Chapter 9


    It was hot, smelly and stuffy down below in the Cypress sewer system where Deputy Mayor Mrs.


    Colleen Henderson, a ckdy. Land surveyor Ron Nichols and County Treasurer Leonard Fulton,


    both white men, all carefully trekked along the slimy and slippery walkway that led towards arge light


    just a few yards up ahead.


    With hismplight leading the way, Ron made sure that his two cohorts were steadily behind him as he


    stepped over arge, dead rat that was lying on the ground.


    Leonard remained close to Mrs. Henderson as though her life depended upon him while Henderson


    herself, in a pair of high heels, no less, remained stalwart through the thickness of the sludge that she


    dared to reluctantly plod through.


    Sweating and partially covering her nose from the stench, Colleenined, "If my husband knew


    that I was walking through the sewers with a couple of white men he''d have my ck butt hung." Her


    voice echoed throughout the moldy cavern.


    "Don''t worry, Mrs. Henderson, the sewers are thest ce on earth that your husband would ever


    suspect anyone to be prowling about." Ron sarcastically remarked.


    "How much...further, is the end?" Leonard gasped for air amidst the stifling humidity.


    "Not much further now." Ron stopped dead in his tracks to point his light upwards. "You see these up


    here? The more grates you see, that''s the closer we''re reaching theke. And the closer we reach the


    lake, the closer we can get outta here."


    "Thank God." Colleen exhaled. "I don''t know how anyone can work down here, especially in all this


    heat."


    "It''s not so bad." Ron said. "My brother-inw works down here year round, and he says it''s like


    working in a literal shithouse!" Ronughed out loud.


    "Let''s try and put a mp on the colormentary, Mr. Nichols." Leonard rebuked.


    "It''s okay, Leonard, my husband cusses like there''s no tomorrow." Colleen said as she stepped ahead


    of the two men and resumed the tour.


    "If you don''t mind me asking, Mrs. Henderson, why does Cypress need a subway system?" Ron asked


    as he made sure to keep the light ahead of everyone. "I mean, this city really isn''t all that big to begin


    with."


    "Mayor Finy wants to raise people''s spirits." Colleen exined. "This city is going through a


    depression, building a subway would give some kind of validation that we can improve under dire


    circumstances."


    "Even if it further bankrupts this city into oblivion," Leonard bitterly muttered under his breath.


    "He''s right, I mean, it''ll take at least a year to carve out these sewers, and another two years to set up


    the rail system itself." Ron added.


    Sighing, Colleen said, "Tell that to our beloved Mayor who still thinks he can get three more Sears


    stores toe here."


    "I''m telling you guys, these sewer systems were constructed way back in the 1910''s." Ron contested.


    "Cities like New York, L.A, Chicago and Detroit were all built with rail systems in mind. From the


    electrical output, to the main roads, and—


    "I''m sure the Mayor considered all these matters, Ron." Colleen stepped in.


    "But he never considered the cost, now did he?" Leonard questioned with a snip in his tone.


    "Look, I''m no fan of this either." Colleen said in a frustrated manner. "Not only will this bankrupt us, but


    we don''t have the manpower to construct such a thing. It''s one of the hottest summers on record and


    we''re trolling through a rat infested sewer, for God''s sake. So, gentlemen, let''s do our best as city


    employees to make the old man as happy as a m, just so we can show him how ridiculous this


    whole idea really is."


    Both Ron and Leonard seemed to be caught off guard by Colleen''s sudden, belligerent rant, but at


    least it let them know that they weren''t the only pessimists in the sewers.


    "I must admit that this is not how I envisioned this job." Colleen continued. "A forty-eight year old


    Deputy Mayor stepping through shit," she groaned.


    "Don''t worry, Colleen," Leonard remarked, nearly tripping over another dead rat, "this is Findley''sst


    term. Hopefully we can stall on this idea of his long enough to see him walk out of office before it


    comes to fruition."


    "Okay, guys, we got a problem." Ron all of the sudden came to an abrupt halt right in the middle of the


    tour.


    All three individuals stopped and looked on in dread at the two forks in the middle of the sewer. Two


    corridors that werepletely dark and foreboding to each person that stood before them.


    "Well, where to?" Leonard questioned Ron.


    But Ron just stood in ce while shining his light back and forth down both caverns. "This is a real hum


    dinger." He scratched his face.


    "What''s a real hum dinger?" Colleen asked in sharp tone.


    "When I studied theyout down here, I don''t recall there being these two halls."


    "You''ve gotta be kidding me!" Leonard dropped his arms in defeat. "I''ve got a meeting with the


    Governor at noon, for God''s sake!"


    "Just give me a second while I take a look at the dates on the walls." Ron persisted as he stepped


    close to one of the walls and began to read. "I do know that the older the dates the closer we get back


    to City Hall."


