Chapter 27 - The Voice Behind the Wall
Everyone instinctively stepped back.
The knocking came again.
Three slow strikes.
Then silence.
Thomas drew his flashlight.
"There's another room."
David carefully approached the final compartment.
"It shouldn't be occupied."
Evelyn looked genuinely confused.
"It has always been empty."
A fourth knock echoed.
This time a voice followed.
Muffled.
Weak.
"...Emily..."
She froze.
"Did you hear that?"
Thomas nodded.
"So did I."
The voice came again.
"...don't let... them..."
David pressed his hand against the wall.
"It's hollow."
Margaret searched beneath one of the stone columns.
"There used to be an emergency release."
Emily followed the sound.
The wooden box suddenly vibrated in her hands.
Without warning, one hidden panel inside the box slid open.
A tiny brass key dropped into her palm.
David stared.
"I've never seen that compartment."
Emily walked to the wall.
The key fit perfectly into an almost invisible lock concealed within the stonework.
She hesitated.
Thomas placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"We open it together."
She turned the key.
Ancient gears groaned beneath the floor.
The hidden wall slowly moved aside.
A narrow room emerged beyond it.
Dust swirled into the chamber.
At its center stood a single wooden chair beneath an overhead light.
Someone was sitting there.
Head lowered.
Hands resting calmly in their lap.
As the light brightened, the figure slowly raised their face.
Emily gasped.
The person looked exactly like her.
Not merely similar.
Identical.
The woman smiled sadly.
Then spoke the words that shattered every certainty Emily still possessed.
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"You've finally arrived...
...I've been waiting for you longer than you can imagine."
