“We’re going,” Stella asserted before looking to Col for confirmation. He nodded readily.
“Okay.” Loren hefted the hood of her black pullover so that only a small slice of her face was visible. It seemed an outlandish gesture in this darkened underworld, but from a distance, with her lanky frame, she could easily be mistaken for Daniel. Maybe it was calculated.
They followed her, mimicking her elusive tactics, ever vigilant that someone was watching them. They were heading in the opposite direction of the waterfall, back towards the grotto where they first entered the Underworld.
Loren was nimble across the slick path. Her flat top sneakers were frayed and dirty, but they handled strewn boulders with deft precision. Stella recognized the narrow, windy channel that led to the grotto, but Loren continued past it. Her demeanor seemed to relax as they put the Underworld far behind them.
“Daniel and I know our way around these caves with our eyes closed. Sometimes that has even been necessary.”
Stella clutched the torch she had picked up just before they slipped out of the colossal cavern. She didn’t want to test the eyes closed theory.
“Etienne knows we come back here, but he’s left us alone. I guess after twenty years he figures we’re going to stay put. Now, you guys, however–”
“You’re saying that you’ve found a way out of this hellhole and you choose to stay down here?” Colin propped his hand on the cave wall and climbed over a huge rock. He turned immediately to offer Stella a hand.
“I’m not saying it’s a sure way out. Not at all. If it were easier, yes, maybe we would have tried it.”
This was sounding more and more like a dead end, Stella thought. But options–even the hint of one–should be explored.
They were in uncharted territory again. Hiking endlessly to the point that she would never be able to find her way back. They had invested a lot of trust in someone they barely knew.
“You’ve seen the Chimaera, then?” she asked, slightly out of breath.
Loren stopped. The torchlight crept into the gap in the hood where her face hid. There was pure fear there. No mistaking it.
“Yes. It’s why I travel this end of the caverns. They don’t usually come this way.”
“Why not?” she asked. “Etienne said that the torches kept them away, but there are no torches here.”
Colin raised his flare, estimating the length it had remaining.
Loren tucked her head down so that her face was lost again.
“Etienne keeps them on the other side of the waterfall,” she said quietly.
“Keeps them?” Stella frowned. “How do you keep them anywhere? They’re wild animals.”
“Are they?” Loren countered quickly. Too quickly.
“I know that they were once humans,” Colin reasoned. “But they are dangerous. Are you serious that he somehow contains them in the back caves?”
Loren nodded, her hood scratching against her hair.
“He’s more or less trained them. I’ve seen him use the torches to keep them back. I swear he communicates with them somehow.” She shrugged. “Anyway, they seem to listen.”
They traveled in silence after that until Loren held up her hand to stop them.
“There,” she pointed.
Stella saw nothing at first. Colin took a few steps forward, kicking loose rocks to clear the path. He plodded forward until Loren yelled, “Stop!”
Colin froze and crouched down, holding the torch out before him.
“Water.”
Stella walked up alongside him and their combined flames revealed a black pool, maybe only ten feet in circumference. Its slate shoreline was elevated a couple feet above the rippling surface.
“Another pool,” Colin observed. “Is this what you claim is an escape route?”
Loren unzipped her jacket and pulled it off, laying it across a rutted boulder. She had on a black tank top that revealed willowy arms and a neckline that exposed too many bones. Other than that she seemed in good physical condition. As she stooped to take off her sneakers and place them next to the jacket, Stella saw sleek lines of muscles beneath her thin jeans.
“What are you doing?” Stella gasped. “Are you going in there?”
Loren flashed a humorless smile.
“I warned you this was not going to be easy. It could even be deadly. But it’s worth it if you make it through.”
“Whoa.” Colin set his torch down and rubbed the back of his head. “You want us to dive into this? Where exactly are we going?”
“There is an underwater tunnel over there,” she pointed to the far end of the pool, “about five feet down. Swim over to the other side of this pool and then just sink until you feel the hole with your hands.”
“And swim into it?” he cringed. “You have done this? How did you ever discover it, and why did you swim into it?”
Loren’s gaze was unblinking, like a fish. For a moment Stella thought she saw a luminous flash in those dark eyes. She was just spooked though.
“You get desperate enough down here, you do things that aren’t rational,” she explained. “I didn’t just discover this. Someone died here. He–he kind of lost it. He dove into this pool and didn’t return. Danny found his body. That’s how he found the underwater tunnel.”
Danny. Daniel. The guy that Jill was probably with right now.
“Why would we want to swim into this tunnel if it already killed a man?” Colin asked carefully.
“To have a chance, maybe. I wouldn’t be showing it to you if I didn’t think it was important.”
Colin stared at Loren. Stella could tell he was trying to gauge her sincerity, or more likely her lucidity. His gaze swerved to Stella.
“Stel, please stay here.”
She was shaking her head before he even finished.
“No way. We stay together, remember?”
“What if I don’t come back? You need to stay here. You need to watch after my sister–my father.”
“Col, no.” She grabbed his arm. She was desperate. She couldn’t lose him.
In the ring of torches she saw his eyes soften. Loren discreetly turned away, refolding her jacket.
