He placed one stubby finger on a particular page. Matt drew near, looking down over his shoulder.

“The sinkholes are the first doorways to the surface for the Shoggoth. The birds are the spirits of the Earth, the enemy of Cthulhu, and are becoming enraged in the sky; the carnivores, the roaches, the vile lice upon the sleepers beneath us…It is all in here. Before they rise, the earth shall fall.” He tapped the book. “The sinkholes are only the start. The Shoggoth will come through first, as well as the other vermin of the dark deep. And they will be in the shadows, moving upon the surface now, as the few morsels that have been brought down will not long satisfy the appetite of the leviathan below us. Those disgusting servants of the Old One; they exist to eat and round up the food for their master.”

Albadi leaned forward and started to read. “From the darkest core, they will rise. From beneath the rock, below the soft earth and slime, they will come. The Great Old One and its army. It sleeps, powerful, all knowing, and patient beyond time itself. Cthulhu shall rule again.” He pushed the book away, looking pale. “It is my theory, based on the prophecy in the Al Azif, and the signs we have seen, that the Great Old One Cthulhu is once again awakening, and we don’t have much time. Its army of Shoggoth is already here.”

Abrams stared hard at the Syrian but spoke almost casually. “You keep mentioning these things, Shoggoths. What exactly are they? Does it say what they are…supposed to look like?”

Matt looked at Abrams. The major’s eyes held a hint of unease, and the realization struck – the man knew something.

Albadi hesitated for a moment, and then began turning more pages. “The Shoggoth – yes – their very name means Inhabitant of the kingdom of darkness. In the Book they are described as shapeless things – creatures made from nothing but black putrid slime, with multiple eyes that float freely over their surface. They can form limbs, mouths, and eyes whenever and wherever they will. They are much bigger and more powerful than a human.” He looked up. “These will be the army, the shock troops of Cthulhu.”

Abrams’s face drained of color, and he turned away.

“Soon, the leviathan from the deep earth will come.” Albadi sat back. “And then the time of humankind will be over.”

Silence stretched as Abrams paced.

Matt noticed Tania smirked, and she shook her head when he caught her eye.

“I need to know more about this…thing, that is supposedly on its way.” Abrams stopped pacing.

“Cthulhu,” Matt added, now less surprised that the major didn’t challenge what they had just heard.

Abrams nodded. “I want to know more about its strengths, and its…weaknesses.”

“Weaknesses?” Albadi snorted his derision. “A flea could ask how to stop an elephant.”

“Ever seen what the toxic bite of a Chimaeropsyllidae flea can do to an elephant?” Tania said folding her arms.