight doesn’t shine there. Even on the brightest, cloudless day it’s gloomy in that spot, overcast and damp feeling. Is it an explainable phenomenon? Not by scientific standards. But it’s there, and I love it.

I started exploring these spots and mapping them two years ago. Once a month I’d travel the city for a full 24 hours, looking for a new spot, trying to find one of those dark places, explore it, make it mine. I keep a map in my drawer with each of the eight that I’ve found carefully documented, with a notebook full of my descriptions and feelings as I explored the place. There is no pattern, no rhyme or reason for their location. Scattered about the city like leaves on the wind, they simply exist. A corner in an alley here, a subway station there, an underground goth rave in this spot, an abandoned building’s basement in that… I’ve even attempted to purchase two of them that were in abandoned buildings, but the city “lost” or denied my requests.

So why am I talking about these places? What made me write about them today? Last night, I went to my favorite, the basement of a building located on… no, I best not reveal the location. I had lured a prostitute to the spot with the promise of ill-earned funds… After finishing my business and stuffing the parts in a garbage bag, I felt another presence. No one else ever came to these spots, it simply didn’t happen. I was almost always alone in them… the dead don’t count. Looking around carefully, I noticed a light flicker briefly from beneath a doorway. I had already satiated my hunger for the day, but sport was always welcome. Picking up one of my knives I crept silently to the doorway and inched it open. The light had vanished but that didn’t mean it’s creator had. The room was empty, but I saw the light coming from down a corridor. Creeping silently down it, I followed it through a labyrinth of passages, twisting through the basement for much further than I though it traveled. Suddenly I came to another closed door, with the light coming from much strong beneath it than previously seen. I paused for a moment, then pushed open the door and looked into the room. The sight chilled me, and in case you can’t tell, I’m not an easily scared person. I closed the door and ran, leaving my prize behind and escaping to the street, away from the darkness.

My soul felt twisted… turned round and burnt, from the visage I had encountered. But I felt curious. Even in my fear, I wanted more. I wanted to know what could cause what I saw, what I felt when I opened that door. I needed it. Morbid curiosity, or a death wish, either way I had to learn more. I returned the next night to that place, but the presence was gone. I returned each night, forgetting my normal routine, and searched that building for it. Exactly a month later, I entered the building, preparing to give up, when the presence returned. It overwhelmed me as soon as I entered. Filling my senses and causing as much pain as it did ecstasy within moments. I collapsed to the floor, used and discarded, but quickly climbed back to my feet, wanting more. I delved deeper into the basement, the presence growing stronger with each correct turn I made. In a short while I had found that door again, the light flickering, same as before. Opening it slowly, I beheld the site again. Grotesque and beautiful at once. Overpowering my senses and filling me with as much dread as it did excitement. To stare into the abyss and have it stare back into you, as the saying goes, was beautiful. Weeping, I fell to my knees, allowing it to wash over me.

I awoke later, I had no idea of how much time had passed, though the presence was gone. I rose to my feet, shaking, and lit my lighter. Peering around, I saw I was in the same place, still standing in the doorway. The room before me was plain, empty. The smearing of foul bodily substances on the walls was gone, the piles of desecration gone, the gaping maw of hell in the floor replaced with concrete floor. I saw none of the horror and delights from before, only a room, plain walls, plain floor. As I turned to leave, I caught a glimmer of light in the corner. Approaching it, I saw a simple talisman laying in a corner, discarded. I bent to pick it up, and as I touched it I felt the presence again, faint, but there. Pocketing the trinket, I left, returning to my home. As I sit here writing I can’t take my eyes off of it. It beckons to me, calling, begging me to pick it up. I know not how to use it, or what it can even do, but I know it’s mine… or rather I belong to it…

It’s not too frequently that I geek out on here, in the  common sense of the word. I am a geek though. I enjoy comics, sci-fi and fantasy novels and movies, etc. And currently, I have something very awesome to geek-gasm over.

