The Empty Valley Cries Unheard

Chapter 1: Deathly Stench

There was once a strange chimney perched atop a grubby-shank home: a run-down tenement building down the alleyways with flat, dilapidated roof and shaggy floor which seemingly would rupture apart any moment.

It had no sign of living in one way or another; a place devoid of any human warmth. The chimney was shaped like a certain human organ: a giant, purplish beating heart covered in molds and spores, with one hole at the end oozing greenish fumes, reeking the stench of molten corpses; it eventually crippled the withered sky even further with its deathly stench.

The other end, like any other chimney, was connected with the rest of the building. Down onto the areas where the furnace hall resides, right through an enormous room, which in fact, was a gigantic broiler room with something burning at the innermost center, covered by the organ-shaped chimney; its fumes extend towards the atmosphere.

Who knew, what appears to be just a shank, seedy tenement would house such deformity.

In fact, the room was the biggest in the whole building, with teak floors that rattled by; its various holes leading to oblivion. Around it was cryptic walls enticing morbid feelings. Its lines look as if countless snakes crawled all over it; at times forming many kinds of faces. Yet at the same moment, nothing actually came out.

The room with such a high ceiling, with various standing platforms side-by-side. At the boiler room's corner laid various vertically ascending chair to climb up. The platforms also had the same set of stairs leading altogether towards the top. Each level of these platforms housed various compartments with bone-built doors of entrance, revealing the room built up with bones and rotting organs.

Various skull-shaped pillars supported the platforms, starting from the boiler room up to the topmost. Its eyes and mouth gaping open, flickering unholy green flames. The fiendish fire burning within the innermost center of the building emitted fumes which would ascend further up, ejected to the chimney. From within the large vent at the uppermost part, it would continue defiling the air.

What was burning within the innermost part was a gigantic, aborted fetus. Various living skeletons around it swinging forth their bones in laughter; rattling their bony jaws; merrily danced around the big cauldron where the fetus burned away from the very beginning. There was no cry nor wailing of agony. An aborted fetus was supposed to be dead, but its body just won't decay nor burn within this unholy flame.

The eyes gaped open; giving empty stares to nothingness. Its features resembling a human baby, overgrown it seems, with the remnants of its scalp seemingly cracked open. It reveals a gigantic brain, even larger than its head; the only part which beat and vibrate like a living heart. The brain contract a lot; gradually imploding in size; the tendons squeezed so tight; looking painful and gruesome just to stare at. Seemingly on the verge of exploding, but for some unknown reason, the brain was still intact.

Its body, in contrast - distorted; crippled; thrown outta proportions. From its wide chest was a gaping hole with various hook-shaped thorns protruding from the sides. On the skin beneath the thorns were various wounds oozing reddish-dark pus.

Amidst the burning fire, the thorns fiercely rattled; anticipating poor souls to devour. In depths of it, within the gap was a big, dead eye. It was open, with irises reflecting back the darkness of your soul. Uprooted deep within the chest, where hundreds of dead maggots filled it up. Not just a simple one--each of it, beneath their skin, occasionally sent a bloodshot eye which stares directly at you; from your room; from the deepest part of you.

Millions of eyes would, in turn, glared daggers. Unable to avert your gaze even more, within the darkness. You stared back and the eyes grew larger, engorge in size.

You could not escape; even your heartbeat betrays you. A severed, bleeding hand strangled your beating heart, slowly but forcefully pulling the blood veins whilst restraining it. On the verge of exploding, you let out a wailing scream unlike any other, resulting in violent rupture of your vocal chords. Vomiting blood, you choked, the intense pain swirling down your throat.

Pain hurts so much you want to scream, but it brings more pain just to yell your thoughts and cry for help. You realized something you vomited as nausea accumulates. In that instant, you're unable to feel your heartbeat, no matter how scared you are. You have the mouth; you cannot scream. Outlying darkness everywhere; can't even see anything.

In exception of the millions of eyes staring at you, there's nothing else visible - but this time, nothing was present; complete, utter blindness. With your legs limping you kneeled down, curled yourself into a prone. Crawled, and crawled, rubbing the disgustingly textured ground with both of your hands. Each momentary lapse filled your hands with an immense itch, but you persevered. After passing struggles, you finally came on towards a certain object filled with a stench of vomit.

You grabbed hold of it, certain that its the thing you just vomited so far away. It, was your heart—still beating hard. It trembled violently; the vibrations rummaged across your body; causing a dizzy feeling and headache. Your body contorted and twisted according to the rupture. Your senses disoriented; your hands numb and soon enough unable to contain it as you let go. As the remainder of its violent vibration leaving your numbing hand, it also left you with a thundering explosion which caused massive amounts of the stream to flow quickly down your ears.

Your beating heart was gone, what was left was the remnants of it flying towards all directions, with blood pouring out from every pore.

In depths of panic, you tried to regain your composure, but you couldn't. There's no longer any time. Various eyeballs protruded from your skin, popping through your clothes, covering your entire body.

It was slimy and the stench of rot was so immense it filled you with utter disgust. You swatted one of them, and it was met by a wailing, screeching scream on top of their voices, piercing down your eardrums. The explosion of one eyeball was followed by a massive array of explosions, along with your whole body.

There was a slight numb, and eventually, you're unable to feel anything.

You were lost in oblivion.

Staring at the eyes within the gap of the fetus, it reminded you of something, didn't it? The disgusting thing at the burning cauldron was none other than your body. Even if your soul was free, your body would continue on existing without decay, for all eternity. As morbid it seems, the stench it gave will pollute the entire world with blight--making this place a living hell. Nothing in sight will show signs other than decay. Nothing of warmth, but eerie chill; mournful agony.

In any case, there's no harm to take baths more often. No one would peek.

At least not me.