The Necropolis Tapes. by RobinBDevlin at Inkitt

Chapter 1

What follows is the transcript of an audio cassette found in the catacombs under Paris. The tape's authorship seems to be from the popular YouTube channel ‘Urban Adventures’. No other equipment or bodies were ever recovered. Visitors to Paris are reminded that the catacombs are not open to anything other than sanctioned tours and that trespassers will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Unauthorized expeditions threaten the lives of the rescuers as well as those of the perpetrators. The transcript has been released with permission of the next of kin.

<Static, white noise>

<Mort> Okay, I think we’re clear, how are the batteries for the lights?

<Max> They're fine bro, got the camera ready Dee?

<Dante> Yeah, I got the digital running, and we have analogue audio right here <muffled>

<Mort> Analogue, what is this 1990?

<Dante> Yeah, yeah, analogue is more reliable, don’t come running to me when society breaks down and you want my bootleg copy of the white album. Rolling.

<Mort> YO! Youtube! This is Urban Adventures, and today we have a request that a ton of you have made, we have come all the way to Paris and we are standing in the catacombs, some say the Necropolis; a vast mass grave, more than six million sets of human remains are interred here, with me as always are my best bro Max, behind the camera we have Dante, and I of course am your man Mort… okay, cut. You wanna get some B roll of this messed-up graffiti?

<Max> What is that, French?

<Mort> No shit, genius.

<Dante> It’s not French, that bit there ‘Deus’ that’s Latin, it means god, I think <laughs> it’s a long time since Sunday school.

<Max> The hell was that? Did anyone else hear that?

<Mort> Nah bro, maybe it’s a g.g.g.ghost! wooooooo! <laughs>

<Max> Piss off Mort <laughs> Come on let's go deeper, Dante, mark the wall with chalk so we can backtrack.

<Dante> Shit it’s cold down here. Take a look at the skulls man! make sure you get some good shots, there stacked up like firewood!

<Max> What is that, rats?

<Mort> Yeah, or mole people. <laughs>

<Max> Screw that, I’m tucking my jeans into my socks, I don’t want one of those little bastards running up my leg.

<Mort> Closest you’re gonna get to scoring on this trip Maxie!

<Max> Yeah, at least I’m not taking the clap home as a souvenir.

<Max> Nah mate… you must have heard it that time.

<Dante> I heard it, probably just the rats again.

<Max>That’s a big rat, what, do you think Splinter from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is hanging out down here? And if there are rats, what the hell are they eating? It’s just bones and dust down here.

<Dante> Don’t lose your bottle, Maxie, it’s nothing, trust me.

<Mort> Yeah, let’s go deeper, the good stuff is going to be right down in there.

<Max> <sniggers> That’s what she said!

<Dante> This is wild man, look here on the wall, looks like Freddy-fricking-Kruger has been scratching it with his claws, what is it, like a trail?

<Mort> Yeah, probably, Dee switch to night vision, I wanna get some low light footage, and get some clicks from the paranormal crowd, okay are you ready?

<Dante> Rolling.

<Mort> We’re now deep in the tunnels under Paris, my crew and me have been hearing these wired sounds and so we’re going low light and we might try some EVP, which for those of you who don’t know means ‘electronic voice phenomenon’ and is a way of picking up the voices of the dead by using audio equipment.

<Max> What the f… I just felt something brush my neck!

<Mort> Dan, try the EVP

<Dante> Rolling.

<Mort> Hello, is anyone down here with us?

<muffled, clicking>

<unknown> <static> Pour… l’am…our… de… Di…eu, cou…rez.

<muffled, clicking>

<Mort> Holy shit! It worked! What did it say?

<Dante> I’ve not got the foggiest mate, maybe one of the words was dieu, which is god, but it could have been deux, you know two.

<Mort> Fan-bloody-tastic, we’ve got a sodding ghost with a language barrier. You can't pick anything else out? Play it again

<Dante> I think I heard l’amour which is love.

<Mort> Even better, a French ghost that fancies us! <laughs>

<Max> Dee, what’s with the lights, why are they flickering like that?

<Dante> I’m on it, might just be the moisture in the air.

<Max> Tut, sod it my phone has gone tit’s up.

<Dante> Give it here, probably all the goat porn you download onto it.

<Dante> That shit isn’t funny Maxie.

<Mort> What?

<Max> I didn’t mess with it, I swear! I just took it out to use the flashlight and it was like it.

<Dante> Look at the screen Mort, says the time is sixty-six minutes past six. Bit on the nose isn’t it?

<Mort> Keep it in, I like it, makes it look more spooky, I’m gonna do a bit to camera roll it.

<Dante> Rolling

<Mort> On top of the EVP we are having problems with the equipment, our lights and personal electronics have started to cut out and there is this feeling down here like we are being watched; here on the wall, you can clearly see messages perhaps from beyond the grave. Cut. <laughs>

<Dante> <laughs> Messages from beyond the grave? Crypt keeper much?

<Mort> Yeah, just wait till it goes viral, I must admit though… it is really creepy down here.

<Dante> Nah mate, screw this shit I want out, it’s happened to my phone as well.

<Mort> Don’t lose your bottle, Dee, think of the views we will get.

<Max> His right Mort, I really feel bad down here.

<Mort> So? Unless you are psychic I don’t wanna know about… the hell is that?

<Mort> Okay, ready? We have just discovered this VHS Home video camera, just discarded down here in the catacombs, the battery is completely dead and we have no way of charging it, but it is proof that down here is dangerous, we’re going to head a bit deeper and see what’s really down here… Cut

<Dante> That’s not quite right mate, give me a few minutes, I might be able to resurrect the battery.

<Mort> Look at it, that thing looks 30 years old.

<Dante> If I can just run wires to the contacts from our backup batteries then I can make it work. Should only take about fifteen minutes.

<Dante> …Well, shit.

<Max> Look guys, I say we get the hell out of here, that shit was just wrong mate.

<Mort> It had to be fake, right? I mean I don’t believe in any of this stuff.

<Dante> Mort, we just saw a guy die on camera, we’re leaving, right?

<Max> Right!

<Mort> Pussies… okay I can make this work, Dee can you transfer the VHS to digital?

<Dante> Yeah, piece of… Bloody hell!

<Dante> Where’s the way out, where’s the bloody way out?

<Mort> WHO CARES?! Just run!

<Mort> Dee, we’re proper screwed here, I can’t work out which way we came.

<Dante> …

<Mort> Dee, DEE, talk to me, buddy.

<Dante> The shadows… they just, they just ate him.

<Mort> Look mate, there is nothing we can do for him now, okay, we need to focus on us and get the hell out of here.

<Dante> Why the hell did you bring us down here man? For likes on YouTube? What the hell man? Maxie’s dead and we’re lost in a mass bloody grave!

<Roar>

<Mort> <delirious> That’s all for now scare fans… don’t forget, don’t forget to like, comment and…

<<<TAPE ENDS>>>

The Necropolis Tapes.

Story Notes

Summary

Chapter 1