Tunnels Of Time

Terror Underground

8:55 PM Friday Night

Andrea was a petrified fossil, frozen in place in the minuscule tunnel. They expected her to crawl - crawl in pitch blackness all the way to the shoe store - just to warn some gangsters that the cops were coming! Let the cops get them. She didn't care, she only knew that there was no way she was crawling, walking, running, or even flying through this narrow, crude passageway they called a tunnel. The "real" tunnels were bad enough. She could barely manage to keep her wits about her in them. How could she possibly control her imagination in this situation? I'd rather die, Andrea silently vowed. Her panting breath was muffled by the closeness of the damp earth only centimetres above her head.

"No, I wouldn't rather die," she recanted slowly, realising that she basically had two choices. She could stay in the tunnel and let the gangsters get caught. She was sure to suffer the wrath of Old Scarface if she did that. Or she could crawl for all she was worth, hoping to beat the cops to Scotty's in time to warn the men to hide! What kind of choice was that?! It wasn't a choice. The decision had been made the second Scarface had shoved her into the tunnel.

Well, then, I'd better make it, Andrea decided grimly, and she set off on her hands and knees, crawl ing over rocks and large clumps of dirt. In the space of a few metres her knees stung, her hands were scratched and cut. Cobwebs hung low and slapped her in the face as she passed. Andrea shut her eyes and gritted her teeth. Don't think about it, Andrea willed as her imagination began to work overtime. But thoughts of spiders, immense and hairy, with grotesque faces, began to haunt her thoughts.

The narrow space was suddenly enlarged enough so that Andrea could stand, crouched over, and run. This she did, glad to be able to move more swiftly. The darkness though, was airless and stifling. She felt something thump her softly on the back and roll off. She screamed and then clamped her own dirty hand over her mouth. There was no telling if the sound would travel or not, but Andrea didn't want to take any chances. The journey felt endless. She was in a black hole of eternity. There was no exit and she was lost, doomed to starvation and certain death. Stop it! Andrea willed. Don't panic. She forced her mind to think of other things: the mountains, free and open; the sun shining on the beautiful river back home. Stay calm, she encouraged herself silently, you can do this.

The tunnel curved. In the darkness Andrea couldn't see the turn. She ran into the side of the dirt wall. Part of it caved in, falling on her back and shoulders. Vance's hat threatened to jiggle loose on her head and she quickly jammed it back into place. She ran on; she'd worry about the dirt later. Would this blackness never end?

But soon it did, for just up ahead Andrea could suddenly see a whisper of light escaping from a small hole. She stumbled and fell, picked herself up and ran on, her eyes never straying from the deliverance of light ahead.

The light grew larger and more bright as Andrea closed in on it. It was actually a vent at waist level. Andrea bent down and peered breathlessly into the lighted area on the other side. It was the basement of the shoe store, of that she was certain! There were boxes of shoes everywhere, and tools and equipment that Andrea thought must be used for repairing and making shoes. The six men they had delivered earlier were there, along with two others and several women.

A card game was obviously in progress, and judging by the pile of money in the centre of the table, there was gambling as well.
All of this Andrea noted in a matter of seconds. Now that she had reached her destination, she did not want to fail by forgetting to warn the people. "Hey," she called out weakly. She felt stupid and silly calling from outside of the room.
"Did you hear something?" one of the women asked suspiciously. Everyone went stiff and still, as if they were expecting trouble of some sort. "Hey!" Andrea called more loudly this time. "Over here, in the vent!"