Chapter 3 - The Descent
Sarah stared at the man she had been married to for ten years.
He was an accountant, a man who crunched numbers and fell asleep watching baseball.
He was not a man who built secret underground tunnels beneath historic churches.
Before she could demand an explanation, the heavy wooden door splintered inward.
The tip of a black combat boot smashed through the wood just inches from the deadbolt.
Arthur forced himself to stand, his pallor still dangerously white.
He pushed a heavy wooden wardrobe to the side with a desperate surge of adrenaline.
Behind the furniture, a square metal grate was set into the stone floor.
Sarah didn’t ask any more questions.
She helped Arthur lift the heavy grate, revealing a dark, damp chute with a rusted iron ladder.
Madison whimpered, refusing to let go of Sarah’s leg.
Arthur grabbed his daughter’s shoulders and looked at her with total clarity.
He promised her that they were going to play a game of hide and seek, and she had to be perfectly quiet.
Madison nodded bravely, wiping her tear-streaked face.
Sarah sent Madison down the ladder first, climbing down right above her to protect her from falling.
Arthur followed, pulling the heavy metal grate back into place just as the dressing room door burst open.
Gunfire ripped through the space where they had been standing seconds ago.
The sound was muffled as they descended deeper into the cold, smelling earth.
The tunnel was pitch black, smelling of mildew and old copper.
Arthur pulled a small, waterproof flashlight from the inside pocket of his burial suit.
Sarah realized the suit had been custom-made with hidden tactical pockets.
Her entire life felt like a carefully constructed lie.
They ran through the cramped, muddy tunnel, the flashlight beam bouncing wildly ahead.
Arthur explained that the drug they gave him was supposed to slow his heart to one beat per minute.
It was a localized neurotoxin meant to mimic a fatal heart attack for the coroner.
But his body processed the chemical slightly faster than they anticipated.
They reached a heavy steel door at the end of the tunnel.
Arthur punched a six-digit code into a rusted keypad.
May you like
The light on the keypad flashed red.
The door was permanently sealed from the outside.
