The Absent Cure (Book Three)

Chapter 4

After hours of driving, they had finally reached an old run down base. The place was deteriorated and exhausted. It looked like nobody had been here for year. As they drove closer, they came across a huge tunnel entrance. Frypan looked around to see if there was anyway to go around it, but through the tunnel was their only option. Frypan stopped the car. All four of them got out. Thomas pulled out a map to verify where they were. Everyone stared at the dark, looming tunnel.

"You want us to go in there?" asked Jamie. She squinted her eyes to see if she could find the end of the passage. There seemed to be no end.

Thomas didn't reply.

"I don't wanna come across as too negative, but if I was a Crank, that's exactly where I would be." said Newt, looking a bit unsure.

Thomas kept his eyes on the map. He spun around to see where they were exactly.

"I don't think we have much of a choice." he said.

Newt looked over at Jamie, skeptical about this decision. Jamie averted her eyes to the ground.

'Thomas' right.' she thought. She looked about at what surrounded the tunnel. There were no roads to follow around the tunnel. It was a one way road. 'There's no other way.'

"All right. I get shotgun." said Newt, walking back to the car.

Frypan and Jamie looked at each other with eyebrows raised. The four of them got back in the car and began to drive again.

"Well, here we go." said Frypan

"Yeah, just take it nice and slow." said Newt, shining a flashlight into the darkness to show Frypan the way.

Things were going good so far, though the car was moving at an irritatingly slow pace. Jamie just wanted to floor it and get the hell out of there. Newt shined his light up ahead and froze.

"Whoa whoa whoa."

The car stopped. Jamie looked up to see what the hold up was. Just outside the car, only 10 feet away, stood a crooked, twisted crank. It made terrible choking noises as it stood there, like a deer caught in the headlights. The crank twitched and jerked from side to side. Black liquid fell from its mouth as it croaked.

"It's okay. It's just one, so take it slow, go around him." said Thomas to Frypan.

Fry sat in terror. Unable to move via fear. Jamie reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll be fine." she said.

Frypan nodded. "Take it slow." he said "Take it slow."

As Frypan readied himself behind the wheel, Jamie could have sworn she heard the sound of pounding on one of the windows. Newt rolled his window up. Thomas sat back in his seat, only to be startled by a lady with blonde hair and pale skin, trying to open the door.

"Please." said the woman. "Please. Help me."

The woman looked just as frightened as the four of them. Her hair was knotted and her face was greatly damaged. Blood gushed from an immense injury on her head. Jamie could tell she was indeed infected. Soon after, another crank began to pound on Jamie's window. This crank didn't talk, it only made strange growling sounds. All at once, more and more cranks began to pound on the car. Trying to get it.

"Okay. Fry, we gotta go." said Thomas. His voice shaking. "You need to go right now!"

The lady continued to fidget with the door handle, but it was no use. The door was locked.

"Why won't you open it?" said the lady.

Jamie was struck with terror. "Just floor it, Fry!"

"Hold on!" shouted Frypan. The car thrusted forward and sped straight into the crank before them. Frypan continued to drive, even though there was a crazzed crank on the hood. The crank punched the glass and it cracked, but didn't break. Frypan swerved as he tried to shake the crank off. The lurching of the car made Jamie feel sick. Last nights soup wouldn't stay down for much longer.