The Stalker

Thomas climbed down the manhole first. The light from the daylight above poured into the dark sewers. He reached the ground and quickly got out of the way so his companions could climb down as well.

"All clear," he called out.

His voice echoed down the corridors as more people climbed down, all wearing masks and bearing guns just like Thomas. "We should probably make sure we are all ready to go," someone said. His voice sounded young-- Way too young. Everyone kneeled down, unstrapping weapons and tightening masks. Thomas admired the rusty metal floors and cracking concrete walls. He shivered slightly.

"Anyone know what we're up against?" called out another masked man.

Everyone stopped moving immediately. Someone spoke up, making Thomas jump.

"Cap' says he's invisible," someone said. "Says he used to be human, but got some crazy powers,".

Everyone looked at each other uneasily. Nobody spoke as they continued their preparations.

"We might as well get to know each other while we're down here, am I right?" said the young one. "I guess I'll start. My code is 172-429, but you can call me Barry,"

"I don't want to know your name. If you die, I don't want to know you ever had one," said someone else. 

"There's no need to be like that," growled Barry. "We need to know each other so we can have more unity and teamwork," 

"Teamwork won't help us against whatever is waiting for us," the second man insisted. "Don't you realize? They wouldn't send fully armed men if we weren't facing some sort of dangerous Euclid. Possibly even Keter. But if it will help keep your mouth shut, my name is Daniel,"

Barry's face went white, but he said nothing. Thomas stared at him through the corner of his eye. He wondered what face was hiding behind that rubber mask and young voice. Then Thomas had an uneasy thought. Will I ever know?

They had finished their preparations. Barry was still determined to know names. 

"My name is John," said the man closest to Thomas.

"And I'm Thomas," said Thomas quietly. 

Barry nodded towards the cylindrical tunnel that led to the rest of the sewers. "Are you guys ready to go?" he asked.

Everyone stood up without saying anything, holding their guns at the ready. Nobody moved, however. They just stood their, waiting for somebody to take the front. Barry began to move forward, but Thomas rushed up before he could lead the party. He's just too young, I can't let him die Thomas thought. Thomas led and everyone followed. They proceeded down the sloped tunnel, their feet making irritating clanking noises on the metal steps. The fluorescent lights that lined the tunnel hummed softly. They had just about reached the end of the tunnel when a loud, hollow impact sounded from ahead. Everybody froze immediately. Thomas suddenly regretted being in the front, but there was no going back now. 

Slowly he walked forward until he reached the end of the tunnel. There was nothing but a room, dimly lit by a set of floodlights. A single barrel rolled across the metal floor, making an odd scraping sound. They stared at the barrel for a moment. Suddenly Thomas was engulfed in darkness feeling nothing but a sharp pain in the forehead. 

The world was spinning around him. Slowly his view came into focus. His mind pieced together different parts of the environment. A barrel covered in bullet holes... Two masked men holding smoking rifles... A blurry image of a small child clutching the arm of a tattered doll flashed for nothing but a moment, then Thomas regained consciousness.  Barry was shaking him awake.