by RL Edinger
“Damn it,” Andrew cursed angrily. “Didn’t the authorities find any other trace of them in all this time?”
“No, not according to Peter,” Megan answered.
“This complicates things greatly. He sighed. “I need to find them all and time may be running out.”
“What about Sheriff Delsmann?” Megan asked.
“Are you up to more French?” Andrew had a devious grin on his face.
“Oui,” Megan smiled back.
Talia parked her car a few blocks down from the Victorian house. She turned the car off and reached for the briefcase on the back seat. Talia opened the briefcase and turned on the monitoring equipment. The judge had denied her request for wiretapping Knight’s phone. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so Talia took matters into her own hands.
She keyed in the frequency and placed the headphones on. Talia listened. She heard Andrew and Megan enter the house. Talia heard Megan say ‘Let’s go into the family room.’ She then heard Andrew respond ‘okay’. At the moment, there were only footsteps and the sound of Megan putting the candy and balloons down. Talia listened more intently, but wasn’t prepared for what she heard next.
“What the hell,” Talia cursed. “He’s speaking French!” Talia couldn’t believe it. She berated herself that she never finished learning French. Either Knight had totally lost his mind, or he found the bug. But how, the device was a nearly invisible clear strip. It was the most advanced electronic listening device ever made. She surmised it was time for some old school tactics. Hopefully, Knight was still suffering from amnesia, and that way he wouldn’t suspect being followed. Talia closed the briefcase and started the car. If he did have his memory back, well, it wouldn’t be good.
Chapter 8
The room was black. A strong musty smell filled Chloe’s nostrils. The walls felt cold and damp to the touch. Chloe didn’t know what day or hour it was. She didn’t even really know where she was. Chloe tried to move, but her hands felt like they had been glued together. She lifted them up and touched them with her lips. It wasn’t glue but a thick rope. When Chloe tried to stand up, she couldn’t do so. Her legs were bound in the same way. She heard soft moaning coming from somewhere in the dark.
Roxanne moaned softly when she opened her eyes. There was only blackness. Her hands and legs felt heavy, almost burdensome. She brought up her hands and touched the side of her face. She was right, they were bound with rope. A swirling of odors filled her nose and she didn’t like it one bit. Roxanne heard some rustling around in the dark; she wasn’t alone.
Chloe shifted her body to a more comfortable position. She decided to take a chance that the moaning was from someone familiar.
“Roxanne?” Chloe called out. She waited for an answer. ‘I’m here Chloe’ she heard.
“I’m glad you’re alright.” Chloe started to cry. She didn’t exactly know why she was crying; maybe it was tears of elation.
“Me too,” Roxanne replied. “So where are we exactly?”
“I think were in the catacombs beneath JFK Prep,” Chloe answered, though not really sure. But what her instincts told her, it might be.
“How did we get here?” Roxanne asked.
“Someone knocked us out and carried us down here.” Chloe replied.
“Who would do that?” Roxanne asked.
“Probably the same person who did it to those kids,” Chloe said.
“So you think they’re okay?” Roxanne asked.
“I hope so,” Chloe replied.
“Do you think someone is looking for us?” Roxanne’s tone was unsure, and Chloe picked up on it immediately.
“Um, they probably are,” Chloe gauged her words carefully. “But they may have given up since there was no trace of us.”
“Are we going to die?” Roxanne’s voice trailed off. Chloe didn’t answer. Roxanne pleaded, “Are we?”
“The one who can help us has no idea we’re here.” Chloe finally replied.
Father Michael stepped from the confessional to see Andrew kneeling in one of the pews. Father Michael walked over and sat down next to him.
“What brings you here my son?” Father Michael asked as he removed his stole. He put the Bible and the stole beside him.
“I need your help,” Andrew answered with whisper and his eyes closed.
“What kind of help?” Father Michael asked.
