Part 2 — The Entrance Nobody Used
(Part 1) ➡️ https://storiesworld.us/archives/9855
Several nights later, Eli led Sean through a quiet section of downtown Portland.
Most businesses had already closed.
The streets were nearly empty.
The city felt different after dark.
Older somehow.
Like pieces of the past were still hiding in the shadows.
Eventually they reached an aging building squeezed between newer structures.
At first glance, there was nothing remarkable about it.
But behind it, hidden from public view, was a rusted doorway partially concealed by debris.
According to the story, this was the entrance.
Sean expected excitement.
Instead he felt uneasy.
Painted on a nearby wall were faded words.
NO RETURN
The phrase immediately caught his attention.
He joked that somebody had a strange sense of humor.
Eli remained silent.
Together they descended a narrow staircase.
The temperature dropped almost immediately.
The sounds of the city faded.
Each step carried them farther underground.
Soon they found themselves standing inside a maze of old brick tunnels.
Some corridors stretched into darkness.
Others disappeared around sharp corners.
Water dripped somewhere in the distance.
The air smelled damp and ancient.
Sean couldn’t stop imagining how many people had walked these passages over the last hundred years.
Sailors.
Workers.
Criminals.
Perhaps even people who never found their way back out.
The deeper they went, the quieter everything became.
Eventually Sean noticed something strange.
There were no rats.
No insects.
No sounds of movement.
Nothing.
The silence felt unnatural.
Then, somewhere ahead of them, they heard a noise.
A soft sound.
Barely audible.
At first Sean thought it was the wind.
Then it came again.
And this time it sounded unmistakably human.
Someone was crying.
(Part 3) ➡️ https://storiesworld.us/archives/9857