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"Let's hope so," she murmured, her face pale in the dim light.
With every step, the silence around them grew more oppressive. Finn's heart pounded in his ears, drowning out everything but the distant cries that guided their path.
"I wonder if either of us was a mole in a previous life?" Amelia suddenly questioned, breaking the tension at the appearance of the tunnel around them.
"I like to think I was something cooler than that," he replied without hesitation, his blue eyes meeting hers.
"Actually," she said, nodding in approval. "I think you might be brand new."
As they continued, the tunnel began to slope downward, the air growing colder and heavier. The screams intensified, echoing through the darkness and setting Finn's nerves on edge. He clenched his fists, trying to keep his composure.
"Almost there," Amelia whispered, as if reading his thoughts. "What the hell is going on down here?"
"Something foul," he agreed, his voice hard with resolve.
Suddenly, the tunnel opened up into a larger chamber. The screams were louder now, and Finn could hear the terror in each cry. His heart raced as they stepped into the chamber, their flashlights illuminating a scene that made his blood run cold.
"God help us," Amelia whispered, her hand instinctively reaching for Finn's arm. "You might not like heights, but this might seem like the wrong time to tell you I hate enclosed spaces."
"Stay focused," he told her, though his own fears threatened to leap out of his chest. "We need to find that woman."
Finn and Amelia stepped out of the tunnel, finding themselves in a dimly lit cellar. Stacked wooden crates loomed in the shadows, their musty scent mingling with the damp chill that hung in the air. The screams had faded away, replaced by an eerie silence that sent shivers down Finn's spine.
"Where are we?" Amelia whispered, her flashlight cutting through the darkness to reveal rows of dusty wine bottles and cobweb-draped shelves.
"Castle St Martins," Finn replied, scanning the room for any sign of the source of the screams. "Look, it's some of the same wines. But this section looks like it hasn't been touched in years. It's a different tunnel."
The scream howled again.
"That sounded like it was around the corner," Amelia whispered.
Finn put his finger to his lips and clenched his fists, readying himself. Then, they stepped together around the corner.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Finn felt as though the cellar beneath St Martins' Castle was playing twisted tricks on them both. He and Amelia had rounded the corner, and yet the screams now sounded further away. The cellar was so vast, constructed of warped wooden beams and solid stone, that the echoes were making it difficult to place where they should go.
But still, onward they pressed. They had to.
Now, they were greeted with silence. That silence was even worse than the screams. It was uncertain how those screams had been silenced.
Finn's boots met the cold stone floor of the dimly lit cellar, sending more subtle echoes bouncing off the damp walls. He and Amelia moved cautiously through the cellar, one step at a time. The stale air clung to their skin, a shiver creeping down Finn's spine. The screaming they had been following had stopped. Finn worried what that meant.
Suddenly, Amelia stopped.
"Take a look at this," she whispered, holding up an old map that lay on a small table, clearly used recently. It showed a sprawling network of tunnels moving out throughout the land like blackened veins. "The tunnel system we're in connects Brentford Mansion and Castle St Martins. But there are other houses, too."
"Exactly what we thought," Finn replied, nodding. "Must be how the killer moves around unnoticed."
"Seems that way." Amelia's green eyes scanned their surroundings, alert for any potential danger. Amelia took the map and folded it up, putting it in her pocket. "This might help prove who else is in on it."
Finn nodded. They continued deeper into the shadowy cellar, guided by the flickering light of their flashlights.
As Finn rounded another corner, his sharp ears caught the faint sound of the distressed scream. It was muffled this time, but unmistakable. He signaled to Amelia, pointing in the direction of the noise, and they picked up their pace.
"Did you hear that?" Amelia asked, her voice tense with concern.
"Let's move," Finn replied, his thoughts racing as he imagined what horrors might be waiting for them.
