One of the plague doctors began unwrapping what looked like a canvas roll containing medical instruments. Strange and ancient tools that looked like no fun at all for the patient. The other guy just watched the girl. Then they started doing things to the girl. They used instruments and hands and other parts. She struggled and strained at the rope, but it was no use. The guys in robes were abusing their power, that was for damn sure. The video was a grim mix of pornography and pure, unforgivable sadism, not the fun kind that people pay to endure. We both stood there and watched until the end, like it was a chore we needed to complete. The girl survived, exhausted, violated, and betrayed. For her there was no happy ending.

Miriam and I looked at each other. She said, “No mercy.”

It wasn’t a question, and I wasn’t arguing.

Miriam got involved with the computer. There were more videos, hundreds of them, all kinds of scenarios. Medieval looked popular, but there were modern ones as well. Each of them featured young women and girls in vulnerable situations, being abused. She said, “They’re selling these on the internet. Like a subscription service for psychopaths.”

“Not anymore they’re not.”

“This is disgusting, people send in scenarios, and these guys make them. Like customized torture.”

I said, “Let’s shut it down.”

We went back out to the tunnel and continued moving. Despite the twists and turns, I was oriented. The tunnel was running along an east-west axis. We were underground and heading toward the river, and ultimately, Mayor Marbot’s house. The excavation was clean and thorough, the result of significant work over at least a year if not more. There were doors neatly spaced out all along the left-hand side of the tunnel. The right side was limestone, wall sconces were pegged into the stone, scored like the other caverns I’d seen around Alencourt.

The first door was open. I stepped up and I pointed my light in. It was the film set from the most recent video, the same fancy-looking bedroom. Above the bed, the window we’d seen in the video swung open. Except, there was nothing there but a stone wall painted green. The room was empty of people, filled with tripods and lighting gear on one side, all turned off and silent. The bed and furniture were on the other side, empty and haunted. We kept on going. More rooms, all empty of people, all setup for filming various degrading and violent scenes. Some were bigger than others.

Up ahead, someone walked around the corner. I was moving in a crab-walk with the H&K up. Before he could blink I’d put three rounds down the hole, the suppressed muzzle purred. Ten seconds later we arrived at another body. This time the guy wasn’t moving. He got tapped regardless. Better safe than sorry.