The staircase seemed to descend far deeper than should have been possible given the mansion's structure. Down and down, spiraling through darkness punctuated only by Shuyin's phone light cutting narrow paths through shadow. The air grew colder with each step, but worse than the cold was the smell, unwashed bodies, human waste poorly managed, sickness, and beneath it all the sour stench of fear and despair.
Finally, the stairs ended at a heavy door, locked from the outside with multiple mechanisms. Shuyin's jade eyes made quick work of the locks, though they were clearly designed to withstand any escape attempt from within. The final tumbler clicked. She pushed the door open.
The sight that greeted them defied comprehension.
