The Portal in the Forest (14 page)

3… 2… 1…

I took in a deep gasp as the timer actually
hit zero, and a much louder alarm began going off. Deep in the
walls, something began to move, vibrating the concrete beneath my
feet. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, it was actually happening! A
single number blinked on the screen above.

0… 0… 0…

What now? Oh God, what now?

The words
Final System Initiation
flashed above, and then new numbers appeared.

60… 59… 58…

So it wasn't really only sixty seconds! I
thought that was always cutting it a little short. I laughed out
loud, barely hearing myself over the incredibly loud alarms. What
was the louder alarm even
for?
There was no way to sleep
through the first set… unless…

The proximity alarms…

The vibrating beneath my feet…

Why would anything vibrate
here?

Running out to the other chambers, I heard a
loud drilling sound coming from somewhere above. Dust drifted down
from the ceiling. They were drilling me out! Were they bringing
down my replacement? Was my shift finally over?!

Breathing hard, I ran to the button and
slammed my hand down on it.

It stopped at 6 seconds.

The alarms all ceased, and the door to the
seventh chamber slid closed once more.

Laughing happily, I moved back out into the
other rooms.

I frowned.

The drilling had stopped.

It was eerily quiet once again.

Confused, I waited.

It wasn't until I'd done the same thing for
two more alarms that I realized what you bastards did. You added
fake proximity alarms and fake drilling vibrations to the final
initiation. They're randomized, too, so I can never be certain
they're fake. Every time I feel like giving up and letting the end
come, letting all the bombs go bright… I can't. Because maybe
this time
I'm being rescued at the last second.

Maybe
this time
the drills are
real.

I laugh a lot these days. I'm laughing all
the time! The woman could have been a hallucination, or not; the
signals could be fake, or not; the rescue could be the same old
trick, or not - who knows?! It's the ultimate joke! And you've
played it on
me!
If you want to know how I feel about it,
you know where to find me! I'll be here, screaming your names! A
Merry Christmas to all of you, straight from hell!

And I'm here in the flames already, waiting
for you, laughing…

***

I finished reading the message log with a
terrible sinking feeling in my heart. What the hell was this? Some
kind of joke? The file's details said it had been made today. In
fact, the last few lines had been added
as I'd read it.
But
where was it coming from?

Where did this file originate?

This couldn't possibly be real, could it?

Was there a poor and tortured madman
underneath the Earth right now, with the power to destroy
everything at his fingertips? I could imagine some sort of
ridiculous budget cutback eliminating the department that had
overseen him. If the project had been kept secret, would anyone
even know what had been defunded?

Holy crap… I couldn't find the source… all I
could do was hope that this was a Christmas joke being played on me
for my off-hours browsing habits… or, if it was real… I could only
hope that this unknown soul would hold out. And for how long?
Indefinitely? Did all our lives hinge on the lonely suffering of
one solitary man?

In my half-dark and very isolated server
room, I couldn't help but feel for him. Merry Christmas to you,
wherever you are, friend…

***

The Desolate Guardians saga continues soon.
Follow the coming release, and others, at
MattDymerski.com
.