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I shook my head, but on the inside, I was happy he was with me.
While I could have had any of my men come along, Maxwell loved Emily too. And what my mouse needed was people who cared for her, around her while she was in. . .whatever state this was.
Maxwell gave me a sidelong glance as we began to descend into the darkness.
And I could not deny that when we entered the doorway, the experience was akin to stepping into the mouth of an evil beast and then being swallowed.
A heavy chill hung in the air.
The stairwell was a narrow passage, more a gullet of an ancient creature than a man-made structure.
The darkness was so absolute, it was disorientating, leaving me to grope blindly for the railing that was cold and sticky under my fingertips.
The only light was a faint, ghostly blue luminescence that seemed to emanate from nowhere, casting grotesque shadows on the walls that writhed and twisted like tormented souls.
Maxwell whispered, “Are you still with me, man?”
I tightened my grip on the railing. “Shut up and try not to piss yourself.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Let’s see if you talk that shit after you leave here.”
Down and down we went.
The eerie shadows continued to contort around us like living entities.
Then, the temperature dropped further. The air grew frigid.
Next, a scent hit me.
What?
It was the unmistakable, sickly-sweet stink of blood, thick and cloying. A fragrance I knew all too well, one that spoke of death and decay. And it was the smell of a life ending abruptly, violently—the coppery tang of spilled blood mixed with the putrid scent of opened bowels and the lingering aroma of fear and despair.
“Yo,” Maxwell whispered. “Do you smell that?”
“Yes.” I quickened our pace, nearly dragging Maxwell with me.
The smell of blood and death grew stronger, more pungent with each step we took, clinging to the back of my throat.
The walls seemed to close in on us.
My heart pounded in my chest matching the drumming up ahead.
We are almost there.
Then, abruptly, the narrow stairwell opened onto a cavernous room, a vast underground lair that swallowed the feeble blue light.
Here, the smell of blood was overpowering, heavy and thick in the air.
My stomach lurched, rejecting the stench.
A sound echoed through the chamber.
Whimpering.
Dread bolted through me.
I let go of Maxwell’s hand. “My mouse?”
