The Star Born of Scarlet Blood
(The Star Born of Scarlet Blood)
自猩红鲜血中升起之星
记录在录音中
昨夜的梦很令人好奇，至少是这么说。我当时正站在酒店的屋顶上，像平时一样喂海鸥。但就在一瞬间，它们消失了。变成了离体的手在鼓掌。我在惊恐中退后，天空在震耳欲聋的欢呼中变为血红。鼓掌声和欢呼声在我四周回荡。我试图逃跑，但我的双腿完全无法移动。它们被红色的似乎无时无刻不在收紧的细线绑紧。我试图尖叫，但我开始歌唱。我以不同的腔调反复唱着歌，直到我被那些手推倒。我越过屋檐，落入血红的波涛。在我渐渐下沉，视野逐渐模糊时，我听见一个含糊的声音，那是一位女人在哭泣。在我的最后一刻，我见到一个物体落到我上方遥远的水面。然后一切就结束了。
我随着我最喜欢的宝藏，一块红色的闹钟的铃声醒来。它那每天准时想起的独特铃声让我充满希望。没有哪种声音能和我的闹钟相比。它是我的宝藏，不是黄金或宝石而只是简单的刷漆金属。我还记得那一天，母亲在城外那么久后回来将它交给我。她对着如此简单的东西，露出纯粹幸福的弯弯的微笑……那一定打动了我。 从那以后，我就开始寻找那些不属于此世的宝藏。我听到过那些食堂旅客讲的故事，但我不在乎，因为我知道一个更好的世界。一个被称为地球的世界。
就在我在做一天的日常工作的时候（喂海鸥，清理，检查渔网，平常的活计），我开始失神地思考关于我的父母的事。他们离开了地球，天堂，来到达这片地狱。更糟的是，他们居然觉得这是个生孩子的好地方！我根本不能理解他们为啥会来这里！是，地球有它自己的问题和诸如鳄鱼、熊、还有亿万富翁一类的野兽。但你不需要担心每天都碰到它们！我就是想不通。他们干嘛来这？他们在新纽约区肉雨中被一只巨大的裂隙水母给杀害了。我从来没能问他们为什么。他们到底为啥来这？为啥？就好像我是这地方唯一还有思考能力的人一样。
在检查渔网的时候，我找到了一个仿佛来自我梦境中的手提箱。它被血污沾满了，但经过足够的清理应该还能在内城卖个好价钱。在房东检查渔获的时候，他告诉我要直接把它扔回海里去。他说它有一种邪恶的气息。真是个傻子。如果不是我的房租几乎免费，我早就离开这个懦夫了。此外，我在它上面感到了一种熟悉的感觉。那就像我父亲在食堂干了一整天之后回来时一样。他总是有一股血腥和鱼腥味，但我从来不感到恶心。他是那时唯一的屠夫，那是他的气味，也只是他的。
对不起，我又跑题了。我砸开箱子，找到了五盘录像带和一片白色的玻璃碎片。我的父母曾和我讲述过关于这些录像带的事情，它们是如何打开一片通向远方的视野，甚至是永远存留时间中的一刻的。当然，他们是在夸张，来满足我幼小心灵的想象。我既没有磁带放映机也没有电视……但我认识一个人有。我在房东睡觉的时候溜进了他的房间并找到了他的那堆宝藏。这个老人来自地球，并且会牢牢抓住任何来自那里的东西，虽然他从来没有支持过我的类似努力。多么浪费。
不管了，足够的日常介绍和跑题了。我的心脏在显示屏前狂跳不止。这些录像带可以是任何东西！他们可能来自地球的想法让我的心跳的更快了。一扇通往另一个世界的窗户。以下将会是有关我所见的转述和笔记。
录像带1 “埃里 的五岁生 !!”