A little while ago, George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, was picked up by HBO for a series, starting with the first novel, A Game of Thrones. Martin has posted a little about the goings on of this deal on his blog, Not A Blog. After picking a director and writer, they went into chosing film locations, specifically Northern Ireland for primary filming, and Morocco as a remote filming location (if you’re familiar with the series, this will be the location for the Dany* scenes).

Recently, most of the news related to the series has been about casting for the pilot, and it is this most recent news that has gotten me excited. It was just confirmed that Sean Bean has been cast as one of the major characters in A Game of Thrones, Eddard Stark*. For those unfamiliar with the series, the majority of the plot centers around the Stark family, and Eddard is the father of the Stark children, as well as one of the other main characters (and my favorite) Jon Snow*. I doubt any of you are unfamiliar with Sean Bean, but just incase, he played the part of Boromir (excellently, I might add) in the Lord of the Rings films, as well as a major role in the first Pierce Brosnan James Bond film - GoldenEye, Ronin, Equilibrium (which I mentioned recently), and Troy, just to name a few of the excellent films he has been in.

A few of the other casting choices announced are Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister*, Mark Addy as Robert Baratheon* (most well known for his parts in the Heath Ledger films A Knight’s Tale and The Order), Jack Gleeson (who plays the little boy in Batman Begins) as Joffrey Baratheon*, Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen* (who played Will Scarlett on BBC’s Robin Hood series which I have heard excellent things about), and finally unknown actor Kit Harington as the previously mentioned Jon Snow*.

I am rather excited about all of these choices, in particular Sean Bean and Mark Addy, both excellent actors I think. Besides the fact that this series will be bringing my favorite fantasy book series to film (TV, but same difference), I became rather excited over this when they announced that David Benioff would be writing the script adaptation of the book. Benioff worked on 25th Hour, Troy, The Kite Runner, and most recently X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I thought that 25th Hour was an amazing movie, with some amazing writing, and Troy and Wolverine were excellent movies, so this is extremely exciting - to have such an accomplished film writer working on A Game of Thrones.

As long as they stay true to Martins writing, and cover the intense political drama and character development in the series, this TV adaptation of the books will be amazing, and will keep fans extremely happy. Oh, and a rumor flying around is that they have cast Gillian Anderson (the hotty from X-Files) as Catelyn (Tully) Stark*, Eddard’s wife, which would be pretty awesome if it’s true.

If you would like to keep tabs on news about this, check out a fan’s blog for news about the series - Winter Is Coming.

*The links to the character bio’s on Tower of the Hand contain many spoilers, so don’t look at them if you have any interest in reading the series.

~Ian

Anyone who bothers reading this will know I’m obsessed with zombies, and if you didn’t you apparently  don’t pay much attention, but now you know. My focus in writing is currently zombie survival short stories, and I write abundantly on the matter. One of the outlets for this writing is a fiction blog I keep with Brandon N. Schory, where we portray a group of survivors who have managed to establish an internet uplink, and set up a blog in order to find other survivors, as well as help others survive with advice, tips, and tricks.

Originally we established this blog on Blogspot, but we recently moved it to Wordpress, both because Wordpress is, well, better, and because we are both more familiar with Wordpress.

The new address is http://bostonzedheads.wordpress.com, and you can also visit it from the links on the sidebar. So if you enjoy zombie stories, and/or want to read some of Brandon and I’s writing, go read Boston Zed Heads.

~Ian

Here is an excerpt of another short story I’m working on. I was going to post the story tonight, but I got sidetracked by other things, so it’s not done. Enjoy, and I’ll try to finish it tomorrow.

