Authors: James Roy Daley
Daniel shook his head in mock disgust. “Oh yeah, what’s her name?”
Pat took a swing of beer. “Her name is ‘shut up.’ You’ll meet her on Friday.”
“Yeah Dan,” Roger said, growing impatient. “Are we investigating or what?”
Pat made his way across the room and looked down the hole. “Holy shit… you weren’t kidding. You have a pit in your basement.”
Dan nodded. “It’s deep alright. We’re about to explore, wanna come?”
“Hell ya.”
“Then let’s do it.”
“Finally.” Roger made his way down several rungs. “You sure the ladder will hold?”
Dan sat his bottle down, pulled a book of matches from his pocket, and lit one. With the match, he lit the lantern. “As sure as I can be. I went down a couple hours ago. I think it’ll hold.”
“Good enough for me,” Roger said. He descended.
Cameron looked down the hole with a troubled expression before positioning herself on the ladder. Her first few steps were slow and careful.
Dan said, “You okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just… I’m worried about the ladder.”
“I think the ladder is fine.”
“Alright.” Cameron said into her chest, swallowing back her fears. “If you say so.” She began her descent.
Pat and Dan followed.
∞∞Θ∞∞
Halfway between the 500-watt work-light and the doorway, Roger stopped climbing, changed the sponged-flashlight from one hand to the other and adjusted his footing. Looking up, he could see an odd shaped silhouette inside a square box of light, climbing very slowly. With the assumption that things were going as planned, he continued his descent. But he was cold now, and wished he’d brought a jacket. After climbing another half-dozen feet he stopped again, shouting, “Hey Daniel! It’s freezing down here! You should have warned me!”
Still near the top of the ladder, Daniel stopped climbing. “That’s right,” he said to himself. “I totally forgot.” Louder: “I’ll grab us sweaters!”
Now Cameron stopped. “You’re leaving us?”
“Only for a second.” Daniel moved up two rungs.
“But… ” she huffed.
“Cameron, it’s cold down there. Can’t you feel it yet? I’m grabbing us something to wear because we’ll need it. Trust me. So just keep climbing, please. No offence, but you’re slower than shit.”
Cameron’s eyes shifted left and right as her lips pursed together. Reluctantly she said, “Alright.” But Roger seemed to be
way
down there now, and she had a bad feeling growing inside the hollows of her stomach, a
very
bad feeling.
She looked up, seeing that Patrick had also stopped climbing. He had no choice; he was caught between the two of them.
Higher than Pat, Daniel scrambled up the ladder. He plunked the lantern on the floor, pulled his body from the hole, and moved across the basement promptly. He didn’t run but he moved fast, careful not to step on any tools that were lying about. Within a few seconds he was upstairs, looking through the front closet.
A jean jacket, a sweater, a blue hoodie and a black hoodie, were bundled together in a ball.
The front door was open.
That’s odd
, he thought, looking outside.
Why is the door open?
Seeing nothing out of the ordinary he closed the door and made his way to the basement, figuring Pat had left the door open. But was Pat in charge of closing the door, or was
he
in charge?
Standing at the mouth of the hole, Daniel yelled, “Hey Roger, I’m going to drop a jacket. Catch it?”
Roger had just descended past the work light. He said, “Wait a second, ‘kay? Don’t drop the jacket ‘til I say.”
Daniel said, “Hey Cameron, Pat… watch your head a minute and I’ll try not to hit you with this thing.”
Patrick leaned against the ladder.
Cameron looked up. She wanted out. That was the truth of the matter. She didn’t care about the temperature or the clothing that was being dropped. She wanted out of the hole. It was all she could think about. It was beginning to nag at her, but she didn’t want to say anything because being a team player was important. Besides, she’d be kicking herself if she didn’t go down there and the guys found something valuable and
didn’t
split it with her.
“Cameron,” Daniel repeated. “Did you hear me?”
“I hear you. I’m just thinking, is all. Don’t worry about it.”
“You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Beneath them, Roger yelled, “I’m going to drop the flashlight! Here it goes!”
He let the flashlight fall from his hand and watched it drop. For a moment he thought it would fall forever, but of course, it didn’t. It hit the ground, bouncing a couple times before settling. Best of all, the light didn’t break. It kept on shinning; the sponges worked beautifully.
“Bingo!” Roger shouted. “I can see the ground! It’s not too much farther. Maybe another sixty feet.”
“Hey Pat,” Dan said, talking loudly. “Change of plan. I’m going to drop this stuff down to you first. The sweater is for Cameron.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Be careful. If you catch it, great, but if not, let it fall. You can put it on at the bottom. Ready?”
“Ready.”
Dan dropped the sweater and the blue hoodie together. They floated and tumbled and slid along a wall. Patrick caught them with ease.
“Nicely done,” Dan said. “Hey Roger! Are you ready for the jacket?”
“Drop it!”
“Okay! Here it comes!”
Daniel dropped the jacket, making sure it wouldn’t hit Pat or Cameron. It didn’t. The jacket hugged the wall on the far side and went right past, looking like an oversized broken balloon, plummeting and rolling. Roger put his hand out, hoping to catch it. The 500-watt light put a glare in his eye and as a result he couldn’t see the jacket coming. It cuffed his elbow and kept moving, bouncing and tumbling off the wall again. It hit the ground next to the flashlight with an empty thump, darkening the area below.
“Damn,” Roger mumbled. “Missed it.”
Daniel yelled, “You okay?”
Stepping down two more rungs, Roger shouted, “It went past me! No worries… see you at the bottom!”
“Great! Be with you in a minute!” Daniel pulled the black hoodie over his head and stepped onto the ladder. He started climbing down fast. Knowing the bottom was reasonably close energized him.
Pat dropped a sweater to Cameron.
