Kitty Hero Chronicles

Chapter 16

If Twitchy and Dach had hoped their journey through the Undergrounds many caverns and tunnels to Rat Alley would be any less creepy and frightening, they were sorely disappointed. Odd sounds echoed throughout the empty chambers, giving off the illusion that they were surrounded by approaching enemies and creatures of all sorts.

Once, they even encountered a colony of bats who surrounded them like a thick, dark cloud. Their shrill cries were enough to make the most brave animal mad, much less Twitchy, who was already nerve-racked by the eeriness of the journey so far.

"If there's anything I hate worse than ratssss, it's their rodent cousinssss batsss," Onyx hissed. "At least ratssss don't have wingssss and are easier to catch."

"How much further, Onyx?" Dach asked. "Twitchy's as nervous as I've ever seen her and then some. I'm not sure how much more of these spooks and surprises her caffeinated heart can take."

"Not much further," Onyx replied, continuing to slither ahead of them purposefully. "Ah, yessss," he said a moment later, as the three of them reached a clearing. "Here it is, Rat Alley."

If they hadn't been looking for it, they wouldn't have even noticed it; they barely noticed it even after Onyx had pointed it out. Directly in front of them, above the archway of the tunnel Onyx started at, the words Rat Alley were carved into the rock of the tunnel overhead. They blended perfectly with the dim lights and moving shadows coming from the tunnel they had just exited.

No wonder the place was considered a myth. Twitchy and Dach had lost count of how many tunnels and crevices they had to traverse to arrive here. It didn't surprise them that not many others knew of its location and it had just dissolved into the stuff of legend over the years as those that had known of Rat Alley had died off, never to reveal its secrets, possibly for fear of the place itself.

An audible gulp escaped from Dach. "Well," he said, "we've come this far. A little further won't hurt us."

"Letssss hope sssso, for all our sakessss," Onyx said.

They moved slowly, entering the tunnel before them, Twitchy and Dach trying their best to keep June in the forefront of their mind rather than the unknown horrors that might await them ahead.

"Follow me, and don't make a ssssound," Onyx said.

"Y-Y-You g-g-got it," Twitchy stammered.

As they drew closer to the tunnel's end, faint lights began to emerge from the darkness, casting more strange shadows on the walls and making their own seem to flee from behind as they continued to grow in length.

With the light, noises of uproarious and mischievous laughter began filling the chamber. They were nearly there now, only a few more feet and they would see the place where June was being held captive. Then they would know what they were up against and, hopefully, how to go about rescuing her.

Emerging from the tunnel, Twitchy and Dach saw what appeared to be a very old, run down shack, with torches leading the way to the entrance. High above the entrance doors, a neon orange lit sign read Club Rat.

"This is it," Onyx said. Twitchy jumped at the sound. They had all been silent for too long, and she had become so accustomed to the noises coming from the club that even his low, whispering voice had registered as a surprise.

From outside, there was no way to tell how many of Vladimir's goons were still inside the club keeping watch over June. From what Java had said, there were at least ten other rats above guarding Kittyville's Fall Festival grand finale proceedings. How many more would Vladimir need to keep an eye on one helpless, innocent cat?