The Pulptress Versus The Bone Queen: Blood and Bone (7 page)

The doors were a basic iron, rusted with age though they moved easily enough as I tested one of them. It easily swung open with my touch.

I stepped into the mausoleum and looked around. I counted five small cubbies carved into the walls for bodies. Each had a casket carefully locked into place and held there. Plaques lined each shelf, though the names had long lost the battle with time, disappearing to the ravages of the ages. A single crack split through the granite floors running from the back to the front of the building.

Jackson stepped inside and let out a long breath before inhaling deeply.

"This has been disturbed recently," I murmured.

"What?" Jackson asked.

"There's hardly any dust in the air. If no one has been in here in years there should be some kind of dust or something to be disturbed by us." I frowned and took a deep breath.

Aramis stepped inside, "But who would be in here? There's nothing in here," Aramis asked. “How would this be useful at all?”

“I told you to wait outside.” I snapped at Aramis.

He gave a faint smirk, “I got lonely.”

I glared at him, but Jackson kept looking around.

"It does seem a bit small to serve as a super villain's home base, huh?" Jackson said.

I didn't respond as I ran my fingers along the edge of one of the shelves, tracing against the time worn plaque. It ran smooth and clean under my touch, no dust or pollen disturbed by my finger or by our presence in the mausoleum.

"They could've been in here for repairs or a burial. Maybe, someone's died recently," Jackson suggested.

I looked over my shoulder. "Then why are all the name plates faded? If someone was buried here a week or even a few months ago, the name plate wouldn't be faded away and there'd still be some kind of dust or something."

Aramis sighed, "Look, there's nothing in here but caskets and stones."

All three of us looked up when the door creaked closed. I reacted first, rushing to the door to try to get it open again but a distinctive sound of the of chains being dragged and tightened echoed throughout the crypt.

Chapter 6

Jackson ran up beside me and began pounding on the door. "Hey! We're in here, open the doors!"

Aramis rammed his shoulder into the door. It budged only faintly but the sound of chains circling the door handles continued and then a lock clicked into place before clanking down against the door.

Jackson slammed her fist against the metal. "Hey!! Open it up!" She yelled.

I tried to force our only way out to open back up. The chains strained against the force as Jackson and Aramis joined in, pressing with all of their strength. A thin sliver of sunlight pierced into the room, but the chains forced the door closed again.

Jackson caught her breath. "Shit."

I focused on keeping my breathing steady as she looked around for anything I could use to pry the door open with.

Aramis looked at Jackson. "How frequently did you say those gardeners come here?"

Jackson laughed weakly. "If that wasn't them that just locked us in, then I don't know. It could be weeks before they come back." Jackson sank onto the floor, tugging at the ends of her hair.

I tried the door once more before pacing around the room, 6 steps long and 4 steps wide. I sighed and leaned against one of the caskets. It shifted under my weight, sliding further back. I frowned, pulling myself up on the shelf to look behind the casket, squinting against the darkness. I dragged a flashlight from my pack and shone it over the casket.

"There's something back here," I called, "Help me move this casket."

Jackson and Aramis slowly came to my side, each taking hold of one end of the old casket. The three of us carefully shifted it, shaking and sliding it free and off of the shelf. After we lowered it to the ground, I climbed on top of it to get a better look.

In the furthest backside of the shelf was a hole just big enough for one person leading straight down.

"Well, I guess this is it," I said, looking back at Aramis and Jackson.

"Is what?" Aramis asked.

"Our only way out," I said simply.

"I'll go first." I tied my bag firmly to my back. "Wait until you hear from me before you follow."

Jackson frowned, crossing her arms but relenting. "Alright, fine."

Aramis nodded. “And if we don’t hear from you?”

I smiled. “Come after me anyways.”

I held my flashlight firmly in my hand, checking my gun before sliding over to the hole. The flashlight’s dim light only bounced off of steep rock edges but didn’t show me the bottom. There’s no other choice, so I took a deep breath before taking the final push and falling straight down.

I felt like I fell for hours, like Alice falling down the very wrong hole to Wonderland, flashes of bones and dirt briefly illuminated around. I hit a soft pile of cloth and rolled off of it quickly to look around the room.

Carved from dirt and crudely held up with posts, the room was barely high enough for me to not hit my head as I took perimeter. Nothing moved, and the only pathway I could see was a hallway leading off to my left side.

Something landed in the cloth beside me. I jumped backwards, drawing my gun, and only relaxing when my flashlight fell upon Jackson's face.

"I told you I would tell you when it was safe to jump!" I hissed.

"I got worried." Jackson brushed herself off and got to her feet. "This is under the cemetery. I had no idea anything like this even existed. Those legends about the Civil War tunnels under the cemetery were right."

"I don't think anyone knew for sure these existed." I frowned, moving toward the only hallway, shining my flashlight down it, not seeing anything.

A few seconds later Aramis crashed into the cloth and slid to his feet. I motioned for them to follow me and we started creeping down the hallway.

"Do we know what we're looking for?" Jackson asked.

I answered, "Well, we're looking for dead things trying to attack us or a crazed woman trying to kill us."

"Oh good," Jackson muttered. "Here I was worried about being overwhelmed by sunshine and rainbows."

The hallway continued, slowly winding and turning. "Any idea where it's leading us?" I asked.

Jackson pondered for a few moments. "Well, I think right now it's following under the stone path that leads through the rich section, and if that's the case we're heading back toward the mass grave section of the cemetery."

I nodded, ducking under a lower section of hallway, and sighed when it turned yet again.

