Ghouls of the Miskatonic/Chapter 7
Plot
Pete, a homeless war veteran, wakes up hungover on the bankside of a river in Arkham. He has turned to drinking to cope with horrific nightmares that have plagued him for weeks. He notices a desolate island near the northern shores of the river, feeling an unnerving sense that something there is watching him. Pete decides to set off with his dog, Duke, and they make their way towards the Garrison Street Bridge, hoping to find food in the city. At the bridge's footings, Duke finds dismembered body parts floating in the water, some completely devoid of flesh. Pete quickly flees with Duke, choosing not to report his discovery to avoid trouble with the authorities. The horrific sight triggers memories from his war experiences, and of tales of deserters who hid in subterranean tunnels and devolved into feral cannibals.
At the Miskatonic University library, after closing hours, Oliver is immersed in his research, seeking a way to cure Amanda of her recurring nightmares. He delves into a book titled Dreams of Atlantis by Prothero Fitzgibbon, a work largely dismissed by scholars as pure fiction. Fitzgibbon's writings claim he was possessed by the spirits of dead Atlanteans, who revealed the destruction of Atlantis by a deep-sea monster. But Fitzgibbon's academic career was met with ridicule, leading to his resignation and eventual commitment to an insane asylum. Oliver is then interrupted by Alexander Templeton, who comes to check in on his friend. Alexander has brought a new book, which he believes will aid Oliver in investigating Amanda's dreams. He warns that its contents are not for the faint of heart, being "filled with knowledge of horrors unknown to man." He claims that Oliver and Morley Dean's expedition in Alaska was dangerously near exposing terrible truths, and that Dean had to actively protect Oliver from what he learned by creating distance between them. Alexander insists that something horrible is coming and that the book's knowledge will help them prepare.
At Arkham Asylum, Henry is tormented by visions of dark shadows invading his cell. He recognizes this horror from ancient writings he had translated after bringing them back to the United States from old catacombs. Remembering how to push the shadows back, he exposes his chest, revealing a scarring of five branching points with an eye at the center. Monroe and two other orderlies’ barge in, force him to the floor, and administer a sedative. As the sedative is starting to have its effect, Henry whimpers about the darkness having already arrived.