Ethusus - Warrior of Dust

Two

Then the walls began to tremble, and as they did, the manhole cover slowly turned. Dirt and debris swirled around him, lightly pelting his body. Then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped, and there was silence.

Mr. Jingles shook the debris from his hair and wiped his face. Pushing the lid open, he threw his bag up and cautiously climbed out, his eyes searching his surrounding for danger. He began studying the complex, looking for an easy opening. He walked around for more than ten minutes before finding an open window. It was covered by a lose board. It seemed someone else had also used that spot to gain entry. This made him even more cautious; at this point, he didn't know what to expect.

He approached the window cautiously, hoping for a little luck. Peering inside and seeing no movement, he slowly began to climb inside. Halfway inside the window, a cat lunged at him from the darkness. Startled, Mr. Jingles lost his grip and fell backward, hitting the ground hard. Aggravated and fearful, he growled lowly, "Get out of here, you mangy cat!"

The animal arched its back for a few seconds, exposing its fangs, seeming ready to attack. But instead, it only hissed at the old man then darted away into the night. Mr. Jingles slowly rose to his feet, dusted himself off, and pulled himself back into the window, trying not to make a sound. He eased down to the floor, finding it wet and muddy. A stale, musty smell invaded his surroundings, the scent of old, rotted, mildewed furniture left behind. Running his hand along the wall, he felt for a light switch and flip it on. A low-watt bulb flickered from a dangling wire, providing just enough light to see the filth surrounding him.

Mr. Jingles drew his knife just in case there were any more surprises. Slowly making his way through the building, he checked each room, making sure no one else was there–at least for now.

There is a strange sound in the distance. Mr. Jingles clasped his bag tightly to him while squeezing his knife a little harder than normal. He swallowed his fear, readying himself for anything or anyone. He again noticed the rodents as they began to surround him, moving in the same direction, Then the rats started racing frantically back and forth in front of him, as if they were trying to get his attention.

Mr. Jingles backed up, freaked out by what was happening, but then he noticed where the rats were coming from. Following the moving red eyes, he edged closer to get a better look. There was a small hole in the middle of the floor.

"So that's where they're coming from," he murmured. "There must be some serious cheese down there." The building really should have been condemned, it's so hazardous. You would think that the government would have torn the place down, but someone is always trying to make a dollar, no matter the cost.

The flow of rats seemed to recede, as if they all had somewhere important to go. Swallowing his fear, Mr. Jingles decided to continue his investigating. When he finally mustered up the courage to actually look through the hole, the floor beneath him collapsed, and before he could react, he was freefalling. He landed with a loud splash. The bottom floor was covered in four-feet of water, which was lucky for him because it broke his fall. He was back in the sewer. Mr. Jingles frantically splashed about for a moment until the shock wore off and he could think clearly.

Frustrated, he managed to locate his duffle bag and pulled it along with him as he made his way to shallower water and could wade through it. His clothes were completely soaked and stank of pollution and waste. Wiping the debris from his face, he shook the water off like a dog that had gotten caught in the rain. He thought about trying to make it back to the hole he'd fallen through and pulling himself up, but he decided that it might be better to just find another way out.

Mr. Jingles began making his way through the waste-filled water. He had made it no more than thirty feet, he saw a bright light coming from a small crack in the wall. Mr. Jingles had no idea what would happen next, and he wasn't sure he really wanted to. Now close enough to see where the light was coming from, he yelled, "Hey, who's there?" There was no answer.