Maggie
wwwwwwwww
We descended a rusty ladder into the murky depths of the sewers. It reeks of sulfur down here. The walls are covered in grime, and our boots splash into dirty water.
It doesn't take long before Senpai and Mini Bites slow the rest of us down.
"Guys, stop," Oreo Senpai whispers.
I halt, lowering my trusty bat.
"What? They're getting away! Keep moving!" Michal says.
"No--stop!" Senpai repeats. "I, uh...you can't even hear her anymore. We don't know where we're going. We should head back before we get lost."
"Senpai!" I gasp, eyes going wide. "This is Izzy we're talking about! Della too! They both got kidnapped. It's up to us to save them! No one else is gonna do it. By the time we can ever get a hold of 9-1-1, it--" I hesitate, diverting my eyes to my shoes. "It will probably be too late."
"Yeah," Mini Bites chides in with a scoff. "If only. No one has called 9-1-1. No help is coming, and no help will ever come."
"We're doomed!" Vena moans.
A flash of cell phone light blinds me as Nolan checks his device. "It's 2 AM," he announces softly.
Vena groans. "Ugh, I should be in bed right now sleeping."
I shoot her a glare. "Shut up, Vena."
"Wait, I saw something while we were about to ski," Michal tells us slowly. He looks at Oreo Senpai. "It was some kind of lookout tower."
"Oh yeah, the one behind the cable car station?" Nolan joins in, nodding. "I saw it too. It looked far away, though."
Michal shrugs. "If you want to look for help, you might want to start there," he tells Oreo sincerely. "If it's an actual lookout tower, then it must have a radio." He looks back at me. "I actually think that's a great idea. We should go check out that tower."
"Izzy is down here," I say quietly, looking from one face to the next. "She's down here somewhere! I know it! We can't just abandon her!"
"And Della too," Nolan adds.
I gesture toward him with the tip of my bat. "Thank you! At least someone cares."
"I do care, Maggie!" Oreo Senpai says. "I just don't think it's a good idea to run around in creepy dark sewers by ourselves. We need to figure out a way to get help."
"Wait wait wait," Nolan says thoughtfully, bringing up his hands to quiet us. "What if the person who took Isabella isn't down here anymore?" When he sees the confused look on our faces, he shrugs. "I mean, if I was a crazy psychotic killer, I would lure everyone down into a creepy dark basement to look for their kidnapped friend. Meanwhile, I'd sneak back upstairs and lock them inside so they can't escape."
Vena looks like she's going to be sick.
"If that's true--" Oreo begins, "and I mean IF--what are the chances that he took Isabella and Della back upstairs too?"
Nolan shrugs again.
"I think it's worth checking out," Michal says.
I let my bat hang at my side as I peer back down the tunnel ahead of us. We had passed by many forks along the way, so it was definitely possible for someone to slip around us using the intricate maze of tunnels.
I sigh. "But what if they're still down here?"
They glance back at me, and I know I'm right. We can't rule out the possibility. We can't rule out either one of the possibilities.
"I think we should go back up," Mini Bites says slowly. She sounds unsure of herself. After all, if it wasn't for her cell phone, Isabella might still be here.
I lift my bat in her direction. "How about we split up? You and Senpai can go upstairs, while me and Michal can look down here a little longer."
Michal brings up his hands in defense. "Whoa, hold on. Who said anything about me wanting to stay down here?"
My shoulders slump.
"I don't think--" Oreo starts saying, but Nolan cuts her off.
"I'll come with you, Maggie."
"I'll look for Izzy down here too," Vena volunteers.
I nod gratefully to them, before slowly turning back to Michal. After a long moment, he gives me a reluctant shrug.
"Alright, I guess I'll stay down here."
I see Oreo Senpai bite her lower lip, thinking all this over. She knows all too well that she doesn't have the willpower to stop us.
"Fine," she says quietly, stealing a look at her sister. "But if you're not back upstairs by sunrise--" she glances at her phone screen for the time-- "then I'll be coming back down to look for y'all."
"Let us know if you find them--or anyone," Michal says.
She shrugs. "Guess I'll be coming back down either way."
We split up.
Something in the back of my mind won't stop nagging me:
Bad stuff always happens when people separate in horror movies.
I shake my head and grind my teeth.
Shut up, I think to myself.
"Isabella!" I call out in a hoarse whisper, listening as my voice travels down the tunnels.
"Shut up, Maggie! You're practically telling the kidnapper where we are!" Vena snaps.
I ignore her. "Izzy!" I call out again.
Something moves ahead of us. I don't see anything, but I can hear it--hear him.
Rustling. A soft sniffle.
"Light! Someone shine a light!" I command, poised with my bat held out in front of me.
Michal casts his phone light in the shadows before us, and a small rat quickly skitters out of the way.
I hear Vena exhale in relief. "Just a stupid rat."
"Wait, I think I see some light down the tunnel," Nolan tells us quietly.
Michal shuts off his phone, and it takes us a moment to adjust to the darkness. Sure enough, as we inch around a bend in the passage, we can see a cone of dim light flood through an opening in the ceiling. The rungs of a ladder ascend to the exit.
"Did--did we go in a circle?" Vena asks uncertainly.
Michal scratches his head and looks around us.
"Uh, I don't think so," Nolan mutters. He doesn't sound so sure of himself, though.
I shove my trusty bat into Michal's arms. "I'll go up and see," I say in the best level voice I can muster.
The ladder is slippery, but I manage to climb the rungs up to the top. When I poke my head through the opening, I spot an old oil lamp closeby, flickering shadows and light across the room.
I duck in caution, and I hear Vena gasp somewhere below.
"What is it? What do you see?" she calls out.
"Shut up!" I hiss, squatting down on the rungs.
I feverishly scan the room again, but I don't see anyone hiding in here. Still, the fact that a lamp was turned on unnerved me.
Someone's been here recently. Very recently.
I glance down at everyone below.
"Wait here," I tell them. "I'll be back in a second."
"No, Maggie, wait!" I hear Michal protest, but I ignore him too.
This isn't the basement we had left back at the lodge. We had left that place a long time ago.
........................
Next chapter: The Descent
It doesn't move or resemble anything I've ever seen before. Its back is arched, it doesn't have an animalistic snout, and its limbs are long and lanky.