Since he'd become owner of the Monte Cristo Hotel, purchasing it and renaming it the Sundown Sacramento one year ago this month, Arnold Culler had patiently and methodically combed every inch of the property, familiarizing himself with every closet, every room, every nook and cranny.

The basement of the Sacramento Sundown hotel extended deep underground, cut into the California bedrock. The hotel wasn't an incredibly old building, but moving through the furthest depths of its basement gives one the impression that the hotel wasn't the first building to occupy the location.

A narrow corridor, concealed in a dark corner of a storage room, reaches deeper beneath the hotel at an even grade. The more modern concrete covering the walls gives way to old red brick, the mortar between which had oozed out in the construction and dried to form broken jagged protrusions from between the bricks. There were no lights down here, and Arnold's eyesight heightened to supernatural extremes in order to move deeper into the building.

Coming to the end of this corridor brings him to a room, mostly covered in the same brick and mortar as the corridor, and which is surprisingly large. The most interesting feature of the room is one wall which contrasts from the others. The brickwork covering a portion of it seemed newer, but even more shoddily done than the rest.

Arnold placed a hand on the wall, running his fingers over the mortar. Moving closer he pressed his ear to the wall.

Squeaking rats... Dripping water...

Pulling away he regarded the wall, continuing to run his hand over it as he looked it over. His thoughts ventured to the Necropoli he'd visited and in the deep darkness Arnold smiled.