Tunnels underneth the ground. Dense opresive feeling. Moist filled the air. Echoes in the wet darkness.
'I really doubt we should proceed.' said a young woman police officer. The man clad in long cloak moved her aside and stepped in.
'Follow me.' was his short command. Whatever lurked there in canals half-full with rainwater and rubbish he clearly didn't care.
Police she-officer on the watch obeyed reluctantly. True, she had knew the worst is before her. She glared at the back of the Worst and noticed as he swayed his wide hat a bit left to let the water pour off it:
'She knew we're after her. Awake and alert she will avoid us forever. These cannals are like mating octopuses, what a maze!' she pointed out.
They walked half-calf deep awfully stained water. Stench was breathtaking for a fair-hair police woman. She probably should has saved her breath as the followed one didn't care. Now she gasped, thrilled, not only seeing but also feeling little live things traveling through the water.
Rats of course, what was strange, all heading the same course. Certain determination in these wet rodents, as the swarm rushed in rapture crossing intruder's way. The both of them stopped. Tall man with wide had observed small creatures in stillness and sharp, amused smile he showed up while looking back above his shoulder at the other one.
'We're close.' he said the statement with appreciation.
Police officer couldn't share that kind of enjoyment in such a proximity of wet rats swarming. But she clearly understood the vague meaning of the information.
'Nothing as romantic as a sewer, Master.' she sighed with a sense of humour one gains after having so much to do with wordplays.
The tall hatted nodded and said in by-the-way manner:
'Romans did a perfectly functional canals leading water for them.'
Then he turned in the direction all rats were escaping from and rushed. His she-companion followed, or better to say she tried to.
'Ehm, Master, I'm stuck.' the police woman alerted in alarming voice, though far from shrieking. She was not a panicosa, certainly not. 'I try with all my might. Perhaps the water stream is too strong...' the fair-hair officer explained herself.
The Worst-so-called looked at her scoldingly, then came back and stand really close. Face to face with him she was sheltered in umbrella-manner by front part of his wide hat. Without word he embraced her and swiftly took her on his arms like a little baby. Then turned slowly but steadly as if she was no burden at all and came the way they had to follow. Indeed it was upwards a rush water stream. These rains recently and the fact this was the main cannal, if judging from its width.
Considerable amount of time passed. Finally the water level ceased, the narrow walkway appeared by cannal walls just an inch or two above stirring water. The cloak clad man put the police woman on that narrow, slippery pavement.
'There. You can walk now.' he stated, as he assumed what he mentioned through the water higher than his ankles. Police officer did her best to follow his pace. Not easy, though, and wet stone paves furthered the difficulity. She made it, though, this way they covered a few hundred metres. Then the cannal met another in form of letter T.
Quite a distance from the crossing the man slung a gun and rested it on his shoulder of the hand he used to carry it. This brought a caution to police officer. Today she had a flamethrower bend safely on her back. Now she stopped to bring it to more handy position. The cloak clad man didn't wait for her nor even slowed down. She rushed hastily to even with him, catching ballance with great reflexes and she managed to avoid falling down. The water-wadeing companion showed with open hand and streighten arm she should wait so he turn the so-to-say-corner first.
Then he did.
Fair-hair woman panted a bit after that quite challenging short-run. Then she heard hussling hiss. And then:
'Hello.' with that amused tone she knew so well, spoken by the wide hatted no-longer-man she cooperated with.
Low hiss changed a bit in more gurgling predatory groan. Sound of something big wadeing. Police officer turned a corner and pointed her flamethrower at unearthly, pure predator just in time to hear her master asking:
'Are you a virgin?' in buisness like, technical manner she heard so far just once, and was too embarassed to answer at the time.
Huge, more than twenty feet long double-jaw monstority turned its long head as if with interest.
'Do you understand English, ma'am?' long cloak clad man with remarkeable wide hat asked seriously again the creature he was sent to slay.