Gravity Rises (S2)

BB: Part Eight

"Run!"

Ford raised his gun and shot Shifty in the chest before he could finish transforming. Shifty let out a roar and stumbled back, out of the exit.

Mabel stared at the space where Shifty had just been, frozen in the wake of his transformation. Stanley's face — it had run down his head like wax, revealing a pasty white something underneath. The eyes, embedded in that pale face — the pink, fleshy eyes—

Ford's fingers were curling around hers. He was yanking her behind him. Her legs stumbled over themselves as they remembered how to function, and then she and Ford were out of the cave, back into the tunnels, running past an angry Shifty as Ford took another shot at him over his shoulder.

"We have to get back — to the bunker—"

Mabel nodded, too scared and out-of-breath to reply. The two Pines tore over the uneven, rocky ground through the damp tunnels. Mabel was certain that she would slip and fall and die any second, but Ford's firm grip on her hand helped her keep her balance.

"You can't get away from me, Stanford!"

Shifty's true voice, deep and rough, rang through the tunnels. Mabel tried to shut it out — tried to shut out the memory of those horrifying eyes — and focus on the ground in front of her.

And then Ford was laughing.

It startled Mabel so much she nearly lost her footing (again). "Wh-what?"

Ford just laughed louder. "I haven't run like this in thirty years!"

Mabel didn't think it was very funny.

"Wait." Ford skidded to a stop. "Which way did we come from?"

In front of them was a fork in the path.

Mabel's mouth went dry. "I-I don't know!" She clung to Ford's hand as a roar from Shifty reached them. "Pick one!"

Another bellow — but louder, screechy. Then a rumbling sound.

"He's shifted into something more mobile," Ford said. "Quick, this way. Turn off your flashlight!"

Mabel did as he said. He pulled her into the tunnel on the left and, after pushing her behind him, threw his own flashlight down the tunnel on the right. It clattered against the stone as it bounced down the shaft.

Ford pushed Mabel back against the rock wall just in time as Shifty came around the corner. He now looked like a giant brown roly-poly bug, uncurling long enough to look down the right tunnel before curling up again and rocketing after the flashlight.

Mabel let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Good thinking, Grunkle Ford."

"Thank you. Let's hope I picked the right path."

He ran down the shaft. Great, more running. If Mabel wanted to be a monster hunter, she probably should start getting more fit.

"Mabel? I know you're tired, but he'll discover our trick any moment now. Stay with me."

She took a deep breath and ran after her uncle.

They ran side by side, this time in the dark, clinging to the other's hand for dear life. Mabel thought she could see a faint light in the distance, and she focused on it, strained her eyes on it, praying that it was the way out of this—

Slam!

The light disappeared as Mabel ran into something at full speed. "Oof!" She hit the rock floor, her elbow going tingly-numb as it bashed against the rock. She tried to ignore it as she leapt to her feet and turned her flashlight on. "Who's there!"