我极其仔细地将第一卷录像带放进播放器里。我一定不能失去这样宝贵的一段基线历史。随着一声轻响，播放器吞进了录像带。在一段时间内，屋里安静而黑暗。但突然，随着一声脆响，屏幕投射出一片浑浊的影像。在一圈烛火前，一个兴奋异常的孩子正在椅子中上蹿下跳。他看起来很熟悉，但我不知道为什么。在他周围，扭曲的声音一遍又一遍大声地重复着同一段话。
声音：“生日快！生日快！生快！埃里！”
就在歌声结束时，那个孩子吹动了烛火的王冠，直到它们全部熄灭。就在做这件事的同时，一阵欢呼声响起。一双来自视野外的手 A hand from out of view plucked some cylinders from out of the extinguished crown, and then another pair of hands started to cut into it. Suddenly, the scene shattered into darkness with a loud snap. I panicked, thinking it was broken, but my panic was not given room to expand before a new scene took the place of the darkness.
This new scene depicted what looked to be a dock on a yellow ocean. In the distance, a gigantic orange whale sat beached upon jagged spikes. Judging from the distance, the spikes and whale must be even taller than my hotel. I didn’t know Baseline had such giant beasts. At least, neither Mom nor Dad told me. I was about to check on the player to see if it had broke, but then a woman walked into view. Her face was blurred by ill-placed static, but I could see her form pretty well through the poor-quality video. She was dressed in multiple layers, resembling a Charter from one of the inner cities. Though, there was something more exquisite about her attire. Something regal about its composition. She then spoke in a similarly distorted voice to the choir of the first part.
Leola: "Greetings, most likely my mother or father… though probably an archiver. This is Leola Seaslow of CC Excav Brass, documenting our progress excavating the temple within the whale. We first discovered the temple inside the whale when Jeremiah investigated the rumors of a Rift Jelly cult in the area. The rumors turned out to be accurate as Jeremiah followed a believed cultist into the mouth of the whale straight into the ruins of a large Rift Jelly temple."
She, Leola, then navigated the screen to show a small group packing supplies onto a ship. The ship was ornate but sturdy looking. Though, I couldn’t see it well in the distance. I wish the tape captured the past as clearly as I could see out my window. But I guess I should be happy just to be able to see it at all. Leola continued to speak.
Leola: "We are preparing our supplies for a trip into the whale. From Jeremiah and the scout’s reports, the bulk of the temple is past the heart somewhere in the stomach. Thankfully, something has dried and hollowed much of the whale's insides. Thus, the trek through to the stomach should be much easier. When we get into the whale and set up our base, CC Excav Wish will provide additional hands. Though, I doubt we will need all the extra help. This should only take a week at most to fully pick clean the ruins of any artifacts or threats."
The screen did another sudden snap to a different scene. This time, I was greeted by an orange desert within a cavern. Leola appeared once more but was still covered in static.
Leola: "This place is nothing like how I could have imagined! Jeremy wasn’t kidding about it being like a desert… I mean, Jeremiah wasn’t kidding about it being like a desert. This orange sand is everywhere here. We believe it could be the whale’s internals scorched into ash, but we have yet to find any conclusive evidence for this."
As she spoke, two people dressed in heavy diving suits akin to the Copper Colossi of the city's outskirts walked past carrying a large wooden sled packed with cargo. As soon as they passed, Leola’s face was revealed for a brief moment. Her eyes were like torches, ablaze with ambition and passion. I scrambled to rewind the tape to see closer, but she was back to being covered in static. Perhaps I should find someone who knows more about VHS tapes that could explain. Leola spoke about the mission she was on and how it would be the one to bring her into the spotlight. She sounded like a kid when she said that she couldn’t wait to be the star of the show. She probably could be an actor, but I don’t know why she is investigating a temple. Maybe this is one of those movies my mother told me about.
The video stopped abruptly with a still shot of a cold-looking stone pyramid in the distance. That was the end of tape 1. It felt like it passed in only ten minutes, but it was around an hour of film. I rewatched it to ensure I got everything I could from it before moving on to tape 2.
Tape 2 “D y at the be ch!”
The second tape was in better physical condition, but I was still careful inserting it into the player. Immediately, I was blinded by a golden array of colors. It startled me, but when my eyes adjusted, I recognized the sight. The screen showed a vibrant beach with many sparsely dressed people dancing and playing. The ocean in the background was calm and blue, like the sky. Three people in the background ran past with long shields into the water. Upon hitting the water, they began to ride along the waves in some kind of spectacle. I was transfixed watching the people on the waves until the screen focused on a child buried from the neck down in the sand. The child was crying for a moment before the screen turned black.
