become a staple of all of their lives. In the end, Lot spoke softly to the rest of them.
"One of the groups still isn't back," he said.
Meredith looked up, as if noticing for the first time. She nodded, not looking concerned. "Daniel isn't here. He went off with one of your people. Not surprised he isn't back yet. I'm sure he's poking around in the nooks and crannies, trying to figure out the best way to shore this place up."
Lot nodded, but looked concerned. He jabbed a finger at several of his people. "You two, come with me. We'll see if we can track them down. The rest of you stick around in case they show up. If we aren't back in a half hour, send someone after us." He nodded at the other two and they began walking off down the corridor.
"They were checking out the lower levels!" Meredith called out after them. Lot turned his head enough to nod, and they carried on. Sophie blinked away the tears, trying to shake the images from Ricco's story. She needed to clear her head, find something else to focus on.
"Wait!" she called out. Lot paused and turned as she jogged to catch up. He nodded without trying to argue and the four of them headed for the service stairs.
"I'm sure it's fine," Lot said. "Nobody else has found anyone, but you never know who might be hiding out down here. Stay behind us, Sophie."
At the bottom of the stairs, they pulled out flashlights. Lot raised his gun and aimed the light down the barrel as he slowly advanced. They took a left and began down the corridor. A gust of air flowed past them, making Sophie shudder at the sensation. She fully expected to stumble into a small horde of people, huddling down here and ready to attack.
Despite her fear, there was no sign of anyone. No sound of footsteps or movement other than their own. The wind in the tunnel accentuated the emptiness of the space and made Sophie feel like they were stepping out onto an alien planet. They began to hear a new sound as they walked, a steady dripping of water somewhere which echoed around them, progressively louder as they walked. She had never imagined that the sound of water could be so terrifying. She winced with every impact as it echoed off the walls.
She ran into something ahead of her and realized that Lot had stopped.
"What?" she hissed. He reached out to her to keep her from stepping forward.
"Shh!" he hissed at her and in the dim light she could see him cocking his head to the side, straining to hear. "It sounds like someone crying," he said and resumed leading them down the tunnel. After a few dozen paces, she began to hear it as well, the ragged inhalation of air followed by the pathetic sobbing. The sound echoed around them and seemed to bend as they walked.
After another dozen paces, they came to a large set of doors with a bench next to it. Daniel sat there, trying to comfort the other guy, the one who was crying. Sophie shifted her gaze from one to the other.
"Guys?" she asked. "You all right? What's going on?"
Daniel raised a hand and pointed at the doors. Sophie, Lot and the others stepped forward and pushed their way through. The last thing she wanted was to see what, in this nightmare of a world could reduce a grown man to terrified tears. She also knew that she didn't really have any other choice.
Not anymore.
-28-
It was immediately clear upon opening the door what had been causing the breeze. They walked into a large service bay and could see a garage door at the far end of the room. It had not been closed completely and the gap, several feet tall, was allowing air to come rushing through. Only after recognizing this did Sophie notice the smell and wondered that they hadn't picked it up on the wind, far earlier. Something was definitely not right. Despite the cool air flowing in, the room had an uncomfortable, warm feeling to it with an underlying smell of decay. They swiveled their flashlights around to look for the source but she wasn't sure if she even wanted to find it.
Shoved
"One of the groups still isn't back," he said.
Meredith looked up, as if noticing for the first time. She nodded, not looking concerned. "Daniel isn't here. He went off with one of your people. Not surprised he isn't back yet. I'm sure he's poking around in the nooks and crannies, trying to figure out the best way to shore this place up."
Lot nodded, but looked concerned. He jabbed a finger at several of his people. "You two, come with me. We'll see if we can track them down. The rest of you stick around in case they show up. If we aren't back in a half hour, send someone after us." He nodded at the other two and they began walking off down the corridor.
"They were checking out the lower levels!" Meredith called out after them. Lot turned his head enough to nod, and they carried on. Sophie blinked away the tears, trying to shake the images from Ricco's story. She needed to clear her head, find something else to focus on.
"Wait!" she called out. Lot paused and turned as she jogged to catch up. He nodded without trying to argue and the four of them headed for the service stairs.
"I'm sure it's fine," Lot said. "Nobody else has found anyone, but you never know who might be hiding out down here. Stay behind us, Sophie."
At the bottom of the stairs, they pulled out flashlights. Lot raised his gun and aimed the light down the barrel as he slowly advanced. They took a left and began down the corridor. A gust of air flowed past them, making Sophie shudder at the sensation. She fully expected to stumble into a small horde of people, huddling down here and ready to attack.
Despite her fear, there was no sign of anyone. No sound of footsteps or movement other than their own. The wind in the tunnel accentuated the emptiness of the space and made Sophie feel like they were stepping out onto an alien planet. They began to hear a new sound as they walked, a steady dripping of water somewhere which echoed around them, progressively louder as they walked. She had never imagined that the sound of water could be so terrifying. She winced with every impact as it echoed off the walls.
She ran into something ahead of her and realized that Lot had stopped.
"What?" she hissed. He reached out to her to keep her from stepping forward.
"Shh!" he hissed at her and in the dim light she could see him cocking his head to the side, straining to hear. "It sounds like someone crying," he said and resumed leading them down the tunnel. After a few dozen paces, she began to hear it as well, the ragged inhalation of air followed by the pathetic sobbing. The sound echoed around them and seemed to bend as they walked.
After another dozen paces, they came to a large set of doors with a bench next to it. Daniel sat there, trying to comfort the other guy, the one who was crying. Sophie shifted her gaze from one to the other.
"Guys?" she asked. "You all right? What's going on?"
Daniel raised a hand and pointed at the doors. Sophie, Lot and the others stepped forward and pushed their way through. The last thing she wanted was to see what, in this nightmare of a world could reduce a grown man to terrified tears. She also knew that she didn't really have any other choice.
Not anymore.
-28-
It was immediately clear upon opening the door what had been causing the breeze. They walked into a large service bay and could see a garage door at the far end of the room. It had not been closed completely and the gap, several feet tall, was allowing air to come rushing through. Only after recognizing this did Sophie notice the smell and wondered that they hadn't picked it up on the wind, far earlier. Something was definitely not right. Despite the cool air flowing in, the room had an uncomfortable, warm feeling to it with an underlying smell of decay. They swiveled their flashlights around to look for the source but she wasn't sure if she even wanted to find it.
Shoved
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