North End

by Jason Nevercott

  Chapter Ten

  Tom threw down his torch and rushed for the small piece of flapping rubber-like material at the bottom of the tunnel. It was getting noisy and becoming brighter with the tube’s lights and he could feel the wind getting stronger. The tube was getting closer all the time: 10 metres, 8 metres, 6 metres...

  He grabbed at the material and pulled at it. It was a little heavy; it covered the edges of a part of the metal tunnel wall to hide the fact that this was a door. He got it open...

  ...4 metres... He put his head under it, then through the hole it revealed, and pushed his body through it in a dive...

  ...2 metres...He felt the ground tremble as he landed inside and the tube rushed passed noisily in its clickety-clack way.

  He made it! Relief went through his body as he got up off the ground, breathing heavily, when the tube had passed. He brushed the mud from the floor off his body and tried to see what sort of place he was in. But it was too dark, even for his eyes, which had now been in darkness for over an hour. Then he remembered that he had just lost his torch. He considered going back to get it but thought it might be damaged or that he would not be able to find it. He also felt that it might be too dangerous to use it anyway, as its beam could be seen from a distance.

  He felt around him. He was in a dusty narrowish passageway: wide enough for two people of average size to stand side by side. The walls were made of wooden planks kept in by some thicker wooden posts. These supported the ceiling which was also made of wooden planks and about eight feet in height.

  He moved forward, his relief now replaced by the realisation that the creatures could catch him at any time. He felt his body suddenly freeze with fear at this. But he had felt this way before and knew that he could not give in to it. He got his knife out and continued to move on. The air was musty and closer than that of the tunnel he had come from. He also noticed that the passageway seemed to be going down. His head then hit something. He felt what it was: an old oil lamp. Obviously no longer in use, he thought, as he rubbed his head.

  The passageway seemed to have been built a long time ago, he thought, judging by its state and the lamp. There were lots of cobwebs, though no spiders yet. A tube approached and passed by behind him making the passageway tremble. After a few minutes the floor became level and he came to a wider opening, which seemed to have some other passageways leading off it. There were two in front of him. They both seemed to be built the same and were the same size and he wondered which one he should take.

  Another tube went by. After it passed, he entered the first passageway on his left. He could not hear or see anything but could smell what he thought was a sewer up ahead and there seemed to be a little breeze.

  He moved to the next one. This time the air seemed stuffy and much closer with a hint of something unpleasant. His foot then hit something on the floor. He picked it up. It was an old-fashioned man’s shoe. This made up his mind: someone had come this way before.

  He moved forwards, his knife at the ready. He felt with his head some more cobwebs on another oil lamp and avoided hitting it. He was still scared but was now resolved to find Jodie dead or alive. After a short time he felt he was going around a bend. He also began to smell more strongly the unpleasant odour up ahead: not quite a sewer or a rubbish tip but something in between.

  As he got around the bend he thought he could make out some kind of ending with a doorway. He slowed down a little becoming more tense. The nasty smell was getting stronger and nearly made him cough. Yes, he said to himself, I’m still scared but I have to go on.

  He approached the doorway with caution, ready to defend himself if necessary. It was lighter now or his eyes were getting more used to the dark and he could see that the door to it had broken off and was on the right side of it. He entered the new passageway, his heart beating much quicker, his breathing much shorter, and his body cold with fear. In the distance behind him another tube passed by.

  The new passageway was the same as previous one except that it had concrete slabs on the floor instead of just mud. Tom was much more alert now and also much slower in his movements: careful to make as little noise as possible. He moved forward. Then suddenly he heard and felt something at his feet. He was a little shocked: it was some rats. EEERRGH, he thought: like most humans he felt nervous and disgusted by these animals. He could feel himself sweat more, but he did not take out his water.

  He encountered another doorway on his left, also with a door leaning and not hanging against it. He tried to look inside it and could make out the shapes of some old style wooden beds and some other furniture. He could discern no sign of life and it seemed to be a kind of a store room. It smelt of damp and was full of cobwebs. He moved on. His body was a nervous wreck but his mind was focused.

