Chapter 11 - The Hidden Neighbor
Neither of us wanted to return.
But every answer pointed back to the house.
By sunset we parked across the street instead of pulling into the driveway.
Rick remained unusually quiet.
He stared toward the neighboring property.
The house next door had always seemed abandoned.
The blinds never opened.
The grass somehow stayed perfectly trimmed.
No packages ever appeared on the porch.
No lights.
No visitors.
Yet someone obviously maintained it.
Rick suddenly walked toward the fence separating the properties.
He sniffed one particular wooden post.
Then he began digging furiously.
Within minutes his paws uncovered a rusted metal hatch hidden beneath several inches of soil.
The hatch didn't belong to either yard according to the property map.
It sat exactly on the boundary line.
Almost as if it had been intentionally concealed between both houses.
I pulled the handle.
Locked.
The realtor brushed away more dirt.
A small brass plate became visible.
Stamped into the metal were four words.
SERVICE ACCESS BETA CORRIDOR.
Before either of us could react, a porch light illuminated on the neighboring house.
The front door slowly opened.
An elderly woman stepped outside carrying a watering can.
She smiled politely.
"I wondered when your dog would find that."
Every hair on my arms stood up.
"You knew it was there?"
"I've been waiting."
"For me?"
She nodded.
"For the next owner."
She glanced at Rick with unmistakable recognition.
"He looks older now."
My heartbeat stopped.
"You've met him before?"
The old woman smiled sadly.
"Oh, yes."
"He saved my life twenty-six years ago."
Then she looked directly toward my house.
Her expression instantly changed.
"He knows we're talking."
The porch light above her exploded without warning.
May you like
Somewhere beneath the ground...
Something massive began moving.
