UNPSYCHIC.

Case 01 :: Chapter 10

Noelle and I exchanged bewildered looks. The thought that there was a hidden tunnel leading to god knows where just blew my mind. I fished for my phone in my back pocket, which miraculously survived the whole ideal with a mere crack on its tempered glass. Switching on its flashlight feature, I directed the beam towards the hole; an imperfect circle around three feet in diameter. 

With caution, I leaned my head into the void, still holding my phone to illuminate the interior. A rusty ladder that was secured to an inner wall of metal greeted my line of sight, which descended at least ten feet down before disappearing into darkness, out of reach from the artificial light of my phone.

"Danni could be down there," I thought out loud, the profound fear that settled in my gut seemed to grow and gnaw at my insides. "You should stay here while I check."

I glanced back at Noelle. She raised an eyebrow as though offended by my words. "I'm coming with you." 

I may have gawked at her for too long, as she clicked her tongue in an impatient tone and brushed me to the side so she could have access to the makeshift tunnel. Before I could object, she jumped into the cabinet and climbed down with ease despite her injury. When her head was the only part visible of her, she glared at me with razor sharp eyes.

"Are you just going to stand there?"  She rolled her eyes before disappearing entirely. 

"W-wait!" I clambered into the cabinet and then into the hole after her. Doubt that maybe we should have waited for the police crossed my mind. But Danni's face soon pushed those thoughts away.  Dear lord if anything was to happen to her…

I shook my head before my mind  even reached that grim idea, and just focused on my descent. Now halfway in, I realized I wouldn't be able to hold my phone and go down at the same time without ensuring that I wouldn't drop on top of Noelle's head, so I tucked my phone back into my pocket and descended into the darkness. I barely took two steps in and the musty smell of earth and rust pervaded my senses. The space was a bit cramped for a full adult to comfortably traverse in it, with my shoulder blades just a hair away from touching the inner wall.

Despite the feeling of claustrophobia, I went on, one cautious step at a time. I looked back up from where we came in, and the entrance appeared to only be a speck of light within the darkness of the tunnel. Then, glancing down, I had no idea how much further we have yet to go as I could no longer see my own feet. I could only hear Noelle's footsteps as they hit each metal bar. 

Using that as a guide, I followed her rhythm. Timing my descent with hers. For some unexplained reason, this calmed me. It was true when they said that when one sense was removed, the other sense heightened to make up for--

"Ow!"

Too lost in my train of thought, I failed to notice that Noelle stopped climbing down and my right foot had stomped on something hard. "Shit, was that your head? I'm sorry. I couldn't see you."

I could almost hear her grumble in response, possibly a curse. As I descended the few remaining steps, my foot then hit on something earthy; the ground. We could be at least thirty feet underground and none would be the wiser that such a place existed in this house. 

"Find the door." Noelle said in a breathy voice. Having descended this deep, I wouldn't be surprised if the oxygen level here were low.

I outstretched my hands, waving it around. Surprisingly, it looked like the space at the bottom of the tunnel was roomy enough to make it difficult to even locate a door.

Both of my hands then grabbed something firm but soft, and I made another squeeze to determine what it was. But before my mind could figure it out, a searing pain spread under my chin and I stumbled backwards. The back of my head hit a wall and I then found myself butt first on the ground, groaning as I massaged the soreness of my jaw.

"That was not the door." Noelle seethed at me. I could almost imagine the fire burning in her eyes, a burning passion for my ultimate death. "Find it using your phone!"

"Sorry." Good thing the darkness masked the heat rising in my face and I fished for my phone. Another crack was now visible once the screen illuminated, possibly obtained when I fell. 

With the flashlight on, I angled my phone directly in front of me. Noelle looked away, arms crossed close to her chest almost in a protective stance. Straying my thoughts from what had transpired earlier, I turned my device around the interior. 

The space was almost just as big as the bathroom upstairs, and there was a metal door adjacent to the ladder. The ear tingling creak of the rusty door echoed within the tight space once Noelle jerked it open. Pointing the beam towards the now opened door, what laid before it sent a shockwave down my spine.

It was a short hallway, with two slim doors at either side.  Based on their distance with one another, it appeared that they all could be closets of some kind. The walls were covered in dirt, the musty stench of earth more potent. But what got my attention was a larger, metal door that stood slightly ajar at the end of the hallway.

This was the place I've been dreaming.

"You've dreamt of this place?"

I didn't realize I said that out loud. "Ever since we moved in, I kept having this weird dream of this very hallway." I gulped down the tension that seemed to form in my throat as I continued. "Through that door at the end, there should be an autopsy table."

Without waiting for any reaction from Noelle, I crept forward. The tight confines were bound in such stillness that our light footfalls echoed loudly. My jagged breath caused a flurry of dust to fly haphazardly in front of my face, while cobwebs stuck themselves to my clothes as I neared the metal--

Mmmmmphh.

I paused from my steps and turned, causing Noelle to collide into me. I steadied her by the shoulder. "Did you make a sound just now?"

Just as she shook her head, something caught my eye behind Noelle. Despite the darkness, it appeared that a darker shadow quickly passed by. I raised my light to see what it was. 

And yelped in surprise when I discerned the figure of a young boy.

I found myself landing on my butt the second time in this place, my phone toppled off from my grasp as I pushed my legs backwards, putting as much distance from what I just saw.

Noelle just stood there and gawked at me. I opened my mouth but no words came out so I pointed behind her instead with a shaky finger. 

She followed my gaze and turned behind her. But the little kid was gone. I made a grab for my phone and angled it around to illuminate the entire space but he was nowhere to be found. 

"What did you see?" Noelle slowly crouched as she studied me, no doubt seeing how unnerved I was.

I could feel my heart breaking through my ribs. I inhaled and exhaled long breaths until my heartbeat steadied and I was sure I didn't put myself in the throes of a heart attack. 

"A...boy. Ghost...I think." I explained between gasps. What other explanation was there? 

It was only for a split second but his features were seared in my memory. Lifeless eyes, hollowed cheeks, pale complexion and the filthy clothes he wore could pass off as discarded rags. But what shook me more was his lips being grotesquely sealed shut by a copper wire. Crimson red dripping down from the puncture wounds, while his left arm was raised and was pointing at the door beside him.

I clambered to my feet and rushed towards the door in question. Pushing it open, an audible sigh of relief escaped my lips.

"Danni." I whispered and kneeled beside her small frame. 

The sudden panic that pumped my veins finally disappeared when I felt her strong pulse beneath my fingertips. I did a quick check on her and confirmed that she had no visible injuries for now.

"Hey." I said gently when she stirred and slowly came to. "Are you--"

The rest of my sentence was cut off from an object beside Danni's head. Adjusting the light of my phone, my heart skipped several beats when hollowed eyes stared back at me.

Hollowed eyes of a skull.