Shadow People II: The Shattering of Angels > Excerpt > Chapter 1 > Continued
~ COMMUNICABLE INSANITY ~ featuring Shawn and Shelly
“Go Shelly, you go first, I'll be right behind you!"
Shelly took a quick look down the hole to locate the ladder. She turned around on her stomach and pushed herself backwards into the hole, feet first. She didn't care anymore about how gross the sewer might be. She only cared about staying alive and getting home to her children.
Once Shawn saw Shelly's head disappear, he maneuvered down the ladder himself and then stopped, leaving his head and arms out. He pulled and heaved on the cast iron cover. It was very heavy, close to one hundred pounds, and it was difficult for him to move it in the position he was in. He managed to pull it most of the way over though but wasn't able to get it all the way on lest he smash his fingers.
Once down he found Shelly standing on what was indeed a cement walkway that ran along the side of the tunnel. The stench was overbearing and made them both want to gag. They both tried breathing through their mouths, keeping air from coming into their noses but it only made it worse, because then they could taste the shit. Shawn wasn't sure which way to go, left or right. He tried to think of where they were exactly and he tried to get his bearings. He noticed now that Shelly was shivering badly and hugging herself.
Shelly wanted to cry but she knew it wouldn't help anything and besides, she wouldn't do that to Shawn. He was trying to figure out what to do and her foolish blubbering would only distract him. Shawn took her in his arms and she moved her arms from herself and wrapped them around his waist. Her new purple dress and her favorite coat were smudged with filth and her skinned knees were bleeding. They rocked together gently, to and fro. Shelly thought the sewer wasn't as bad as she had feared, except for the smell, which was worse. At least there was a walkway and at least there were lights. At least they weren't in pitch-black darkness. Thank God for that she thought. Then she thought how absurd it was to be thanking God for lights in a sewer—the rank sewer that she and Shawn stood in, three thousand miles from their children while the world raged and people murdered each other with their bare hands just above them. She suddenly felt very angry with God. Then as if God had answered back in malice at her anger, the lights flickered and went out.n
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