    Colleen only rolled her eyes and brushed her hair clean of cobwebs before walking over and scraping


    her hand against the slime residue on the walls.


    "These walls are so thin and decrepit that it makes me wonder if a rail system could sustain itself down


    here." She said. "I wouldn''t be surprised if this entire sewer system copsed the moment one rail car


    came rolling through."


    "That''s why we call it a pipe dream, Colleen." Leonard paced back and forth. "Hey, Ron, I don''t see any


    grates anywhere anymore. Could we be near theke already?"


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    "I don''t believe so. You see—


    But before Ron could even continue, there was something, something that growled within the sewer. Its


    grunt echoed throughout the caverns making it sound as if it were all around them.


    Everyone stopped what they were doing at that very second. All they could do was just stand and allow


    their eyeballs to make the moves from left to right and up and down.


    "Would someone like to tell me just what in the hell that was?" Colleen shivered in the gooey heat.


    "Let''s not stand around and find out." Leonard spun around to Ron. "Which one should we take?"


    The unearthly growl ripped through the sewers once again, only by then, its roar seemed to be drawing


    closer to the three city officials that had no idea where they were.


    "Uh...fuck it, let''s take this one!" Ron pointed to his right before taking off down the sewer without


    looking behind him.


    Colleen and Leonard gave chase behind the man, only Colleen was having a hard time keeping up due


    to her high heels that kept getting bogged down in the sludge that wasyering the floor.


    "Ron, I don''t see any grates!" Leonard eximed in terror. "Does that mean anything?"


    Ron, however, was too busy trying to outrun whatever was lurking in the sewers to stop and speak.


    The roar only intensified, making it sound as though the thing was angry and hungry all at once.


    Colleen could hear the sshing of water along with something that sounded like heavy steps


    scampering around each corner behind them.


    "Dear God, what is it?" She screamed. "Is someone back there?"


    "Don''t turn around, just keep running!" Leonard yelled as he took a hold of Colleen''s hand and tried his


    best to keep her at his side.


    The more and harder they ran that was all the more virulent the animal''s roars seemed to intensify.


    "Could it be a wild dog?" Leonard shouted in absolute fear.


    Without notice, Colleen dropped to the ground screaming for her life. Frustrated and scared to death,


    Colleen ripped off her heels, tossed them and jumped right back up, racing for her life.


    "I''ve never heard a wild dog sound like that!" Ron yelled.


    They all ran while listening to the animal chase after them with such vigor that it made it seem like the


    three of them were invading its territory. It wouldn''t relent in its chase. It sounded as though it were


    always only three steps behind them.


    "Where the fuck are the grates?" Leonard shouted in anger.


    "I don''t...I don''t know!" Ron huffed and puffed, nearly falling t on his chubby face. "Just keep


    running!"


    Colleen couldn''t help but to keep turning around every other second to see if the animal were close on


    their heels. With every nce she could have sworn see saw two eyes re right back at her in the


    ckness.


    "Stop," Ron suddenly screamed beforeing to an abrupt halt. "Climb thisdder!"


    Immediately, both men let Colleen ahead of them on her way up the rusteddder that eventually met


    with a round grate.


    "You gotta push as hard as you can!" Ron shouted.


    With every shred of energy and muscle she could gather Colleen pushed against the heavy, steel grate


    until it budged.


    "I got it!" She cried out in tion before continuing to push until the thing was finally moved out of the


    way, allowing an explosion of sunlight to enter into the dark sewer.


    Colleen climbed out before helping both Leonard and Ron up. Once all three were above ground they


    all stood and stared back down into the sewer. Ron shined his light down into the cavern while all three


    listened as the animal grunted and growled down below. It was there, dwelling within the darkness, but


    somehow managing to evade Ron''s bright light.


    Soaking wet from both sweat and sewer water, Leonard gasped, "Can someone please tell me just


    what in the hell is it?"


    But all anyone could do was stare down into the sewer and hope above all else that the thing wasn''t


    able to climbdders.


    "Let me put the lid back on here." Ron hurriedly stepped over and picked up the sewer''s lid.


    As Ron was sliding the lid back on, Colleen managed to catch sight of the animal''s eyes once more,


    expect by then, she noticed them shining brighter at her than they once did back down below.


    "I can assure you that it wasn''t a wild dog." Ron wiped his sweaty forehead.


    "That wasn''t a dog." Colleen skittishly muttered. "That thing looked a lot bigger than a dog."


    Leonard happened to turn around to find him and his two colleagues surrounded by a group of young


    Crips who appeared more perplexed than outraged at their appearance from out of the sewer.


    "I think we''d better get back Downtown." Leonard stuttered.