Chapter 6 - The Face in the Dark
Before anyone could stop her, Lily grabbed the iron handle of the trapdoor and pulled upward with all her strength. The heavy wooden panels creaked open, lifting outward to reveal a dark, pitch-black stone staircase leading down into a damp concrete vault.
From the absolute blackness of the abyss, a pair of trembling, frail hands reached upward into the sunlight. A raspy, desperate voice cried out, "Lily... please, my child... help me..."
Lily gasped, staring down into the darkness as a pale, terrified elderly woman with white hair peered up at her from the underground prison.
