Prologue
Lightning strikes, illuminating the Golden Gate Bridge and the hills behind it, as a storm rolled in over the San Francisco Bay.
By day, tourists drive in hoards up the winding hills to explore the remains of Army bases from World War Two. But at night, the roads are closed and the hills deserted. Closed roads do not stop everybody. For years, people have made their way onto the hills for various nocturnal activities. Though the police patrol it regularly, the area is far too big to detect everybody. Most of the night visitors are high school and college kids looking for a place to hang out.
On the night of the storm, a small pack of high school boys made their way up the hill, excited about the car they borrowed from one of their parents. They parked at the very top of the hill, hoping the bushes around them would conceal their navy blue car in the darkness-though each lightning flash revealed their movements.
"Doesn't lightening always strike the highest object?"
one of them asked. "Do you think we should be up here? The Prologue storm is getting worse."
"I dunno, brainiac," another kid replied sarcastically. "Why don't you wait at the top of the hill to find out?"
The quick flashes of lightning gave a strobe light effect to the boys as they ran through the army base remains. Walls of concrete, half demolished, and forts built into the ground spread around them. It would be an exciting sight to new eyes, but these guys had seen it many times.
The last boy to follow the group was amazed at the way the flashes in the sky lit the world around them. He imagined how cool it must have looked reflecting off the water in the bay. Eyeing a narrow set of stone steps, he decided to make his way down to the edge of the hill.
He had been there several times before, but that night the stairs seemed to go on longer than he'd remembered. He was certain it ended at the edge of the hill overlooking the bay, but with each flash of lightning, all he saw were more stairs.
The remains of the fort around him started to look different. He couldn't put his finger on it. Something about it reminded him of the Greek relics he'd studied in history class.
He also didn't remember a doorway. Not that there was a door connected to it, only an arch. He crossed through it and walked down even more steps. He knew this wasn't right, so he turned around and climbed back up the steps.
Then
something strange happened. The arch had disappeared and he was descending once again.
Assuming
he'd
lost his sense of direction, he turned around. But the steps still lead him downward. He attempted to step off the stairway, but everywhere he stepped led down.
That's when he noticed there was no longer any lightning. He was inside something.
But what?
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, all he could see were steps and walls around him. He sighed deeply and hoped he'd reach the end soon. That's when he heard it. Heavy breathing. There was something on the steps before him. It was too dark. He couldn't make it out. Was it one of the guys?
Now it sounded more like the grunts of an animal. A pair of piercing red eyes shot out of the darkness at him. The world went black.
