Quietly, Quiggly stepped into the darkness as he stealthily approached and steeled himself. The next sound could mean the difference between life and death. The ground trembled, as if there were a herd of elephants inside. He could hear low mumbling and the smell of rotting food wafted toward him. Finally, Quiggly could make out the faint outline of what appeared to be a large pot sitting at the foot of one of the graves. An emaciated hand, clutching a mop, pointed into it. Suddenly, one of the graves erupted, releasing the most horrific stench that Quiggly had ever smelled. What looked like a mummified hand, with long, gray fingernails, was visible, gripping the edge of the gravesite and reaching out for Quiggly, as if it wanted to grab him. Startled, Quiggly let out a scream that echoed through the hollow. "What in the hell," he mumbled as he tried to grasp what he had just seen and heard. He looked at the grave that he had been staring at a moment before. No! It couldn't be. He bent down toward the grave and ran his hand over the soft ground. _It was wet!_ But that was impossible. They never buried anything underground. Quiggly stepped back and stood in the shadows, waiting and watching for movement inside. The smell had increased, but when he looked inside the grave, all he could see were two small, dark spots under the mop handle. Quiggly swallowed hard and rubbed his eyes. The blackness in the cave was getting deeper. Then, an unmistakable sound filled the cavern, something he'd heard before. He watched as two yellow eyes glared at him, causing the hair on his neck to stand on end. _The eyes of God!_ A large, white hand shot out of the grave, grabbed the mop, and was pulled back. A figure emerged from the hole, emitting a powerful stench that made Quiggly gag. He put his hands over his mouth. "Hurry, my boy. You can help. And hurry." Quiggly gagged as the smell from the grave rose from his shoes. He had no doubt who he was looking at. It was the devil himself, rising out of the grave of the damned. "Quickly, hurry. The time is at hand," the foul stench emanating from the figure, told him. "What do you want from me?" he asked, backing away. "To save a life," the demonic being said, reaching for him with its clawed, elongated hands. "Savor. I have a little something to go with this," it said, holding a long, filthy, dirty tube in his hand. It raised the container to his lips and put the mouthpiece to his mouth. Quiggly tried to pull it away but it clung to his lips. The maniac shoved it in his mouth and a thick liquid filled his mouth. It burned, then stopped burning. He thought he felt a sharp pain in his throat but it couldn't be. It was dark. Quiggly opened his eyes. His nose was full of the stench of death. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't speak. He tried to reach for his throat, but his hands didn't respond. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. He couldn't speak and there was a pain in his stomach. All he could do was keep going down into that black hole. ## # Chapter 28 Manny's throat burned, sending pain down his body. His stomach was hurting. The smell in the air was overwhelming. His hands, still clutching the door handle, were numb, but there was a tingling in his toes, which told him he wasn't in total darkness. He had to try and get a grip. He started pushing the door, trying to get it open, but it wouldn't budge. _A window_ , he thought. He looked to his right and saw a long window. He tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. The window was also covered with layers of dirt and black thatch. _There must be a catch._ A sharp smell invaded his nose. He rubbed his hand over the window and ran his fingers over the edges. Something was on the other side of the glass. He pushed his fingers into it. The smooth, cold glass felt hard. He got one of his hands through, and then the other. He pushed them down, but couldn't find anything to grab on to. His stomach tightened, and he retched. All he could see was darkness, all he smelled was a putrid smell, and all he could taste was death. _He couldn't breathe_. He tried to inhale but the air was too thick. The odor of decay rose from the window. It took all his will power not to throw up. There was nothing to grasp on to. He couldn't see anything through the grimy window. _The darkness was closing in_. He started to panic and started to breathe heavily. "What do you want from me?" He screamed. His voice echoed through the crypt. His skin was breaking out in goose bumps. He'd made his way into some sort of crypt. He couldn't move. There were no lights, just some sort of glowing green light, and the feeling of death. His back was to the door and he saw a flickering blue light. The light moved, causing him to jump, but then he realized it was the reflection of a man entering the crypt. Quiggly! What in the hell was he doing here? Manny looked around, trying to figure out where he was and what to do. His chest was on fire. The pain spread into his lungs. It was so bad, he couldn't catch his breath. He heard a voice in the dark, shouting words, but they didn't make any sense. Manny tried to make a noise, but he couldn't talk. He was still trying to catch his breath. His heart was racing. He was hyperventilating. He was freezing, he was getting light-headed. His body trembled and he couldn't feel his feet. He couldn't hold his body up anymore. He fell down to his knees. "Manny, Manny, Manny." He heard the voice again. It sounded as if it was close by. "Manny, I'm sorry. Please, don't hurt yourself, Manny," the voice said. "Mr. Gunderson." "Manny." "Yes." "I'm sorry, Manny." "Quiggly, what in the hell are you doing here?" "I tried to save him." "That's stupid. He's dead!" "I tried to save him. He's in pain." "You have no idea what you're talking about." "I know it all hurts. That's all I can do to help." "Quiggly, there is no one here." "I know. That's why he came here. You asked for help." "You should be trying to stop him, not help him. He is the one that kidnapped the boy. He killed the boy's father." "I know." "I heard you calling out." "I've been there." "Oh, I'm so sorry. I tried to keep you from going there." "I had to go." "I was not going to tell you." "I didn't want to know." "What's it like?" "Dark." "My God, Quiggly. What did you do? What did he do to you?" "I was born there." "I can't even imagine what that's like. That's worse than dying. Quiggly, it's okay." "I can't help. I'm not a part of this." "You can't help him?" "No." "What about the boy? What about that poor boy?" "The boy is gone." "Quiggly, there is so much evil in this world." "I don't know how to help. I am not a part of it. I've tried to give him comfort but I can't." "Quiggly, you have to stop, or else you're going to hurt him. If he sees you, he will attack you. He is much worse than a dog. It's time to let him out, Quiggly." "The key? You have it?" "Yes." "Where is it?" "Inside his casket, right next to his hand." "Thank you, God. Thank you, for letting me get through the key. I couldn't find it." "I'm going to use the key to get the boy back, to put him someplace safe. I tried to talk to him. He wants his daddy. He doesn't care what happens to him." "I know." "It's too late to save him. I have to try and save him." "What do you mean by _it's too late?_ " "I'll get the key. Don't go, okay? Please don't leave me here alone." "Don't worry.