The Lurking Horror (Walkthrough)
Lurking Horror: Part One
Baby, it's cold outside! REAL cold. With high winds and heavy snow and drifts up over your head. A good night to be snuggled up in a cozy room with a warm drink. Unfortunately, you are snuggled up in a terminal room with a term paper to write. Only, you won't doing much writing as the evening progresses. Instead, you'll be spending your hours with ghosties and ghoulies and things that go bump in the night....some really unpleasant things.
Lurking Horror is a genuine horror story, with real monsters that can cause you some real trouble, unlike the fake ghost in Moonmist. It's a bizarre blend of Lovecraft and Stephen King, with an overlay of high tech. Unfortunately, even when you get to the end, very little is really explained; you can only make surmises as to what's been happening.
Like many Infocoms, Horror is pretty much non-linear, which means most of the puzzles can be solved in almost any order. This walkthru only provides one path to completion; there are others, that you may wish to try for yourself. Remember to save every now and then, in case you make a mistake.
Also, somewhere along the line, you'll start to feel tired. When that happens, take a drink of Coke. The caffeine will make you alert again. You don't want to sleep anywhere, because no place is safe. After you've had your sip of Coke, you can drop the bottle.
You'll run into an urchin every now and then. Until the proper time comes, just ignore him, but make sure you don't drop anything important while he's around; he'll steal it.
So, here you are in the terminal room of GUE Tech, trying to finish your term paper while a blizzard howls outside. The only other person in the room is a hacker (in the original sense of the word), who will prove helpful shortly. Meanwhile, let's get this show on the road.
Turn on the PC and login with the Student number on your ID card. The password is in the back of the docs that come with the game. Now click the menu box, then click your term paper.
Hmmmm....this sure doesn't look like your paper. In fact, whatever you have here is definitely unpleasant, even though most of it makes little sense (wouldn't surprise me if someone was working on a translation of the Necronomicon). Keep clicking more until an illustration appears that is so nasty you faint outright (in this day and age, it must be REALLY nasty!).
You find yourself on a lifeless plain, with only one way to go, down. This takes you to a platform, which might be some sort of altar. Right about now, you're probably feeling a bit nervous, and I don't blame you! However, you're here for a purpose, so examine the platform.
Aha! A strange stone. Take it quickly, because something is coming. Something you don't really want to meet. Too bad there's no way you can escape. Oops! Looks like you're caught now....
And then you faint and wake up back in the teminal room (doesn't the very name "terminal room" make you feel uneasy, like an omen of things to come?). The PC screen is a mess of jumbled characters, and the hacker comes over to take a look.
While he's examining the screen, take a good look at him. He certainly seems to be carrying an unusual number of keys. If you ask the hacker about them, he'll mention his sideline in locksmithing, and casually show you the master key, which is what you need. However, you'll have to bribe him for it first.
Leave the room by going south, then head west to the dreary kitchen. Open the fridge door, revealing a large bottle of classic coke and a carton. Inside the carton is some Chinese food, cold at the moment. Take both the coke and the carton.
Ok, now put the carton in the microwave, set the timer to 5 minutes, the cooking power to high, and turn the microwave on (of course, you remembered to close the door first, right?). The funnybones on the table are not really needed in the game, so you don't have to take them with you (in fact, you can eat them while you wait).
When the five minutes are up, take the carton (which now contains some volcanic Chinese food) from the oven and return to the terminal room. Give the food to the hacker, who will appreciate your gesture by wolfing it down like a starving shark, and give you the master key when you ask for it. All right, now you're ready for the serious stuff.
Leave the room and press the down elevator button. When it arrives, get in and take it to the lobby. While you're on your way down, open the panel in the wall and get the flashlight...some places are dark, and have worser things than grues lurking in the shadows.
Exit the elevator at the lobby level, then take the stairs down to the basement. Sure is a little creepy, wandering around a mostly-deserted building at this time of night, eh? And just think: it will get worse before it gets better! Now, isn't that a cheery thought?
Once in the basement, go east to the Temporary Basement to pick up the gloves and crowbar. Wear the gloves now, so you won't forget later. Now, turn around and amble westward until you reach the Aero basement with the forklift. Get into the forklift and start it. Guess what? You go back east again, this time driving the forklift. Keep going until you reach Dead Storage. You'll know you're there, because it's dark.
Quickly turn on the flashlight. What a mess! Dead Storage sure was a good name for this place...there's junk everywhere, piled high up, almost to the ceiling. You'd never be able to move this stuff by hand. Good thing you have the forklift to help you. So, move the junk with the forklift, until the passage shows.