“Tim leaned up against the fence, panting. He had outrun the majority of the horde, but could still hear moaning coming from the distance. Cursing as he catches his breath, he takes in his surroundings. He had run down an alley, always a bad idea. Unless there was a fire escape or other convenient climbable escape, you could be easily trapped if there were zeds at both ends. Still, with almost 50 strong on his tail, it seemed the best choice. He started to walk forward, still breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. Grasping hold of the ladder of the only fire escape in the alley, he pulled it down, hoping the sound would attract them down the alley. Climbing up to the first landing, he pulled the ladder back up as he noticed the first wave of zeds moving into the alley entrance. Hurrying up the stairs, he get’s two flights up when an arm bursts through the window on the landing and makes a grab at him. Jumping, he slides past the window just out of reach and heads up to the next landing, pausing for a moment. Looking around, he can see shadowed shapes moving about behind some of the windows. Swearing under his breath he takes a moment to steel himself, and runs up the last remaining flights, reaching the top of the building without further incident. Moving well away from the edges, particularly the stairs to the fire escape, he crouches for a moment, catching his breath and looking around. Most of the buildings are close enough together in this area of the city to move from building to building, but only block by block. The streets being too wide to jump, he’d have to figure out how to get back down safely, not in that alley.”

~Ian

Because SOMEONE had to go and double-post last night, then turn around and post again today before the 24-hour grace period from her their first post was up, posted again, I have to double-post this evening, so one of them, I hate to say, is going to be a copy-cat post. Which I’ll get out of the way first! So without further ado, here we go.

Top 5 Books You Should Read Before I Strangle You Cthulhu Rapes Your Mind.

5. Steppenwolf - Herman Hesse

This book sums up a lot of philosophical ideas about false perceptions, and is ideally a book that you’ll read and go “that was really interesting” and actually think about, instead of setting down and going “that was a good book” and reaching for the next book in your pile. It’s a well written, interesting book that can make you think, instead of simply being “entertaining.” Check it out, it’s short, easy to read, and intelligent. If that’s not your thing… why are you  reading my site?

4. Crooked Little Vein - Warren Ellis

If you know me in any fashion you know I love all things Warren Ellis. That isn’t the point though. This book challenges norms and makes you rethink the way you view American society, no matter how you view it now. It’s ALSO well-written, and short(ish) so it’s an easy read, and it’s also intelligent (see comment above). It’s definitely a good summer read, and it will make you go both “Oh God my brain hurts, why would anyone DO that!?” and “Holy shit awesome” at the same time.

3. Sex, Drugs, Einstein, & Elves - Clifford Pickover

I believe I’ve actually mentioned this book here before, but it’s worth mentioning again. Pickover explores quantum physics, psychotropic substances, pop-philosophy, life experiences he’s had, and slips them all into various chapters in this book. It’s a fascinating read, and like the others on this list, will make you think, or at least explore different thoughts than you are used to.

2. Old Man’s War - John Scalzi

I was never really a Sci-Fi fan throughout the years. I enjoyed Dune. I enjoyed Ender’s Game. I enjoyed a good Sci-Fi move/television show. But I disliked the genre in general, I always stuck more to swords & sorcery fantasy type books. Then I read Scalzi’s work and I can now say I am a fan. The man spins a tale like no other I have ever read. If you’ve never read any sci-fi, read this book. If you’re an avid fan of sci-fi read this book. If you HATE sci-fi, read this book. Scalzi delves into emotions, character interaction, and makes you feel for his characters more than any other modern author I can think of. And there are four more books in the series to read if you enjoyed that one, plus he has a rather prolific blog that is quite interesting! I’d put this at #1, but I feel that the next book is better, regardless…

1. Through an Eastern Window - Jack Huber

Though this book is out of print currently, I would gladly pay $100.00 for it. This is one of the best books on Buddhism, specifically Zen, that I have ever read. It’s a personal tale of on man traveling to Japan to explore Zazen meditation on a first hand basis, and how it completely changes his life. Written almost like a diary, Huber explains his experiences in as much detail as he can, attempting to describe his “wow” moment during meditation, and his time in Japan in general. It’s an extremely short, extremely powerful book, and is the book that sparked my interested in Zen Buddhism in the first place.

Here is the list, I recommend reading all of the books on it. But if you absolutely can’t, read at least the first two on the list, they are amazing books. And I’ve found that I can find Through an Eastern Window in most libraries, although it is out of print. Now to work on post number two!

