The Monstrosity of Valendorf

Desperation rot and fear, 
some human mind can bear.
But dare not awaken with foolish courage bond,
the dark power of the Vagabond

- Unknown Author, approximately 900 BC

Translated to English by Dr. Emanuel Powers in 1919. Three Days after completing the Translation, Dr. Powers passed away from a mysterious illness. 

From the Diary of Malcolm Dexter 1926

With heavy hands and a scarred heart I have decided to break my silence and write down the horrible experience that have been burdening my consciousness. For there is even a single soul willing to believe what I will be telling here, please, for whatever you do, do not frequent the areas of the lower Mississippi river - hidden by a tree-less valley. Valendorf. 

Rarely has anyone seen a sight of utter decadence and despair such as this.

No, Valendorf hasn't been the town it used to be for a long time. In disrepair laying Houses with broken People robbed of color, walking around like Zombies, as if Life itself had been drained from them by mysterious Hands. The Ground, as rotten and disgusting it is, bore no fruit nor flower - just black and foul-smelling fungus, which stench bites the nose and burns the eyes.

A thin-grey fog courses through the alleys and roads of the forsaken Town - limiting the range one could see.

My last visit to Valendorf must have been two years ago. Studies kept driving me there - trying to figure out the cause of the black fungus and wet fog, that drove most of the Town's inhabitants away and left the ones still there as lethargic, almost corpse-like, creatures. 

Every time I visited I could feel my mind being sucked out of my head - slowly and not painfully, but still frightfully so. "A Cloud of the Self", as my former colleague Daniel Gruber used to call it. He is dead now. Taken away during his sleep two years ago. One of the Reasons I haven't been back to such misery.

The third of April. Me and Daniel had been up all night studying the local folklore of old Gods and Monsters born from poor women's wombs. Grotesque, but not as horrifying as what would happen to us in the next hour. At around two after midnight, I was awakened  from an accidental slumber of mine -the strains of the day had been taking their toll on me - by a terrifying scream.

There he was, I can remember it like it was yesterday, Daniel, choked blue by a strange growth. A Fungus in the shape of an arm had its grip around Daniels neck, cutting his air-supply.

Armed as I was with a revolver, none of my shots seemed to affect the horrible monstrosity. The Bullets were absorbed with such speed, it looked likey they were melting into the Beings skin.

And just like that, Daniel dropped to the floor dead, his face blue and with an expression of pure shock and horror. The horrible Creature tried to get a hold of me as well, reaching out with slimy appendices, howling and growling after every missed chance.

By now I was wide awake and eluded the beast, while preparing my petroleum lamp. Hiding behind a sturdy closet door, three tries were necessary to light the Lamp.

Jumping out from my hideout I threw my light-bringer at the beast, exploding on impact, engulfing it in flames. I took this opportunity and fled out the window - thankfully it was not high up and I landed proper on my two feet. The I ran, ran and ran some more. It felt like an eternity, while my feet ached with tremendous pain, but I could not stop. I would not.

Whatever this was, is not from this world. I would run until the next town, from where I took a carriage to the next harbor.

Never looking back.