— “You… you can hear it too… can’t you?”

The officers exchanged uneasy glances. The question was so out of place that, for a brief moment, no one knew how to respond. One of them stepped forward, keeping his voice steady:

— “What exactly are we supposed to hear?”

A dry, broken laugh escaped the man’s throat — the kind that didn’t carry humor, only strain.

— “Them… beneath the ground… they never stop… not even for a second…”

The air in the basement seemed to grow colder. One officer switched on a stronger flashlight and aimed it down the narrow tunnel. The soil was damp, unstable in places. Marks of relentless digging covered every surface — this man had been working without rest.

— “Who are ‘they’?” another officer asked, more firmly.

The man lifted his head sharply. His eyes were tense, almost terrified.

— “You don’t understand… at first it was just a sound… like scratching… far away… very far… I thought it was pipes, old foundations… but then…”

He stopped. His breathing quickened.

— “Then I started to hear words…”

A heavy silence filled the basement. Even the officers felt it — that strange pressure, as if the air itself had thickened.

— “What words?” one of them asked quietly.

The man leaned in slightly, as though afraid of being overheard.

— “They were calling me…”

That was enough for one officer.

— “Alright, that’s it. You’ve destroyed your floor, dug a tunnel who knows where, and terrified the entire neighborhood. You’re coming with us.”

But the man recoiled, his face twisting with fear.

— “No! You don’t understand! If I stop — they’ll get out!”

The words hung in the air like a crack of thunder.

— “Who will get out?” the officer demanded.

The man pointed into the darkness of the tunnel.

— “They’re close… I hear them clearer every day… At first they whispered… then they started knocking… And yesterday… yesterday they began to… answer…”

At that exact moment, one of the officers turned his head sharply.

— “Wait. Quiet.”

Everyone froze.

And then… it happened.

A sound rose from deep within the tunnel.

At first, barely noticeable… like distant soil shifting. Then clearer. A dull удар.

Then another.

And another.

A rhythm… steady… heavy… disturbingly familiar.

As if… someone… was digging back.

The officers stood completely still. Their eyes met — and for the first time, something broke through their composure: doubt.

— “Did you hear that…?” one whispered.

The man slowly nodded. A strange smile appeared on his face — not joyful, not insane… but resigned.

— “Now you see?.. I wasn’t digging down…”

He paused, staring into the darkness.

— “I was trying to stop them…”

The sound grew louder.

The blows came faster. Closer.

The earth deep inside the tunnel trembled.

One of the officers shouted:

— “Back! Move back now!”

But it was already too late.

The dim light flickered… and for a split second, something seemed to shift in the darkness.

Something… that should never have been there.

Something that wasn’t digging up or down…

But straight toward them.