Authors: Todd Loyd
Chapter 55
The group begins their trek through the vent. Mason is in the lead with Amy close behind. Scotty, who is now toting Lucky, is just ahead of Jack. The pass is narrow and they are hampered by the space constraints. Jack thinks,
When Mason said there was “plenty of space” he must have been trying to make everyone feel better about his plan.
Still, they make progress in the small tunnel.
Whenever Scotty's body dips, Jack can just make out the shape of Amy ahead. It has been a long night, but he is comforted by feeling that she seems interested again. He ponders,
How long have I known her? What is it about this night that has made me notice her in a different light? Is it just a crush? Is it the way she is wearing her hair? Is it her initial shyness that seemed so appealing? Or is it just the fact that Amy Carnahan is growing up
? Jack can't say for sure, but he does know that he is totally into her and that it feels right. Even with everything that is happening around him, he is constantly having to stop dwelling on her.
Jack senses that the slow progress of Scotty is putting him further behind the others. He knows they have to make this workâand quicklyâbecause a new problem crosses his mind. He has no idea how long they have been in the ride. Up until this point, he had not thought about his parents and his escape from the house. They had been occupied with enough trouble, but now, the idea of being busted by his parents catches up with him.
Jack starts to imagine,
They will ground me for life. Blair will like that. Oh, I can see the smug look on her face now.
These thoughts trouble Jack, but he decides he will gladly take the punishment if he can just get home in one piece and out of this crazy ride. He looks ahead as Scotty struggles with the cumbersome bear. He thinks,
Good ol' Scotty, loyal to a fault.
The short chubby boy idolizes Mason Chick, who represents everything Scotty is not. Jack had often wondered how much longer Mason would
allow Scotty to be his friend. They were about to hit high school, where the social order of things changes. Mason is worried about popularity, sports, and girls, though not necessarily in that order, whereas Scotty shows no signs of aptitude in any of those subjects. In line with this, Mason had been showing signs of being too cool for Scotty. Just last week, Mason had invited Jack over for a get together after a summer league baseball game. When Jack arrived, he was surprised by the number of girls hanging out at the Chick home, while there were plenty of people from the “in crowd,” there was no Scotty.
When Jack quizzed Mason as to why Scotty was not there, he coldly responded, “Jack, I didn't invite Scotty. He would just get in the way. He would rather be reading some book anyways.”
Jack notices that Amy and Mason are putting quite a bit of real estate between Scotty and him. So, in hushed tones, Jack says, “Scotty, hurry up.”
Scotty pauses, looks back, and says, “I'm trying. It's just this bearâit's cumbersome.”
“Let me take him.”
“No, Mason asked me to do it.”
“If Mason wanted to ride a flamingo, would you?”
“What?”
Jack knows the answer is yes, so he says, “Just keep going then.”
The low glow of light provided by the rooms underneath seems to brighten, which means they are approaching another room. As he passes over the vent, Jack takes the opportunity to peer into the room below. However, he can't make out anything below: the gaps in the cover are too close together. He wonders,
Are we going the right way?
Then Jack hears two voices from below and stops to place his ear to the cover. He asks himself,
Who'is talking? Maybe they're people who can help?
Chapter 56
With an ear pressed to the vent cover, Jack tries to make out the muffled voices below. A distinct, gravely male voice is addressing another person. It's clear to Jack that this is not Clyde.
“We have lost track of them.”
“You what?”
“We cannot find themâdonot worryâit is only temporary. They have to be close.”
“This is not acceptable. Everything hinges on their progress. If anything happens to themâ¦.”
The second voice belongs to a female. She has a kind, gentle voice.
Jack thinks,
Are they talking about us?
He imagines that perhaps these people have been sent to get them out and that maybe he should try to contact them. But, he dismisses this idea because he doesn't recognize either voice and decides that even if he could somehow remove the vent cover, it would be better to make it out without official help.
The speaker of the first voice says, “Of course, miladyâ¦we will find them immediately.”
“I do not need to tell you thatâ¦.”
