IT LIVES IN THE BASEMENT (14 page)

Doctor Lewis snapped a picture, then measured the opening.  “Twenty-four-inches wide and eighteen-inches high.  Plenty big enough to drag a human body through
, I would say.  How far does the tunnel go, Officer?”

Daniels raised the bulletproof face-shield of his riot-helme
t and answered, “From what I could see Doctor, the tunnel remains this size for only a few feet, then either gets bigger, or turns, because I could only see about three feet in.  Mick, get started with a pick and widen this hole, will you?”

The rest of the group moved back, room permitting, so the big, blonde man could swing his pickaxe.  After several strikes, a whole section of the wall fell in revealing a small room, about eight feet around, and maybe four feet high.  At the other end of the new room was another tunnel, but larger than the original opening, and it went directly west, toward the street in front of the house.

Mumbling through his face-shield, Alvarez said, “Just as I expected John, and if I am right, this tunnel will lead to the sewer system under the street.”

Daniels said, “Captain, me and Mick will go first with the lanterns and shovels, and we’ll see where this tunnel goes
, if you don’t mind?”

Carter shook his head. “No, Daniels.  One of you takes a tranquilizer rifle, the other a shotgun and a shovel.  If anything moves in there, start blasting with both guns, Paul.  Don’t take any chances with these things.  They’re deadly.”

The Doctor started to protest, so Carter stated loudly, “Shut up, Cathy.  You don’t know what we’re up against, but I do.  Unless you want to go in first, just keep quiet.”  The Doctor looked down at her dusty tennis shoes.  Carter continued, “Okay, if we have to kill the creature, we will, but I don’t want anyone hurt by these things.  Go ahead Paul, and for God’s sake, be careful.”

Ducking, Mickosky entered the smaller room, a shotgun in one hand, a shovel and lantern in the other; Daniels right behind him.  A minute later
, the pair was at the far wall where the other tunnel began.  Mickosky began chopping at the tunnel entrance with the shovel.  After a few strokes, the shovel struck something hard with a resounding CLANG that made them all jump.  In less than a minute, the big blonde had a space cleared away to reveal red bricks, with maybe a dozen of them torn out.

“Just what I thought John,
” Alvarez excitedly said with a smile, “the sewer under the street.  Widen the opening Officer, so we can pass through.”

Pepper asked, “John, wouldn’t it be easier to go out and down the street to one of the manholes?”

Reames spoke for the first time since they entered the house.  “Dressed like this Pepper and carrying weapons?  The neighbors would call the SWAT team on us for sure.  No, just go ahead and we’ll enter the sewers from right here.”

The waiting search party stood around sweating, but not as much as Mickosky and Daniels as they tore bricks out of the wall with their mesh-gloved hands, letting the bricks fall into the dark sewer, where they landed with loud, clinking echoes o
nto the redbrick sewer floor.  When the opening was large enough for two people to pass through, Mickosky leaned out into the dark sewer with his lantern for a look. 

With a blood freezing scream, Mickosky disappeared from the opening
. 

Jumping back, Daniels dropped his lantern, scrambling for the tranquilizer rifle he left leaning against the wall.

“What was it?” Carter yelled.  “Where’s Mick, Daniels?  What happened?”

No one moved as they heard clicking and scratching on the worn, red bricks, sounding as though something was rapidly climbing the sewer wall. 

Up popped a dirt-smeared face.

Embarrassed, Mickosky apologized, “Sorry,
Captain.  The damn bricks gave way and I fell in head-first.  Guess you should watch your step when you climb through here, gang.  Hey Daniels, don’t point that rifle at me, okay?” 

Visibly shaking, Daniels raised the heavy rifle. 

Looking around, Mickosky realized he was staring into at least three shotguns, and one pistol.  “Hey people, relax, it’s just me.  I fell in, that’s all.  Jeez, you look like you’re going to shoot me or something.”

Pe
pper, the least affected, strode forward, holstering her pistol.  “Sorry Mick, we’re all jumpy, I guess.  What’s in there anyway?”

