He lowered his right foot onto the top rung in the waiting darkness, then his left, and hurriedly clambered down into the black depths. He spared a single glance back toward the circle of sunlight as he plunged deeper. Somewhere below, the sounds of Dandridge’s descent abated. A wan light rose from below him, highlighting the rungs just enough for him to hasten his pace. The outside world was all but invisible when the tunnel opened into a larger chamber and he stepped down onto a smooth stone floor.Dandridge stood mere feet away, slowly illuminating the surrounding walls with his Maglite. Preston clicked on his penlight, drew his weapon, and aligned the beam with his sights. The smell was so awful he could hardly breathe. Is this where the man had brought his daughter? Had this horrible scent been the last thing she smelled? Had she contributed to it?The room around them was square, perhaps fifteen feet to a side, each of which featured a lone dark opening leading away from them at the cardinal directions of the compass.
