The tranquility prevailed in the town... No one was walking its streets except Khalid, who was carrying a shoulder bag containing:
Enough food for several days.
A flashlight .
The book the old woman gave him.
Some papers, and pens; believing that there might be something he needs to write down.
He found no need for a camera since his cell phone sufficed.
He hurried to the outskirts of the town where the abandoned house was located. As he approached it and its high wall, he resolved to overcome the barrier...
Meanwhile, his grandfather sat alone, reading the Quran, praying for Khalid's safe return.
Suddenly, he heard knocks on his door, thinking it was Khalid returning.
As he got up to open the door, he found Mouna standing before him. Astonished to see her at such a late hour.
She asked:
"Where's Khalid? Why isn't he answering his phone?"
Mouna joyfully carried on:
"! I managed to convince Dad that Khalid and I should get married. I couldn't wait until morning to tell him. I'm afraid he might still be upset from earlier."
The old man smiled and remained silent...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Khalid overcame the wall of the abandoned house and illuminated his flashlight when he reached the spot near the rock his grandfather had described in detail.
Despite his physical strength, he initially struggled to move the rock.
He tried again and again, sweating profusely, until he found an old wooden board, thinking it might help move the rock.
With determination, he pushed and pushed until the rock budged slightly, then gradually moved it away from the iron door lying beneath it. As he fell to his knees, his heart raced, and his breath quickened. He smiled to himself, saying, "Stay strong, hero. We're just getting started..."
He opened the iron door, which had been sealed by the rock for a long time, and found a vertical staircase leading downward.
Encouraging himself, he said, "In the name of God, we begin our journey to the underground chamber..."
Moments later, he started descending the stairs, closing the door behind him as if he were sealing his fate. He realized that the wooden board supporting the door had broken, but he paid it no mind. His focus was on reaching the tunnel as quickly as possible. He descended without looking down, feeling his way with his hands, holding the flashlight in his right hand, and pushing aside the thick cobwebs with his left.
After walking a few meters, he felt his heart pounding rapidly, struggling to see the end of the tunnel obstructed by the dense cobwebs...
Khalid continued deeper into the darkness, searching for the underground chamber his grandfather had mentioned. He quickened his pace as his chest tightened from the lack of air.
He began to feel suffocated, placing his hand on his neck to ease the pressure. Despite his dwindling strength, he pressed on, feeling the tunnel walls with his hand, searching for any opening, but to no avail.
He asked himself desperately, "Where are you, path?" He knew he couldn't even return to the tunnel staircase. He would suffocate before he could turn back...
He rushed forward, searching everywhere, but found nothing. Eventually, he collapsed on the ground, his flashlight falling beside him. Weakly, he cried out, "Isn't there a basement? Isn't there?" Then he fell silent, tilting his head to the side, almost surrendering...
Before closing his eyes, he glanced at a spot illuminated by his flashlight. A faint smile crossed his face, and he said to himself, "Foryek basement..." He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, looking at the wooden planks arranged in the light, resembling a small door on one side of the tunnel.
The wooden door was a few feet away from Khalid.
Despite his exhaustion, he rose again and crawled toward it, moving like a reptile.
He couldn't stand on his feet, struggling against suffocation like a drowning man.
He pushed with his body, his feet, and his arms, placing the flashlight between his teeth. He resisted, telling himself that there was hope; it was Foryek Basement, where there was air, where there was life.
He spoke words to strengthen himself and approached the door, pushing with all his might until his body stopped again, his strength depleted. Only a few feet remained to reach the door.
His eyes looked at the door, trying to extend his arm toward it, but it wouldn't reach, as if it had given up. Then he screamed loudly, as if gathering all his remaining strength, and threw himself toward the door like a rock hurled at a decaying wooden door, breaking its planks. He fell inside, finding himself falling onto a wooden staircase, closing his eyes as he rolled down like a ball down the stairs. He couldn't control his body at all...
Khalid opened his eyes to find himself lying on one of the wide staircase steps. His chest expanded with fresh air, as if he had drunk from a well after extreme thirst. His joy increased when he realized he could see everything without relying on his flashlight, as the darkness of the tunnel had vanished. He stood on his feet and shouted:
"I'm in Foryek basement! I'm in Foryek Basement!"
Then he looked down where the stairs hadn't ended yet and hurried down, stepping on them eagerly with hope.
Even the pain from his falls didn't slow him down. He wanted to discover everything quickly before the moon disappeared.
He told himself that everything mentioned in the book so far he had found:
The air was indeed present, and the moonlight illuminated his path.
What an architectural marvel! But his question remained: What did the author discover? Until he reached the end of the stairs and entered the Basement...
Khalid found himself facing a much larger tunnel than the one he had previously traversed. Its height approached ten meters, and its width matched its height.
He walked through it, marveling at its massive walls as if he were in a tourist attraction. He took out his pen and papers and began writing about what he saw.
He continued further into the tunnel, laughing hysterically; the pain was gone. Perhaps he will find some treasures now.
He searched every corner of the chamber, not wanting to miss anything. But then his foot bumped into something. When he looked, his heart raced at the sight of a human skeleton.
It was the first time he had seen such a thing, but it wouldn't be the last. The more he advanced, the more he found.
Fear began to seep into his heart as if the skeletons were speaking to him, telling him that this was the fate of anyone who entered this chamber. His mind whispered to him that one of them could be his father or his mother.
He wished that wasn't the truth...