Jack's attention is taken away from their conversation when he notices the presence of another crawling toward him. Looking up, he sees that somehow Amy has made it around Scotty and is crawling back toward him.
“What is it, Jack?” she asks.
Jack lifts a finger in front of his lips, instructing Amy to be quiet.
She nods and mimics Jack, then places her ear to the vent as well. Jack is trying hard to listen, but he thinks,
She smells so nice
.
The woman's voice wafts up through the opening, saying, “There is considerable danger ahead. I am counting on you, Victor.”
“Your trust is well placed, milady. We will locate the companions and keep watch.”
“You must not allow them to see you, yet. They need to do this on their own.”
“Yes, milady,” responds the man. He then shuffles toward an exit, and Jack hears a door shut.
The cryptic conversation is over. In spite of this, Jack does not want to move. His face is inches apart from Amy's. Their noses are practically touching. Both remain still, ears to the vent, looking at each other.
A rush of heat floods Jack's face. He looks deeply into Amy's eyes, searching for any sign. The girl does not shy away from the gaze. She breaks into a grin and whispers, “This is cozy.”
The woman's voice disrupts the moment. Jack breaks the stare and peers down into the vent, desperately trying to make out something, anything.
“We cannot make a mistake now. Follow Victor. Keep your eyes out for trouble. I am counting on you as well.”
Jack wonders,
Who is she talking to?
He turns his focus back to Amy, hoping to re-kindle the gaze they had shared, but the girl is obviously puzzled by the voices and no longer in the moment.
“What is this all about?” she whispers.
He simply shakes his head.
The lady speaks to the mysterious subject again and says, “The Troll, of course, might be a problem. He may not cooperate. You will have to be cunning.”
This time Jack and Amy can barely make out a click and a squeak.
“Yes, I know you will do your best. Now, find the teens and Victor. Good fortune to you.”
She has to be talking about us
, thinks Jack.
He looks over Amy's shoulder in an effort to make eye contact with the other boys. However, they are out of sight. He thinks,
Time to move on, to catch up with Mason and Scotty.
“Let's go, Amy. They are pretty far ahead, but not too far, knowing Scotty.”
Amy nods, and with a little effort, turns in the narrow space. Jack has to duck to avoid her right leg swinging around.
Jack is now following Amy, but his attention on her crawling form is broken when he hears a faint thud from behind. However, after swiveling his head, he sees nothing and tells himself, “Just your imagination.”
He continues his crawl, but then there is another thud, followed by another. Jack stops and thinks,
What is that?
The thuds are getting louder, and suddenly, Jack realizes they are being followed.
Chapter 57
Jack pumps his knees and hands up and down and catches up with Amy.
“Someone is behind us!”
“What?”
“Up here with us, chasing us. Goâfast!”
Amy picks up her pace, and Jack feels sweat starting to emerge on his brow. He wonders how far have the others have gotten. Even though he's moving as fast as his body will allow, the noise is growing louder. Up ahead, Jack sees the shape of Scotty, and he hears Amy alert the other boys.
“Mason, Scotty, someone is chasing usâgo faster!”
The vent turns to the right at a tight, uncomfortable angle, and this slows the progress. Amy and Jack have now caught up with Scotty, and Mason is just ahead.
“Someone is up here?” Scotty asks while trying to maneuver the large stuffed bear around the turn. He seems confused.
“You heard herânow go,” urges Jack.
They move along a straight path that leads to another twist, though it one is not as sharp as the previous one. After this, a fork in the path leads off in two directions.
“This way,” Mason calls from the path to the right.
The group hears
thud
,
thud
,
thud
, and Amy begins pushing at Scotty, saying, “Scotty, come on, you're going too slow!”
“I can't help it!”
How far behind is the pursuer?
wonders Jack. Daring to look back, Jack makes out two glowing green eyes about 20 yards behind. He feels outright terror and starts to sweat uncontrollably.
