The Basement Caller Part 2

In Part 1 of this story, Detective George Lee is trapped in the cellar of Professor Marvin Song’s Basement. Find it here.

What secrets lie beneath? Decide George’s fate! - Michelle Liew

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Detective George Lee’s breath caught in his throat as the figure in the basement flickered into view. It was Marvin- no mistake - exhausted, gaunt, unkempt, but still the professor. 

“Professor Song?” George’s voice was a tightened whisper. 

The missing professor stood motionless in front of him, eyes spaced and empty. His tattered clothes, stained with something dark, unsettled the trained detective - but it was his lifeless expression that disturbed most. 

“Professor Song? Are you alright?” the detective stammered. 

The unhinged professor’s lips curled into a twisted sneer, one that nettled George. It was devoid of warmth, of humanity. 

“All right?” The professor rasped. His voice had an a monotonous, unnatural depth. “Do you think I am, George?”

George raised his flashlight, his hands trembling. The beam landed on a blood-soaked pen on the floor. It was the Professor’s wallet. He bent to retrieve it, his heart thudding. 

He flipped the wallet open, revealing Professor Song’s photo - one that had the same hollow, lifeless eyes. 

“Professor Song…what happened?” George asked in an anxious whisper. 

The perturbed professor arched his neck, tilting his head at an odd angle. His throat released a low, guttural laugh. 

“This isn’t the place for you, my friend.” 

The basement door slammed shut behind him, and the basement plunged into the abyss once again. 

George stood frozen. The chilling sound of Marvin Song’s laughter filled the basement, mocking, as something stirred in pitch darkness. 

Then George’s police radio crackled to life : “Stay with me, George. Stay.”

The echo of the deranged professor’s laughter resounded as George clenched his fists. The sound turned George’s stomach.

“You need help, Professor. Come with me.” George took a tentative, but resolute step forward in the darkness.

Then a whisper broke the silence “I’ll never leave.”