“This is going to sound strange,” she told the dispatcher, voice trembling. “But we found a… sealed room under our house. And a metal door. And something is… leaking? Growing? I don’t know. But it’s not safe. Please. We need someone to come.” Within minutes, a patrol car rolled up their driveway.
Officer Riley, a steady-looking man in his thirties, followed them inside. He listened to the story without interrupting, except for a tightening of his jaw when they mentioned the black growths and the vibrating metal. “Show me,” he said. They led him to the torn-out wall, the ladder, the opening in the floor. Riley crouched down, shined his flashlight into the shaft… and went silent.