Sarcophagus

The Catacombs

      The underground system spanned for miles, the old tunnels still loomed large under the city streets. The workers went about reinforcing the structure. This old system of tunnels was discovered last year. The city set up a supervisory board to oversee the mapping and e probation of the old lines. That eventua.ly turned into several lines that weren't known to exist. So this project that was supposed to last two or three months, was now dragging into its second year.

The crew just started mapping a new line, one that hadn't even been on record with the city. The more they explored, the less they understood the shaft. The walls were crudely dug and the shoring was at least one hundred years old, the bigger equipment couldn't even make it down this far. The shaft had been gradually declining as well, and still with no clue why it was here.

"I don't know why we are even doing this, who knows where this thing goes?" Frank the foreman thought out loud.

"Frank, you better get down here!"

Frank hurried down the shafts and off into one of the darker fingers. He yanked his flashlight off of his belt, illuminating the way as he hurried down the corridor. Taking a sharp right, Frank emerged into a hidden chamber. Ornate stone pillars with intricately carved scenes reached to the ceiling. Stone tiles lined the walls, this room looked completely different than anything else they had seen up to now.

"What is all this?" Frank gasped as he took it all in.

"I don't know boss, but I don't think this is part of the original system."

"This Stone work looks ancient, maybe we better get someone down here to look at this." Frank stated.

From deep within the bowels of the tunnels, a gust of frigid wind blew through the antechamber. The gust chilled both men to the bone, and left an uneasy feeling in the room. Down from somewhere in the catacombs a road began to swell, and soon it grew to an overwhelming intensity until the cacophony burst forth into the ancient chamber. From the far end of the chamber a stream of dirty, disheveled humanoids rushed into the room. Black teeth gnashing, some of them were holding crude weapons, while others had sinister looking nails protruding from their fingers. Frank immediately turned and ran, fleeing the massive sea of humanity spilling into the room. His co-worker wasn't as lucky, he was quickly overrun by the humanoids, and they began to tear him apart. Frank raced out of the chamber and frantically searched for a way out. There was a cart that was used to transport superiors and vips in the tunnel, with a turn of the key Frank was flying down the tunnel, away from the horrors he had seen, and that began spilling out into the tunnel behind him.

"Get out of here!" Frank screamed at anyone he passed.

***********************************************

The mayor's office was a hotbed of activity. People were running back and forth, phones were ringing off the hook, and a general feeling of crisis hung in the air.

"I Don't care who you get up here with, but I need those tunnels cleaned out." The mayor explained to the person on the other end of the line.

"Joe, just get me a swat team down here, I don't know if anyone's left alive."

"All right Joe, sounds good. I'll have someone from my office down there to meet you and get you where you need to go." The mayor finished and hung up the phone.

"Jill, get me Frank and Stone in here." The mayor snapped into his intercom.

The intercom lit up as she answered back, "on the way in sir."

The two men entered soon after. Frank was a larger man, his skin lined and burnt from years of work out in the elements, his wispy salt and pepper hair peeking out from under his hard hat. Henry Stone followed in behind him. Stone was almost the polar opposite of Frank, Stone was a smaller man, thin and wiry, with his dark hair neatly in place, and his clothes freshly pressed and cleaned. Stone works for the city planning department and he would be sent down to map out the extent of these lines.