“The refinery’s business took a sudden turn for the worse, and even the economy of the town began to deteriorate. Captain Obed thought of the lead object that he received from the tribal people. So he told the people in the town that he could bring in gold and fish again. At first, there were objections, especially one of the sailors who had gone to the island with him. However, those who objected to the idea were soon forced to step away. At that time, Captain Alder started to restore his refinery business.
“But in 1846, things got out of hand. Too many people had gone missing in the town, and many inhabitants had seen the half-human half-fish monsters crawling out of the water. That had caused some working in the city committee to go against him. They made contact and gathered a large number of people to force him to surrender. In the end, Obed and the twenty-three people who followed him were put in prison. Unfortunately, something terrible happened before their trial got to proceed. One night, countless creatures crawled out from the water to the shore. There were gunshots and screams in the square, churches, and fields. It continued until dawn. By that time, half of the town’s people had disappeared.
“Obed and the twenty-three people came out of the prison. Leading the remaining half of the town’s inhabitants, he declared that a plague had struck the settlement and was responsible for many deaths. The plague, however, was simply an excuse to cover up for their mistakes. And since then, they began to lose control before finally falling into the abyss of sin. Everything rotted away and died, especially when the first batch of children grew up, and they began showing a difference. More and more inhabitants started to mutate. Monsters crawl in the dark attics and basements. You could tell that the normal-looking people were getting lesser and lesser. I guess this is what we’ve come to.”
Farbericotet’s voice has been to tremble. “I’ve been trying to comfort myself ever since I first heard these tales. I kept telling myself that these were the drunk talk of an old man. After he spoke, he suddenly grabbed my shoulder. He told me that it’s coming. It’s too late! It’s too late! It’s too late! He shouted. Then, I saw him run to the distant wave breaker and jumped off of it.”
“Did anyone see him talking to you?” Zhang Heng asked.
“I don’t know. I was in too much of a panic. I should have saved him. A normal person would have saved him or at least checked if he was alive. I mean, after all, he committed suicide because of me. Initially, I thought he had a mental problem. After he jumped down from the wave breaker, I just stood there and felt something strangling me. When I realized that I couldn’t save him anymore, I turned around and ran back to the square. I wanted to take the bus at 8.p.m. to get to Arkham, but the driver suddenly told me that some celebration would be held in the evening and the bus service would stop for one day. After that, I met you at the Gilman Hostel.”
“Then, do you have any idea what this thing that Allen mentioned was?”
“No, I have completely no clue. I have told you everything I know so far,” Fabricotte said. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes tonight, I would have never believed that such terrifying creatures exist. I swear that the excitement that I experienced here beats my entire life’s experience of encountering strange happenings. If we are lucky enough to leave this place safely, I will never come back again.”
He looked at Zhang Heng with hopeful eyes. “We can leave this place in one piece, right?”
Zhang Heng did not answer him right away. He turned to look in the direction of the wave breaker. The dark shadows were still standing there, motionless.
After that, Zhang Heng turned around and said to Fabericotte. “You didn’t tell me the truth.”
“What do you mean?” Fabericotte was stunned. “I wouldn’t dare hide anything from you now. Otherwise, I’ll be risking my life.”
Zhang Heng did not answer. Instead, he said, “I’m just curious of why you guys would put so much effort into making up the whole thing. Is it just for me to see?”
Fabericotte’s face remained stunned.
“You didn’t come here by bus,” Zhang Heng said. “In fact, the bus never left here. I checked its wheels and the dirt on it. Judging from its condition, I’d say it hasn’t been driven for more than ten hours. And the grocery store’s story has a big loophole as well. Considering the dust on the counter, I don’t think it has been opened for the past week. However, you told me that you talked to the employee there in the afternoon. Oh, and those abandoned houses.”
“Is there anything wrong with those?” Fabericotte asked.
“Some of them have collapsed because of disrepair, but as for the others, especially the ones by the sea, they had been destroyed by bombs. Their damage differs from the dilapidated houses. Somewhere in the town, I also saw traces of tank tracks.”
“How did you find out so much after just staying for a while?” Faberricotte asked in surprise.
“My observational ability is a lot better than you think,” Zhang Heng replied. “So what day is today? When I first came here, the first person who talked to me told me that it is July 15, 1927. The newspaper the staff at Gilman Hostel’s front desk was reading had been published years ago. And the magazine on the table also shows me the date, July 15. You guys have been using this method to tell me that today is July 15. Why? What is so special about this day?”
“No matter what date it is today, everything that you have experienced so far is real. Does it remind you of something?” Fabericotte asked rhetorically.
“Save the puzzle for someone else,” Zhang Heng said. “The young man in your story, did he escape here in the end?”
“Did he escape?” the young foreigner asked himself.
“Oh, I think it he managed to escape. Otherwise, there would have been no military intervention. The tank marks on the ground and the old blown-up houses were what happened later.”
Farbericotte finally stopped pretending and took off the surprised expression on his face. “Your reasoning and keen observation are impressive. But you were wrong about one thing.”
“Please advise.” Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows.
“I am the young man, and that young man is indeed me. Or, to be more precise. That was the old me.”
“Interesting, as you said before, people don’t usually come back after experiencing those horrible things.”
“It’s true, but do you remember my introduction when we first met? I said that I came here to admire the natural scenery, look for historical sites, and study my family pedigree.”
“You have family members here? Were you born here? Were you sent away after you were born into this world? Is that why you don’t know much about this place?”
“To be more precise, she is my great-grandmother. And she is a member of the Marsh family, Captain Obed Marsh.”