Also! Throughout the day, my other prisoners in this blog agreement and I  tend to have rather hilarious conversations mocking each others mothers, lifestyle choices, occupations, hygiene, and penis size, over twitter. We attempt to tag all of these posts with the term Brandon coined to cover this whole shebang “blogenning.” If you’re interested, you can read our asinine conversations here - Twitter # blogenning.

~Ian

I need to get something… more out of what I’m writing right now. I have, obviously, a lot of work going right now, and not much use for the finished project. When I finish a story, poem, song, or miscellaneous other work, it either goes into a “Writing” folder, or gets posted here. Providing my few readers with entertainment is rewarding in it’s own way, but I would like to get something more out of the finished products. What I’m thinking about right now is Self Publishing, or maybe contacting some Agents and trying to get a book of shorts that I have mostly completed (I would have it completed by the time I bother contacting anyone) published. What I’m looking for is suggestions and opinions on either process, as well as maybe some alternatives. Thoughts?

~Ian

Frank awoke in a cold sweat. He’d been having the same nightmare for the past three weeks. He was crawling through a mine shaft and felt something wet, slimy, and cold wrap around his left ankle, yanking him back down into the darkness, screaming. He knew it was just a nightmare, but it made him dread going to work. The new job gave him the creeps as it was, climbing through the old train system in the city to make sure no one was down there and keeping it clean and checking to see if the lines could be repaired and turned into a new, updated tunnel. The air in those tunnels was too damp, too cold, for July. The dream was unrelated anyhow, train tunnels are huge, the mine shaft in his dream was barely wide enough for him to crawl through.

Rising from bed, he glances at the clock, “5:29″ in bright red numbers staring back at him. He flicked the switch to turn the alarm off. He’d been waking up exactly one minute before it went off since he started having the nightmare. Stumbling to the shower he flicked on the pale yellow light and looked at his face in the mirror. He’d lost some weight recently too. All the walking around he guessed. The dark circles under his eyes weren’t going to go away, but the stubble would. He grabbed his razor and after a few minutes ran his fingers over his clean shaved, gaunt cheeks.”Ow… son of a bitch…” He swore as his fingers run over a cut. He glances at the blood on his fingertips and shrugged. Fifteen minutes later he heads out the door, showered and dressed.

The early morning light always threw the world into a different perspective. Everything seemed slower and the gloom, taking longer to cross his vision, entering and leaving his world in steps instead of flowing. It reminded him of the time he took shrooms and hung out in the park, everything moving in slow motion instead of the hectic pace it normally did. He rode the Blue Line to the financial district and walked to the office from there, catching the bankers, lawyers, and businessmen making their way to work. He liked to watch them at this time, their actions usually the most hectic, therefore screwing with him in the early gloom more than most. He smiled to himself as one man in an expensive suit caught him staring and gave him a dirty look. “It’s better to be remembered badly than forgotten” he thought.

Catching the elevator, he made his way down into the basement of the building and clocked in. Getting some coffee from the machine he took a sip and almost spit it back out. It tasted worse and worse each day. Dumping it out, he grabbed his gear from his locker and strapped the belt on. Radio, flashlight, emergency flare, whistle, extra batteries, water, tools, and his knife. Checking to make sure he had everything, he grabbed a hardhat and his badge and got back in the elevator. He was still working in the lines connected to the orange line, and had to wait a few minutes for a train. He glanced around and sighed. He wasn’t sure, but could swear the man at the other end of the station was urinating onto the tracks. As the train pulled in he stepped on and sat down. Five minutes later he got to State and got off. He noticed the pissing man get off too, as he walked towards the “Employees Only” door. Shaking his head he unlocked the door and slipped inside, pulling it shut behind him. Taking a moment to adjust to the change of light, he walked down the tunnel to the old part of the tracks. He shivered instinctively and remembered his dream. He flicked his flashlight on and turned left. He hadn’t gone this way before, and decided if he could get a few good hours of inspection in, he could call it quits for this section.

