Coffee. What a beautiful, delicious thing. A bitter dark drink made from beans, the present of our planet Earth. And the fantastic smell and warm feeling it brings. Ryan loved it.

He took a smaller white cup from the top cupboard and put it in the coffee maker. He took the portafilter and cleaned it. After taking and throwing the coffee beans into the grinder, he waited for them to grind. He filled the now-cleaned portafilter with the ground goods and clicked it back into the machine. After infusing another cup with the milk, he pushed the button and let the flavor-stained water pour into the empty cup. Making sure the milk was steamed under a steam wand, he mixed the two and brought the finished drink onto the wooden table. If he should be honest, he didn't mind his kettle-made coffee, but there was something about getting your hands at it, piece by piece, seeing and feeling the process. He was always glad when he got a chance to use Nate's and John's coffee maker. It always made him feel better that he was the one who had the power to choose when and how it would be made. It somehow... calmed him.

He sat down on the sofa, cuddling the warm cup closer to himself. Nate was humming softly, sitting at his piano with a pencil behind his ear, his face peaceful. John had his cup of hot chocolate and book in hand, but it was unclear if he was reading. Now and then, he glanced at Ryan, his excitement hard to hide.

It was morning, a cold one. Ryan joined his neighbors around 9 a.m. after he woke up and forced himself to shower. Matthew was currently at his house with Stephanie and their son. He planned to be here, but life happened, and he had to cancel.

Ryan left a little better than yesterday. He enjoyed listening to the soft and sharp tones of the piano as well as Nate's humming. He drank his drink while it was still warm and then put the empty cup on the table. There were only a few seconds before John took it to himself to start talking.
"So, wanna hear what Matt and I found?" He said, nearly vibrating. Ryan chuckled and nodded, deciding he let the other wait long enough.
"Okay, alright - Listen - Hear me out - No- Wait-" He stumbled on his words, making both Ryan and Nate laugh.

"You need to breathe, mate." Said Ryan, a tint of worry coloring his words. "He's not going to run away from you, John, slow down." Added Nate, rolling his eyes at his younger friend.

John smiled sheepishly and took a deep breath, structuring his thoughts. "We've... tried to look into one of those mysteries surrounding the murder of Gloria Ramirez, and we've found something else... but interesting nonetheless." He started, "In the files, it's written as D. Z!fL0W. It took me, and Matthew longer than we would have liked, but after reading and decoding some more, the closest explanation is that the D means Dimension-"

"Dimension? John, are you sure you know what you're talking about? That sounds like a lot of theoretical and sci-fi stuff-"

"It was at the start, but it's real! There's a bunch of stuff on something like Entities of some sort and-"

"-Are you sure it was not some kind of SCP or Creepypasta?"

"Yes! I'm sure. There are real corporations, and even though, as I said, a lot of it is coded there are existing names that work in the government who are in on the thing!"

...

...

...

...It was quiet for a while. Quiet filled with awkward silence, where the other two contemplated whether or not to feed in on the obsession of real or fake mystery.

"...Is there some kind of place?"

"Yes!" John said happily, "It's about a 3-4 hours drive and is guarded and secured, but Matt and I found a way to get in."

Nate glared at John slightly. "Ryan, before you agree to this, please remember that this will have consequences." He warned him softly.

Ryan stayed quiet, thinking.

"Yeah, but imagine the video you could get if this works!"

...

"I'm not going to stop you either way, but remember this is your choice. Nobody else can tell you what to do but yourself."

"We're always at your side."

"With every step."

...

...

...

"Can you show me the place on maps?"

John let out a winning laugh, punching one of his arms up in a Super Mario manner. Nate licked his lips, keeping them in thin line, he nodded, your choice.

------------------------------------------

The car ride was exactly what Ryan expected. Nate was driving, having John's phone opened with Google Maps, using it as navigation. Ryan was sitting in the passenger seat, his head leaning against the window, letting the warm air from ventilation flow into his face, moving his hair. John was lying in the backseat, his body stretched from one door to the other, softly bopping his head to a tune that played in the back. They've seen many police cars and car crashes on the way, radars peeping and flashing, warning other drivers to slow down. It was a long way, but finally, after four unending hours of listening to John's "Are we there yet?", the answer turned positive.

It was interesting, feeling the adrenaline of doing something you're not supposed to do after so long. True to John's statement, the place was secured. There were some people in black clothes and vests, guns resting at their hips along with flashlights. Cameras blinking with small red lights and tuning their gazes back and forth. To take it a bit further, the whole thing was hidden behind a tall, sharp fence. Well, nobody said that getting in would be easy.

Ryan took a deep breath, his camera resting in his hand under a thin hoodie. Nate put on his costume and took out a VIP card John made. There was a chip in it, that you would need in in order to enter the building. John pulled up his laptop and hacked into the camera system.

After a few glances at each other and a nod, Nate inhaled and marched to the gate with a fake smile and confident aura. Ryan wasn't far behind him, hiding and recording. It took them only around 15 minutes before the three of them were inside. This wasn't their first Rodeo.

Nathan was leading the way with John's navigation, the halls of the object were mostly empty. All of the boys were hiding their nervosity fairly well, Nate with a smirk-like smile and straight posture, John with a serious glare, occupying his mind with the map, and Ryan furiously explaining what was going on to the camera in a loud hushed whisper.

He was proud of himself for remembering to pack extra battery because it was going down quicker than he had expected.

