Mortuus stood before a chalkboard with dozens of maps and pictures connected by thin red strings, like in an old detective movie. "Where are you?" he pondered as he looked at the board.
He took a small breath of his pen as he tapped his foot with an anxious rhythm. Even after searching Mordecai's notes, he still needed to find the cave.
"Some help you were." he stared down at Mordecai's notebook with contempt. The book only mentions the cave but doesn't once say where it is. Whoever had discovered it before was trying to ensure no one ever found it again.
He took a heavier breath of the cannabis. As great as it was, the plant was only delaying the end. An end that no one deserved, not even the worst killers of history. A Hell that wasn't even befitting of Satan himself.
Mortuus fell into his chair with a sigh. "If I don't find that cave, I'll only end like them, Death," Death rose from the floor.
"How did you know I was observing?" Death asked, his scythe brushing the board.
"I can see you everywhere, Death."
"I'm beginning to notice that." Death said with an unusual flux in his tone. His eyes, which seemed to glow within his skull, darted back and forth.
"Another one..." He whispered knowingly.
Mortuus ignored the comment. There is nothing to worry about. Probably just some dark angel things, he thought.
He huffed on the cannabis, taking a long drag of it. Deep down, Mortuus was scared. He could feel that he was losing himself.
"I don't want to be like them, Death," Mortuus said, his head in his hands as tears fell. His presence felt reassuring. Death stood silent at the door.
"You are not them, Mortuus." Death reassured him, "Do not compare to the lost when you are the found."
"You are close, Mortuus," Death finally said. "I cannot possibly explain how close."
Mortuus sat there, staring at the board. He just couldn't see it. He stood and walked closer.
As he neared the board, his foot kicked a candle he had lit. Within seconds, the fire had climbed the leg of the board and set it ablaze.
Panicking, Mortuus picked up a fire extinguisher and began hitting the fire with it. The fire died down despite his apparent use of it incorrectly. Death chuckled to himself at the sight. It was almost cartoonish, he thought.
Mortuus stood in disbelief as he looked at the charred board.
"It was here all along..." He stammered, dropping the extinguisher. How could he be so stupid? Of course, Angus Roberson would hide it. Legends did tell that he was a pirate before becoming an explorer for the crown in exchange for his life.
The burnt remains of the parchment contained a map to the Cave of Souls. The heat of the fire had revealed the hidden message written in lemon juice. The map wasn't heavily detailed, and parts of it were written in Scottish Gaelic, but it was a map, no less.
"Angus, you sly motherfucker." Mortuus whispered with a smirk on his face, which was hidden by his bandages. He laughed to himself and carefully picked up the map. He wasn't aware that on the map was written, Fanaidh iadsan a thig a-steach Pàighidh luchd-ionnsaigh gu bràth.
He grabbed his cannabis and took a puff as he loaded his revolver. He coughed heavily as he smacked the cylinder shut.
He stepped out of the bunker and began to follow the map. It was old and now burnt, but he was sure it was enough for him to find the cave. He didn't have any other choice but to follow it.
He walked for a bit before the map directed him to turn. He didn't know how far he was but knew he didn't have time to worry.
"If I'm going the right way, I should see a rock pillar," Mortuus mumbled as he stared at the map.
He stepped forward, his boots snapping a twig and making him jump. Even to a dead man, Angus Woods had a certain eeriness to it.
Many people believed it was cursed. And with all the disappearances and the Twin Murders, it wasn't a far stretch.
After two young twins were found beaten and hung in Angus Woods, the townsfolk seemed scared of the forest.
Mortuus pushed aside a branch and saw the pillar in all its glory. It was a rather large rock with perfect edges. One would easily mistake thinking it was carved. The stone stood nearly twenty feet tall from its base to the eight-inch pyramid shape at its top.
The truth is the pillar was naturally formed like that. Its sleek and sharp edges had never been grazed by any tool. No one knows how, but since humans had been in Roberson's Crater, that pillar had been like that.
"It's beautiful," Mortuus uttered in astonishment. He gently touched his hand to the rock obelisk. He closed his eyes, feeling the energy of it.
Somehow, this ordinary rock had a zeal to it. He could feel the millions of bolts coursing through it. It was as if the stone itself was alive.
Mortuus removed his hand and opened his eyes.
"I see your pain." He said softly. The energy of the stone was one that he remembered all too well. It had the feeling of grief as if it were weeping for the tragedy of the land.
He stood admiring its majestic shape before continuing past it.
He moved along, Death appearing behind him in rhythm to his steps.
"You are different from the other subjects, Mortuus."
Mortuus ignored him and continued following the map. "You have the eyes, but your heart still sees." Death said with a curious tone.
"What's the point of seeing with the eyes of an angel if you can't feel with the heart of one too?" Mortuus asked, stopping in his tracks and staring into the brush foggily.
Death stood beside him. In truth, he wasn't sure how to answer.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqVjC3xJIY