"How long can this go? It's got to lead to somewhere," Aramis muttered.

"Doesn't mean it's somewhere we want to go," Jackson countered. "This could lead us to a big dead end for all we know."

I shook my head. "I doubt that."

Jackson sighed heavily, shifting her bag of supplies on her back before nodding. "I guess there really isn't any way but forward anyways, huh?" she said as she tucked some of her hair behind her ears.

I nodded, tossing the flashlight to Aramis. "Lead the way."

"Me?"

"You're the one who can 'feel' when the gem's close right?" I asked. "Help keep us on track. I bet this branches into different paths at some point and I'd rather stay on the one that's going to help us and not lead us to a blind stop. Or worse."

Aramis hesitated but finally relented, and began leading the way down the narrow tunnel. He kept the light focused straight ahead, flashlight in one hand, shovel clutched in the other. Jackson walked behind him and I kept up the rear, where I could keep an eye on Aramis and make sure nothing came at us from behind.

Every few steps, he would pause and look from side to side before continuing forward again. The path finally split into three separate directions: one curved sharply to the left, another continued straight ahead, and the third tilted downward deeper into the earth.

"Well?" I prodded when Aramis stood still and didn't make a move.

"I don't know," he admitted. "We're close. Very close, I can feel that, but I can't tell which way is the best way."

"Fat lot of good you are," I said.

"Let's just go about twenty feet down each of them, see if that helps you figure out which one is the best bet, ok?" Jackson suggested.

"Let's start with the left," I offered. Aramis hesitantly began down that path.

The tunnel narrowed until the loose dirt walls were crumbling around us and we had to turn back or risk being buried under tons of earth. Without another word, Aramis headed straight ahead into the darkness of the tunnel. The passage stayed wide as we continued walking forward.

Jackson took a deep breath. "I smell rosemary." She moved past Aramis.

He groaned and hurried after her, and I chased after the two.

"Look!" Jackson called, and I squinted, spotting a small patch of light. Following after Jackson, I saw a flat rock laid out over the earth; sunlight streamed in from the seams where stone met grass.

"This must be where they come in and out of the tunnels. Probably a grave stone or mausoleum." I said as I pushed at the stone above us.

It protested before finally budging and sliding off and falling to the side. Looking out, I immediately, noted I’d been right in my guess that this was a hidden grave hiding the path’s exit. Obscured under a rosemary bush, the stone stayed out of the main view of the cemetery.

Jackson popped up beside me. "This is why they all have rosemary on them. They have to climb through this bush before they get anywhere."

"So we know where they’re coming from exactly," Aramis said, staying in the tunnel, "But that doesn't help us find anything we came here for."

I nodded. "Come on, let’s check the rest of these tunnels. One of them has to lead to her."

"It's always the last place you look," Jackson sighed.

"Because after you find it you stop looking," Aramis said, heading back down the tunnel.

I didn't pull the stone back into place as we all headed back down the tunnel. Better to leave it open to let the sunlight stream in so if we have to get out of here in a hurry, our escape is wide open. I ran my finger over the pistol against my hip and took a deep breath as Aramis led us on the march back the tunnels we’d investigated and to the fork in the path again. This time we turned down the untraveled path.

Sour, dirty clay choked the air keeping the tunnels firm enough though my shoes stuck to the ground, and my jeans would forever hold a rusty blood color from the thick Georgia clay clinging to my pants.

"Anything?" Jackson asked Aramis.

He closed his eyes, and held the flashlight still as he concentrated before he hesitantly nodded. "I think so."

Jackson pulled out her thermo-goggles and looked Aramis over. "Your chest is a little warmer," she said after a moment before pulling the goggles off and rubbing her eyes. "Guess that means we're getting closer, right?"

I nodded. "We've got to be. Keep going, Aramis."

He nodded, pointed the flashlight ahead, and continued creeping down the hallway. Suddenly, he froze and turned off the light.

"What are you doing!?" Jackson demanded.

"Shhh." Aramis hissed.

I pulled my pistol free from its holster and held it up. "I hear them," I murmured. "How many?"

Aramis was silent before I heard him very quietly respond, "Six."

I nodded, and pushed Jackson behind me. "Stay here," I told her.

Aramis put the flashlight away and pulled the shovel from his back.

"You're just going to leave me here?" Jackson whispered.

"All of us rushing in is not going to lead to good things," I responded. "Now you stay here so we can find you again. Come on, Aramis."

Aramis took a deep breath and I briefly wondered if he still had to breathe or not. Shaking my head from that distraction, I crept down the dark tunnel toward the shifting shadows that lurched and tumbled forward.

I could hear them somewhat muttering under their breath, but nothing coherent. I tucked my pistol away; firing in tight quarters in total blackness wouldn't be a great idea. Pulling the knife from my holster, I let Aramis walk forward toward them.

Chapter 7

A few grunts and then the solid thud of the shovelhead hitting something hard drifted back through the darkness. I waited a few moments until I felt something move past me and the scent of rot washed over me. I lurched the knife forwards into what I hoped was the juncture between the neck and chest and twisted.

Dust exploded under my fingers, flying all around me.

Another thud of the shovel sounded just to the left of me, and I ducked backwards, feeling the rush of air of the shovel swinging right by my head.

"Watch it, Aramis!" I growled.

"Behind you, Pulptress!" Jackson's voice called out and I ducked just in time to avoid something sharp piercing through my neck. It caught my hair, cutting through a few inches, but avoiding skin. I put my knife upwards into the groin of the creature behind me. It dropped to its knees and I grabbed for its head and twisted. Something snapped, then burst into dust.