Beyond The Bridge [ONC 2023] // Longlisted

Chapter Nineteen

I try not to focus on the stabbing sensation in my hand, or the blood still running down my hand as we continue on through the tunnel. With so many stones on the ground and wall, it's impossible for either of us to find a place where we might be able to stop and rest for a minute. Both of us long to stop, just for a few moments, and sit down to have a sip of water and something to eat, but we have to keep walking until we reach a safer place to stop.

Levi takes the candle from me and takes the lead through the rest of the tunnel, but he makes sure I'm close by him at all times. The candle stops providing us with a decent amount of light as it burns down to nothing more than a stub and a small wick. We both struggle to see the stones at our feet and we know the likelihood of getting hurt again if we don't hurry and escape the tunnel.

In the fading light, we stumble over the rocks into yet another large chamber, this one far bigger than any of the others, but with only one tunnel that branches off. The walls aren't made of the same sand and dirt that had filled the previous chambers we had come through. Instead, the chamber is lined with large, grey rocks with large rocks covering the floor with small piles of dirt interspersed throughout.

It looks the same as the entrance to the cave, except there is no light from the mouth of the cave and darkness continues to surround us. We manage to get a good look at the chamber before the candle extinguishes itself and we fall into darkness once more.

"We cannot be too far from the end now," Levi says. Excitement laces his tone at the prospect of us finally being able to escape the cave for good.

"I agree. This chamber is nearly identical to the cave."

"Let's take a break first, catch our breath. My leg is starting to hurt."

"Alright." I nod, even though he cannot see me. "Who knows, maybe this is the last break we take before we reach fresh air."

"I've forgotten what fresh air smells like. All I can smell is damp."

"Damp means there might be water. Did you see any?"

"No, but I only got a brief glance before the candle went out."

"We can take a break in the dark and then put the new candle in. It's the last one, so we'll have to use it sparingly."

Levi sighs and I feel him fall to the ground at the entrance to the chamber, not even bothering to find a wall to lean against. I can hardly blame him. All the walks through the tunnel, stumbling over the rocks and fighting the slight incline, have left me weary despite the sleep. It takes everything in me to keep my eyes open as I sit beside him and play with the torn shirt wrapped around my hand.

I can still feel blood running down my palm, but it isn't half as much as it was at first. Even in the dark, I know the strip of cloth is stained and most likely rendered useless, but it is better than nothing and should keep the dirt out of the hole in my hand. I pray that this is the end of our journey and that we only have a short way to go until we emerge back into the sunlight. So much time has passed that I've forgotten what the sun feels like on my skin.

When we first started across the grass the morning of our initial adventure, I had never dreamed that this was where we would end up. It was supposed to be a simple trip along the edge of the stream and into the woods, yet nothing about the trip has been simple. Levi and I have had to fight through pain, exhaustion, and hunger just to keep moving forward.

The fact that it's almost over feels like a large weight has been lifted from my shoulders for the first time in what feels like an age, but a slither of apprehension creeps in. I know that our escape from the cave means the end of the time Levi and I spend together, most likely forever, if Mrs Edgeworth has something to do with it. Our time in the tunnels has given me a newfound appreciation of his company and I cannot bear the thought of never seeing him again. The thought makes my head hurt.

"Do you want something to eat?" Levi's voice cuts through the silence. "We don't have much left, just a jam tart and half a sausage roll."

"Why don't we split the sausage roll in half again and save the jam tart? It can be our victory meal when we emerge from the cave."

"I like that idea."

He rummages around in the satchel and hands me a piece of sausage roll, placing it in my left hand to avoid the hole in my other one. I nibble on the food, grateful that we won't have to eat stale pastry for much longer, but nothing can fight the slither of guilt at the back of my mind. What if we're nowhere near the entrance to the cave? What if we finish all our food, drink the water, and we're left with nothing?

There is no guarantee that we are near the mouth of the cave. We could be off by a large distance and getting ahead of ourselves. The idea of starving to death is not one I wish to face, but it may come to that if we have taken a wrong turn somewhere along the lines. We could also end up dying of thirst if we cannot find somewhere else to replenish our small amount of water.

I try to push the thoughts to the back of my mind, knowing they are just making my headache worse. Despite my promise to Levi, I don't mention the headache because I know he will just want to sit in the chamber for a little while longer. The last thing I want to do is ruin his excitement at escape by prolonging it.

The headache can wait, our escape cannot.

~~~

First Published - March 15th, 2023