“Afraid not,” Lynn said. “We never open the door to the Kutch tunnel. Not even for the Midnight Tour. It’s totally off-limits. But we will be talking about the tunnel a little bit later.”
Owen heard a quiet snick. The padlock snapping open, he supposed. A moment later, Lynn stood up and stepped to the side.
“We’ll have our own beast do the honors,” she said. “I’m prettier, but he’s stronger.”
Clyde jumped down from the trunk. He sank to a crouch. As he came up, hinges groaned. Then came a heavy metallic clank.
“Thank you, beast,” Lynn said.
He gave her a casual salute, touching the claws of one hand to his brow. Then he stalked away.
“You can come up one at a time, now, and take a good look at the hole. I’ll shine my flashlight down there for you. When you look, try to imagine Lilly Thorn’s beast crawling out of it on a summer night so long ago. A night very much like this one. Okay, who wants to go first?”
In the silence following her question, a faint, distant voice called, “Hellllllp meeee!”
People gasped. Others chuckled.
“Cool,” said Arnold.
“You’ve got someone in there?” asked the camel sweater man, sounding suprised and amused.
“Bully!” proclaimed Bixby.
“Awesome,” said Dennis.
“Probably just a lame recording,” Monica said.
Lynn held up a hand for silence. “Quiet, everyone. This isn’t part of the show.”
“Oh, sure,” Monica muttered.
Several people went, “SHHHHHH.”
“...elllllp!”
It seemed to be coming up through the hole in the cellar floor. A woman’s voice.
“Holy shit,” Lynn muttered.
“Let me through.” Dana’s voice sounded quiet but urgent. “Excuse me. Excuse me. Let me through.”
As those in front of Owen stepped out of the way, he saw Lynn drop to her knees beside the hole and bend over it. “HELLO!” she yelled.
Dana squatted beside her.
“It’s just a big act,” Monica said.
“Shhh.”
“I’m in the tunnel! I can’t get out! My hands are cuffed!”
“Holy shit,” Lynn muttered.
Dana shouted into the hole, “EVE! IS THAT YOU!”
“Dana? Lynn?”
“RIGHT!” Lynn shouted. “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?”
“What the hell took you so long?” asked the faraway voice.
“ARE YOU OKAY?” Dana yelled.
“Been better. Can you get me out of here?”
“ARE YOU ALONE?” Lynn asked.
“For now. But he might come back.”
“Shit,” Lynn said.
Members of the tour began speaking to each other. Owen heard confusion in some voices, alarm in others.
“Is this real or isn’t it?” Bixby suddenly demanded.
“It’s real,” Lynn said. “Please be quiet.”
“We’ve gotta do something,” Dennis said.
“Gotta save her,” said Arnold.
“Somebody needs to call the cops,” said the camel sweater man.
“Where’s the nearest phone?” asked Biff.
“I’ll go call,” said a muffled voice.
Lynn leaped to her feet. “Clyde! We need cops and an ambulance.”
“Got it.”
Looking over his shoulder, Owen saw the shiny white beast spring up the cellar stairs, taking them two at a time.
Behind him, Dana said, “Give me.”
Owen jerked his head forward in time to see her grab the shiny aluminum flashlight out of Lynn’s hand. “I’m going in,” she said.
“No, you’d better just...”
“See ya later.”
Dana dropped to her knees. She shined her light into the hole and shouted, “I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” Then she toppled forward, arms first, and plunged headlong.
In less than a second, she was gone to the ankles.
Her feet kicked.
The soles of her boots vanished into the darkness.
Chapter Fifty-eight
THE RESCUE
From the accounts Dana had read, she’d expected the tunnel to be a tight squeeze. Diving in, she’d feared that she would have to squirm through, flat on her belly.
But the accounts must’ve been wrong. Either that, or the tunnel had been enlarged in recent years.
After a wild downhill skid just below the cellar floor, Dana found that the tunnel had enough room to let her crawl on her hands and knees.