When next the screen glew, the scene had changed again. This time, the screen displayed a vast room of columns and statues. The statues varied in form but mostly resembled jellyfish. Looking at the columns closer, I found carvings in the stone-like jellyfish tendrils. This place was jellyfish from top to bottom. Some people with tools were studying or perhaps taking apart the ruins. I was confused, but then a familiar face showed up. Leola came into the frame alongside a shorter woman. Strangely, Leola’s face was still covered in the static, but the other woman was clear as day. In fact, the other was much clearer than the rest of the fuzzy tape. I felt like I could just reach through the screen and grab her. The two spoke for several minutes, but the audio quality didn’t let me pick up most of it.
Leola: “Introducing CC Excav Wish Lead Captain Clover! Say hello, Clo!”
Clover: “Hello, little guy!”
Leola: “It's not alive. It’s an artifact that can capture our words and faces like a painting for future use.”
Clover: “Oh… hello, little guy!”
Leola was silent for a few seconds before continuing to speak.
Leola: "Wish has [unitelligble] with extra hands to help our efforts. We believe this temple holds an artifact that could levitate entire mountains when appropriately used. This is how the whale and the temple rose to the [unitelligble]. With such an artifact, we could create a floating city or a weapon capable of killing gods. [unitelligble] such a valuable artifact."
A figure in fancy clothes covered in thick chains and locks walks into the frame. Immediately upon appearing, the screen was filled with a crimson-red static. Luckily, the audio was still coming through in scraps despite the visual mess.
Chained figure: "It is [unitelligble] to go [unitelligble] Clover."
Clover: "[unitelligble]. I wonder where fate will [unitelligble] this time. Will I [unitelligble] to stay here, or will I be forced [unitelligble]?"
Then, the audio cut out completely. After a few minutes of the red static, it dulled back into black and white for another half hour before the tape ended. I have to wonder why the static turned red. Perhaps all this static is intentional in the movie? I couldn’t rewatch the video this time because I was too tired. The red alarm clock tells me it is 3 in the morning… I need to get some sleep to work hard tomorrow, or else the landking will be even angrier with me.
Tape 3 “Our we d g.”
Before explaining what I saw in the third tape, I must mention my dream. That night when I stayed up watching the tapes, I had the most horrid dream. I found myself in the temple of tape 2, but I couldn’t move. It was as if I were a statue. I tried screaming for help, but the excavators ignored me and continued to work. But then, I started moving. I walked over to one of the workers, and I killed him. With my hands, I slammed into his skull repeatedly until it was a red mess on the floor. I then saw the other people of the tape. Leola with her static face and Clover in her radiant beauty. But behind them was a demon pale as bone towering above them. I woke up in a cold sweat to the sound of my alarm.
Throughout the day, I thought endlessly about my dream. Why did it feel so real to hurt them? Why could I still feel the cold blood on my hands dripping? At the end of my shift, I hurried to my room and put in the third tape.
The screen instantly hummed to life, showing Leola and a man beside her in the stone temple. The man looked immensely distressed. Judging by her posture, Leola looked equally stressed. Then, she spoke.
Leola: “We have encountered a severe problem. We are trapped in the temple, and our supplies are on the other side of the rubble.”
The man spoke up.
Man: “Each side has an abyssiver suit, so we should be able to reunite. All we have to do is wait.”
The recording became engulfed by static for several minutes. The next time it was clear the camera was shaky but looked to be held by someone running down a hall. The running lasted for several more minutes before everything went black. While the screen was black, I picked up some words. Though, I have no clue who said them.
Voice 1: "It's sinking! It's [unitelligble] sinking! We need to get out now!"
Voice 2: "Where? Where do we go?"
Voice 3: "As high as we can get. Up those [unitelligble]."
The sound of running lasted for several more minutes in the darkness until it all went silent. I waited for around half an hour before the screen was lit again. In the middle of the frame, four people stood around a corpse wearing a white mask in an unsettling expression upon a throne adorned by numerous gems. I recognized two people as Leola and Jeremiah, but I had no clue who the other two were. The group suddenly started speaking.
