But as I walked through the house to the basement door, there was no sign of him or anyone else. Well, that’s not strictly true. Because even at a distance, I felt like I could somehow sense Harvey stirring down in the dark below me.

Blood thrummed in my ears as I opened the door and started down the stairs. The basement was well-lit with fluorescent lights, but at first I didn’t see anything different than what was on the video. A sparse room of cinderblock walls and a concrete floor that seemed peculiarly worn in the middle.

I stood at the bottom of the steps for several seconds before pushing myself closer. I thought I saw a slight disturbance in the air, but I couldn’t be sure. Then I heard a rumble that came and went quickly as a summer thunderclap. It was Harvey growling at me.

Stepping closer to the edge of the unseen circle, I knelt down. “Harvey? Do you know me? Oh God, I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry. Do you know me at all?”

There was a thickening of the air just a few inches away from my face, and I could barely make out the flicker of large amber eyes regarding me across the boundary that separated us. I was surprised when I realized I didn’t feel afraid anymore. Just happy to finally see Harvey again.

“Tommy? You came back?”

My hands went to my mouth as my vision started to swim. “Fuck. Yes, yes, Harvey. I came back. I’m so sorry it took so long. But I’m going to get you out of here now. I swear it.” I stood up as my eyes went to the ceiling. I didn’t see any hot water bottles up there or anything out of the ordinary at all. I was taking out a flashlight when Harvey spoke again.

“They’re not up there anymore. He dug a trench in the floor years ago. Filled it with salt and covered it up.”

Heart sinking, I looked closer at the floor and saw he was right. There was a barely perceptible ridge of newer concrete all the way around. That motherfucker had decided to make Harvey’s prison permanent.

Looking up at Harvey’s eyes, I tried to smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll find something and break it up. Be right back.” Just then, my phone buzzed. It was Rusty.

Rusty: I see you at the house, Tommy. Got cameras all over now. Stay away from Harvey until I get there. I fucking mean it.

I gripped the phone tighter before jamming it back in my pocket. “Rusty knows I’m here, and he’s coming back, so I have to hurry. It should take him an hour to get here, so we should be okay.” Looking around the room, I asked, “Do you know where he keeps his tools?”

Harvey’s voice had been very faint and indistinct at first, but this time it sounded a bit clearer, a bit stronger. “I don’t know, but he always brought them from outside.”