The Da Vinci Code

Where are all the people?
Heart racing, Sophie ran to the woodshed and got the spare key her grandfather kept hidden under 
the kindling box. She ran to the front door and let herself in. As she stepped into the deserted foyer, 
the control panel for the security system started blinking red—a warning that the entrant had ten 
seconds to type the proper code before the security alarms went off.
He has the alarm on during a party?
Sophie quickly typed the code and deactivated the system.
Entering, she found the entire house uninhabited. Upstairs too. As she descended again to the 
deserted living room, she stood a moment in the silence, wondering what could possibly be 
happening.
It was then that Sophie heard it.
Muffled voices. And they seemed to be coming from underneath her. Sophie could not imagine. 
Crouching, she put her ear to the floor and listened. Yes, the sound was definitely coming from 
below. The voices seemed to be singing, or... chanting? She was frightened. Almost more eerie 
than the sound itself was the realization that this house did not even have a basement.
At least none I've ever seen.
Turning now and scanning the living room, Sophie's eyes fell to the only object in the entire house 
that seemed out of place—her grandfather's favorite antique, a sprawling Aubusson tapestry. It 
usually hung on the east wall beside the fireplace, but tonight it had been pulled aside on its brass 

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rod, exposing the wall behind it.
Walking toward the bare wooden wall, Sophie sensed the chanting getting louder. Hesitant, she 
leaned her ear against the wood. The voices were clearer now. People were definitely chanting... 
intoning words Sophie could not discern.
The space behind this wall is hollow!
Feeling around the edge of the panels, Sophie found a recessed fingerhold. It was discreetly 
crafted. A sliding door. Heart pounding, she placed her finger in the slot and pulled it. With 
noiseless precision, the heavy wall slid sideways. From out of the darkness beyond, the voices 
echoed up.
Sophie slipped through the door and found herself on a rough-hewn stone staircase that spiraled 
downward. She'd been coming to this house since she was a child and yet had no idea this staircase 
even existed!
As she descended, the air grew cooler. The voices clearer. She heard men and women now. Her 
line of sight was limited by the spiral of the staircase, but the last step was now rounding into view. 
Beyond it, she could see a small patch of the basement floor—stone, illuminated by the flickering 
orange blaze of firelight.
Holding her breath, Sophie inched down another few steps and crouched down to look. It took her 
several seconds to process what she was seeing.
The room was a grotto—a coarse chamber that appeared to have been hollowed from the granite of 
the hillside. The only light came from torches on the walls. In the glow of the flames, thirty or so 
people stood in a circle in the center of the room.
I'm dreaming, Sophie told herself. A dream. What else could this be?
Everyone in the room was wearing a mask. The women were dressed in white gossamer gowns and 
golden shoes. Their masks were white, and in their hands they carried golden orbs. The men wore 
long black tunics, and their masks were black. They looked like pieces in a giant chess set. 
Everyone in the circle rocked back and forth and chanted in reverence to something on the floor 
before them... something Sophie could not see.
The chanting grew steady again. Accelerating. Thundering now. Faster. The participants took a 
step inward and knelt. In that instant, Sophie could finally see what they all were witnessing. Even 
as she staggered back in horror, she felt the image searing itself into her memory forever. 
Overtaken by nausea, Sophie spun, clutching at the stone walls as she clambered back up the stairs. 
Pulling the door closed, she fled the deserted house, and drove in a tearful stupor back to Paris.

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That night, with her life shattered by disillusionment and betrayal, she packed her belongings and 
left her home. On the dining room table, she left a note.
I WAS THERE. DON'T TRY TO FIND ME.
Beside the note, she laid the old spare key from the château's woodshed.
"Sophie! Langdon's voice intruded. "Stop! Stop!"
Emerging from the memory, Sophie slammed on the brakes, skidding to a halt. "What? What 
happened?!"
Langdon pointed down the long street before them.
When she saw it, Sophie's blood went cold. A hundred yards ahead, the intersection was blocked 
by a couple of DCPJ police cars, parked askew, their purpose obvious. They've sealed off Avenue 
Gabriel!
Langdon gave a grim sigh. "I take it the embassy is off-limits this evening?"
Down the street, the two DCPJ officers who stood beside their cars were now staring in their 
direction, apparently curious about the headlights that had halted so abruptly up the street from 
them.
Okay, Sophie, turn around very slowly.
Putting the SmartCar in reverse, she performed a composed three-point turn and reversed her 
direction. As she drove away, she heard the sound of squealing tires behind them. Sirens blared to 
life.
Cursing, Sophie slammed down the accelerator.