After two hours of walking he got the strange feeling again. Looking around, he could swear he felt the air grow ten degrees colder as he passed the last security light. Glancing behind him, he blinked. He could have sworn he saw movement… Turn and shining his flashlight over there, he saw a glimmer of light. He jogged over and saw a key laying on the ground. It was older and rusted, maybe even as old as these tunnels. He picked it up and turned it over. There were no markings, or they had corroded away, and it was a simple skeleton key. He slipped it into the pouch on his belt and looked around again. Whatever he had seem move was gone, probably a mouse or rat. He turned and started walking again. That’s when he saw the hole. It was ground level, with a rock laying next to it, blocking his view from where he had been standing earlier. It was easily big enough for a man to crawl through, and looked like something had been crawling through it recently. He crouched down to get a better look and heard a scuffling noise.

“Come out of there!” he shouted and shone his flashlight into the hole. The hole was actually a tunnel, and it swerved to the right ten feet down. Whatever it was he heard was already around that corner, but it had sounded human. Swearing to himself, he secured his belt and pulled his knife out, just in case.

“I’m coming in there for you, you’re not supposed to be down here!” He cried out, and started to crawl into the hole. Shifting along on his stomach, his flashlight in one hand and his knife in the other, he got a brief flash of deja vu, but ignored it.

Every time he got to a turn in the tunnel, there was another one ten to fifteen feet ahead of him. He paused for a minute to catch his breath and listen. Whoever, or whatever it was he was chasing, they almost seemed to be toying with him. Every time he turned a corner he’d hear, or catch the briefest glimpse of them… it… whatever, turning the next corner. He swore to himself and moved on again, trying to move more quietly, hoping to sneak up. But when he rounded the next corner, he heard it moving around the next one, twelve feet away.

“You son of a bitch… when I catch you…” he stopped, realizing his shirt was wet, shining his flashlight directly in front of him, he saw water glimmering on the rock. He hadn’t noticed until now, but he had been steadily moving down, and must be at least thirty feet under the T tunnels by now, and it was getting rather wet. His nightmare became a very vivid thought in his mind, and he froze, unsure of his next action. He thought for a moment, listening carefully, and he could here the rhythmic movement around the corner up ahead of someone breathing.

“Alright, you know what you fucker, I’m leaving. This isn’t worth it. If you want to wander around in these God forsaken tunnels be my guest.” He spit, and started to back up. He knew the turns in the tunnel were wide enough that he could double up and turn around at one, so he backed up the the first one he came to and did so. Making his way back out of the tunnel, he paused around the next corner he came to and, sure enough, he could hear the bastard following him. Shivering, he continued moving to the next corner. The tunnel was too tight for him to see behind himself, but he could hear the person closing the distance between them ever so slightly.

“I can hear you asshole, go away” he yelled. Moving forward another 30 feet or so, he rounded another two corners before he realized that the person was pretty much right behind him. Lashing out with his foot he kicked him… her… it, and froze. The sound his foot made connecting with it wasn’t… right. It was too wet, too squishy. Choking back a scream, he scrambled forward, not caring about scraping against the walls as he tried desperately to make his way back to the T tunnel, back to open safety. He dropped his knife at some point, but held on dearly to his flashlight. “It wont be like the dream, it wont be like the dream” he muttered to himself over and over again. If he kept the flashlight it wouldn’t be dark, and then it would be different, the thing wouldn’t drag him back into the depths, screaming. He rounded another corner and could see faint light ahead. He was getting close to the end. And emergency light had been directly across from the hole, and that must be the light from it, it must be.

“Ha, you son of a bitch. Kiss my ass!” He yelled and threw himself forward with renewed vigor. Turning the corner, he could see the opening ahead when he felt it wrap around his ankle. His left ankle. Screaming out, he had only a moment to feel that it was one, solid object wrapping around his leg, more like a tentacle than a hand. As it pulled him backwards with more strength than humanly possible, he scrambled for a handhold, but anything he caught was pulled out of his grasp as he was wrenched around corners and back down, deeper into the tunnel. After crashing against a few corners and being scraped up, badly, he managed to roll over and point the flashlight down the tunnel. He couldn’t really see from the way he was being yanked back down, but damn it, he would see this coming. He could tell he was already deeper than had been while following it. A cracked sob tore from his throat as his head bounced off the rock as he was twisted around a corner. Suddenly the bottom dropped out of the tunnel and he was half-falling, half-pulled through open space. Looking down he shone the flashlight on the body of what was wrapped around his leg was attached to. A mass of flesh, tentacles, and mouths being his final sight, he wished he hadn’t held onto the flashlight…