In the lurching beam of her flashlight, she saw only more tunnel ahead of her.
Dark gray day on all sides.
She felt as if she were crawling through a bowel.
Doesn’t smell too good, either.
What is that smell? she wondered.
Something’s dead in here!
“Eve?” she called.
“I’m here.” She didn’t sound very close.
“Where?”
“Just keep coming. You can’t miss me.”
“Is there something dead in here?”
“You bet there is.”
Dana grimaced but kept crawling. The ground felt moist and cool under her hands and knees. She was starting to breath hard from the exertion.
“How did you get in here?” she called.
“Dragged.”
“Jeez. Who did it?”
“Not sure. I went in the house last night...this is Saturday?”
“Right.”
“Midnight Tour?”
“That’s right.”
“Told you I’d make it.”
“Glad you turned up.” Dana stopped crawling and tried to catch her breath.
“Almost didn’t,” Eve said. “But I heard cheers and stuff.”
“That was us. Had an impromptu performance.”
“Good thing. If I hadn’t heard the commotion, I would’ve kept quiet. You get yourself in a place like this, you don’t spend much time yelling, I’ll tell you that.”
“Scared?”
“Who, me? You bet I am.”
Dana resumed crawling.
. “Know why they call me ‘Eve of Destruction? Cause I’m so scared, I make sure to get them before they can get me. Only this time I didn’t.”
“How’d that happen?”
“I got jumped from behind. Big-time. Up in the attic. Got myself creamed. Don’t know who did it. Stronger than shit. Might’ve been a beast.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Looked like a beast. Felt like a beast.”
“Had a lot of...experience along those lines?”
“A matter of fact, yeah.”
Dana panted for air, then asked, “How’s that?”
“My little secret.”
“Shouldn’t keep secrets...from your rescuer.”
“How come you’re the one? Where’s Lynn?”
“I beat her to the punch. Anyway, I’m bigger and stronger. Is this gonna call for brawn?”
“Might. Aren’t there any guys up there?”
“I didn’t wait around for volunteers.”
“Well, I sure appreciate...I can see your light!”
“Great!”
“You’re almost here.”
Huffing for breath, Dana crawled faster. “He dragged you all this way?”
“Guess so. I was really out of it.”
“Must’ve been a job.”
“Yeah. Too bad he didn’t have a heart attack.”
“Do beasts have heart attacks?” Dana asked.
“Not sure he was one.”
Just ahead of Dana, the left-hand wall of the tunnel seemed to vanish.
“You’re here,” Eve said.
Dana crawled the final distance. Shining her light to the left, she found herself looking into a hollowed-out area.
Eve was sitting naked on a rag-littered floor. Her raised arms, cuffed together at the wrists, were suspended by a chain that
hung down taut from a four-by-four ceiling beam. Her skin was striped with scratches and furrows, some shiny with blood, others crusted over.
“Jeez,” Dana muttered.
Eve smiled. Her lips were torn and puffy. One cheek was badly scratched. Her right eye was swollen almost shut. “Looks better than it feels,” she said.
Dana turned her head and shouted over her shoulder, “FOUND HER!”
A moment later, she heard Tuck’s faint voice. “How is she?”
“I’LL LIVE!” Eve shouted.
Tuck’s faint voice called back, “Dana? Can you get her out okay?”
“Tell her yes,” Eve said.
“How’ll we get you out of the cuffs?”
“We’ll manage.”
“ILL GET HER OUT!” Dana yelled..
After a short pause, she heard Tuck call out, “Holler if you need help.”
Dana nodded. To Eve, she said, “We’ve got an ambulance coming. And cops.”
“Somebody better call the coroner, too.”
Reluctantly, Dana eased her beam of light away from Eve.
Two other people hung by chains from the center beam.
One looked as if it used to be a child. Not enough was left for Dana to tell whether it had been a boy or girl. The other body still retained one breasts, though it was missing a mouth-sized chunk where the nipple should’ve been.
