"I can't see him anymore," whispered Veronica.
Amelia took a look into the dark hole. No sign of Nick's torch. "We have to follow him," she said, trying to sound braver than she felt.
She held her breath and stepped through the hole in the wall. The tunnel made a sharp right turn behind the wall and then ended abruptly. A huge pile of earth and debris blocked the entire passage.
Nick stood in front of it and stared at the hill.
"Look," said Veronica, who had followed them. "Up there in the corner. There seems to be a hole."
Amelia raised her torch and stared into the darkness. At first, all she saw was cobwebs and dirt. Then she spotted it. A small gap at the top, you under the remains of the tunnel ceiling. Just big enough for a human to crawl through.
"What do you think?" Nick asked.
"There's no other way," Amelia replied.
"If that thing follows us in there, we're finished," Veronica warned.
"So are we if we wait out here," Nick said dryly. "So what's the difference?"
Veronica didn't answer.
Nick tried to climb the hill, holding up the torch. But the earth was loose and he kept sliding back a little bit. A pile of debris and earth came loose from the ceiling. Nick froze, his gaze fixed as if being hypnotized on the origin of the small avalanche.
"That's not very smart," Amelia remarked. "The ceiling could collapse completely at any moment."
"I'm not clever, remember?" Nick replied with a grin.
"Nick..."
"It'll be all right," he said and began to crawl out of the hill again. This time he moved faster and reached the hole. He put the torch through and stared at it.
"Can you see anything?" Veronica asked.
"No," he replied. "I'm gonna squeeze through now."
Amelia and Veronica exchanged a worried look. But Amelia knew they had no choice. They would have to follow him. It was the only way left for them.
"You have to climb up as fast as possible, so that the earth doesn't slip away so much," Nick advised them.
"Great", mumbled Veronica.
Then Nick's upper body disappeared into the hole. Clumps of earth and stones rolled down the hill.
The last thing Amelia saw of Nick were the soles of his shoes.
"Do you want to go next?" Amelia asked.
"Let's wait a little longer," Veronica said. "Nick will tell us if it's safe."
They waited several seconds but heard nothing.
"Nick?" cried Veronica.
No reply.
"Nick?", she repeated louder.
Nothing.
Amelia wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and gripped the torch tighter. How long were they waiting for? Why didn't he answer?
*Maybe he can't answer,* she thought.
"Nick!", Veronica shouted in a shrill voice. "Say something!"
YOU ARE READING
Forget the Forgotten
FanfictionAmelia Hawkins was an A+ student and had to be in detention on a Saturday. But when she walked around the dark halls of the school, she enjoyed the thrill. But they don't only discover the secret of the city, but also the secret of Amelia's own twin...