“We need to talk somewhere private,” Andrew continued in a whisper. “I’m being followed. The person is in the last pew to our left.” Father Michael was about to turn and look, but Andrew told him not to. “He’s from the Sheriffs department. Apparently Sheriff Delsmann feels I need a shadow.” Father Michael nodded that he understood.
“The Confessional is always open my son,” Father Michael said loudly, he picked up his stole, kissed and placed it on himself. He grabbed his Bible and headed to the confessional. Andrew made the sign of the cross, put the kneeling board back into place, and entered the confessional.
Andrew knelt in front of the screen.
“Bless me Father for I have sinned,” Andrew said, making the sign of the cross.
“How long has it been since your last confession,” Father Michael inquired.
“Too long,” Andrew confessed.
“What are your sins,” Father Michael asked.
“I did not do my job,” Andrew first confessed.
“How is that?” Father Michael queried.
“I haven’t found the missing teenagers yet, or Wyatt,” Andrew explained. “And now my daughter has disappeared along with Roxanne Turner.”
“How did this happen?” Father Michael further asked. “You are the best I know.”
“Do you know about the catacombs out at JFK Prep?” Andrew asked.
“They were sealed off when it was still the seminary,” Father Michael replied. He put his Bible beside him. “I was there when they did it. Why do you ask?”
“I believe that everyone that is missing, is locked away somewhere in the catacombs,” Andrew answered. “That’s why the authorities haven’t found them yet.”
“They were sealed!” Father Michael was resolute.
“There were no hidden doors, at all?” Andrew asked.
“How do you know about that?” Father Michael was caught off guard.
“I had a friend of mine at the Bayport Daily Herald, pulled all the information from the last fifty years about JFK Prep,” Andrew explained. “In the story about the fire, the reporter mentioned the catacombs beneath the seminary. It also mentioned that there were several secret entrances built just in case of emergency.” Andrew paused, and leaned closer to the screen, “I believe that whoever took the teenagers, along with Chloe and Roxanne, used one of those entrances to hide them all in the catacombs.”
“There were more than just catacombs,” Father Michael finally confessed. “There were also several rooms used for storage along with living quarters. A person could literally stay down there for months and be able to survive.”
“So they could still be alive?” Andrew breathed a sigh of great relief. He was afraid that his mission would be one of ‘recovery’ and not ‘rescue’. He pressed further, “I need to know where one of the entrances is?” Father Michael whispered the location to Andrew.
It was time to leave, so Andrew thanked Father Michael and left the confessional. When Andrew exited, he saw that his shadow was still there. Andrew walked past the man, pretending not to notice him and preceded out of the church. The man followed a few minutes later. When he emerged, Andrew’s car was still there, but Andrew was nowhere to be seen. He had seemingly vanished into thin air! The man cursed and began a frantic search of the area.
As soon as his shadow took off, Andrew sat up in his car. How stupid for the man to not even check for such easy rouse. Andrew was sure that Sheriff Delsmann would have a long talk with her man. Andrew started the car and took off.
A crisp winter wind rustled through the bare branches of the trees. The full moon
shone across the land creating patches of light and shadow. Among the shadows and light, a dark figure crept towards the empty church.
Andrew paused at the side door. He gave the handle a twist and pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The sanctuary of St. Ambrose reminded Andrew of the grand churches in Europe.
Andrew walked up to the altar. Andrew knelt down to examine it. As he ran his fingers underneath the edge, Andrew suddenly felt the recessed switch that Father Michael told him about. He pushed it and a secret panel opened in the middle of the back of the altar. Andrew crawled through the opening and into the darkness. Using his hands and feet as a guide, Andrew descended the stairs which led him to a small chamber. Andrew felt his way around the room. On the wall, he found oil lanterns hanging on the wall. A little further, his hand found a light switch. Andrew wondered if it would work after all these years. He gave the switch a twist. There was a quick spark of electricity and the light bulb filaments began to glow with life! That’s when Andrew noticed not only one, but three branches of passageways leading away from the room he was in. Andrew knelt down to examine the dirt floor. He was looking for any signs as to which passageway was used. Since the dirt was compacted, it yielded no signs. Andrew decided to take the one on the right first. He grabbed one of the lanterns just in case, lit it, and headed down the passageway.
