Owen Bates wanted nothing more than to go home and get some beer. As a member of the Westwood Police Department, he was tasked with investigating the disappearance of a group of teenagers, who for some unknowable reason had decided to explore the sewer system of Westwood. Bates could not fathom the reason why, but it didn’t matter to him, all he cared about was getting out of the sewers; the smell was making him nauseous.

He wanted to kick his partner, Mark Williams, right in the balls. Williams had suggested that they split up, in order to try and find the kids faster. Fat lot of good that had done. Now Mark was nowhere to be found and Owen was walking around like a headless chicken with no idea where to go. He tried to get in touch with Williams through both the radio and using his phone, with no success in either method.

After more walking than Bates had ever cared to experience, he finally felt exhausted enough to not care about sitting down in a sewer. He checked his phone, and saw that it was now 11:43 P.M., about an hour after he’d started his search. He rubbed his face, hoping to relieve so of the stress he was feeling. Bates would not describe himself as a coward, but few people would be stress or fear free exploring a sewer late at night.

Just as he was about to give up and go home, Bates heard the tell-tale scream of a young woman. He shot to his feet, immediately running towards the sound of the scream. He figured that she may have well just seen a bug, but he should operate under the assumption that the screamer really was in danger. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, panting as he went. Days spent sitting in his car and writing tickets had not prepared Bates for this kind of exercise.

As he ran, he came to the end of a hallway, and met what should have been a dead end. Instead, the wall was home to a large hole, leading to a dark cavern that looked to be dug out by some kind of animal. The disquieting detail was that the animal that dug said hole must have been massive. The tunnel that the hole led to seemed to be about nine feet tall and three feet wide. The tunnel looked to be dug out by claws of some kind, or at least not man made. Looking into it sent shivers down Bate’s spine. He tried to call Williams and got nothing. No signal. He tried to radio Williams, and got nothing. Bates figured that his prick of a partner had gotten bored and gone home. Bates didn’t want to give up that easily. He stepped through the hole and into the darkness.

Despite the spaciousness of the tunnel, Bates felt claustrophobic. He’d only been walking for a few minutes but it felt like much longer. He wanted to find whoever had screamed and get out of the sewers. Even more so he wanted to avoid whatever had dug the tunnel.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes of walking, Bates came to the other end of the tunnel. It opened into what appeared to be a natural cavern. Shining his flashlight to the ground, Bates noticed that several different footprints could be seen in the dirt, leading further into the cave. Bates followed them cautiously, he felt that he was close to the missing kids. Walking forward a few steps, his foot fell into a small crevice that seemed to be filled with some kind of liquid. Looking down, it bore an unmistakable crimson color that filled Bates with dread.

Bates drew his pistol, fearing that he might need to use it. As stealthily as he could he pressed forward, following the footprints further into the cavern. Bates figured the teens had found the hole in the sewers and ventured in. Any number of wild animals could be living in there, with Bates figured was the source of the blood. He didn’t want to think about the alternative. As he dove further into the darkness, he came across a new set of footprints. Unlike the tracks from before, these seemed to be without shoes. They bore a human shape, and yet were far larger than any human’s at over a foot long. Both groups of footprints, those of both the kids and the new ones ended where they met. Cold sweat ran down Bates’ back, and just as he was about to turn tail and run, a quiet voice whispered to him.

“Boo.”

And then he fainted.

Bates woke with a headache like a woodpecker trapped inside his skull. More pressing than that was the feeling of cold that pierced through him like thousands of needles. He would have shivered if his body had the energy to do so. He found that the cold mattered little, for he was unable to move anyways with the shackles attached to his arms. He tried to take in his surroundings, but there was no light to aid him. He could see nothing, but he could hear something. Heavy footsteps were echoing towards him. They sounded far too loud to be human, and yet they had the pattern of a person walking. As if a blue whale had been condensed down into a humanoid form.

“Plap, plap, plap.” Bare feet against wet stone, advancing slowly towards Bates at a deliberately patient pace. The sweat running down Bates’ brow would have been cold were he not already freezing. The sound of footsteps was growing quiet in comparison to the thumping of his heart. The feet finished their journey, settling in front of the door to the room Bates was in.

“A tasty little dullard has waltzed right into my web; a veritable feast has been gifted to me. I must have been quite a good little boy this year” a voice said. To Bates, despite the voice coming from behind a door, it felt as if it were right beside his ear. As if the person speaking were right beside him. The voice also had an eerie quality to it. It didn’t sound quite human, more like an animal mimicking a human voice. It had an unnerving quietness to it, Bates could hear it clearly, even through the door, despite it sounding like a whisper.  It was almost as if the speaker was projecting their voice directly into Bates’ mind.

“Does my mouse friend not realize mice shouldn’t stroll directly into a cat’s mouth? No matter, I suppose.” The voice said, audibly licking their lips at the end. The rattling of keys tore Bates’ attention away from the voice, and to what its bearer was doing. Were they entering the room? “Nonononono,” Bates thought. He began squirming, desperate to use the last of his energy and somehow escape. Not that he thought that he could, his body was merely operating on instinct.

The door to the room opened, causing Bates to cease his struggling. The door slowly swung open, revealing the owner of the bizarre voice. The light coming from behind him hid his visage, casting the front of his body in shadow. Despite this, his silhouette alone was enough to tell of the thing’s inhumanity. Though his overall shape was humanoid, the tiny details told a different tale. Tentacle like appendages seemed to writhe behind him, as antenna stood proudly atop his head.

“Now, my friend, let the feast begin” said the monster.

Bates screamed, as the creature lurched towards him.