The Haunted Forest 1: Something In The Basement

"Ha!?"

Inase scoffed, clearly offended.

Great.

It was a brilliant start to the day—being bossed around by a bunch of scientists who couldn't lift a paperweight if their lives depended on it.

Especially those who pushed onto him whatever they were asked to do.

If it wasn't for Hosen holding him by the collar, he would've already lunged forward.

"You said you'd do it—don't you dare backpedal now!"

"Eek!"

The Facility's scrawny researcher stumbled backward, startled by the sudden outburst. His clumsiness only added fuel to the fire.

Their scuffle brought attention to others.

Selena's heels clicked against the floor as she stepped out from the lab, hands on her hips.

"What's the ruckus about?"

Her glare locked on Inase—as always. After all, trouble followed him like a shadow.

"He pawned his task off on me," Inase grumbled, scratching the back of his neck. "Told me to bring equipment from the basement."

"The boxes are heavy!" the researcher squeaked. "And you're our field guy! You have the physique to do it!"

"Ha—!?" Inase's voice grew louder. "That doesn't mean I'm your errand boy!"

The tone, the assumption—it all triggered something ugly. Like the ones with brains thought themselves above the ones with brawn.

"You're not doing much anyway!" the man snapped. "Hosen figured out the anomaly; he got rid of it! You just stir up chaos and bring more trouble. For once in a lifetime, be useful!"

…So he thought Inase was only good for heavy lifting.

A blatantly condescending behavior. A thin line of discrimination—Inase's pride wouldn't let him give in.

It sent him into a state of blank anger.

The punch came almost instinctively.

"Enough!"

The woman's voice cracked through the tension just as Hosen caught Inase's fist mid-air.

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You're all children. Both of you—basement. Get to it. Now."

But instead of pointing at the scientist, she pointed at the two time divers.

Inase objected, "What, why?"

"Because you're strong. We scientists aren't."

Tsk. Is that really all you think I'm good for?—The blonde gritted his teeth.

"And why me?"

Hosen pointed at himself, since he was also more of a researcher, too.

"You're his buddy. His mess is your mess."

That stung a bit more than it should've. She didn't seem to like Hosen very much after their last interaction.

Then at last, she turned to the cowering researcher, her colleague.

"And you, Bradley,"

He nodded sheepishly, hiding behind her like a scolded kid.

"With me. We need to talk."

She had an inkling he started this fight because he was still salty about his chips being stolen that day, a few weeks ago—the perpetrator stood before him.

Inase scoffed at Bradley's nervous behavior. Such a coward.

"Better keep an eye on me, twig-for-brains." He pointed at the man aggressively. "I'll beat that stupid mindset outta your skull!"

Bradley flinched as Selena ushered him away.

"Chop, chop, you two. You have only so much time to prepare for your dive."

Her voice echoed in the corridor.

Both scientists entered the portal's room, where they prepared for the machine's booting.

"Ugh, that bi—"

"Let's just end this quickly."

Inase was about to call her names when Hosen interrupted. He cut his buddy off before he could worsen their situation.

***

"I can't believe we've been roped into this."

Inase grumbled, stomping down the stairs to the basement below. Even though his fury calmed down, his annoyances didn't disappear this easily.

"How can they treat us like this?"

They had to walk through a long corridor just to get here.

"Happens," but Hosen didn't seem to care.

The basement air was thick with dust swirling in the stale air. Rusted shelves sagged under the weight of forgotten lab gear—tangled wires, cloudy beakers, dented scopes.

The faint scent of chemicals still lingered, mixed with the musty dampness of this dark space.

"Lucky that guy gave us the key, at least," Inase muttered, descending carefully. He meant Bradley. "Wasn't about to go back and beg for it."

"What are we looking for again?"

Hosen asked, looking around. Stacks of worn cardboard boxes lined the walls, some haphazardly labeled with faded ink.

"Magnifying glasses, scalpels, pincers... and a big-ass microscope. The biggest there is." He pointed at a tall box resting in the corner. "I think he wanted this one."

The tools they were asked to retrieve were for the unknown creature's core Inase had brought back last time. At least the scientist didn't ask for useless stuff.

Still didn't make him like the guy—his frown didn't fade.

"Let's get this over with—heave-ho!"

He hefted a heavy box with a huff.

Back and forth they went, clearing out the room.

Their job should have been easy—they come, they take the heavy stuff, and they leave.

However, while they walked up and down the stairs, Hosen paused.

Something unusual was revealed on the wall behind the moved boxes.