Unidentified woman: "The throne. It has to be the throne."
Jeremiah: "The artifact to lift the temple?"
Unidentified woman: "Yes. It has to be. Look at the [unitelligble] etches. Doesn’t it remind you of Rift Jelly's language?"
Unidentified man: "Who knows what happens if you sit on the throne? It could be cursed! Look at what happened to the last person to sit on it!"
Jeremiah pulled the corpse off the throne and threw it aside in one motion. The white mask fell off its discarded body onto the floor. Jeremiah sat on the throne and winced in anticipation. But nothing happened.
Jeremiah: "What’s wrong with this?"
Leola: "Maybe you need the mask?"
Leola picked up the mask. In that instant, her body convulsed like a broken doll on strings. Her bones tore through her clothes with each twist. The entire group scrambled to help while screaming, but each time they got close to her, they would be hit by Leola’s twisted limbs. It was horrifying to watch, but I couldn’t look away. After some 30 seconds or so, Leola fully put the mask on. At that moment, the static surrounding her dissipated. For several seconds, everything was silent, even though I could tell the others were screaming something at her. Leola pushed Jeremiah out of the way and sat upon the throne. The screen turned into static for the rest of the tape.
Dammit. That was horrifying. I didn’t know this was a horror movie series. I really don’t want to watch the fourth tape if it's going to be anything like that. But I feel compelled to watch it. I must see Baseline. If that tape has more Baseline, then it will be fine. Just don’t show me more of that nightmare. I have a feeling I am going to watch the tape even if I don’t want to. I guess I will. I have to.
Tape 4 “Er k’s 8t pe rm nc.”
The screen was very fuzzy, but it looked like some kind of play. I’ve only been to a few when my dad took me to the inner city as a child. Anyways, it looked like a play with the actors being children. The voices were grating both because of the poor audio quality and because the actors were not great. The story was familiar, but I don’t remember ever watching or hearing it before. From what I understood, it seemed the play revolved around the main character falling from the sky into a strange new world. This character would become a hero by using unheard-of methods in the new world to solve problems. They introduced many unfamiliar technologies to the new world people. Some of these I recognized from my collection, but there were other pieces I may need to find (such as jetpacks, laser blades, and spaceships). Eventually, the character would become the king of the new world, where they would promise an eternal kingdom of happiness.
In the end, it was a pretty nice story. Maybe I could write it down and sell it here for some extra cash. As I debated how to use the story, the screen suddenly flickered to a different scene. The shot had Leola perfectly centered in the frame sitting upon the throne from the third tape. She is clutching the mask tightly. Her face is a mangled mess that has no start or end. She cries tears from somewhere in the crimson maze of her face. The words came out slowly and slurred.
Leola: “I am Leola Seaslow. I am. I am me. I am Leola Seaslow.”
She repeated that message multiple times throughout the tape. In between silent bursts of flailing and crying, she spoke several messages.
Leola: “I killed them… I killed them with my hands… bloody messes. Yes, you did. No, I didn’t! Get out! This is my body. No, this is my body. This is mine now. It has and will always be mine!”
Leola: “A thousand faceless people strung together! Crying in silence towards me atop my throne of death! We laugh and laugh and laugh! Yes, we do! We laugh together on the stage!”
Leola: “The visions… when will they end? They must end. They must.”
Leola: “You always wished to be the star of the show. Just like me. We were destined for this role! The role of a lifetime on the grandest stage! So, let's dance and play for the crowds! No, no, no! Give me back my body!”
Leola: “We are one, but not for long. Put the mask back on. Let me take the show. I’ll give you your dreams on a plate of stars! If only you’d let me take it, this body could be so much more! Like clay worked by the potter, it can be shaped into anything! Larger eyes! A different hairstyle! An ample bosom! Wings of an angel! A thousand arms and legs! This body is a canvas begging for the brush of a master to color its dullness into a spectacle! Let me perform!”
After three hours of talking to herself, bleeding on the throne, she ended with a final few words.
Leola: “Mother… father… Jeremy… Clo… I’m sorry.”
