Mina was the first to climb down into the sewage grate.

She wanted to make sure that whatever troubles awaited them in the bottom of the well, she dealt with them first. Reaching the bottom rung, she emerged in a circular tunnel and placed her feet into a small stream of dark gully water. Wrinkling her button nose, she wanted to exclaim, "ick" but instead, she clenched her jaw and said, "this is for Raven!"

Trudy and Winona followed her down. She expected them to wretch from the awful smell of raw sewage but they seemed perfectly fine.

"This place doesn't smell like dog vomit to you?" Mina inquired. "This place makes me want to turn my nose inside out."

"I work in a morgue, sweetie!" Winona answered. "This is nothing."

Mina looked to Trudy. Trudy nodded and puffed out her cheeks with superiority "And I eat at French restaurants, hunny bun!"

"Double touche!" Mina answered and together they made their way through tunnel, following the disgusting bilge water where it went.

Together, they reached a small ravine where the water plummeted. Across it, was a small balcony and a steel door. No doubt, that would lead to Raven's basement.

"Okays..." Mina said, her eyes darting between the ravine and the balcony. "We're gonna need to take a running jump! I'll go first. I just don't want you guys to get hurt!"

Her friends gave her looks of approval for being the team leader in this nearly impossible endeavor. Mina took a deep breath, and though she hadn't done much jumping since gym class (and even then, she often found excuses why she couldn't exercise that day) she took her skinny-fat body and ran as fast as she could.

"For Raven!" she shouted as her feet fluttered over the gap.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Much to her relief, she cleared the gap and kept running...straight into the iron door. Grinning stupidly, she fell backwards. "Mina!!!" her friends screamed.

She turned around with a broad and goofy grin. "I didn't get the license of that door...because doors don't have licenses! More importantly, I'm over it!"

Her friends cheered. "You did! You did jump over the gap!"

Mina shook her head as she picked herself up. "No. I mean I'm over it. Literally. I'm totally gonna stick to lawyering rather than exercise!"

Next up, it was Winona turn. Winona Sumac had quite long legs, having the physique of a skeleton. She cleared the gap perfectly and gracefully. She took a bow and smiled. "I'm lucky I'm so hollow inside!" she said with empty eyes. "That's the biggest benefit to being a goth."

Mina patted her friend on the back. "Thank dog you have such existential angst!"

Last and certainly not least was Trudy. She nervously nibbled her nails like they were corn on the cob. There was a timid look on her face was such a big girl. "C'mon Trude!" Mina said. "If I can do it, you can. I'm skinny-fat!"

"I dunno," Trudy muttered as she looked over the waterfall of gully water. "This could end badly for me."

Winona looked to Mina. "Perhaps we need to lure her over with something. What does Trudy like most?"

Mina tapped her cheeks and gave a smirk. "Trudy! I want you to pretend that Robert Sparkleson is over here and he's gonna give you a big plate of kumquats and tell you what a beautiful and foxy girl you are!"

Suddenly, there was a fearless look in Trudy's eyes. "Hubba hubba! Sign me up, big boy!"

The husky girl ran as fast she could and cleared the chain with the greatest of ease. Unfortunately, where she landed was not so pleasant.

"Ugh...." Mina said squirming uncomfortably. "Trudes...nice job. But you're crushing all my internal organs!"

Winona, who was somehow in a pre-death delirium under Trudy's weight merely exclaimed, "What a wonderous way to go!"

"Oh sorry..." Trudy said, sitting up and smiling. "I'm so proud I did that."

Mina grinned, her body now able to move. "So am I! We really pulled that one off and...--"

There was a loud click. "Well well well," a wise guy's voice mocked them. "Didn't expect to find a buncha dames in the sewer!"

Mina looked up and her stomach churned in fear.

Standing over them was a punk in leather jacket and a pompadour that stood up giant hot-dog. He pointed a pistol at them

Immediately, her memories came flooding back. This guy wasn't just any run-of-the-mill thug. He was Hot Dog Johnny. The man who was responsible for killing her first boyfriend!