Brandon has given me a wonderful excuse to post something actually worth reading finally (which I have about 5 minutes to type because I have to head out the door for play rehearsal shortly, I’m directing a terrible adaptation of The Tell-Tale Heart, it’s fun).  He and I have started a new blog. It’s a fictional blog covering the story of a group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse from the point of view of two of the members of that group, Brandon and myself. The idea spawns originally from a d20 Modern rpg we played a while back about the Zombie Apocalypse and how we would survive in our current living situation (at the time). This game also spawned a series of short stories I’m working on, which will not run parallel with the blog, but in a very different direction.

For those of you who care about what I write here (I’m sure there are few of you ), writing in this new blog will not replace this one, and I know I’ve been slacking lately but Crista moved in with me so I haven’t had much time to write lately. I’m going to picking back up on it soon, I promise. For now though, I have to head out the door. Head over to http://bostonzedheads.blogspot.com to see the new blog and read Brandons excellent first posts. Till next time…

~Ian

Today, I followed a dog to the secret city.
It was dangerous, following the golden coated mongrel to its lair, but I knew I would be rewarded for my efforts if I could bring back just a small amount of their riches. Deep underground I followed him, winding downwards, my feet silent on the slippery rock as he lumbered on. As the air grew danker, moldier, he stopped suddenly and wagged his tail twice, brushing it against a specific outcrop of rocks near the wall. A secret passage opened in the wall and he padded through. I hurried in behind him, taking care not to be noticed, and made note of how to get back out.
Secreting my way down the passage, I discovered that the mutts had been lying all along. They were not man’s best friend after all, but rather his worst enemy. The discarded bones of devoured man littered the passage, and I took care to move around them, lest I disturb them and alert the enemy of my presence.
Only once did I fear I would be discovered. Once I had followed the beast deep into their lair and had discovered their untold riches, I was busy rifling through, trying to discover the choicest piece to return to my people with, when one of their slack-jawed guards came bumbling through. Quickly I hid, lest I be discovered. The fool left quickly though, apparently assured in their troves safety. I quietly resumed my searching, until I discovered it. The secret that man had left behind, the thing that would assure our victory over the foul canine. I quickly made my way back through the tunnels with my prize, rushing back so that my people might celebrate and prepare for the imminent doom of the flea-ridden beasts. I dropped my prize and gulped down the clean air, free from their foul stench, as I broke the surface, exiting the cavern that housed the entrance to their city.
Retrieving the prize, I made my way quickly back to the forest, home of our own secret city. Once safely back in our territory I relaxed, knowing the mongrels would never dare to come here. It took me a fortnight to return to my home, but once I did I was greeted with a glorious site. The trees lined with my feline brothers, waiting patiently for my return, I stepped onto the dais and dropped the prize in front of our elder. Beholding the fabled treasure, he turned to my brethren and meowed forth, “Brothers! Sisters! Thomas has succeeded in his task. Tonight we shall dine like kings! The answer to our prayers, begun on the day the humans decayed, and the mouse, rat, and bird ran scarce, has come. The tin prison the man kept us in can be unlocked, for tonight, we shall use The Opener! Our children will no longer feel the bite of hunger! Come, let us thank Brother Thomas for his heroic act, and allow him to be the first to taste the glory of the Fancy Feast!”
Their cries and purrs filled my ears with delight as the elder worked his magic. It took three of us to use The Opener, but finally, out efforts were rewarded and ate from the tin platter. Once the people had been sated, and our hunger properly driven away, our plans began, because this night, we will stab back at the tail-wagger. This night, will be his undoing!

~Thomas, Knight of the Dark Feline Order

((http://crisper.livejournal.com/26562.html for context on this post…))

Great comic. Check it out.

~Ian