The passageway was carved out of the surrounding dirt and was lined with bricks and cedar posts for support. The wood smelled musty and looked rotted. The mortar between the bricks was starting to crumble and chip away. A string of clear light bulbs ran along the wall.
Andrew walked cautiously down the passageway. He hadn’t gone too far, when it came to a dead end. A brick wall had been built to block off the passage. Andrew turned around and headed back to the room he had just come from. As soon as Andrew got there, he took the passageway on the left.
Sheriff Delsmann arrived at JFK Prep with several deputies in tow. They blocked the entrance with their cars and immediately exited. The groundskeeper had phoned in a report of someone entering the St. Ambrose chapel. Talia was almost certain it was Andrew. She more than suspected that he in fact, had discovered the bug on the balloon bouquet. Why else would he have spoken in French? This time his rouse wouldn’t work and also, he would not escape.
Talia and her deputies quietly approached St. Ambrose chapel. She motioned for all of them to take a knee. She laid out her plan. Talia explained that she wanted half of them to secure all exits from both the chapel and the dormitory. If they did see Knight trying to leave, they were to use maximum force to apprehend him. Talia instructed the remaining deputies to come with her and search the chapel. When she had found out that Andrew lost the deputy trailing him, she was extremely upset. She ripped the deputy up one side and down the other. Finally, after she had calmed down, Talia went to see Father Michael. She confronted him and threatened to put him in jail for obstruction and aiding and abiding Knight in his criminal activities. Talia had also threatened to inform the archdiocese with the news of his recent activities. Father Michael finally succumbed and told her what he had told Andrew about the secret entrance to the catacombs. Talia thanked him, and then issued a warning that he was never again to help Knight. Talia had all deputies did a weapons check. Once she was satisfied, she led her group into the chapel as the others went off to secure all the entrances. Talia smiled because at some point today, Andrew Knight would be wearing a pair of handcuffs.
Hidden among the shadows of the bushes and trees, Talia and her men were being watched. She watched with great intent as Talia and her men entered the chapel. She would have to be stopped. It was a risk, but one they were willing to take. No one was going to be allowed to discover the unholy ones that were locked away. With immense stealth, they moved along the safety of the shadows. She quickly stopped and withdrew behind the trees as they saw the deputy standing guard. In silent precision she withdrew the crossbow and notched the arrow. Taking aim, she fired! The arrow whizzed with deadly accuracy though the air, finally finding its mark. The deputy fell to the ground, an arrow protruding through his throat. There was no cry for help. From the shadows, she moved to the door and entered inaudibly into the chapel.
The passageway on the left also proved to be a dead end. Andrew was now on his way down the center one. All of the light bulbs had been removed about fifty feet down the passageway. Andrew had to use the lantern to see the rest of the way. He had tried several doors, all which were unlocked. Most of them were storage rooms with dust covered shelves and cans of vegetables. One of the rooms that Andrew found kind of interesting had several book shelves and a couple of desks. It was probably a library of some sort. He had examined some of the books. Most were of a religious nature.
Andrew left the room. He was about some hundred feet from the beginning of the passageway. That’s when a faint moaning sound was heard. Andrew shone his lantern in that direction. There he saw a heavy wooden door. When he tried it, Andrew discovered it was locked! Andrew set the lantern down. Andrew removed the lock pick kit from his pocket and once he selected the proper tool, started on the lock. Andrew smiled when the lock finally ‘clicked’, indicating that he had succeeded in opening it. Andrew retrieved the lantern and after opening the door, shone it into a rather large room. That’s when he saw several bodies lying on the floor.