Now you can turn off the forklift and exit it (the passage isn't big enough for it, and you don't need it anymore). This takes you to an even grubbier room, Ancient Storage, where the junk seems to have coalesced into absolute unrecognizability. Luckily, you don't have to mess with the mess.
Turn your attentions to the manhole cover in the floor (wonder what that's doing here?). With the crowbar, you can pry it up. Grunt! The dark opening may not look inviting, but it's necessary to go down there.
You find yourself in a brick tunnel, with two ways to go. I suggest north, to the Renovated Cave, and then down to what looks a lot like an altar, with some suspicious stains on it. There's a plate in the floor, which you do NOT want to move, now or ever. Just leave it alone, and grab the knife that someone carelessly left lying around.
Head back to Ancient Storage (don't worry about the south end of the tunnel; you'll find out about later), and then through to Dead Storage and the basement beyond. Once in the basement again, turn off your flashlight to conserve power; you'll be needing light again later, and there are no spare batteries anywhere.
Now go along west, past the Aero basement, to the stairs. Chug upstairs to the Aero Lobby, then south to the start of the Infinite Corridor. Well, look at that: someone left a container here. A check of the label tells you that it's magic wax. Interesting. Bring it with you, you'll be needing it soon.
Here's where the fun begins. Up ahead of you is a waxer being run by a maintenance man. He looks like something out of a grade-Z thriller, but make no mistake about it: he can be deadly, given the opportunity. He is also an obstacle, as he won't let you get past him.
What you need to do is wait until he moves off east. Then you move east. Keep this up until you reach the glass fire cabinet. Break the glass with your crowbar, take the fire axe, and go back to where the waxer is plugged into the wall.
CHOP! One good stroke with the axe, and the wire is severed. The waxer grinds to a halt, and the maintenance man is coming after you with murder in his eye. He means it, too. Quick! Open the container and pour the wax on the floor.
Now just stand there, and watch (try not to smirk) as the maintenance man slips and slides around, unable to keep his balance. If you wait long enough, you'll see something REALLY creepy happen! After that, you won't have to worry about the maintenance man anymore.
Lurking Horror: Part Two
You may have noticed a stairway going up near the outlet. Now is as good a time as any to see where it leads. Hmmm, doesn't lead very far. And the ladder that goes up to the catwalk above seems to be missing. But there IS some sort of shiny rope hanging down.
Guess there's nothing for it but to climb the rope (and a good thing you have those gloves on right now). Huff! Puff! Not as easy as it looked. Ummmmm. Hmmmmm. Gee...that wasn't a rope at all....it was a tentacle! A tentacle attached to a really atrocious-looking creature! Fortunately, it decides to leave in another direction. Whew!
With the thing gone (and your heartbeat returning to something approximately normal), open the door and step north out into the freezing storm. Brrrr! And you with no coat, either! Ah well, if you move fast enough, you may be able to avoid frostbite.
Climb up to the very top of the dome, where you see a bronze plug. Get the plug and drop it. In the recess is a paper, which is what you came for. Take that, and hurry back to the catwalk. Now, drop everything you're carrying (the ladder is very heavy), get the ladder, and lower it. Pick up all your goodies, and climb down the ladder, then down the stairs to the corridor again. You're about to have fun times!
Head east along the corridor to the end, then go north to Fruit and Nuts, where you'll find a stairway. Tiptoe down the stairs to the Cluttered Passage, then southeast to the Brown Building basement. Pick up the boots and wear them. Now move up the stairs into the Brown lobby, and all the way up the stairs to the top of the building (too bad the elevator here isn't working).
Unlock the door with the master key, and oncYgain step out (west) into the frigid night. Climb up to the weather dome. Ahh, nice and warm in here. Hmm, wonder what a potted peach tree is doing in a place like this?
Errrr....did you hear something out there? I think you did. Something nasty with claws, in fact. Something nasty with claws that's on its way in to do nasty things to you. Get out quickly. Once outside, and with a clear (if unsettling) view of the monster, throw the stone at it. SCREECH! Both monster and stone go over the side of the roof (note: if the monster shows up inside the dome first, throw the stone at it there, then get the stone and go outside).
Don't worry about that now. Return to the weather dome, and search the earth in the pot. UGH! You found a severed human hand! Trying not to feel squeamish, you take the hand (I will, with difficulty, refrain from making any "hand" jokes!).
