M.A. Kleen

In the abandoned subway tunnels beneath the city, young Jonathan and his babysitter Marianne stumble upon an ancient terror—an albino alligator of monstrous proportions! As they navigate the labyrinthine depths, they’ll discover that some legends are terrifyingly real, and curiosity can lead to the brink of doom.

Please enjoy this horror short, part of a series experimenting with artificial intelligence. I fed the location, characters, scenario, and mood into ChatGPT and asked it to craft a story, then used Stable Diffusion XL to create illustrations. How did it turn out? Well, you be the judge.

In the dim recesses of the city’s ancient underbelly, where forgotten subway tunnels laid buried beneath layers of civilization’s advance, darkness and silence presided, interrupted only by the soft padding of shoes and the distant dripping of condensation. It was here, in this primeval and labyrinthine darkness, that young Jonathan and his babysitter Marianne found themselves lost, and perhaps not alone.

Marianne had always been the inquisitive sort, with her raven-black hair cascading down her shoulders, pale blue eyes that glittered with curiosity, and her penchant for peculiar old tales. At twenty, she was well-read, and knew more about the city’s history than most its inhabitants.

Jonathan, a boy of twelve, with golden curls and freckles like constellations across his nose, admired Marianne’s knowledge, clinging to her stories of elder times like a moth to a flame. In his boyish naivety, Jonathan trusted her implicitly. He often boasted to his friends of the “adventures” they’d have, eagerly awaiting the days when his parents were away and Marianne was in charge.

It was during one of these adventures that they stumbled upon the entrance to an abandoned subway station. Ivy covered the grating and rust had claimed most of the metal bars. Marianne recounted how the tunnels were condemned in the 1920s due to numerous disappearances. She spoke of whispers – tales that shadowed entities thrived in the tunnels, with many speculating on ancient curses or infernal inhabitants. Though many tales were mere superstition, one was rooted in truth – the mysterious presence of a colossal albino alligator.

They descended into the dark abyss, armed only with Marianne’s silver-capped cane and Jonathan’s unwavering confidence in his babysitter. Time seemed to distort in the tunnel’s confines, and the walls appeared to pulsate, as if the very heart of the city beat within them.

Their light tread, the echo of which reached far and wide, was suddenly met with a deep, rhythmic thrumming. It emanated from the depths, growing steadily in volume. To Jonathan, it felt like the slow and deliberate beats of a monstrous heart. Panic began to gnaw at him, and he clutched Marianne’s coat tighter. Her face, usually an epitome of calm, was now painted with fear.

Marianne whispered, recounting the tale of the albino alligator, a creature not of this realm, said to be summoned by forbidden rituals, growing in the darkness to sizes beyond comprehension. It was believed to be the guardian of something more sinister, something ancient and evil, which resided deeper within.

She had thought the stories mere fiction, but as the thrumming grew louder, her prior disbelief was replaced by a chilling realization. They were being pursued.

A reflection in a stagnant pool of water gave away the beast’s position. Its pallid, ghostly hue shimmered in the low light, and its eyes – cold, cruel orbs – glinted with malevolence. Its size was unparalleled, a true leviathan of the depths.

Realizing their peril, Marianne and Jonathan quickened their pace, desperately searching for an exit, every echo magnifying their vulnerability. The creature’s movements grew more rapid and deliberate; the thrumming now accompanied by a guttural growl. The sound was deafening, the very walls of the tunnel vibrating with its intensity.

The paths ahead became a maze of choices. Left or right, up or down, each decision could lead to salvation or doom. Jonathan felt a weight in his chest, each breath a struggle. Despite the cold air of the tunnel, sweat clung to his brow, and his legs grew weary.

Marianne, though equally frightened, summoned a fire of determination. Her voice resonated in the tunnel, reciting an incantation she had read in an old tome, hoping it might offer some protection. The words, in a language long forgotten by man, echoed eerily in the chamber.

The alligator, seemingly angered by her defiance, lunged towards them with ferocity. Marianne swung her silver-capped cane in a swift arc, striking the creature’s snout. The beast recoiled momentarily, the silver seeming to burn its pale flesh. They used the brief reprieve to hurry forth.

Soon, they spotted a dim light, a beacon of hope. It was another exit, partially collapsed but navigable. The beast, however, had regained its composure and was now mere meters away.

Marianne, in a bid to save Jonathan, stood her ground, chanting louder, her voice firm and resonant. The walls shook as the beast roared, a monstrous cacophony that threatened to bury them in rubble.

Jonathan, driven by a newfound courage, began to hum a tune his mother used to sing – a lullaby of old, passed down through generations. The melody seemed to quell the beast’s rage, if only for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, Marianne and Jonathan sprinted towards the exit.

With one final, deafening roar, the tunnel collapsed behind them, sealing the creature within its ancient prison.

Outside, they gasped for breath, the horrors of the abyss still fresh in their minds. They realized how close they had come to a fate worse than death, to becoming mere legends whispered about in hushed tones.

Marianne looked at Jonathan, her eyes filled with tears of gratitude and relief. “That was too close,” she whispered. The boy nodded, the weight of their ordeal pressing down on his young shoulders.

From that day forth, the duo never ventured into the city’s forgotten places. However, their bond, forged in the crucible of terror, remained unbroken.

And as the city grew and changed, the tunnels lay buried, their dark secrets and the pale leviathan lost to time. But those who knew the tale, like Jonathan and Marianne, would never forget the terror that lurked in the depths, and the thin line between curiosity and doom.