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She could feel herself slipping from his grasp. Bracing herself for the fall, she placed her arms in front of her before hitting the ground.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm okay." She dusted herself off. "I've got the flashlight."
"Forget the flashlight. Let's get you out of here."
Ignoring his protests, she shined the light straight in front of her, took a deep breath and moved closer to the casket. The air was dank and heavy and smelled of rotten fleshhopefully a dead rat.
His voice broke the silence. "I can hear men's voices. Someone is approaching!" The creaking metal told her that he had closed the grate. "Turn off the flashlight and don't move until I see what's happening."
Finally she heard him whisper. "It's okay now. They are gone." He opened the grate. "Grab my wrist. I'll help you out."
"Okay, I'm ready." As she turned on the flashlight, she noticed something unusual at the base of the casket. Moving closer, she saw it was a large flat stone slab with deep indentations. Kneeling down to investigate, she wiped away the debris and some of the grime that covered it.
"Holy Mother of God!" . . .
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