The Passage Read Online Free Page B

later of the fever.  He has a lovely effigy.  It’s just down those stairs.  Do be careful.  They’re rather worn and can be a bit slippery.  Do you need me to accompany you?” he asked, clearly hoping that I’d say no. 
    “Thank you, but I’m fine on my own.  I just need to take a few photos and measurements.”
    “Excellent.  Please join me for a cup of tea once you’re finished.  I’ll be in the vestry.”
    “I’d like that,” I replied as I made my way toward the hole in the church floor from which well-worn stone steps descended into the underbelly of the church.  Thankfully, there was a light switch which activated a lonely bulb in the center of the ceiling.  A golden light filled the cavernous space, making it appear slightly less sinister, but spaces behind the thick columns supporting the ceiling remained lost in shadow, making me feel as if something would suddenly spring on me from the dark recesses of the crypt.  I stood in the center of the crypt and looked around.  The vaulted ceiling was fairly low, and the stone walls were decorated with fanciful carvings which at one point probably told a story, but were now nothing more than chipped and worn pieces of masonry.  There were several tombs lining the walls, the lids covered with a thick layer of dust that hadn’t been disturbed in decades, possibly centuries.  This will do very nicely , I thought, a good place to set the scene . 
    The tomb of the knight was just by the back wall, and it was impressive, as promised.  The effigy seemed to have lost part of the nose at some point during the last few centuries, but the eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, an expression of boredom on what once might have been a handsome face.  I snapped a few pictures from various angles, but I wanted to get a better full-length shot of the knight’s tomb. In order to accomplish this, I had to back all the way into the wall, pressing my back against the stone in order to get the shot. 
    I felt a slight poke in my lower back and then my ears were assaulted by the sound of scraping rock as a small door opened just behind me, nearly making me lose my balance and fall into the fetid space.  I jumped aside and rubbed my back, searching for the source of the poke.  There was a flower carved into the stone, the center protruding just a little, like a button.  I must have pressed it as I backed into the wall, releasing an ancient mechanism.  I should have just walked away, but curiosity got the better of me, so I glanced into the passage. 
    Stone steps led upward toward a wooden door at the top. I noted that they didn’t look as worn as the ones I’d descended earlier, the stone still even and uncracked.  This was probably another way into the church or to the outside.  In centuries past, people often sought sanctuary at churches, and a secret door might have been used to smuggle them to safety or bring them messages and food from the outside.  I examined the stone door to make sure it wasn’t going to just close behind me and carefully made my way to the top. 
    The wooden door opened easily enough; the hinges oiled recently from the looks of them.  I stepped into the church at the opposite side from which I descended earlier and found myself in a shadowed alcove.  I hadn’t noticed it earlier when I took pictures in the church, but it had been fairly unremarkable.  I stepped out of the alcove and froze.  This wasn’t the same church I’d left twenty minutes ago.  The stained glass windows which cast beams of colored light onto the floor and the pews were gone, replaced by solid stone walls, broken only by narrow arrow-slit-like windows high above.  The interior was dim despite the early hour, dispelled only by sullen light streaming through the narrow windows and several thick candles which smelled strongly of beeswax.  The air inside the church was frigid, making my breath come out in white puffs, which instantly dissipated like wisps of