The Devil's Game

Chapter 19

Paris

It was late afternoon, and darkness slowly crept over the city. The train entered the central train station Gare du Nord. It was a busy Wednesday evening. The train platforms were bustling with people of all ages. The lights of the digital advertising boards hanging high above the commuters were illuminating the halls in green, yellow, red, blue.

Baal's scar ridden face stood out among the many people walking the platforms. Most people stepped away in order to not bump into him. The look in his eyes and his movements were determined.

The Lord told me they'll be here. Baal looked across the platforms.

"We need to hurry. They close the catacombs at eight," Amanda said, rushing to a taxi outside the station. Amanda, still getting into the taxi, told the driver to take them to the catacombs.

"On Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy?" the driver said in a thick French accent.

"If you say so. Please just take us there as fast as possible. Tout de suite," Amanda said.

The traffic was heavy during rush hour. The impressive French architecture with its characteristic medallions, flowers, and shields on the many stone balconies of the apartment buildings rushed past the window. Michael didn't notice the beauty of this city. Instead he was concentrating on the street in front of him as if he and not the driver was steering the car.

"Arrivé," the taxi driver said, stopping the car in front of a tall, gray, stone building with a smaller building attached to it.

Amanda and Michael rushed out of the car toward the open door of the smaller building.

"Two tickets, please," Michael said hurried to the man at the entrance.

"We are closing in thirty minutes, but you can join the last tour that just started," the man replied.

"Okay. How much?" Michael said looking back and forth between the entrance to the catacombs and the sales clerk.

"Ten euros each, s'il vous plaît."

Before entering the catacombs, Michael noticed a sign above the entrance. Arrêtez! C'est ici l'empire de la Mort.

Amanda walked ahead of him inside. Right after entering, they saw a tour guide surrounded by a few tourists explaining the history of the catacombs.

"The Catacombs date back to the Fifth Century. It's a vast network of old caves, quarries, and tunnels stretching hundreds of miles, and the walls are lined with the bones of the dead. About six million corpses, to be precise," the guide said.

Michael looked down onto the map, while the tour guide continued, "Originally, the Romans created the catacombs by excavating the limestone for construction. Later, these caverns were used to bury the dead. You may have noticed the sign at the entrance, oui?" the tour guide asked the group and continued, "Translated into English, it states 'Stop! This is the Empire of the Dead.'" he said with a smirk, then paused to enhance the effect of what he just said and then continued, "Okay, let's move on."

"According to this map, we need to go straight down," Michael said, uninspired by the background chatter of the tour guide.

They walked away from the group and passed another the small group of people making their way deeper into the narrow and dark hallways.

"That concludes our tour, ladies and gentleman. Please follow me outside," Michael and Amanda could hear the tour guide say in the distance.

The last group of people left the catacombs. The sales clerk, lost in thought, looked at his wrist watch. 5:05.