Ink Portals

The gates of hell

34

Genevieve knelt down by the fireplace and pulled out the hearth, shuffling inside on her haunches until she could stand up inside the chimney.

"A hidden entrance?" Arthur said, crouching down behind her.

"That's right," Genevieve said, kicking off her stilettos and reaching up into the dark space above her head.

"We're going in there?" Abby said.

Genevieve didn't respond to the obvious, she climbed up into the chimney until her coat-tail disappeared from view. Abby gave Arthur a doubtful look. He shrugged and ducked into the mouth of the fireplace. Abby contemplated staying behind and waiting for them. She looked back at the stark room with the plastic sheet over the window, crinkling in the breeze, then decided that she would be better off sticking with the group.

Arthur switched on the flashlight in his phone and tucked it into the breast pocket of his shirt, making for a hands-free torch. The light illuminated a ladder with steel rungs covered in black soot. It was made from welded round-bar, fixed to the inside of the chimney; the first rung started at chest level, as not to be visible from outside the fireplace.

"You see that?" Genevieve called down from somewhere up in the chimney, "the soot on the ladder has been disturbed recently, he definitely went this way."

Arthur saw smudges on the rungs where the soot-residue had dried out in small circular patterns, like cloudy bubbles; a tell-tale sign of a tentacle's suction cups.

"How did you even see that without a flash light?" Arthur called out to her.

"I see quite well in the dark," Genevieve replied from the blackness overhead. "I would appreciate it if you didn't point your light me."

"Come on, I'll boost you up," Arthur said, looking back at Abby, who hunched down and scooted into the cramped space.

Arthur interlocked his fingers to form a foot-hold for Abby then hoisted her up to where her feet could reach the bottom rung. She grasped the ladder and pulled herself up into the darkness. Arthur followed her up to a small landing at the top of the ladder where Abby and Genevieve stood huddled together. Genevieve, being the guide, took the lead climbing down another ladder at the opposite end of the landing, Arthur and Abby followed close behind. They now stood at the opening of a small tunnel, held up by wooden beams. Genevieve ducked down and crawled inside. Abby hesitated and took a step back.

"It's ok," Arthur said, taking her hand, "I'll look out for you. Or do you want to wait for us up here?"

Abby shook her head, glancing back the way they had come. She didn't need to ponder what it would be like sitting alone in that dark, clammy room. She reluctantly ducked into the tunnel, not letting go of Arthur's hand. The narrow space gave them no choice but to move close together in a line formation, with Genevieve leading at the front.

"You sure you don't need the flashlight?" Arthur asked.

"No, thank you," Genevieve said. When she turned to look over her shoulder the thin, vertical pupils of her cat-eyes closed almost completely against the light from Arthur's phone. They followed the winding tunnel downwards as it kinked back and forth, deeper into darker depths. It was steadily getting hotter and more humid the further they went. Arthur slipped on a loose rock, his phone fell out of his pocket and landed face-up, drowning out the light coming from the back.

"Don't let go of me!" Abby said, frantically searching the darkness in front of her with outstretched hands.

"I'm right here," Arthur said, holding out his arm for her to grasp onto. He patted the dirt floor of the tunnel and found his phone.