the frail vessel would burst asunder.
No, he thought. Not now, not yet, he silently pleaded. It seemed someone heard him, for the pain slowly receded and his heartbeat settled into a more stable rhythm. He breathed a bit easier and raised a weak hand to wipe the thick sheen of sweat from his brow.
The chill in his gut and the sudden joyous laughter that echoed in his mind told him all he needed to know about the effects of his warning.
The beast was free.
Chapter Six: Beneath the Surface
Early the next morning Jake drove his Jeep into Sam’s driveway and sounded two quick taps of the horn, then dug into the bag he’d placed on the floor behind the passenger seat, pulling out a cup of coffee and a donut.
Sam came down the steps dressed in jeans and a Benton University sweatshirt, a pair of thick hiking boots on his feet. Around his neck were slung two cameras and an assortment of lenses. A fanny pack strapped around his waist bulged with additional gear.
'What is all that?' Jake asked, as Sam climbed inside the vehicle.
'Necessities, Jake. You don’t expect me to go on possibly one of the most interesting finds this town has seen in two hundred years, and not bring along some means of recording the event, do you? I just wish my damn video camera wasn’t in the shop, or I’d have brought that along, too.'
Jake chuckled as he handed the coffee and donut to Sam and dug another donut out of the bag for himself. He couldn’t blame Sam for his enthusiasm, he too was anxious to see just what it was that had been worth burying beneath a living river. In the short time it took to cross town and arrive at the mansion, Jake felt his excitement grow.
At the end of Stonemoor’s drive Jake turned left into the construction area proper and parked in front of his trailer, where something caught his eye.
The door to the tool shed was wide open, hanging in its frame by only one hinge.
Jake grunted in surprise, and walked over with Sam at his heels. Jake had experienced robberies at other sites, had even bought a pistol he kept in his desk drawer in the trailer so that he’d feel some protection while working alone at night, but he had never expected to have one here. For a moment he was more surprised than angry. There wasn’t anything of great value in the tool shed. What would somebody want with some old shovels and a pickaxe or two? he found himself wondering.
'Why would anybody want to…' Jake began, and then stopped, his eyes widening in sudden realization. 'The tunnel!' he exclaimed.
Without a word Sam turned to go, suddenly anxious that someone else had beaten him to what he considered the story of his lifetime, but Jake grabbed his arm.
'Hang on. You’ve got to help me with this stuff.' He let go and turned to the shed, pushing the door aside and disappearing within. He returned a moment later with a couple of shovels, a crowbar and a pickaxe cradled in his arms. He gave a shovel to Sam, and kept the other for himself. Then he moved over to the trailer and, unlocking the door, went inside. This time he had a large ring of keys and two battery-powered lanterns in his hands when he emerged. His pistol was stuck in the waistband of his jeans.
'We’re going need these to see down there,' he said, indicating the lamps. 'We haven’t had a chance to string any lights yet.'
They crossed the yard, headed for the front door. As they walked, Jake felt his concern growing. Very few people knew of what they’d uncovered yesterday. Unless some of the crew had shot their mouths off to friends, then it had to be one of his men that had caused the damage they’d seen. After all, they’d be the ones most likely to know just where the tools were kept and what they might need down in the cellar.
His suspicions that someone had been after whatever was hidden in the tunnel were confirmed when he and Sam mounted the steps, only to discover the front door standing half open like an invitation.
That pissed him off. Blake was going to have a fit when he told him about the break-in, and Jake fervently hoped nothing had been stolen from inside. That would make matters even worse. God help me when I find out who did this, he thought grimly.
Behind him, Sam was taking pictures. The click of the camera sent Jake over the edge.
'Will you knock that off, for Christ’s sake?' he snapped angrily.
Sam wisely lowered the camera without a word.
The same gouge marks were in the frame of this door, and on closer inspection Jake recognized them as having come from the notched end of a crowbar. Just to be sure, he hefted the one he had in his hand and laid it against one of the marks. It was a near perfect match.
Looking at the state of the aged oak that made up the doorframe, Jake ruefully shook his head. Add another item to the list of things that need to be replaced, he thought to himself.
He reached out to the door, intending on going inside, when Sam’s voice stopped him.
'Ah, Jake?'
Jake turned, a questioning look on his face.
'Don’t you think we’d better call the police?' Sam asked, nodding his head in the direction of the trailer and the phone he knew to be inside.
Jake thought about it for a minute, and then shook his head. 'Not just yet. I want to have a look around first, try and get an idea of what kind of damage has been done. See if there’s anything missing.' And I want to have a look at that tunnel, he added silently.
The open door beckoned to him.
He opened it the rest of the way with a gentle nudge of his foot, Sam’s request reminding him that he didn’t want to unnecessarily disturb any evidence, and stepped inside, Sam close at his heels.
The morning sun had yet to rise high enough to crest the trees surrounding the property, making the interior of the house dim and gloomy. Jake was forced to turn on one of the lanterns to see clearly.
The entryway looked undisturbed.
'Wait here a sec,' he said to Sam, and stuck his nose into the rooms on either side of the foyer. Everything looked to be in its place there.
Jake didn’t bother going up the stairs directly ahead of him. They led to the second floor and there was nothing of value up there anyway. Besides, for some strange reason he was certain the intruder hadn’t gone up.
He’d gone down instead.
To the basement.
To the tunnel.
'Come on,' Jake said, and crossed the foyer into the dining room and out through the kitchen to the door which opened onto the cellar steps.
Holding the light high before him, he descended.
Once down below he discovered that his suspicions were correct. The tarp covering the stairs leading deeper into the earth had been pulled aside. A crowbar lay discarded next to it.
Jake moved over to the steps with Sam right behind him. A hand gesture told Sam to extinguish his light, which he did, and the two of them stood there in the darkness.
No lights shone up the stairs from below.
No sound reached their ears.
Jake drew his gun and leaned close to his friend. 'Looks like we’re alone but let’s not take any chances. Keep your voice down and follow me. If we come upon an intruder, I’ll hold him at bay while you go back to the trailer and call for help.'
Sam gripped the shovel in his hands a bit tighter and nodded his agreement.
Turning on their lights and moving carefully so as to make as little noise as possible, the two started down the steps in pursuit of the intruder.
They moved down the length of the tunnel and turned the corner to find a large hole excavated in the center