Andrew stepped through the opening and knelt beside the first body. It was a boy with thick black hair and he had several earrings in his left ear with a beaded chain running to one in his nose. The boy wasn’t moving, so Andrew checked for a pulse. He was alive. Andrew moved onto the next. He was a rather thin kid with frizzy black hair. His breathing was shallow. Andrew rose and strode over to the three girls lying huddled together more towards the back of the chamber. Andrew again knelt down putting the lantern next to him. All three girls, one whom was dressed gothic, and the others whom were dressed Victorian, but wore the black makeup and hair like the rest, were also breathing slowly. Andrew recalled the descriptions that were given to him by their families. The boy with the frizzy hair was Jazz and the one with the earrings was Seth. The two Victorian girls must be Melissa and Gabriel. The girl Andrew was next to was Amber, and lying beside her, was Chad. Andrew retrieved his lantern and relit it. Andrew took out his phone. He had no signal. He put his phone away and continued the search. Andrew walked down the passageway and hadn’t gone very far when he saw another door.
Talia and her deputies spread out in standard formation as they approached the altar. They quietly and carefully made their way amongst the row of dust covered and rotting wood pews.
The choir balcony offered the perfect overview of the pew rows below. It was the perfect view for a hunter to have of their prey. She loaded the crossbow and took aim at the nearest deputy.
Talia and her deputies abruptly stopped at the end of the rows of pews. She turned to instruct them, when the deputy furthest to the rear lurched forward, gurgling. The next thing Talia knew, he crashed into the pews. She held up her hand for the others to stay in place and ran over to check on him. Talia shone her light on the man. There was blood dripping from his mouth, and an arrow protruding from his neck!
“He’s been shot!” Talia screeched, and watched in horror as her other deputies were attacked. She dove for cover. Talia heard one of the deputies return fire. The bullets struck the wood of the balcony just above her. Talia peeked up in time to see him stand to take aim at whoever it was on the balcony. There was a soft whizzing sound. He flew backwards on the pew with a thunderous crash that echoed across the wall of the chapel. Talia rechecked her weapon. She shone her light towards the back of the chapel. There she saw a set of stairs leading to the balcony. Talia swallowed hard, she reached for her radio, and called for assistance. The other deputies acknowledged they were on the way. She warned them to take extreme caution when entering the chapel and that there was a shooter in the balcony.
Chloe awoke when she heard what sounded like footsteps coming fro
m somewhere in the dark. She nudged Roxanne. Chloe heard Roxanne stir and finally she too was awake.
“What is it?” Roxanne asked groggily.
“I heard a noise,” Chloe answered.
“Who is it?” Roxanne asked worriedly. “Is it the person who brought us in here?”
“I don’t know,” Chloe replied. They listened further.
Andrew put the lantern down and tried the door handle. It was not locked. He stepped back and with great force; kicked open the door. The sound of aged wood cracking filled the passageway. Andrew rushed into the room with lantern in hand. The smell of death immediately fell over him. Andrew took out a handkerchief and covered his mouth. As he shone his light across the room, Andrew saw several skeletons. There must have been over a dozen. Andrew stepped further into the room. Scrawled in blood on one of the walls were the words ‘Tod für die Untoten!’ Andrew translated it aloud, “Death for the Undead.” He felt ill to his stomach. Andrew left the room and closed the door. He bowed his head in silent prayer for the souls of those who he had found in the room. Andrew continued on his way. He hoped to find Chloe and Roxanne soon.
The holy ground of St. Ambrose chapel was covered in blood. Talia and her men had stormed the balcony. They were not prepared for the blood lust unleashed upon them. As soon as they cleared the stairs, the killer attacked. With deadly accuracy and unyielding fury the blades of steel slashed through the frailty of flesh. Talia and her deputies didn’t even have a chance to get off a shot. She watched her deputy’s fall down one by one before her eyes. Talia somehow had managed to escape back down into the chapel, but dropped her service piece along the way. She was unarmed. Talia crawled on her belly beneath the pews. She found refuge behind the pulpit.
Andrew stopped at the final door. It also was unlocked. He opened it quickly and rushed inside.