Chapter Four
The darkness blanketed the tunnels, making it nearly impossible for the humans to see. Angela clung to her husband as they stood under the entrance, letting their eyes adjust. Dermot took one step forward slowly, encouraging his wife to do the same; they stayed as silent as they could, trying not to alert the 'vampire' and his hostage to their presence. They walked through the tunnel; every step they took was taken with caution and every breath they breathed was slow and heavy. They were taking no seemed like an eternity before the tunnel branched out, making them choose their path. The two of them stood still, waiting to hear any signs of life-They should have been able to hear Vancha-the tunnels were silent-but Vancha was fast and had rocketed ahead of the pair. "Which way?" Angela mumbled shakily."I don't know." Dermot sighed in reply "We could..." His sentence was cut short by obvious screams of anger coming from one of the tunnels; It must have been Vanchas voice because they hadn't heard anyone else down there and the woman had been gagged. "STUPID HUMANS!" he yelled, causing Angela to jump with fright. "He thinks he's a vampire, doesn't he?" she cried quietly. Her husband nodded, not that she saw, but she didn't push him for a spoken answer; simply followed him as he began to make his way down the tunnel from which the voice had echoed. The voice grew clearer and louder as they walked-no longer shouting, its words were soft and slow, as if it was talking to a toddler. When the Shans had gone as far as they wished-or rather, as far as they risked to go without being caught-they stood, and listened. "I'm the good guy." Vancha sighed, for what seemed like the one millionth time. "We. Are. The. Good. Guys. The vampaneze are the bad guys. They've been killing the people." Dermot felt his wife tighten her grip on his arm, and felt the need to reassure her. He didn't see why, they were currently in the middle of the sewers following a mass murderer and a hostage in the slight hope of finding their deceased son, there wasn't much that would reassure her.
"He's just talking nonsense, Ang. Just…" He stalled "Just concentrate on finding Darren, Yeah?" He flicked his head around, nearly too fast, just as his sentence had ended. More Voices coming from the darkness behind them. Momentarily forgetting about Vancha and his hostage, he grabbed his wife, dragging her into one of the other adjoining tunnels. She didn't question it-she had heard the voices too. They sat in the shadows, breathing slowly, trying not to make a sound, as the voices-as well as their footsteps-grew closer and closer.
"D'you think Vancha made it?" A young voice questioned-a hint of recognition sparked in their brains. The voice seemed so oddly familiar, but yet not at all.
"I certainly hope so." Came a reply "If not, then we shall suffer greatly when the time comes to fight." Fight? Who would they be fighting? There was no one down here but themselves and Vancha, who, apparently, was their ally. They didn't have time to linger on the thought though, as four shadows emerged at the entrance to the tunnel Dermot and Angela were hiding in, walking past as quickly as they came-though that didn't mean Dermot hadn't been able to get a good look at them. Two of them had been of men-whether young or old he could not tell-but they were both quite tall, one more than the other. The third had been of a woman, her hair tied back in a ponytail, and the fourth? Well, he assumed the fourth-a small figure, that could be not yet have hit double figures in age-was her child.
"Stay silent, and follow me." Dermot instructed as the figures passed. He walked back down to the tunnel entrance, and stuck his head around the corner-now able to see what was happening. The four figures had continued down the tunnel and were now entering what appeared to be a large room, turning on their torches as they entered.
"Stay quiet." The female voice instructed, as they searched the room using their torchlight. It was only when the light hit the shorter males face, that Angela gasped, muttering words to herself.
"Did you hear that?" The man asked, but everyone appeared to shake their heads.
"Hear what?" The woman asked.
"Well, I swear i just heard...no…" He paused "It's ridiculous."
"What is ridiculous?" The older male questioned, to which the younger one sighed and replied.
"Well, It...I...I think i just heard my mother."
