Stone steps spiraled downward beneath his boots.
Each step was cut narrow, forcing careful footing; he didn't want to fall, after all, if he did, he would be found. The air changed as he descended, growing thicker, warmer, and touched by a faint metallic scent that clung to the back of the throat.
Something was definitely wrong down there, something was happening, since why did he smell blood...
The sounds from above faded with every turn of the staircase until only the echo of his own movement remained.
At the bottom, the stairway opened into a wide chamber.
The first thing he saw was glass.
Rows of towering cylindrical tubes filled the room from wall to wall, stretching upward almost to the ceiling. They stood in tight formation, so numerous that there were only narrow paths winding between them. Pale light pulsed from within each cylinder, casting a dim green glow across the stone floor.
Inside every tube floated a body.
Human.
...
'What the heck?'
