Page 49 of Seeking Evil

I’m not there, Henry. Just a pile of bones. I’m in heaven with Jesus.

Henry smiled and nodded whenever Maggie spoke about heaven and going there one day. He told her that he was a believer, and she never questioned him. But how could he be? He’d seen what true evil looked like every time he saw himself in the mirror. He could reach out and touch it. Feel its presence in his heart. He hadn’t seen God. How could he believe in what he couldn’t see? There wasn’t enough faith in the world to convince him of a God that would allow someone like him and T to walk the earth.

Chapter Nineteen

“Can we stop?”

Sierra could feel Dawn fading. They’d been walking through the tunnel for hours in a hunched-over position. As much as Sierra wanted to push on, she would respect Dawn’s need for a break.

“Yeah, sure. Why don’t we sit?”

Sierra kept one arm looped with Dawn’s while making her way over to the wall. She tried to keep the fear of this place collapsing out of her head, yet being trapped in small spaces like this one topped her worst “way to go” list.

She reached the wall. She and Dawn slowly lowered themselves to the ground.

“I’m going to turn off the flashlight to conserve the battery.” She clicked it off plunging them into pitch-darkness. Dawn let out a scream. Sierra asked her about her wrist to take her mind off the darkness. Besides, talking helped her stay sane. They’d escaped Henry and his sick partner for now. That was half the battle. She couldn’t give into her fears.

“Hurts like crazy.”

“I’m sorry.” Sierra wished she had something to help with the pain.

“Do you think they’ll find us?”

Sierra wished she could tell Dawn no, but she had no doubt by now that Henry and his partner were looking for them. Either Henry or the mysterious T had built the tunnel for a reason. Unless the house came with it. From what she remembered about the home, it had been built several decades earlier. Maybe the previous owner had built the tunnel. But why? Something else to investigate once she and Dawn were free.

Somewhere in the distance, a noise grabbed her attention. What was that?

She listened intently and realized her worst nightmare was about to come to fruition. A rumbling noise ricocheted through the tunnel, getting closer and closer. Dust flew past them covering both in a thick layer. Sierra reached for the flashlight and clicked it on.

“What’s happening?” Dawn exclaimed. Her voice sounded disjointed in the air thick with dust.

“I’m not sure. Wait here. Let me check it out.”

She started to rise, but Dawn grabbed her hand. “I don’t want to stay here alone. What if he finds me?”

Sierra helped her up using Dawn’s good hand.

Even with the light, the dust-thickened air made it hard to see and breathe. The dust filled their lungs sending both into fits of coughing.

“We need something to cover our nose and mouth.” Sierra ripped off the bottom of her T-shirt and wrapped it around Dawn’s face before doing the same for herself. “Better?”

“Much.”

They continued going. The self-made face mask helped protect their breathing, but the dust was playing havoc on Sierra’s eyes that were streaming with tears.

Dawn stumbled on something and fell forward. She screamed when she hit her injured wrist. Sierra went to assist and almost tripped over the same thing. A rock. She moved around it and assisted Dawn to her feet. They kept moving when it soon became apparent that the walking path was littered with rocks.

By the light from the flashlight, Sierra and Dawn carefully maneuvered their way through the debris.

The rocks became more prevalent, making walking impossible. “Let me go ahead,” she told Dawn. “Wait right here, and I’ll find you.”

“Alright,” Dawn slowly agreed.

Sierra stumbled over rocks and finally focused the light as close as she could on the ground and still walk. As the rocks piled up, she found herself on her hands and knees climbing over them. The dust hanging in the air made everything harder to see. She extended her arms and encountered something that filled her with terror. This was it. This was the end of the line. She was positive that the noise they’d heard earlier was the sound of Henry or his partner blowing up the exit to keep them from escaping.

The tunnel that had felt like a lifeline might prove to be her and Dawn’s final resting place.

Chapter Twenty

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