Mickosky turned around, looking back into the sewer.  “Well, I couldn’t see much, Pepper.  My lantern broke when I fell in, but it looks like you’d think any old sewer would look like.  Smells like it too
.  Fetch a lantern and I’ll help you get through the opening.”

Four minutes later, with the scraping and clanging noises of their descent echoing around the tunnel, the Tescara hunters were finally standing in the rancid sewer.  The sewer tunnel had plenty of standing room and was wide enough for three people to stand side by side.

“Okay Alvarez, which way?” Carter asked as he looked north, then south along the dark, rank sewer.

The thin man answered, “I believe we must separate in
to two teams and each group will go a different direction.  Otherwise, we could walk down here for days, and never know if we were going in the right direction.  The possibility of our group splitting up is why I asked Officer Kaslowski to bring two of the small radios the narcotic teams use when undercover.”

Carter wasn’t keen on
the idea of them splitting in to two groups, but no one had a better suggestion, so he finally relented, after making sure Sagano was on his team.  Carter’s team consisted of Sagano, Reames, Pepper Kaslowski, and himself.  They would head south, and the other team north, with check-in calls every five minutes.  Each team had one of the sound dishes, which allowed them to hear noises for quite a distance in front of them in the sewer.

Alvarez instructed the teams, “Watch for openings in the walls, and place the dish up to the hole.  I believe they have dens where they retire, and if so,
if we remain quiet, we may be able to hear them breathing.  If I prove correct, contact the other team before proceeding.  We should be together before we attempt to tranquilize one.  Do you not agree, John?”

Carter nodded and said, “Right, Pete.  If you find anything, call right away and wait until we’re all there.  And remember
, please be careful.  This is not a game.”

The two teams
headed off in their designated directions.  Pepper had the sound dish, and headphones, which negated her from being able to wear a riot-helmet, so Carter, Sagano and Reames went stride for stride with her.  Carter and Reames were carrying the tranquilizer files with shotguns slung on their shoulders.  Sagano also had a shotgun on his shoulder, but as well had one in his hands, ready.

As they advanced slowly along the dark, dripping sewer, Reames whispered, “We should
’ve obtained a sewer map, John.  We don’t have any idea where we’re headed, or where this sewer ends.  What if there’re some intersections along here?”

Before Carter could answer, Pepper stopped with her hand raised.  The rest of South team froze
.

Carter whispered, “What is it, Pepper?  What do you hear?”

Shaking her head, she said quietly, “Nothing John, but look.”

Right then Carter’s small belt radio blared with, “North team to South team
.”

Sagano jumped, and Reame
s looked as if he’d wet himself.

“South to North, go ahead
,” Carter answered as he lowered the volume.

“We have openings in the east and west walls here, directly across from one another.  Daniels wasn’t able to hear any sounds in them.  Alvarez thinks they’re like the opening we came through, tunnels to each basement on this street, both sides.”

“Yeah Mick, we’re looking at a pair of them ourselves.  What does Pete suggest?”

Alvarez came on.  “John, I suggest you check each opening for any noises, but I do not think we will find anything in them.  No, I believe we are looking for a single opening
, where the den is, and where they should be sleeping right now, if they sleep that is.  And I believe the opening for the den will be larger, and inclined so when the water level rises in the sewer it cannot get into the den.”

While they were speaking, Pepper was checking each opening with the plastic dish, then shook her head.

“Okay Pete, we’re moving on now, there was nothing in these two.”

“Right, John.  Keep us informed, please.”

South team proceeded, watching Pepper as she tried to listen for noises in two more openings, and each time she shook her head.  “Nothing, Sir.  I can only hear what sounds like dripping water in each of them.  But I can’t really be sure because I keep picking up loud rumblings from the traffic on the street.  Whenever a vehicle drives over us, I can’t hear a damned thing.  They could be having a party in there with a hard rock band playing and I wouldn’t be able to hear it.  Sorry.”

