Chapter 5 - The Ashes
The shockwave knocked me off my feet, throwing me into the muddy grass.
Flames roared violently, swallowing the old wooden structure in seconds.
"The basement!" I screamed, scrambling to my feet.
"Hold the line!" the SWAT commander yelled, pulling me back.
"There are children down there!" I cried, fighting against his grip.
Miller ran toward the burning wreckage, shielding his face from the intense heat.
"The blast was on the second floor!" Miller shouted over the roaring fire.
"The foundation is still intact!"
Firefighters doused a path through the flaming debris with heavy hoses.
Miller and two tactical officers kicked aside a charred wooden beam.
Beneath the ash and burning wood lay a heavy steel storm door.
It was padlocked from the outside.
"Bring the bolt cutters!" an officer yelled.
Sparks flew as the heavy steel chains were snapped in half.
Miller threw the doors open, revealing a dark, concrete staircase leading into the earth.
A thick plume of foul, stagnant air rushed out from the depths.
I didn't wait for permission; I grabbed my medical bag and rushed down the stairs.
The basement was massive, lit only by a few flickering, battery-powered lanterns.
The smell of mold and human waste was overpowering.
Along the far wall, lined up like kennel crates, were three iron cages.
Inside each cage was a small, shivering child.
"Oh my god," I whispered, dropping to my knees.
I reached the first cage, pulling out my penlight to check the little boy inside.
He was severely dehydrated, barely conscious, but alive.
Miller tried to pry the cage door open, but it was locked solid.
"The keys!" Miller yelled to another officer. "Get the keys from the evidence bag!"
Suddenly, a heavy steel grate slammed down over the basement staircase above us.
The lock clicked securely into place, trapping us underground.
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Through the floorboards above, a familiar, raspy voice drifted down.
"Did you really think I would leave my home unprotected?"
