It didn't stop the good Reverend James Anthony Sylvester from reciting the good book though. He repeated those words every chance he got as if the words in that book would salvage the unholy direction his soul had taken. As if the soothing balm of holy water would ease away the burn that came with the sin the man had laid down in his life.
"Look, this'll be an easy haul." Tony said, nodding towards the building and brushing off Rev's concerns. "Look at it. Ripe for the pickin'. Just like I said. This is the place"
"I don't like this Tony." Rev went on again. "Thou shalt not trespass on thy neighbor! That's in the bible."
"Don't start the ten commandments shit again." Tony seethed, making a face as if he had tasted something sour. "Take another hit of that bottle. You'll start feeling real warm and spiritual like."
"Tony there ain't nothin' worth a thing in there! When a zillionaire like Knight dies, they clean out the joint." Rev insisted, his words slurring as he put out a hand to balance himself against Tony, fingers digging into the man's shoulder and twining into the rough and tattered fabric of the shirt that Tony wore. This was a little more big time than either of them was accustomed to. Tony liked to consider himself a long term con-man, always having a plan and a scheme in mind to get a few extra bucks.
In the life they lived, being able to earn a few bucks on the sly and disappear to another town was just life. It was a dangerous one and one that could lead to trouble if they took a misstep.
What lay in that building could help them out of any rut they managed to fall into. It could make things easy for a long while. Lord knew, things had never been easy… Both of them had their fair share of liquid courage before heading out to the lonely old building at the edge of town, tucked away in the more industrial district.
"Rev, you gotta think about it." Tony urged, pulling Rev a bit closer so that he could physically direct his attention to a lone guard coming out of the shadows and into the light as he made his rounds, checking every door and circling the building. "You see that? You think they got guards on this place for nothin'?"
"Tony I got a real bad feeling about this…" Rev fretted as the guard passed them by and Tony tugged at Rev's arm to get him to stumble his way out of their hiding spot.
"Yeah, well I've got a good one. People like Knight? They got gold and silver on their plumbing fixtures. Now come on, before the rent-a-cop comes back."
They both stumbled up to the main doors, Tony quickly pulling out the crow bar he brought along with him and jammed it into the door, using the end to pry open the lock. He worked the crowbar back and forth, jamming it between the door and the frame until it slowly began to give as the lock buckled under the pressure.
"Tony look!" Rev pointed out, pointing to a large sign on the door, advertising Danger and Keep Out in big, block lettering.
"Oh that's just to scare people away." Tony insisted as he worked the crowbar into the lock, starting to wedge it open.
"Well it's working!" Rev insisted. "I'm scared!"
Tony rolled his eyes, but a triumphant grin quickly replaced that expression as there was a click, the edge of the door giving away as the lock was forced open with a pop.
"See? Things are lookin' up!" Tony pointed out. He didn't wait to see if Rev followed. Rev always followed. Like a lost sheep. Ironic really…
The door lock was busted, but Rev still pushed it closed behind him as they both slipped into the building. It would be obvious it was tampered with on a closer inspection but hopefully the passing guard wouldn't look too close, considering he just checked it a few moments before. It would give them some time.
"Dark in here…" Tony muttered softly, walking slowly as he let his eyes adjust.
"Dark as hell Tony… Dark as hell…" Rev muttered and Tony gave a soft tsking sound as he glared at his friend.
"Would you knock it off with that stuff, Rev? If you so pure and all, you shoulda stayed with the church."
"You know I woulda…" Rev muttered softly. "You know what happened."
"Yeah, the bottle happened." Tony snapped at the man. "The bottle started all that crazy talk about freakin' demons and… Whatever voodoo you keep goin' on about."
"You was in the life too Tony, don't even start. You know what's out there." Rev shot back and Tony shrugged.
"I ain't seen nothin' but crazy folk Rev," Tony shot back, though after a moment sighed, nodding in defeat. "Yeah I know. I know what's out there, but ya don't talk about it! Not anymore. We ain't in that life no more."
Rev shot Tony a glare, a huff let out as the pair walked deeper into the building. It was massive but it was also a mess. Old filing cabinets and boxes were shoved everywhere. It looked as if they were cleaned out in a bit of a hurry. Tony glanced in and picked through a drawer or two but it didn't look as if they were going to find anything in the old cabinets. Eventually they came up on a couple of power boxes and for a moment it seemed as if things were looking up as Tony grabbed the switch of one and pulled it. Nothing happened…
"See Tony? This place ain't even got power." Rev insisted.