What the fuck is wrong with Baseline people. That felt so real. Is this entertainment to them? No wonder most Baseliners I’ve met have been lunatics. I’m going to be sick. Why did I watch the entire thing? I couldn’t move. My eyes were locked on her battered corpse. I don’t think I will be able to sleep. Yet, there is one more tape left to watch. I can’t watch it. I can’t do it.
Tape 5 “Hypocrite King”
I couldn’t sleep last night, so I put in the last tape. I kept seeing her corpse on the throne, among other bloody visions. I couldn’t think of how to remove them. My heart pounded in my chest like a drum repeatedly before I grabbed the last tape. The fifth tape was in almost pristine condition compared to the other four. Its labeled text was written cleanly in some kind of ink. Hypocrite King. When I pushed the tape into the player, I felt extremely heavy, like an anchor tied around my neck. I fell to the floor in front of the screen and watched it flicker through dozens of scenes before stopping on the throne from before, except the ground and throne were suspended above a yellow sea.
Leola’s bloodied and twisted body sat on the throne, the cursed white mask barely covering her torn face. The eyes of fire she once had were now dull and soulless. For several minutes, the scene remained the same. Until Leola started speaking in a pained, hollow, but familiar voice.
Leola: “You who dreams of the world left behind… why do you long for it?”
Leola stood up from the throne, revealing her back to have been torn apart and turned into a cloak of skin and blood. She took several long strides with her broken legs, trembling with each step towards the camera.
Leola: “Erick… how was the show? Did you enjoy seeing the moments caught in time? The familiar moments?”
She stepped even closer and took off the mask. Behind it, my mother's face. It was just as I remembered it all those years ago. It was her.
Mother: “Erick… darling. Answer your mother… don’t you miss me… Erick?”
I tried to speak, to answer my mother in the screen, but all I could do was cry. My throat was tight, I couldn’t breathe. As water filled my lungs, I closed my eyes and pleaded for help to anyone who could hear my thoughts. But no one answered. I fell into the darkness… into sleep.
I awoke to the sound of cheering. I was lying down on cold stony ground. The screaming wind was drowned out by the cheers all around me. I stood up to find myself in a new body. I was much taller, frail, and pale. My clothes were gone, revealing my gangly form. I was too occupied with my new form to realize I was not alone. I saw Leola on the throne with a propped camera affixed before her. She beckoned me closer with a slight nod of her head. I approached her step by step without any control until I was directly before her.
With no more than the point of her finger, she commanded me to kneel… and I did. She spoke to me.
Leola: “Erick. Before we were rudely interrupted, I asked you a question. I asked you how you enjoyed the show, the trip down memory lane. The trip down your own life and Leola’s.”
I told her I hated it. I told her I hated the horrors that I saw. I told her I hated the twisted depictions of Baseline. She reached her hand out to my chin and raised it. She was no longer Leola. A body made of black writhing worms wore the mask now. It spoke to me in my own voice.
My King: “The star is on the stage… let the show begin.”
I awoke from the dream after it said that. The television screen was shattered, and the tapes were gone. On my desk, I found the white glass shard beside a note written in blood. It was then that I noticed my hand was severely cut up and bleeding. I looked at my alarm clock, which read 5:59. I waited for it to turn to hear my treasure chirp. But as the hand moved minute by minute, the noises never came.
In the silence of my room, I read over the note.
“Erick, my devotee, you have seen the truth behind the curtains. You have seen the actors without their masks. You cannot go back to the life you once had. Earth is gone. All that remains is Thalasso, our stage. You can run from it, from your role. But know this, the cast is large and has eyes everywhere behind masks. One day, you will realize this truly. You will don your own mask and join us on stage. The show must go on. Hypocrite King.”
I bandaged myself up, crumpled the note, and tossed the glass out the window. I can’t let this affect me. I shouldn’t have watched the tapes. I should have listened to the Landking. The dreams felt too real. I hate Thalasso.
I went downstairs to the canteen, which was oddly loud. Sitting at one of the tables was a familiar face. It was Leola. She was the center of attention, telling some big story about her last expedition. Her face looked so alive, and her voice was painless and happy. But her eyes were dulled. I must have stared into those scarlet pools of eyes for too long because she started staring back at me. She smiled and beckoned me to her with a slight nod of her head…