  There was another doorway on his left, this time with no sign of a door at all. He looked inside and could make out old clothes, shoes, some tables and chairs, and an old mirror. Like the previous room everything was on top of itself. There was also a smell of damp and some more cobwebs but still no living being. He continued his journey in the passageway.

  He then began to hear some kind of rhythmic groaning noise coming from a room on his right. He realised with a little shudder that it was something or some things sleeping. He swallowed hard, his throat now very dry. He knew it was probably the creatures. He forced himself to move towards the room, trying not to remember his previous encounters with them.

  He got nearer and could feel the panic return to him as he was about to look into the room. This one also had no door. He peered around the corner, feeling more scared than ever. Inside, he was a little surprised to see some bunk beds, lots of them with no space for anything else.

  On them he easily saw the sleeping shapes of the creatures under some dirty blankets. He forced himself to count how many there were. It was difficult and he felt that at any moment they could wake up and see him and then...He did not finish the thought and counted five or six before he could stand it no longer. They looked disgusting and the room stank of damp and dirt. The usual cobwebs were everywhere.

  He then moved passed the room and breathed a big but silent breath. He remembered when he had first seen the creatures there had only been about five or six so it was possible there were no more left. This and the thought that his nerves could not take much more of this made him hurry up. He went over to the next room on the left and quickly looked inside. There were cupboards and tables and chairs but these ones were arranged as though they were actually used and not just stored. Like the other rooms everything had a dirty feel and look.

  In front of him there was a kitchen with an old wood burning stove, some old dressers with plates and knives, and a table with some black pots on it. He shuddered at the thought of what might have been cooked here. To the left of this there was another passageway, which he now went down. The disgusting smell was now almost unbearable: he was obviously getting closer to its source.

  At the end of this short passageway there was another turning to the right. He rushed towards this now being less careful. As he turned the corner the nasty smell of a combination of something rotting and some human waste hit him. It was now too much and it slowed him down. It was obviously from some kind of waste and cesspit. He put his left hand, the one without the knife, to his mouth.

  The thought occurred to him that this was where he might find Jodie or what was left of her. He felt very discouraged at this. He nearly turned back but noticed there was a doorway on his right. This one was closed. As he got nearer to it he could see that it had a piece of wood across it which slotted in at either side, keeping the door locked.

  He went over to it, put his knife in his pocket, and eased up the piece of wood as carefully as he could. He put it to the side of the door. He was quick but constantly looked around him for any danger.

  He then got his knife back out and started to open the door. It creaked a little and he knew that the noise could wake up the creatures. He then d
ecided it would be better to open the door as quickly as possible to stop the creaking. He held his breath and then gave it a firm pull to open it. He succeeded and breathed out.

  Inside the room was totally black but also smelly: like but not as strong as the smell at the end of the passageway he was in. There was urine, shit, but also a bad meat type of smell. He thought he could see something on the floor. His body tightened and he clasped his knife tighter. He approached it, and then as he got nearer he realised it was Jodie!

  He could not believe it. He had always assumed at the back of his head that he would not find her. But now he could recognise her jeans, short light jacket, and blonde spiky hair. The question was, however, whether she was alive or not.

  He crouched down by her, put his knife on the floor, and got ready to put his hand over her mouth. She was tied up. He thought that if he just pushed or prodded her, if she were alive she could scream and wake up the creatures. So he thought he would first make sure she could not make a sound.

  He quickly put his hand on her mouth. She reacted with a struggle. She was alive! Thank God, he thought. She was quite strong, however, for someone so small. He whispered ‘It’s ok, Jodie. I’m here to rescue you. Please don’t make a sound or they’ll hear us.’

  She then stopped and looked at him with amazement. He let go of her mouth and whispered, ‘My name is Tom. I’m going to untie you. Please try to be quiet. They are asleep now and must not hear us.’

  She sat up and murmured, ‘Ok...But I need some water.’

  This had not occurred to him. He was thirsty himself but quickly got his bottle out of his pocket and put it to her mouth. She gulped what little there was of it down. ‘Is there any more?’ she asked with a dry raspy voice.

  ‘No. Sorry. But we’ll soon get some more,’ he said to encourage her. He then cut the cord that bound her hands and legs. ‘Are you ok to walk?’ he asked hoping the answer was yes.