Return to the Brown Lobby, then go outside to the courtyard. Fortunately, the monster is gone, but the stone is there. Get that, and go back inside. Warm up a bit, because you're about to pay a visit to the Alchemy Department.
Make your way back through the basement to the Infinite Corridor, and this time go south, through the Chem Building, until you reach the Alchemy Department door. Looks like someone is up pretty late in there.
The door is locked, and for some strange reason, your master key won't open the lock. No matter, I'm sure if you just knock on the door, whoever is inside will be glad to open it for you.
Sure enough, there's a professor here, and he very kindly allows you into his office, even if he doesn't seem to be especially interested in you at the moment. As you look around, one thing catches your eye: a lab signup sheet taped to the wall. Isn't one of the names on it familiar?
Come to think of it, the heaviest user of the lab is the same person whose note you found on top of the Great Dome. Could there be a connection here? Let's find out: show the note to the professor.
Ha! That sure changed his attitude, didn't it? Maybe not for the better, tho! Now try going south to the lab. See how easy that was? Only, the professor seems to have some plans for you. Plans that have nothing to do with increasing your life span.
Before you know it, the doorway is magically barred, and you find yourself in a chalked pentagram, equally surrounded by magical forces that prevent you from leaving. Uh-oh. This does not look good.
Don't panic! You have the means to free yourself. While you wait for the proper moment, take a look around the lab. Note especially the vat of tarry liquid on the bench, as well as what the bench is standing on: a trap door.
Okay, the professor is now in his pentagram, and is starting a chant that will summon something you don't even want to think about for a second, let alone meet. This is the moment: cut the chalk line with the altar knife. Now, without wasting any moves (time is short here) move the bench, open the trap door, and go down!
Gasp! You just made it! Turn on the flashlight, and you'll see you're in a cinderblock tunnel. This is the south end of the tunnel from the manhole in Ancient Storage. Once you get your breath back, climb up again to the lab (it's safe now, honest!).
Hmmmm...what a mess! There doesn't seem to be much left of the professor, except a red smear on the wall, and a brass hyrax (ring) on the floor. Fortunately, the vat of liquid escaped destruction. Have you been wondering what it is?
Well, one of the things Alchemists tried to make in the old days was the Elixir of Life. Say, you don't suppose....? Why not try it? Put the hand in the vat and let's see what happens.
This is creepy! The hand is moving...it's coming back to life! (Hey, while you're standing there, don't forget to pick up the ring!). It's trying to climb out of the vat! Now, I know that picking up a live severed hand is even more horrible than picking up a dead one, but...well, you'll just have to do that.
No sooner do you pluck it out than it climbs up to rest on your shoulder. Gulp! At least it seems, err, friendly. Put the ring on the hand. Fits very nicely there, doesn't it? Now you're about ready for a date with the rats in the Steam Tunnel.
Lurking Horror: Part Three
Ok, go back down through the trap door, into the Cinderblock Tunnel, and from there past Ancient/Dead Storage to the temporary basement (make sure you have your flashlight on until you reach the basement).
Go up and get the flask that's in the Temporary Lab, then return to the basement and make your way to the elevator. What you need now is the urchin. He shows up in different places at different times, so he may not be around at the moment, and you'll have to go looking for him.
When you catch up to the little darling, show him your (living) severed hand. Whoosh! That scared the heck out of him, and he takes off, dropping a pair of boltcutters as he vamooses. Grab those, and return to the elevator if you're not there now.
Drop the flask, axe and cutters. Head west to the stairs beyond the Aero basement, and this time go down to the sub-basement. Squeeze northwest through the crack into the Tomb of the Unknown Tool. There isn't much here except a locked hatch in the floor. But with your master key, that isn't a problem. Unlock the padlock, open the hatch and (hehe) down the hatch!
You're in the muggy Steam Tunnel, with little scurrying sounds coming out of the darkness. Ick! Rats! Go east once to the steam valve, and give it a good whack with your crowbar to loosen it up. CLANG!! Now just wait for the rats to show up. They have to be physically present in the room with you.
And here they come! Rats...LOTS of rats! They look pretty hungry, too. Hurry! Open the steam valve! HISSSS! That took care of them, all right! Now you can get on with your business without being disturbed.
Continue east to the end of the tunnel, where years of damp have weakened the south wall. Pry the bricks with the crowbar. Aha! There's something on the other side. As a matter of fact, it happens to be the elevator shaft. Unfortunately, the rest of the bricks resist your crowbar, and the restraining rod just won't budge. Oh well.