Hunching over, Dana vomited onto the rag-covered floor.
People’s clothes.
Wave after wave of painful spasms racked her body as she choked up a burning flood of stomach acid and cheeseburger and beer and maybe even the Red Hot Beastie Weenie that she’d eaten for lunch. Tears ran from her stinging eyes. Her chest hurt so badly she felt as if she might start coughing up her lungs and heart.
At last, the spasms subsided. She gasped for air.
“Are you all right?” Eve asked.
“Those people...they’re eaten.”
“Yeah.”
“God! Are you okay?”
“I’m not missing any parts. Not yet.”
“What’d it do to you?”
“Nothing that hasn’t been done before. Let’s get me out of here.”
Though Dana still held on to the flashlight, it was half buried in the floor rags. She raised it and shined the beam on Eve. The brightness climbed to her raised arms, to her cuffed wrists. “Are they your cuffs?” she asked.
“Might be. I had ‘em with me.”
“Where did you keep the key?”
“Pocket of my jeans.”
Dana began shining her light on the scattered clothes, searching for blue jeans. A couple of times, she accidently glimpsed the ruined bodies but didn’t allow herself to focus on them.
She spotted a rumpled pair of jeans on the floor not far behind. Eve. To reach them, she crawled between Eve and the body of the woman. She bumped against Eve.
Eve winced.
“I’m sorry.”
“No problem. I’m a little tender here and there.”
“I’ll bet. My God.” She got to the jeans. Kneeling, she lifted them with her left hand and shook them open. These yours?”
“Wranglers?”
“Yeah.”
Groaning and wincing Eve turned herself halfway around. She peered at the jeans from beneath an upraised arm. “They look like mine.”
Dana set down her flashlight. With her right hand, she began to search the pockets. “What were you doing in Beast House last night, anyway?” she asked.
“Looking for a beast.”
“Guess you found it.”
“It found me. Whatever it was.”
“There’s nothing in the pockets.”
“Are the pocket linings shredded?”
“No. I don’t see any tears.”
“Okay. I guess that settles it.”
“Settles what?”
“It wasn’t a beast.”
“What?”
“I had my doubts.”
“It had to be a beast,” Dana said. “Look what it did to you...and to them!”
“Beasts don’t go around emptying people’s pockets,” Eve explained. “if they want something out of a pocket, they dont reach in—they rip the pocket to shreds. But that isnt the only thing. How’d he get through the padlock on the hatch?”
“I don’t ... ”
“With a key. I’ll bet everything looked normal up there tonight.”
“Yeah.”
“So he had to use a key. And tha’s no how a beast would do it.”
“You said it looked and felt like a beast.”
“Didn’t smell like one.”
“Huh?”
“Beasts don’t smoke cigarette.”
“You think it was a guy in a beast suit?”
“Scoobie-doobie doo.”
“Fuck.” Dana muttered. She dropped the jeans. With her left hand, she picked up the flashlight She shoved her right hand down the front pocket of her shorts. “You think it was Clyde?”
“Could’ve been, I guess.”
Dana pulled out the pistol. “He’s on the tour,” she said. “He runs around in that authentic beast sult. And he smokes cigarette.”
“Does her Pulling downward with her arms, Eve drew the chain taut.
Dana scurried over to her. She stopped very dose to Eve’s back. In the pale beam of her ftashlight, she saw that Eve’s shoulders and back were seamed with claw marks..
Just like Warren!
Clyde did it all! Attacked Warren, tearing him up and sodomizing him and making him always afraid. Dragged Eve in here, ripped her...
“Might not’ve been him,” Eve said.
“Did he:..rape you?”
“I got nailed pretty good,” Eve said.
With that big fake cock with its mouth and teeth?
“I’ll kill him,” Dana said.
“Let’s leave the killing to me. I’m not really sure who or what did all this.”