Reames said softly, “John, I agree with the Sergeant.  I’ll go ahead and shine my light into each hole and when I find one with an incline, or set off by itself, I’ll wave to you
, then Pepper can listen for any sounds.  Otherwise, we’ll be wasting time on these other holes.  It’s amazing these creatures have actually dug tunnel entrances into every house on this block.”

Sagano said in a hushed whisper, “Yeah
, and I’ll take my light and look in the holes on this side, as you search the other side.  We can cover more area that way, but John, you put that tranquilizer rifle away and carry your shotgun, buddy. If one jumps out at us, I don’t want to wait a minute before the fucking bastard is tranquilized.”

Carter nodded and exchanged rifles as Pepper moved aside so the two men could walk in front.  She held a shotgun at the ready, her sound dish slung on her shoulder.  Glancing over at Pepper in the mostly dark sewer, with the earphones on, wires hanging, the two-foot dish on her shoulder, and the big shotgun in her hands, Carter thought she looked like a damn alien from som
e weird movie.

They proceeded faster now, and by the time of their next check-in call, they
’d already searched six sets of openings.  Then they came to a large intersection where an east and westbound sewer junction met them.

“North to South, come in, John.”

“South to North, say Pete, we have a sewer junction here.  Which way should we proceed?”

“We already crossed a junction John, and we noticed that in the east/west sewer there were also holes leading to each house on those blocks.  We decided to continue straight north so we do not get lost down here.  I suggest you do the same there.”

“Roger Pete, we’ll keep moving south.  Carter out.”

“What the hell is that?” Sagano asked as he pointed down the sewer tunnel with his flashlight.

There was a pool of very dirty, slimy, smelly water about fifteen feet ahead, then the sewer tunnel began climbing uphill.

Before Carter could answer, Reames said, “We just passed Dorcas Street at that intersection, and if I remember, the street begins climbing toward Martha Street.  Does that sound correct, John?”

Carter nodded.  “I think you’re right, Mike.  The water doesn’t look deep, so let’s keep moving, gang.”

When Pepper stepped into the eight-inch deep water in her tennis shoes, she said in disgust, “Oh yuck, John
.  There’s a turd floating in this shit.”  The men chuckled, then it dawned on her what she’d said, “I didn’t mean it that way you guys.  But I guess if we’re walking in shit, there should be turds floating around, huh?  Oh God.  I can’t wait to get home and take a hot shower.  And I’m throwing these damn shoes in the trash.”

They checked eight more sets of holes in the sewer walls before they came to a section where the tunnel quit climbing and leveled out again.  Sagano stopped his team with a raised arm, with his light pointing ahead: one opening, larger than the rest, located about three feet from the floor of the tunnel. 

Sagano crept forward.  Crouching, he shone his light into the opening in the redbrick wall, then stood and quickly walked back toward them, sweat running down his face.  Carter noticed Sagano was shaking from the way his light beam jiggled all over.

“That’s the den, John.  The tunnel has a pretty steep incline, and there are scrape marks on the den
floor where something crawled into or out of, or drug something in there.  What the hell am I doing here?”

Carter patted his shoulder and reassured him, “You’re doing just fine, Mark.  This is what Alvarez told us to look for.  Pepper, give it a listen, would you dear?  But be careful.”

She nodded and grabbed her dish, moving quietly in her wet shoes.  She didn’t bend over, but stayed to the side of the hole and placed the plastic dish over the hole.  Her face was a mask of pure, intense concentration.  Carter watched the sweat run off Pepper as she tried to listen, then she rushed back to them, whispering, “Mother of God.  I hear breathing coming from the opening John, clear as day.  It almost sounds like someone is snoring, but very faintly.  Call the other team; I think we have a Tescara right here.”

Carter moved back down the tunnel a few feet, and whispering said into the radio, “South to North, we found one, Pete
.  Get down here you guys, and hurry.  We’re about half a block south of Martha Street.”