3 Cards
King of Clubs, Jack of Diamonds, 9 of Spades
Audio Transcript
Okay, this should be working now. I will be recording my thoughts with my phone today, and write them down later, because I will be going on an exploration of the city and I don’t want to leave out anything important. I can’t exactly keep my journal up and writing at all times, so this is going to be easier. I am not sure what I will find going out there, but I need to do something!
*Sounds of rustling, and the creak of a door. The sound of a padlock snapping shut. A sharp intake of breath.*
Oh shit. Things are definitely ramping up! They are everywhere! The air is filled with the fluttering of wings, and I can see the dragonfly mark on almost every wall and door around me! No one else seems to find anything strange with it, I don’t know if they can’t see them or what, but there is definitely something going on here.
*Sounds of people around, the bustle of a street.*
What the… Oh no… I have a very, very bad feeling about this. *The clearing of a throat* They are definitely trying to lead me into something. There is a manhole cover that is slightly open. And there is spray paint on it as well. Not a dragonfly this time. It says 11 9 20. Because of course it does. *Deep breath* Alright you bastards, you want me to go down there? Game on.
*The sound of struggling with the manhole cover*
Right, I’m going down.
*The sound of creaking and breathing. The recording gains a slight echo*
*A long, low whistle* Well well well… They definitely want me down here. It’s most definitely a trap, but at this point? I am tired of hiding. I just want some answers.
There are dragonflies on the walls of this tunnel, sideways like arrows. How fitting. The Dragonfly will show the way, hasn’t that been the theme this whole time? Let’s see where they want me to go.
*Echoing footsteps and slow breathing*
*Hushed voice* This place gives me the creeps.
*A sharp inhale* What was that? I can hear voices ahead. What the hell… There are people, so many people. I can’t hear what they are saying, but they seem to be chanting something. This is really weird…
*The sound of a rock being kicked, followed by quick breaths*
Shit, shit, shit, shit…
The two officers looked at each other, uncertainty in their eyes. There was more on the audio recording, sounds of a scuffle, and then a sharp, shrill cry. After that, there was only silence.
They had been flagged down by a woman on the street, telling them that she had seen a teenage girl lifting a manhole cover on the street and going down into the sewers. She had worried about her safety and asked that they check up on it. They had, which was what led to their current situation.
They had followed the sewer line until it came to a large chamber. It was empty, aside from the phone lying on the ground. As they picked it up, they noticed that the voice recording app was still running, and had been for quite some time. They decided to listen to it before deciding if they would continue searching.
And now they were standing there, in the sewers, as their own footsteps entered the recording before it turned off.
“I didn’t see any numbers on the manhole cover,” Jamie, the younger of the officers, finally said, “did you?”
The senior officer, Randall, shook his head slowly, a strange look on his face.
“No, there was nothing on it,” he confirmed.
Jamie nodded uncertainly, gripping the phone tightly in his hand.
“What do we do with this?”
Randall thought for a moment before sighing and turning back the way they had come.
“This whole thing is probably a prank of some kind,” he said lightly. “It’s happened before. I am not bringing this back to the station to be laughed out the door. You can try to find the owner of that phone if you want, but it probably won’t lead to anything.”
Hesitating for a moment, Jamie slid the phone into his pocket and hurried after his colleague. He felt a prickling at his neck, like he was being watched, but stopped himself from looking back.
“So, we are just ignoring this then?” he asked uncertainly.
“Yes,” Randall said decisively. “Nothing good would come from bringing this up. Trust me.”
