Sarcophagus

The Convergence Factor

The dials lit up as the keystrokes sounded like raindrops landing softly on the roof. The digital display was covered in dials, gauges, and other monitors, taking into account many different data samples. He stood at the desk furiously typing, looking for that one breakthrough that could propel him into the answer he so desperately sought. The levels and displays whirled and changed as he entered different factors and computations. The gauge he was most interested in was one with three lines, blue, red, and green. As he changed his inputs and calculations, these lines danced in front of him. They constantly flirted with conferging before one would dance away again. Which would bring a stern look from the man at the controls. Scrounging through the stack of papers at the desk, he scrutinized the numbers again.

“It is all right here. The data makes sense, but I can’t get the convergence to occur.” he sighed as he stared back at the screen.

This certain problem had plagued him for sometime, without having the dimensional convergence factor established, the whole thing wouldn’t work. And he knew very few people who would be willing to try out his calculations based solely on a guess, even an educated one. He rubbed his eyes as the lateness of the hour started to weigh upon his psyche. He didn’t know if he could handle another late night failure. He leaned back heavily in his office chair and exhaled a large breath, his heavy eyes soon shut, and he fell into a deep sleep. He soon awoke a thick mist swirling in his office space, the smell of sulfur and death burned his nose hairs.

“I must have fallen asleep, damnit !!”

Scrambling from his chair, he began to search for the key to his escape, the way back to his waking self. He turned over piles of papers, up rooted chairs, and even turned a table over at the far end of the room, but to no avail. Then he heard the low growl that always caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. He frantically investigated the room. He knew they had found him, but where were they? Undeterred from his mission, he went back to searching for the way out. He began to sweat profusely as the key evaded his search. He heard the loud sounds of claws being run down glass. They always like to play with their victims. He scrambled to the side of the office, opposite of the clawing sounds. He peaked around a file cabinet and saw them slowly enter the room. Their elongated heads dripping with whatever plasm is in this realm, on all fours they stalked into the room, they loudly snorted as they sniffed the air for their prey. The bodies on these creatures were always mottled with different colors. They almost looked as if their skin was decomposing and falling off their bodies. He nervously searched the room, his eyes darted from place to place. He knew that if he moved from his hiding place that they would definitely be on top of him. As he was weighing his options, he heard, “Winston, we are coming for you”.

The voice sounded disjointed, and if several people were talking at once at different speeds. Winston hated when they called out to him. Trying to think of a way out of this mess, something flashed in Winston’s peripheral, the key! The multicolored orb sat a few feet behind him on the floor. Not wasting another moment, he rushed over to the orb and scooped it up. He looked up at the beasts, who now had him in their sights. The first beast jumped towards Winston, with a preternatural strength. The beast propelled itself at Winston, easily covering the fifteen feet between the two. As the jaws opened wide to devour him, Winston swung the orb at the creature. When the orb struck it sparks flew from the beast, a hellish scream escaped from it as it was flung in the other direction and crashed into some of the furniture. Winston smiled at the second one as he opened the orb. A swirling fog of colors surrounded him as he was transported from the dreamscape and back into his own reality. He awoke with a start, sweating profusely.

After another mistake and another close call with the creatures, staring at the screen again, Winston strained to find what eluded him, the convergence factor had to be found or all was lost. Without it, those things were free to roam wherever they wished, and there was no telling who else they had been devouring in the process.  Rubbing his eyes, he sighed in frustration. He knew it just had to be one factor, one little detail that he just missed. The creatures were growing more powerful, and now they inserted themselves into his subconscious every time he slept, not just now and then like it used to be. He wondered if he was the gatekeeper or if more people were suffering from this. Either way, he had to stop them here.
As more hours slipped away, more slight adjustments, more confused frustration. As much as he tried to find the convergence factor, it still eluded him. He glanced at his watch. It was already afternoon. He shook his head, “Well I wonder what Saul is up to.”