Another turn forces everyone to the left. There is no time for the teens to worry about where they are going, and while occasional vent covers provide lighting, no one is stopping for a look. It is a mad chase, and all four teens can now hear the dull thuds of the rapidly gaining antagonist.
Finally, Jack looks back again but sees no eyes. He is slightly relieved and eases his pace, thinking that they have put some distance between them and the pursuer Suddenly, though, he hears the thuds again, even more loudly this time.
He increases his speed again, and then he hears a faint exhale come from close behind him.
He yells, “Go, go, go!”
Chapter 58
The intensity of Jack's panicked yell provides more inspiration for Scotty. His knees slam hard against the flooring of the shaft. He's breathing hard, almost wheezing, but Scotty believes the work is paying off because he thinks he sees the exit up ahead. However, it turns out to be another vent cover.
Amy pushes her brother forward again. This, along with the cumbersome bear, has pushed Scotty's nerves to the breaking point.
He tells his sister, “You're not helping.”
As Scotty approaches the vent cover, he focuses on the figure of Mason up ahead. In spite of all the negative reinforcement, he has managed to gain ground on his friend. This decreases, though, when his right knee slams down on the vent cover, which makes a slight give.
“Whoa!” says Scotty, and before he can calculate what will happen if his other knee strikes the cover, it gives out, unable to bear his weight.
Suddenly, there's nothing beneath him, so Scotty and the bear flail in midair and crash into the concrete below. Scotty lands squarely on his left shoulder and is overtaken by a feeling of intense pain. The agony tearing through his body makes him lose awareness of where he is or what has happened. The next thing he can make out is a figure dropping down from the open shaft above.
It's Mason, who asks, “Scotty, can you get up? Are you okay?”
“Owww! My shoulderâit's broken.”
“You have to get up. We have to hide.”
Scotty hears two other bodies landing on the floor, feet first.
“Is he okay?” Amy asks.
Mason roughly lifts Scotty by the right arm.
“My shoulder! Be carefulâmy shoulder!”
“I know, Scotty, but we have to move. Come on,” Mason pleads.
The flurry of action is happening so fast, and Scotty's head feels like it's spinning.
Mason takes a look around and asks, “Is this the cave room?”
The four hear a familiar voice:
“A poor choice they made, no shortcuts to take.
It's left them in panic, their escape to make.
Into the cave, they must proceed.
The words of the narrator, they better heed.”
“Quickâduck into the cave,” Jack says.
The other three maneuver inside, and Scotty is ushered sharply to the left.
Amy is there at his side and tells him, “Duck down, Scotty.” Then, she pushes on his injured shoulder.
“Ohhhhhh! My shoulder.”
“So sorry, Scotty. I didn't mean to.”
“Just don't touch it,” Scotty moans.
Mason shushes the siblings and in a whispered yell, he says, “You have to be quiet. I know it hurts, Scotty, but you can't make a sound.”
Suddenly, tall black boots on black legs emerge from the shaft. Then, with swift dexterity, the pursuer lunges down to the floor.
At first glance, Scotty perceives this hunter to be a man in a top hat and a long black coat. However, he soon realizes this is not a man but a wolf.
Still, he doubts himself and wonders if it can it's real or whether his bad vision is playing tricks. He can barely make out the figure, now holding his top hat in his hand, or paw. The creature is sniffing and looking while standing on two legs. At one point, he glances in the group's direction, and they duck lower.
Scotty is the only one who dares to look again. In spite of the intense, burning pain, he peaks through one eye, his good eye, and sees the wolf cautiously creeping around and bending to pick something up. Scotty realizes it's his glasses. The wolf sniffs them and promptly discards the spectacles to the floor. Although the predator is deliberate, with eyes roving up and down and to and fro like two green search lights scanning for prey, it seems to Scotty that there is something preventing the wolf from walking any closer.
Is something making him nervous?
Scotty wonders
.
The wolf bends down and sniffs at the pile of bones near the entrance. By this point, he is only a few feet away from them.
Scotty closes his eyes and squats more deeply against the interior cave wall. Then he prays.