“It had to be Clyde,” Dana said. “He’s got the beast suit. He smokes. And he probably has keys. I bet he does have a key to the cellar hatch. He’s in charge of the whole operation whenever Tuck’s away.”
“He’s sounding pretty good for it.”
“Oh, God!”
“What?”
“He’s the one who went off to call the cops.”
“Or maybe not,” Eve said.
Dana shined her light on the handcuffs. Stretching out her right arm, she pressed the muzzle of her pistol against the thin, shiny chain connecting the handcuff braclets. Blasted apart, it would free Eve from the heavier chain that suspended her from the ceiling beam.
“Wait,” Eve staid.
“What?”
“After you fire, we won’t be able to hear ourselves think. We’ve gotta do our talking now. One shot should take care of things. But keep at it till I’m loose. Then give me the gun.”
Dana almost smiled. “It’s your gun, anyway.”
“Yep.”
“Thank God you gave it to me.”
“Soon as I’m free, I want it back. After that, best thing for you to do is get out of my way.”
“What about the flashlight?”
“I’m not gonna leave you down here in the dark. You keep it. If you can stay fairly close behind me, maybe you can light the way.”
“I’ll be right on your tail.”
“Good deal.”
“Ready?” Dana asked.
“Do it.”
Thrusting the muzzle hard against the chain, she pulled the trigger. The pistol bucked in her hand, blasting out a tongue of fire. The BLAM! smacked her ears and left them ringing.
Eve jerked her arms down.
It worked!
Twisting around, Eve snatched the pistol out of her hand.
And dropped it.
She snarled out a word that Dana couldn’t hear. Then she shook both her arms and Dana realized that they must be numb. As she kept on shaking them, Dana picked up the pistol.
Eve fle
xed the fingers of both hands, shook her arms some more, flexed her fingers again, then nodded and reached out.
Dana put the pistol into her right hand.
“GIVE HIM HELL!” Dana shouted into her face.
Eve’s head moved up and down. Then she twisted away, lurched forward, fell to her elbows and knees and scurried up the tunnel.
Clutching the flashlight, Dana crawled after her
Chapter Fifty-nine
THE ATTACK
After shouting a few questions down the hole to Dana, Lynn stood up and turned to the group. “I guess we got more than we bargained for. The way things look, we’ve walked into a brand new chapter in Beast House history. Apparently, one of our local police officers, Eve Chaney, somehow got abducted and taken down into the tunnel. It sounds as if she’ll be okay, Dana will probably have her out of there in a few minutes. If not, I’m sure she’ll be safely rescued by the emergency personnel who should be arriving shortly. You’re all welcome to stick around. But as for tonight’s tour, I don’t see much chance of going on with it. You’re certainly free to leave. If you can, stop by the ticket booth tomorrow. We’ll either give you a full refund, or...If I run a special Midnight Tour tomorrow night, how many of you would be able to make it?”
Owen raised a hand. So did Darke, Vein, Dennis, Arnold and Bixby, Among the three couples that appeared to be married, no hands went up. Owen couldn’t hear what was being said, but he figured they were probably talking it over.
“That looks pretty good,” Lynn said. “I’ll definitely run a tour tomorrow night for those of you who can make it—assuming that it’s not impossible for one reason or another.”
Done conferring with his wife, the camel sweater man said, “I believe we’ll be able to stay over for it.”
“Great,” Lynn said.
The cellar door banged shut.
Owen looked over his shoulder and saw Clyde bounding down the stairs in the beast suit.
“Couldn’t get through,” a voice announced The muffled sound seemed to be coming from Clyde’s mask.
“What do you mean?” Lynn asked him.
“The phone’s out.”
“The office phone?”
“Right.”
“You couldn’t go someplace and find a phone that works?”
The beast shook its head.
“You’re a lot of help.”
The massive white shoulders shrugged.
“I have a cell phone,” said Eleanor, the tennis lady.
“It won’t work down here,” Lynn said. A moment later, she said, “But it’s worth a try.” Holding out a hand, she said, “Here, let me see it.”