𝔒𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔘𝔭𝔬𝔫 𝔄 𝔇𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔪 | ♛

Part Five

My constricting dress and polished shoes have gone, replaced by muddied brown trousers, a blue strappy top and dirt-caked flats, whose colour is indeterminable. There is a shallow but long scratch on my left forearm, but otherwise I am unscathed, if a little dusty.

"Eva," Caleb says in a relieved tone.

I look up at him and take his outstretched hand with a relieved smile, whilst fighting a grimace at the mud streaking my skin. He pulls me up just a little too hard and I end up standing just a little too close to him, inhaling the smell of lavender and pine before I clear my throats and step away, thankful that he can't see the red staining my cheeks in the darkness.

"Where are the others?" I ask.

His eyes widen as if he'd only just realised that we are missing some. "Let me do a headcount. Report!"

"Here," Nathan and Bonny chorus, emerging from behind a large rock.

"Here!" Becca says from behind me.

In all there are seven of us who have fallen; me, Caleb, Nathan, blonde-haired Bonny, Becca, the red-headed twelve-year-old Jaye, and her twin brother Reed.

"If you can hear me up there," Caleb shouts up one of the holes, "go back home very carefully. We'll meet you all back soon!"

"Will it be enough?"

He glances at me then looks back to the small slither of blue sky. "We'll just have to hope." He takes my hand gently. "Come on."

The tunnel twists and turns on a fairly level gradient, with many tunnels intercepting it and snaking off into the darkness.

I have to balance checking behind me to make sure they're all following with not tripping over my own feet and not hyperventilating at how Caleb is holding my hand so firm but casual oh god I want to scream with happiness and terror!

We pass by a group of sallow faced people with large, wide-set brown eyes and shifty expressions. Their clothes are dirty like mine, and some wear jumpers or skirts of some kind of brown fur sewn together. Large ears are visible under scraggly, dark hair.

We pass them silently and their eyes follow us like hawks'.

"Who are they?" I whisper to Caleb discreetly.

He doesn't reply and doesn't look at me, but he gives my hand a squeeze. I shiver and hold on tighter, not wanting him to let go.

We see more of the strange people on the way down, some going the same direction and others going in the opposite direction. Finally, we emerge into a large, low-ceilinged cave which is being used as a marketplace.

A strange, chattering language of clicks and growls fills the air as the people move from stall to stall. Most of the things on sale are to be expected: mushrooms, rats and bats are clumped into saleable clusters. However, perfectly normal things such as forks and pipes are being traded for as many as fifty rats, as far as I can gather.

We tip-toe around people and do a quick check that everyone has caught up before continuing on through another tunnel.

"Caleb," I say warily. "Caleb, why are they all looking at us like that?"

The distrustful gazes of the odd people have turned hateful. As we pass, one spits at our feet and a chorus of disdainful clicks erupts and won't stop.

My breathing becomes sharp and shaking. "Caleb," I gasp.

Half a dozen burly men with crude leather armour and glinting silver knives barrel down the tunnel, heading straight for us and screeching war cries.

Caleb yanks me sideways down an empty tunnel and we streak away, shoes slapping on the damp stone. Yells echo behind us and we push ourselves further. A glance behind me tells me that the kids haven't followed us, but I have no time to worry as Caleb skids to a stop and I almost crash into the solid wall in front of us. Caleb pulls me back by the arm into his chest and puts his hand over the back of my head.

I take one breath - a single, deep breath from my nose, which is buried in his shoulder -

-And then the world explodes.

A deafening blast throws us back into the wall, and Caleb flinches as he takes the brunt of it. My ears ring loudly and my vision swims with stars.

I'm suddenly catapulted back into full consciousness.

I see the others waving at us beyond the demolished wall.

Bonny screams at us to hurry; the men are coming.

I get up and haul Caleb up with me.

We run.

I pour new adrenaline into my legs; each step burns like I'm running on hot coals, but I don't stop - I can't stop.

I howl at the children to keep going, and, impossibly, they do.

Until Becca trips over.

I skid to a stop next to her and hook my hands under her arms, heaving her to her feet.

"Go go go!"

"Eva, watch out!" Caleb yells.

My breath stills in my lungs.

Slowly, I look down, and see blood painting the front of my top - a stark, violent scarlet against the dusty tan cloth.

The man behind me twists the knife through my stomach and pulls it out. My knees give way and I clutch at my midriff, my hands coming away bright red. I blink slowly.

My surroundings immediately change from dark and blood-stained to bright and green. The scene snaps into focus so fast that I have to take a moment to digest everything all at once.

I am standing on the very edge off a huge cliff. A wide expanse of sky stretches out in front of me, a canvas of pure, uninterrupted blue - save for the birds swooping through the thin air in tight arcs and screeching at each other.

Looking down, I see that the toes of one foot are slightly over the edge. Beyond the edge there is nothing but air, and I loose sight of the cliff as it curves inwards part-way down.

I take a step back onto the grass and pivot to scan the area behind me. I almost jump out of my skin as I come face-to-face with Caleb. He stands within a hair's breadth of me and I immediately feel heat rise to my cheeks. With the cliff at my back I can't step away to adopt the proper distance, so I just stand there awkwardly while he looks me over.

"There's something I want you to see," he says rougishly.

He steps away and beckons me to follow, and I do, although cautiously.

Opposite the cliff edge is another cliff face that rises straight upwards. Around five metres up is a hole, barely a crawl-space, that he gestures to.

"You want me to go in there?" I ask in disbelief.

"It's worth it," he promises. "I'll give you a leg up?"

I look up again. Five metres... Just over two stories. If I fall I'll be lucky if I only break a bone.

"Alright."

Caleb bends on one knee at the base of the cliff and I climb onto his shoulders, leaning against the wall as he carefully rises to his feet, boosting me the first metre and a half.

I dig my fingers into the ledges and start climbing.