Entanglements (10 page)

I lifted the grate and set it aside before climbing through and lowering myself. Ahead, the tunnel lay brightly illuminated by battery operated construction site lights on tripods. Billy and Quinn stood near the brick wall while Juliette hovered nervously nearby. Billy had a chisel and hammer. He worked at the mortar while Quinn pried out bricks before tossing them aside. They had a good third of the wall down already.

Franky, paced next to Juliette talking to her but I couldn’t hear him over Senji’s shouts. As Billy and Quinn worked, Senji yelled at them to stop.

“We were here first,” Senji screamed. “You’re cheating, you total dicks.”

 
“What’s cheating? You aren’t at the morgue first. We are.” Billy chuckled, continuing to tap the chisel.

“Guys stop.” I rushed forward. “You could make the tunnel collapse.”

“Ha,” Billy said. “If it isn’t crazy Kizzy.” He didn’t stop. Neither did Quinn.

“Come on. Don’t be stupid.” I walked toward them. “People got killed here a couple years ago. That’s probably when they put up the wall.”

“Nice try.” He said glanced over his shoulder. “But we’re going to win this race. You squares are gonna be outa the spelunking business.”

“That’s enough.” Quinn tossed down one last brick. “We can climb over the rest.”

Senji, who’d been holding a length of curled up rope, dropped it and charged forward. He grappled up the half-wall but was quickly plucked off by Quinn and flung to the ground. Billy held back a scrabbling Franky before pushing him easily into a sitting position.

Hoisting himself over the remaining bricks, Billy entered the gap first followed closely by Quinn. They disappeared for a few moments. After a while, Billy’s head appeared over the bricks.

He hopped back through to our side and motioned to Juliette.

“Come on, baby. It’s so great in there.”

She moved toward the wall and put her hand in his preparing for him to lift her.

“Juliette,” I called. “Don’t go in there. It’s dangerous.”

“Don’t worry, Kizzy.” By this time she sat on the edge of the wall. She scooted over and disappeared over the other side before peering back at me from the opening. "Billy will keep me safe."

“You’re damn right I will,” Billy said. He climbed back through and joined Juliette and Quinn.

Senji, still complaining loudly, vaulted after them.

“Kizzy?” Franky searched my face. “Should we go in?”

I paused for a few seconds. Finally, I spoke.

“No, but I guess I’m going to.”

With Franky scurrying after me, we went.

The construction lights, partially blocked by the wall, cast a shadowed light into the morgue giving it an almost blue appearance. Nothing remained to identify it as a room of the dead except for the two wood slabs, one lying on its side. Metal rings had been affixed into the wall. I’d seen similar rings in other locations in Savannah where blacks had been kept during the dark days of the slave trade. The chains linking the men and women had been run through the wall rings to secure the people from escape. Paper, bottles and unidentifiable instruments littered the floor.

Something else on the floor caught my eye and I found my attention riveted to the spot. A stylized letter with the upper sweep designed in a spiraling circle had been drawn on the concrete. Even though it was faded with age, the design so closely resembled my tag, I had to examine it twice to note the small segment that closed the K into an R.

“Omigod.” I pointed the letter. “Look at this.”

Senji stopped his continued harangue about how he had in fact won the race and squinted through his glasses at the floor. He broke out in a guffaw.

“There,” he yelled triumphantly. “Kizzy arrived first. Her tag proves it.”

Billy stepped around Senji, pushing him aside. Consternation crossed his face.

“That isn’t Kizzy’s tag.” Billy's tone was defensive.

“Yeah.” Quinn, who had been shining a flashlight down the tunnel a few yards away, turned and stomped back to us. “It’s faded.”

“That’s her tag. Right Kiz?” Franky asked.

“Ummm.”

“Tell the truth.” Billy took hold of my upper arm, squeezing it in an angry pinch, and jerked me toward him.

“Get your hands off her.” Franky struck Billy in the back with his flashlight.

Dropping my arm, Billy rounded on Franky and punched him in the gut, knocking him into the wall. The weight of him brought down the remaining bricks like a wrecking ball. Senji hopped on Billy’s back, his arms closing around the bully’s neck. Quinn tried to pry Franky off as Billy bucked.

As the threesome wrestled and lurched, Billy managed to dislodge Senji in a twisting motion and Senji fell into me. I slammed to the ground landing on my hands and knees on top of the letter design. Pain ripped through my leg along with the realization that the cut on my shin had reopened.

I felt Juliette at my side bending to help me up. A sonic boom sounded, shaking the room and the R began to pulsate with a black tinged violet glow. The spiral of the circle lurched a few inches counterclockwise and then lurched again. I knew what was coming.

“Get out! Everyone. Out.” Scrambling to my feet, I screamed as I backed away from the design.

The lurching of the circle quickened to an easy turning motion and the paper trash on the floor ruffled in the wind. Juliette stood at the edge of the moving circle gazing into it with a look of wonder. The four guys continued to wrestle and scuffle, ignoring me—and the spiraling floor—so close to where they struggled.

Franky threw a punch into Quinn’s stomach. The blow barely dented him. The punchee lifted a meaty fist and brought it down onto the top of the smaller teen’s red head, causing Franky to stumble back two steps. On the third step, Franky’s right foot hit the swirling circle and disappeared as if sinking into quicksand. The loss of a foot upset his balance and as he began to topple. Franky’s frantic eyes flew to mine.

