Gresh Lois H. - Sherlock Holmes vs. Cthulhu: the adventure of the neural psychoses

Contents

Sherlock Holmes vs. Cthulhu
from Titan Books and Lois H. Gresh

The Adventure of the Deadly Dimensions

The Adventure of the Neural Psychoses

The Adventure of the Innsmouth Mutations (2019)

TITAN BOOKS

THE ADVENTURE OF THE NEURAL PSYCHOSES

Print edition ISBN: 9781785652103

Electronic edition ISBN: 9781785652110

Published by Titan Books

A division of Titan Publishing Group Ltd

144 Southwark Street, London SE1 0UP

First edition: August 2018

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This is a work of fiction. Names, places and incidents are either products of the authors imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead (except for satirical purposes), is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2018 by Lois H. Gresh. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

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DEDICATED WITH LOVE TO ARIE, RENA, AND GABBY

WITH GRATITUDE TO ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE AND H.P. LOVECRAFT

PART ONE

THE ESHOCKERS OF WHITECHAPEL

DR. JOHN WATSON

December 1890, London

For two shillings apiece, Sherlock Holmes and I enjoyed a choppy yet pleasant ride down the Thames. My friend is not given to excursions for pleasures sake alone, so when he suggested a trip to Woolwich upon the new paddle steamer, the Belle Crown, I had at first thought to refuse the invitation. Id recently reunited with my wife and child after the terrifying events of the deadly dimensions, and was still beset by the dizzy spells and strange, kaleidoscopic visions that had first begun to trouble me at that timeI was in no mood for more adventures. But Mary, thinking to lift my spirits, urged me to go. Not wanting to displease my wife or my friend, I relented. So it was that Holmes and I stood contemplating the docks of Wapping from the deck of the Belle Crown as it completed its return voyage through the Pool of London.

You will no doubt remember, Watson, said Holmes, that the warehouse in which we witnessed the Order of Dagons meeting is upon that very shore. That is the place where Professor Fitzgerald released the snake-like monstersthat attacked him and killed many of his congregation.

Id been glad to see some color vanquish the death-like pallor that had gripped my friend since our battle with the inexplicable deadly dimensions, but now I wondered if it had been a mistake to venture onto the river so soon after our adventure.

I rememberof course, Holmes. Im glad that Fitzgerald is behind bars where he can do no more harm.

Holmes smiled at me. I understand you, Doctor. You think I am being morbid to dwell on these things. But I have brought us here for a purpose. Those creatures didnt simply slither off to die, I am certain of it. I have not been able to see them from the banks, but here, out in the middle of the river, surely we will see something.

Holmes, I reminded him gently, we have twice seen the creatures vanish into thin air. Into another realm, a different dimension.

That is one theory we must entertain, certainlythat the rational explanation is simply too advanced for us to fully understand. But we must eliminate the probable before we contemplate the improbable, Watson. And I am not altogether convinced they vanished. A trick of the eye, perhaps

The Thames surged past as we leaned on the rail of the Belle Crown. The craft was sleek as a bullet, pushing against the flow of the river.

Nothing seemed amiss.

Around us, families chattered and laughed, babies cried and gurgled, and everyones cheeks were as flushed as Holmess. My eye fell upon a baby not much older than myown Samuel, and I watched with pleasure as he giggled at the sensation of the fast-moving boat.

Despite the 1878 crash of the Princess Alice, which had transported Londoners to and from beautiful gardens and parks, we had no reason to think the Belle Crown would meet a similar fate. What were the odds that another 900-ton iron-built ship would barrel down the river and kill us? The Bywell Castle, the giant craft that had split the Princess Alice in half and killed more than 650 passengers, had been an anomaly, representing a once-in-a-generation tragedy.

Holmes interrupted my thoughts.

The river is gaining momentum. Look at those waves, Watson.

I looked where he was pointing. Black water slammed the side of the Belle Crown, then thundered into the downstream current. Froth rode the crests of waves that would have been more at home in the ocean than on the Thames.

It is choppy, I agreed, but the weather is unpredictable at this time of year.

This is more than choppy, and its more than bad weather, Holmes argued. The level of the water has risen.

Well, that means the tide must be rising, surely, I declared.

Holmes shook his head. The tide should not be coming in yet, Watson. Did you not look at the tide tables when we boarded? And have you ever seen waves like this on the Thames? He turned his gaze toward the granite clouds, through which weak light trickled down to the water. Ithas been overcast all day, but there has not been a drop of rain. I cannot think what could cause the river to swell this forcefully.

I could not continue the argumenthe was quite right. The other passengers had noticed the sudden change in the waves, too. The woman holding the baby I had been looking at gasped as the boat jolted us all, water surging in a cold spray onto the deck. She clasped her child to her chest and covered the infants head with her hand. The man accompanying her took her arm, helping her away from the rail.

Unlike the rest of us, Holmes didnt move from his position. He shielded his eyes from the sky and peered into the water.

Watson, look! he cried.

What is it? I wiped my face on my sleeve. It did no good, for my coat was drenched.

Something. I dont know what, Watson. Holmes also wiped water from his face, but with the back of his hand, then he leaned further over the rail and squinted. A large shape, moving through the water like a giant squid or an octopus.

Holmes wasnt the type to joke about danger or novel oddities. Alarmed now, I grabbed his arm and tried to pull him from the rail, but he wouldnt budge.

No. I must see it, he insisted.

A shout from behind attracted my attention. Moving with the flow of water, a small ship sped toward the Belle Crown. Men in uniform