Return to the stairs up. Hmmm, looks like one rat was killed by the steam, or perhaps trampled by his frantic brethren. A close examination shows a strange tattoo of some kind on the beast; obviously, this was no ordinary rat. Good thing it's dead, and also good that you don't need to drag the corpse around with you.
Once out of the steam tunnel, go back to the elevator, making sure you pick up the padlock along the way. Pry open the doors with your invaluable crowbar. The elevator should be just above you at the lobby level. If it isn't, go upstairs and summon it to the lobby, then go back down to the basement.
Stick the crowbar in the doors to keep them open (shades of Star Wars!). Now you have a good view of the elevator machinery, and one part of it looks just like a hook (which, in fact, is what it is).
Climb down into the shaft. Well, what's this? A length of greasy chain! And there's the restraining rod in the wall! Bet you know what's coming now! Pick up the chain, and wrap it around the rod, then padlock it in place. Hoist yourself out of the shaft, making sure you still hold the other end of the chain. Put that end on the hook.
We're making progress here. Clamber up the stairs to the second floor and press the up elevator button. Of course, the elevator can't move while the doors are still forced open, so back down you go (with all this running up and down, you're doing a pretty good imitation of an elevator yourself!). Remove the crowbar and wait.
Before long, you'll hear a rending screech from the shaft. Goodbye, restraining rod! Once the elevator stops moving, force the doors one more time. Pick up the flask and cutters, and enter the shaft. Wow, look at that hole! More than large enough for you to fit through with all your gear!
All right! Through the hole, into the Steam Tunnel, and follow it all the way along to the west end and the Muddy Tunnel. Pretty icky, huh? Don't worry, it gets worse! (grin)
From the Muddy Tunnel, go down to the Large Chamber. What a weird place this is! Whatever could it be? Well, it happens to be some sort of incubator for ersatz urchins, many of whom are even now emerging from their slots in the wall.
A close look shows you that all of these pseudo-urchins are connected to a main wire running into a hole in the floor. That's the answer! Cut the wire with the bolt cutters! Aha! the urchins collapse, and the wire shrivels away to nothing. Down you go again into the Wet Tunnels.
This is a maze, but no need to worry! Your trusty hand will show you the way through! Bet you were wondering what that hand was really for, eh? So just head in whatever direction the hand indicates, until you reach the slime curtain.
Nasty, nasty stuff, that slime. Anything that touches it will become coated with slime, and turn into slime itself. GAK! But, you have a way of dealing with this foul obstacle! Open up the flask. A cold mist begins boiling out of it. The mist alone won't help, however if you look inside, you'll see the flask actually contains liquid. Pour the liquid on the curtain.
That did the trick! The entire curtain of slime freezes up and cracks, revealing a door. Now we're getting somewhere! Unlock the door with the key and enter (it will lock itself behind you, but you'll have other things to worry about soon enough).
You have reached the Inner Lair! In one corner lies a large, pulsating mass, the stuff of nightmares. The hand jumps off your shoulder into the knee-deep water. Is it frightened? Or is there something down there? Reach in with your own hand. Aha! A power line.
Just as you pull it up, the door opens again, and in walks...the hacker! How he ever found you is a mystery, but he very much appreciates the danger that thing in the corner represents. While he maunders on about it, start hacking (hehe) at the power line with your axe.
Oh no! The hacker is heading for the mass...it grabs him...he's been absorbed! Too late for him...just keep at your work until the power line is severed. Now, open the metal box. Inside are all manner of connections, including one that leads to the mass, and one that has coax cable. Unplug the coax cable.
Look! Something is happening in the corner! The mass is splitting open! The hacker is coming out...but he appears to be a very different person (?) now. You can't let him get to you! Quick, plug the power line into the socket. ZZZAAAPPP!!
That gave the mass a real jolt! But it isn't dead! It's transforming itself into something....something terrible! And you have the feeling that your axe (or any other normal weapon) would be useless against this thing.
Wait! The stone is getting warm! In fact, it's becoming almost too hot to handle! When it's red-hot, throw it at the creature! Implosion! The creature is gone and the stone falls to the floor. WHEW!!!
At least it's over...or is it? You pick up the stone, and notice a small crack in it. You hear sloshing behind you, but it's only the hacker, somewhat dazed, but his old self again. Then something in the stone moves, the crack widens, and a small black creature flits out into the night. Perhaps it really isn't over, after all.....
The Lurking Horror is copyrighted 1987 by Infocom, Inc.