Tony frowned, staring at the switch as if it had offended him. He moved on to the next, pulling it down and pushing it into place to connect. This time sparks flew like some bad sci-fi movie. There was a loud pop as sparks flew from the ceiling here and there and slowly emergency lights flickered to life.
"There… Now let's go grab some of that gold plumbing." Tony urged, grabbing ahold of Rev's coat and yanking the man along with him. As inebriated as Rev was, he stumbled, nearly falling and was forced to hang on to Tony to keep his balance as the two stumbled through the halls.
Most of the doors that jutted off the hallway looked to be empty offices. The equipment was removed long ago, leaving behind dusty desks and more filing cabinets. As they walked down the hall, those empty offices gave way to large empty rooms holding the shells of computers and screens that might be promising.
Tony gave out a low whistle, looking on down the hall. At the end of the hall, the emergency lights converged on a set of double doors. Again, a sign was posted to the wall, warning away whoever came near it. There was a sound back there… Like the low growling of an animal.
"Tony there's somethin' in here with us… Doncha feel it?" Rev urged as Tony quickly moved forward to examine those doors.
"Probably just a dog or somethin'. Followed the guard in, hell I don't know. It ain't nothin," Tony insisted as he tried the door. It was locked… "See this Rev? Told ya! They wouldn't lock empty rooms like this, there's somethin' good back here I know it…"
"They lock things in too, Tony… I don't like this, let's get out of here… Please Tony, come on!" Rev pleaded, gripping his near empty bottle in one hand and his bible in the other as Tony pushed the crowbar into the lock of the doors.
"Don't be stupid, Rev there ain't nothin' in here with us! Now come on!" Tony barked as the lock gave away and he was able to push the door open.
It was for the most part empty but for a few tables shoved to the sides here and there. A notebook here… A few stray tools there…
As Tony moved deeper into the room, Rev lingered back, gaze trailing across the desk that was shoved to the side. There was an old name plate on it. Wilton Knight… The Zillionaire? That didn't make much sense… Sure this was his place, but a man of that stature had to have some pent house office somewhere in a high rise, right?
Rev frowned, idly pushing aside some of the papers until his hand stopped as a few old pictures were uncovered. He picked one up, studying it. It was an older man, leaning against a car. A black car… That smile that lit up his face was honest and genuine… It looked as if it had been taken in some kind of garage… Though he didn't know many garages that had computers lining the walls…
He gave a thoughtful sound. If someone had held him at gunpoint at that moment and demanded to know why, Rev never would have been able to explain it. He didn't know why he did it. It was a feeling… So he slipped the picture into his bible where it would be safe and tucked the battered old book into his inner coat pocket.
"Now this is what I'm talkin' about!" Tony declared as they went further into the lab, through a set of doors marked Laboratory 3, old lab equipment lining the walls, massive computer consoles and things that to Rev looked like they belonged on some kind of spaceship.
"Come on Tony, we can't sell this crap."
"Sure we can! It's like those things… What are they… Video games! Those are becoming popular. It's just like them video games."
Another relay of power boxes covered the walls. Bold block lettering warned not to engage the power but Tony paid it no mind as he flipped the switch. Sparks shot out from the switch, running down the connection and surging into circuits that hadn't seen power in well over a year.
A light came on as something inside the room with them gave out a low, rumbling sound like that of an animal.
"Tony!" Rev yelled "I really think we should get out of here!"
"I think you're right" Tony finally admitted as that light slowly started in their direction. Like the sweeping eye of some kind of demon…
"No…" The voice was low and rumbled. A deep gravely voice with an electronic edge. It reverbated up like the growl of whatever the hell was in the room with them but somehow as it went on, it was still almost child-like. "No, don't leave me in the dark. Not the dark place… I'll be better, not the dark place."
Rev squinted his eyes into the darkness as Tony turned to get the hell out of there. Their exit was quickly cut off. The lab doors were on an automatic circuit and could be locked down. It was as if some kind of alarm was set off as they snapped shut.
Tony and Rev clung to each other as that red light came closer, the pair giving out matching screams that cut through the night. Whatever the hell was behind that red light, shied away from the noise, quickly backing up into one of those computers and causing a crash and a shower of sparks that lit the space, the sparks falling down upon the shining black finish of a Trans-Am.
Rev quickly grabbed ahold of Tony, their screams dying down as another relay shot out sparks, once more lighting up the room in a shower of sparks, outlining not an animal but a car…
"What unholy abomination is this…" Rev muttered softly.
"One that's gonna make us a crap load of money." Tony answered softly as the car backed up into a far corner of the lab, that scanner sweeping back and forth blindingly fast.
Whatever the hell it was, it was more afraid of them than they were of it…