Cameron caught it and pulled it over her head. A moment later Pat and Cameron continued their descent to the sound of Daniel’s excited voice saying, “I’m catching up!”
Feeling the ladder shake in her hands, Cameron climbed faster, ignoring the fact that small pieces of dirt were falling from the bottom of Patrick’s shoes. Nervous tension tickled her senses. Her stomach started to feel funny. It wasn’t the height bothering her, but she was never a fan of tight spaces and falling debris. Still, she felt some level of comfort knowing Daniel had joined them once again. Not wanting Patrick on top of her, she said, “Slow down, I’m moving as fast as I can.”
Pat slowed, mindful of the situation.
Daniel slowed too. “Be careful Cameron. I didn’t mean to rush you. The last thing we need is an accident.”
“Don’t worry. I’m being careful.” Cameron reached the work light, which was bright to a point of blinding. Once she passed it the temperature seemed to plunge.
Roger reached the bottom and felt an unexpected rush of energy. The air was filled with a damp, musty smell that reminded him of being inside an old barn. He dismissed the foul scent, even though it was strong and unpleasant. The hammer and the crowbar were on the ground, along with the flashlight and the jacket. He pushed the tools towards the nearest wall with his feet and lifted the jacket off the concrete floor. As he slid an arm into the jacket sleeve, he looked left and right. He couldn’t see much; the place was a darkened mystery. With the jacket on he lifted the flashlight off the ground, ripped the sponges and the duct tape free, and dropped the unwanted material next to the hammer. He moved the light in a sweeping motion, slowly stepping into the shadows. The area around him seemed big, though it was nearly impossible to tell for sure.
“Hey Roger?” It was Cameron.
“Yeah?”
“Point the light this way, would you? I can’t see anything.”
Roger directed the flashlight’s beam up the shaft.
Cameron began climbing again, faster now than before. When she reached the bottom she was glad to be off the ladder. Her arms and legs were tired, her back was sore, her heart was thumping quickly and her fingers were beginning to ache. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Roger pointed his flashlight up the shaft again, guiding Pat through his last few steps. He did the same for Daniel.
“Thanks man,” Dan said as he jumped to the ground. “What’s that smell?”
“Not sure.”
“Almost smells like moss or something.”
“Yeah. I was thinking the same thing. It’s a swamp smell.”
Cameron unhooked her flashlight, turned it over in her fingers, and switched it on. The beam of light hit Daniel in the chest before it found his empty hands. “Hey Dan, where’s the lantern?”
Daniel huffed, looking semi-embarrassed. “Like an idiot, I forgot it. The stupid thing is sitting next to the trapdoor.”
“Smooth move.”
“I know.”
“Guys.” Roger walked a couple feet, stepping into a short hallway. “Look at this.” The flashlight beam hit the wall, illuminating three light switches. The switches were black; the wall was gray.
“Nice,” Pat said with a smile.
Daniel flicked the switches on one at a time. Seconds passed. Something hummed. Overhead, fluorescent lights flickered, flashed, and eventually came on. Now they could see what was around them, and what they were standing in.
“Oh my God,” Roger said, rubbing a hand against the side of his face.
Pat took a step forward. “This is amazing.”
Cameron’s eyes widened and her mouth slinked open. Taking Daniel by the hand, she whispered, “I know exactly what you mean.”
14
William McMaster looked like his brother Roger, only he was taller and had a bigger frame. He was the type of guy that analyzed things frequently and figured he was getting ripped off constantly. For this reason, plus a few others, most of the locals liked Roger more than William. He knew it. Didn’t like it. More often than not he was grumpy and frustrated. People figured he had unresolved issues, which he did. But deep down, when you got past his analyzing and his negativity, his issues and his rough exterior, Will was a nice man with a big heart.
He entered
The Big Four O
through the side door, which was ratty, weathered, and not worth a roll of quarters. It had rust on the knob and dried paint hanging from the wood. He thought about replacing the door often, along with the doormat, the hinges, and at least four of the windows on the backside of the building. Wasn’t going to happen today, though. William wasn’t alone. He was with Beth Dallier, a longtime friend.
Beth was a tough old girl, tougher than an army boot. She had strong hands, a thick neck, and a nest of hair looked like it had been cut it with a knife. Her lips were big and her nose was wide. Some assumed she was gay. Others figured she was bi-sexual. William didn’t know or care. If he had to place a bet, he’d say she was asexual, which was a term he had only recently come across. It fit though, fit like a glove.
“Mind your step.” William flicked the overhead lights on and made his way to the counter.
Beth followed, walking along like a lumberjack. Heavy footsteps rumbled through the building. “Beer?”
“You want one? I don’t plan on being here long.”
“I’d rather have a couple drinks here than pay for them all night at the Waterfront Café. Let’s sink a couple and go, yes? I’ll get the first round when we get there.”
William nodded, stepped behind the bar and lifted a bottle of Jack Daniels from a shelf. He poured a pair of shots and put the bottle away.
“To your health,” he said.
“Down the hatch.”
Beth and William clinked glasses and swallowed the whiskey with eyes squeezed tight. Will snagged couple beers from the fridge and put the shot glasses in the sink. He opened the bottles and handed one to Beth as she plunked herself on a stool.
Wrapping her knuckles on the bar, she said, “What’s this?”
“What’s what?”
Beth lifted Roger’s letter, glanced at the first line and handed it over.
William scanned the words quickly, mumbling while he read. His eyes seemed to expand while he was reading. “Huh. Looks like Cam and my brother are drinking over at Daniel’s place. Wanna go there?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Do I know Daniel? Who’s that?” Beth stroked her chin like she had a beard on it, which, thankfully, she didn’t. Her skin was clear and smooth. Physically, it was her best feature.