They let Nate work his magic, and the other two went exploring. They found an empty room filled with many, many papers and files. John's eyes shined as he looked over the hoards. "Jesus, Ryan, am I dreaming? Are you seeing this?" He said his mind was in his heaven.

Ryan felt his smile creep up his face and recorded a panoramic view through the room.

"Note 13. 6.

For the first time, we finally had the chance to encounter M. 3L!dW4M - By the words of [REDACTED]: "I looked into its... God knows if I can call it a face. Mama warned me when I got offered this job, but only now I understand what it truly means 'To fear a God'. Written by- Blah, blah, blah... See? Something here is making these people go mad!" John said, reading the papers.

Ryan nodded, caressing the words as his eyes slid across them.

"As above, so bellow,
For the truth to be untold,
When I'm counting down the crows,
My body and mind start to grow.
I feel as if they're watching me,
their gaze never leaving me,
Although he has no eyes,
There is nothing he cannot see.
I've been praying to a god,
and maybe answered it did,
my thoughts stuck in a big knot,
who have I been praying to?
This creature from my mind I forbid.
Well, I can't say I'm a big fan of the poem, but at least they tried?" Ryan crisped lightly, John agreed.

They read through different notes. All of those seemed to be just a retelling, making both of the boys unsure about its reliability.

"Note to 9. 1.

We've noticed new energy in the D. Z!fL0W. I, Dr. [REDACTED], and Ing. [REDACTED], have decided to have our team explore more. We are sending a team to the source of the energy. The team is led by off. c. Lewis Dawkins. For further action, we'll inform."

"Note to 12. 6.

It is possible that the ent. in D. Z!fL0W does remember who they were before joining the dimension.

Conclusion:
- Provide further experiments
-- ANALYSIS PROVEN CORRECT"

"Note to 13. 10.

It has come to our attention that the Mortis didn't appear all at once, but one after the other. With that knowledge, we've written a list of the ones who appeared in order from oldest to youngest.

The following is the list, the dates are unclear:

ent. f3ddnd
ent. L3W43Lp
ent. p!4WL3W
ent. 3L!dW4M"

"

Ent.? What does that mean? Are they testing something on ants?"

"No- Ent. spelled E - N - T. It probably means Entity!"

"Or entrance."

"Why would anyone name entrances?"

"Why would you give four different names to one thing?"

"I- ...Maybe it means Ear, nose, throat?"

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe it means Giant? That's what it was called in old English."

"Why would they use old English? Who are they, Shakespear?"

"They already use coding, why would they use old English?"

"Exactly! They are already using coding, why wouldn't they use old English?"

"Maybe we're looking too much into it. What if it just means ent as inner? Because it's something from the inside?"

"It just said that the thing became the Mortis, so it cannot be from the within-"

"...It can also mean the floor function."

"What the hell is floor function- What?!" Ryan huffed, looking at his younger friend in surrender.

John stayed silent, waiting for his friend to calm down. "Tolkien used ent as a talking tree in Lord of The Rings. It can also mean to empty or pour." He explained matter of factly.

"I feel like we're getting further from the main thing," Ryan mumbled, face in hands.

"...In Scotland, it can also be a form of ain't?"

Ryan put his hands up, glaring at John. "Alright, I get it, there's a lot that ent can mean. Now, can we both agree that, in this specific place, it means entity?" He said slowly. John nodded with an innocent smile, turning back to more papers.

"Imagine how can you even get on a project like this. Spending years upon years in a place that no one knows about. How do people get jobs like this in the first place?" John asked, fascinated.

"John, I don't think the two of us are the ones who can answer these kinds of questions. You are a theory blogger, and I just broke into a government facility to record a video." Ryan answered, looking at his camera in melancholy.

"I like my job-"

"It's not a job when they aren't paying you."

"I love my job," He repeated more forcefully. "I believe that we all should like what we do, can't even fathom a world where people couldn't do what they wanted."

"...You're weird, John," Ryan said, his voice flat. He was met with a small, child-like smile from his friend. "I'm hopeful... After all, hope is the only thing no one can take from you. If I get rid of it, I have nothing." John whispered.

...

It was some time before a buzz came from John's phone. "Oh! Nate found a way in. He said we should meet him at the entrance, and also send a map."

Ryan nodded, staying quiet. The tension between them was uncomfortable but acceptable. The way was walked without a word, John leading the way with his phone in his hand, the image of a map opened. Ryan kept his head low, appearing smaller than he was.

When they finally got to the destination, they were surprised when there was no one to meet them. Nathan was nowhere to be found. They tried to call his phone number and text him, but it threw them right into the voicemail. It made Ryan nervous, feeling that something wasn't right.

"Calm down, mate, he probably just went in already. I mean- I would if I had to wait so long for the two of you to catch up." John shrugged it off with a laugh. Ryan nodded, humming. John was probably right, it was a long walk, and Nate just didn't want to wait for so long.

"So? Wanna go first?" John asked, jumping excitedly. Ryan smiled. "Sike! I waited too long, you'll have to wait." John said, laughing as he cut Ryan off. Ryan laughed and watched as his friend walked through the entrance. He took a deep breath, looking around. He felt as if he was being watched. It's probably just your imagination, he thought. He looked back at the entrance, closing his eyes and finally, stepping through.

Then everything went black.

---

"Subject L3W33p3L entered D. Z!fL0W, I repeat, Subject L3W33p3L entered D. Z!fL0W."

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Word count; 2287