Something... odd.

He closed near the wall, brushing dust away. His fingertips drew a shape of a rectangular outline—a lone door, one they had never noticed before.

Why would a door be barricaded like this? Consealed from view?

Was this always here?—he wondered.

He fumbled with the keys, but none seemed to fit into the size of the small keyhole.

It confirmed that even the scientists didn't know of its existence.

He took another step forward.

Then came a faint whisper—a string of numbers seeped through the thick wall.

A wave of cold chills trickled down his spine.

This door felt ominous. It felt... wrong.

"What? Your scientist's curiosity took the better of you?"

Inase asked with a light tone, pausing with a box in hand. He waited for his companion on the stairs.

"..."

But despite his curiosity, Hosen's instincts screamed that he shouldn't get any closer.

He had a bad feeling about it.

"No… I would prefer not to."

Hosen shook his head—a weird answer for a researcher who continuously chased after the forbidden knowledge.

He couldn't describe it, but he had a feeling he should never learn what's in there—it terrified him for some reason.

That surprised even his buddy.

"Didn't think a scholar like you could resist the mystery."

"Let this Schrödinger's box stay closed." Hosen stared at the door. "I'd rather keep it a mystery for myself."

To that, Inase shrugged, "Your funeral," and continued carrying out the stuff.

"Let's get out of here."

They turned and climbed the stairs, their footsteps fading.

***

Just like last time, the time machine hummed like a beast rousing from sleep.

Cogs turned. Pipes trembled with heat. Wires were scattered freely across the floor.

Electricity sparked from time to time between the welded gaps of the metal parts.

"Let's see where fate throws us this time," Inase said, stretching.

Whether it was far into the ancient past or closely related to their modern lives, he was ready for anything that came their way.

The usual regulation recital started. The female scientist's voice faded in the background. They barely registered it anymore.

The two stood before the activated machine. They had gradually grown accustomed to the countdown—if not accustomed, then simply bored.

So, to shake things up, Inase came up with something to break the monotony and add a little thrill to their diving preparations,

"Wanna bet?"

That mischievous grin was plastered on his face again.

"Here we go..."

Hosen glanced over, rolling his eyes in the process. He fully expected something ridiculous to come out of his partner's mouth.

"..."

"I say Atlantis," Inase went first. "Always wanted to know what sunk it."

He had an inkling that Hosen would brush it off as a silly idea. That guy turned serious on their missions (overwhelmingly so).

But,

"Desert," Hosen said. "Too many unknowns occurred there in the past."

Inase raised a brow and chuckled. To his surprise, the other took the deal.

"Didn't think you had a gambling bone."

He didn't expect a goody-two-shoes scientist who strictly followed the Facility's rules to take it on.

"Aight, bet."

A deal is a deal.

"Loser cleans the other's place 'til it sparkles."

The machine shook vividly, blinding them with its mesmerizing colors.

As they closed their eyes, they felt the veil of reality tickle their skin.

One step and they were on the other side.

***

Nothing could've prepared them for what they've seen.

The two stood frozen, their breath held in, as their minds struggled to process the surreal landscape before them.

They found themselves in a forest—yet not a forest.

Towering figures loomed above them, but they swayed and pulsed, stretching toward the sky like grotesque, eldritch trees.

These were no ordinary trees. They were alive.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of otherworldly beings had settled here, descending from their ceaseless drifting like a flock of migrating birds.

The air trembled with their presence, so did the two sense.

These amorphous beings swayed tranquilly in the wind—shapeless masses of sharp teeth and writhing tendrils—rocking gently, as if cradled by an unseen current, to their reverberated, whispering hum, like a lullaby lulling them into a deep sleep.

A lullaby of madness.

Their massive bodies stood upright on a single, thick, trunk-like foot that anchored them to the soil—it supported a mass of unfamiliar, organic material like a pillar, holding up its surprisingly weightless corpus.

Despite their heavy appearance, they were hollow inside.

The bulbous shape on top swelled into strange, pulsating growths resembling the tree crown. While their tentacles acted as leaves and branches, their mouths as flowers, and their bulging eyes as fruits ripening (now watching the two in silence)—they barely allowed light to pass through the canopy of undulating limbs.

There was no doubt about it—Inase and Hosen stood in the heart of a forest of flying polyps. (1)*

Both stared up, speechless.

A long silence passed before one of them finally found fitting words.

"…Holy shit."

(1)*From: "The Shadow Out of Time" by H.P. Lovecraft, 1936