Shadows of the Night | BOOK 2 DRAFT

30

30. 

I spent half my life underground. Carved into the earth, our tunnels were far from the luxurious castle in the shifter's village. Our quarters were nothing to boast—cramped, void of personality, and dark. But these tunnels make me miss the place I grew up.

The rungs of the ladder are slippery, making it difficult to clamber down. As the hole of light above me is covered, I'm enveloped in darkness. I don't even realise I've reached the bottom till my feet land on the earth, not another ladder rung. I shudder, breathing through my mouth and wiping my greasy hands on my shirt as I turn.

The stagnant air is thick with moisture, hard to breathe. I can't see more than a few feet ahead of me. The sound of water dripping echoes around me. It sounds close; but I know from my tunnels that the narrow walkways play tricks on your mind, making things seems closer than they appear. I take a shaky breath and reach a hand out, fumbling for the wall. I use it as a guide as I tread forwards, my feet pattering against the stone floor. After a few minutes, my eyes have somewhat adjusted to the darkness and I can make out more of the path.

The tunnel winds beneath the earth in a zig-zagged shape. In my mind, I try to envision the layout of the castle above, picturing where the the prisons rest in relation to the training centre I came from. But I've only been to the prisons twice—once when Flo was being held there. And the second time a few weeks after we got back and Cassia threw a hollower in there. Since then, I avoided them like the plague, and not just because they're unpleasant to be in. I could hear Flo in the prisons, her cries absorbed into the walls and played like a bird song. I could see her on her knees in the cell, begging for forgiveness. I could hear the words I spoke to her in the forest just hours before she saved my life. I wish you were dead. Elias was right when he said the dead never leave us.

The passageway winds around the corner, twisting uphill. I keep expecting to run into a hollower, but unless they already knew about these tunnels, there's no way they'd be down here. It doesn't keep the paranoia from swirling around my head. My mind races as I trace along the wall. I have to find Aliyah and Bastian, but what do I do then? I could break them out and take them down here, but then what?

Sweat beads at the back of my neck and I pick up speed. I need a plan, but I'm running out of time. Cynthia will be back in the morning. I have to be out of there by then, and I can't exactly take Aaliyah with me—she's the kind of person whose absence would be noted.

The tunnel comes to an abrupt stop. I almost walk straight into the wall, caught in my thoughts. A ladder leads up into the sky. I peer up, trying to gauge how far it goes, but it's impossible to tell in the darkness. I start to climb, gripping the rungs tightly as I get higher. Don't look down. The mantra plays over and over in my head. I've never been a fan of heights, but not being able to see the ground somehow makes it more terrifying. I keep one hand above my head, feeling for the roof to avoid hitting it. My fingers come in contact with hard metal. I pause, looking up. The top is circular, the same kind of drainage hole lid I went down in the training room.

I pause before pushing it open, cursing myself for not asking Harrison where exactly it led to in the prisons. If it opens in plain sight and there are guards down there, I'm as good as dead. I think over it for a few moments, coming to the decision that I'll take my chances.

The metal plate makes a grinding sound as I push it open. I cringe, gritting my teeth together and push it slower, a circle of light opening above me. My heart hammers against my ribcage as I wait a few seconds, waiting for somebody to appear and rip me from the tunnel, or worse, push me down. But nothing happens. I push it open the whole way. It clatters to the floor a few feet away, echoing through the tunnel.