  ‘I think so. But I’m quite stiff,’ she said.

  He helped her up. ‘Stretch your legs a little. They’ll feel better.’ She tried to and then nearly fell down. He caught her.

  He held her up again. ‘Try to walk on the spot,’ he whispered with a little urgency in his voice. He was now beginning to wonder whether he would have to carry her. Moreover, he was scared that the creatures might wake up at any moment.

  After what seemed like ages but was about a minute she whispered, ‘I think I’ll be ok. But I’ll need some water soon.’

  He then whispered a lie to her, ‘Ok. It’s not far to get out of here. But we must hurry, Jodie. Stay behind me and tug at my jacket if you have any problems. When I tell you to do something you must do it; especially when we get near to the creatures. Ok?’

  ‘Ok,’ she whispered back.

  ‘Right. Let’s go,’ he finally whispered.

  He put his knife back in his right hand and left the cell. All he wanted to do now that he had found Jodie was to get to the surface as soon as possible. He watched her as she left the cell, trying his best to ignore the strong smell. She seemed a little unsteady but considering the ordeal she had experienced she was doing quite well, he thought. They moved on, he leading with her right behind.

  They turned left around the corner of the next passage leading to the kitchen. He looked back at her to see if she was ok. She gestured for him to carry on. He wondered whether she would be able to make the whole journey back.

  They went past the kitchen and then the kind of dining room on the right of them. After this Tom went a little slower and held his knife tighter: they were approaching the creatures’ bedroom. He slowed right down before the doorway and looked back at Jodie, pointing at the bedroom and then gestured with his hand up to be careful, very.

  He poked his head around the doorway, feeling his body tighten with fear. It was worse this time, now that he had to take care of Jodie as well. He could see the creatures’ shapes on the bunk beds, two of them sharing one together but the others having their own beds. They were all sleeping on the bottom bunks. He could hear their weird groaning sounds as they slept, a kind of a snore.

  Then suddenly one of them seemed to move. Tom froze with fear and felt Jodie tugging at his jacket. Damn, it’s waking up! He stared at it. It was definitely moving. He wished Jodie would stop tugging his jacket. It might hear her.

  But it made no further movements and after a few seconds Tom forced himself to look away from it. He grabbed hold of Jodie’s hand which was still tugging at his jacket and moved carefully past the bedroom. Bloody hell, I can’t take much more of this, he thought, as he breathed a little heavier.

  He was going quite fast now and was still holding onto Jodie’s hand. He was concerned about whether she could keep up with him but knew he had to hurry before the creatures woke up. They were certainly not safe yet; far from it, he thought.

  They passed the first store room on the right and Jodie stopped. He looked back at her, feeling frustrated. What was it? Did she not realise that she was still in danger? She looked at him and was exhausted. He then felt very sympathetic for her and realised that she had had a terrible time and must be feeling awful. He held out his hands in a gesture of understanding.

  After what seemed like ages, Jodie indicated that she was ready to move on. Tom took her hand again and they continued past the final storeroom. They then went through the doorway to the passage with the mud floor. Tom kept Jodie moving until they came to the opening of the other passageways. Here he let her rest again a little. Another tube went past.

  He looked at his watch: it was 1.18 p.m. He glanced at Jodie. She seemed like she was in a semi trance. She was not interested at all in the environment she was in and merely stared ahead. Not many people will have experienced what she has, he thought, poor girl. They moved off again, Tom more eager than ever to get out of this place.

  A few minutes later they reached the opening to the tube tunnel. They had to crouch down to get to it, as it was a hole cut into a bottom section of the metal tunnel. Tom could hear a tube approaching. He spoke quietly to Jodie, ‘We’ll have to wait until it passes before we can enter the tunnel. We then have about four minutes--‘

  ‘AEEERRRGGHH! AEEERRRGGHH!’ Some piercing shrieks interrupted him from behind – the creatures’ hideaway. They were far away but their sound was terrible. Tom was almost paralysed with fear. Jodie had her hands on her ears. The creatures had obviously discovered that Jodie had escaped and would now be coming after them.