Juliette screamed. The diameter of the swirling had increased and was pulling her in. At her cry, Billy, Quinn and Senji finally noticed something wrong. Billy rushed toward his girlfriend and Senji toward Franky.

“Kizzy!”

Swiveling I saw Rom enter the morgue. I don’t believe I’d ever been happier to see anyone in my life. If reincarnation was possible, I wouldn't be happier in any other lifetime either.

“The rope,” I yelled, pointing to the coil at his feet. “Toss me an end and try to tie the other on something.” Before I’d even stopped speaking he moved.

When I turned back the scene that met my eye was horrific. Juliette was trapped to the waist by the whirlpool that had been the floor. She screamed as she clung to Billy’s hands. He strained and pulled but she only sank deeper. Debris and trash disappeared into the swirling as if being vacuumed by a cosmic force. Senji had an arm locked through one of the metal rings in the wall as he grasped Franky’s hand with the other. Franky lay on an angle, mired up to his thighs on one side and to his neck on the other. Quinn stood like a petrified statue in the corner of the morgue, barely visible.

On the opposite side of the swirling circle, two figures protruded as macabre inversions of Franky and Juliette. The only visible portion of one figure consisted of boots and black trousered legs. Next to that one was another figure, an angled lower body with bony feet, hairy bare arms and legs.

Rom strode past me, but I stopped him with a hand to the arm.

“No,” I screeched. “Let me go.”

Rom cupped my cheeks with his hands as he shook his head. His eyes scorched me with their intensity.

“You must not be lost in the vortex.”

The breath caught in my throat at his words. Rom’s caring meant more to me than I wanted to acknowledge just then.

“I won’t.” I took the rope from his hands. “But I need you on the other end of this. You’re stronger.” He seemed to understand I was saying that he could pull us out of the morass I was about to go into, but I doubted if I’d be able to do the same.

Rom seemed visibly torn with indecision.

“Come on,” I said.

He nodded and helped me to tie one end of the rope around my waist then he secured the other end around himself.

“I can’t hold on much longer,” Billy cried out.

“My arm feels like it’ll be pulled off,” Senji yelled through gritted teeth.

As secure as I was going to be, I edged toward the swirling circle—Vortex, Rom had called it. My tentative steps tested the ground until at last I felt a portion under the tips of the toes of my right foot fall away as if I were at the edge of a precipice. I suppose I was.

The hairy figure’s flailing arm swooped in an arc before landing in a thump on Franky’s arm. The teen’s scream echoed in the tunnel above the increasing sound of the rushing wind. Franky’s hold on Senji’s hand broke and he sank out of sight, his piercing screams silenced.

Diving into the vortex, trying to hit the spot I’d last seen Franky, felt like landing in clear Jell-O. Sight I had, but sound seemed muffled. The interior of the vortex had the consistency of a long fleshy looking tube, like the television footage I’d seen of a camera down someone’s throat. This throat worked and sucked with incredible force at swallowing us all.

Over my left shoulder, Juliette struggled from the waist down. Her legs kicked. Although I could tell she was trying to use all the strength she possessed, her legs moved in almost slow motion. Ahead of me on the right was the man who seemed to be in almost a mirror opposite position to Juliette. While his legs and hips were above the vortex entrance to the morgue, his head, chest and arms were below. He wore a white shirt. Together with the boots and trousers I’d seen, he seemed to be dressed to ride horses. His face was barely visible beneath the medium length brown hair whipping around him. But I did see a sly smile on his lips. The man clearly was enjoying this.

The hairy man who’d been angled was gone. He must have escaped the vortex just as Franky was lost in it. Forcing my head to move, I spotted the familiar red head a few feet below me and to my left.

I relaxed my body, gave up resistance, and moved quickly to my friend. The tips of our fingers touched. His head tilted back and he gaped up at me. I’d never seen such fear in anyone…except perhaps Adam. I reached for him. Before I could take Franky’s hand into mine, the convulsions of the vortex took him down and he vanished.

Stunned, I didn’t move. Then I saw a figure coming from below. For a moment my heart leapt in hope. But the head of this figure had long flowing black hair and even at this angle I could tell it was a woman. She sped toward me as if swimming with a current. Finally face-to-face, her exotic features of yellow eyes, high cheekbones and full red lips, fascinated me. She smirked as she gazed into my eyes. Her lips widened to a grin before parting to reveal a full mouth of pointed, razor sharp teeth. Her hand, with claw-like nails, reached for me.

I don’t know what would have happened if the rope at my waist hadn't jerked me violently back and up. As I was dragged, the monstrously beautiful woman moved down and away. As I neared the surface, I saw Juliette sinking. Terror filled her eyes and her mouth was wide in a silent scream. I thrust out a hand to her but she was too far away for even brief contact.

The pull of the rope almost split me in two, but it tugged me ruthlessly up. The swirling area of the vortex had shrunk to no bigger than a basketball by this time, but I made it through. As I broke the surface of the vortex, I gulped in a heaving breath. I hadn't been conscious of oxygen deprivation, but it seemed my body had. The drag continued until I lay like a beached whale on solid ground.

I wiped the sweat from my face, pushed the hair out of my eyes and took in what was happening around me and saw the back of the great hairy figure as he lumbered away down the tunnel in the direction of the grate. Billy kneeled at the side of the shrinking vortex crying Juliette’s name over and over. Quinn hadn't moved from his statuary position in the corner. Rom and Senji wrestled with the figure I’d come to think of as the horseman. Well, actually Rom and the figure struggled and Senji hung on the side of the horseman like a barnacle.