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HENRY'S PLACE had turned up bupkis, same as Drury Mills and the Bullocks, making Hess Farms the next location on the list Ana and Hopper were gradually making their way through

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HENRY'S PLACE had turned up bupkis, same as Drury Mills and the Bullocks, making Hess Farms the next location on the list Ana and Hopper were gradually making their way through.

Darkness had descended upon the pair, driving from place to place, as the hour grew late. Ana had misgivings about investigating the suspicious properties at night, so much could be shrouded in shadows, but both her and Hopper seemed to sense they were working against an ever ticking clock.

Silence encased the cab as Hopper drove. Ana's leg was again bouncing in disquietude, causing the revolver in her lap to gently hop with each downward beat, but her hand came to rest upon the weapon in an effort to still its jostling.

When they arrived, Hess Farms had a Lynx box truck parked out front, an observation that drew from Hopper the comment, "looks like somebody's home." The realization did nothing to settle either of their nerves, though.

The front door creaked inauspiciously as the police chief turned the handle, hopefully not loud enough to alert the residents of unexpected visitors. Hopper entered the residence first, his gun and flashlight trained, prepared for any surprises that may arise during their unprompted visit. Ana trailed behind, her own firearm similarly at the ready. The home appeared empty, at the moment, but a solitary coffee cup on the dining room table, and a used ashtray balancing on the arm of a nearby sofa chair, told them that the property wasn't permanently vacated.

Too, there was a high pitched whirling sound emanating from inside the house. The noise fluctuated in time with the dimming and brightening of the overhead lighting. Yeah, Ana and Hopper were definitely in the right place, but did they want to be?

The couple proceeded through the home silently, checking each room as they came upon it, thankfully finding no surprises lurking behind each corner. Finally, they came to a bedroom where the sound seemed to reverberate loudest. "Where's that coming from?" Hopper verbalized for the both of them.

"It's definitely below us," Ana said, tucking her gun into the back of her jeans, and dropping to her knees. "I can feel it through my shoes." The consistent pulsating caused the same sensation as having held a leaf blower for too long. A tingling numbness followed the high-frequency vibrations, which expended up from the floor and through their limbs.

From her position on the ground, Ana could see an orange glow issuing from beneath the bed at the center of the room. Her eyes tilted up towards Hopper as she rested back on her haunches. "We need to lift this up," she instructed while gesturing towards the mattress.

He did so with impressive ease, and beneath the bed frame lay a secret stairway. What awaited them at the bottom of it was anyone's guess. Before the couple began to descend, Hopper turned to Ana and instructed, "you need to stay behind me and stay safe. No matter what." For once, she didn't bother to argue with him.

Below the first floor was a room filled with machines and various contraptions, and, unfortunately, the room was occupied. Ana and Hopper could faintly make out the sound of men speaking in another language over the blood pumping through their ears. Thankfully, the men seemed none the wiser to their intruding presence until Hopper decided to yell, "hey, dipshits!"

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