“Listen to me,” Colin stepped in close to her, his hands cupping her face. “I will go check this out. If it’s safe, I’ll come back and bring you with me.”
“If you don’t come back–” Tears pooled behind her eyes.
Colin dipped his head and softly pressed his lips to hers. “Well, at least I got to finally kiss you.” He grinned.
The tears slipped out of the corners of her eyes. She wrenched her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.
“Five minutes. You get five minutes, Colin Wexler. If you’re not back, I’m coming to get you.”
“Stel–”
She held up five fingers.
Colin looked troubled but he stepped back and pulled his t-shirt off. If the situation wasn’t so dire she would have enjoyed that view, but she was too worried to think straight. She was even too worried to notice that Loren had pulled off her jeans. The black tank was long enough to reach her thighs.
Stooping down to sit on the ledge, Loren dangled her toes in the water. “It’s not exactly warm,” she peered up from under her bangs.
Colin was in his shorts. Stella could see a few goosebumps dot his forearms. He climbed down to the ledge and hefted into the water, resurfacing and holding onto the rock shelf. He looked up at Stella with water clinging to his long eyelashes.
“I’ll be back in five minutes,” he vowed.
Loren lowered into the pool and then crept her fingers around the edge.
“Work your way around the rim and then try your best to follow me. It will be dark. Use your hands and arms to find the hole. It’s pretty wide and it’s about eight feet until you enter the next cave. If you’re smart it’s no big deal. If you panic,” she warned, “it can get ugly.”
Stella crouched onto her knees to get closer. She touched Colin’s hand just as
he met her eyes. For a moment they just stared at each other, and then with a nod, his dark hair slipped under the even darker water.
How quickly that rippling black water consumed him. For a second there was the ghostly white flash of a foot, and then nothing. Stella began to count to occupy her mind. When she hit 300 she was diving in.
Ten.
Eleven.
Twelve.
She stooped lower, trying to get her head down to water level. There was nothing to hear but the agitated slap of water against rock and the fuzzy drone of panic inside her ears.
Sixty-two.
Sixty-three.
Stella pulled off her sandals.
At least I finally got to kiss you.
Ninety-five.
Ninety-six.
Someone died in this pool, Loren had said. Yet, still, she and Danny had dived into it voluntarily. They found something. It couldn’t be the express elevator to the surface, or they would have taken it, no matter what she argued.
One hundred seventy-one.
One hundred seventy-two.
So, then what? What was down here that could possibly be worth such a horrible fate?
Two hundred six.
Two hundred seven.
Two hundred eight.
Stella scooted onto her rear and inched close to the edge, her toes gingerly testing out the water. It was cold–far enough away from the vents that it did not benefit from their warmth. It was also murky. A rippling obscure window where she imagined the damned staring up at her.
Two hundred thirty-seven.
As terrifying as the notion was of jumping into this ghostly pool, the thought of Colin being claimed by it was scarier. She had given him time. Too much time. Jill would take care of her father. There were other survivors here. Survivors who weren’t as deranged as Etienne. There was no one for Colin, but her. She had to save him.
Two hundred fifty-two.
Stella jumped before she could talk herself out of it. The frigid water made her gasp and she nearly gulped in a mouthful of brine. She tested ducking her head and opening her eyes, but the cold was too much on them. She rose and took a couple of rapid breaths to fill her lungs.
Motion on the far side of the pool stopped her. Loren’s head cracked the surface, her black hair pasted to her face like a veil of tar.
“Colin!” she implored.
Loren shook her head, but it could have been to toss some of the hair off her eyes.
Stella plummeted beneath the water, attempting again to open her eyes. She saw only her hand clawing through the murk. As she rose for air she was startled to find Colin staring back at her. His head bobbed as he tread water.
“Col!” She swam to him and he smiled.
Grabbing onto the ledge he swung his free arm around her. “It wasn’t that bad. Loren gave great instructions. Do you want to try it?”
She pumped her head up and down, her chin dipping into the water. “What’s under there?”
Colin’s voice was clipped by the cold and exertion. “No magical passageway to the surface, but it’s interesting enough. Let me show you quickly, and then we’ll head back.”
“Can you find your way on your own?” Loren asked, pulling herself up onto the ledge. “I’d like to get dressed.”
“Yeah, no problem. I’ve got it now.” He hesitated, and then added, “Thanks, Loren. Seriously, thank you.”
She kept her eyes averted, but she nodded slowly. “I’ll wait here and guide you back.”
Stella’s lips were already trembling, but when Colin asked if she was ready, she stuck her thumb up out of the water.
“Remember Loren’s instructions? Feel the hole down here with your hands and arms. Swim forward about eight feet and you’ll surface on the other side. I’ll be right there.”
It was easy to nod affirmatively, but as soon as the water closed over her scalp the memories of that ill-fated night returned.
Down.
Down.
Down.
The futile attempts to swim against the current. The crazed need to breathe. The panic. The harrowing fear.
Stella tried to focus. She swept her arms in a wide arc and one connected with the wall, the other touched Colin’s leg. That steadied her, and she blindly swam after him. Using one hand to sweep above her, she felt the arched ceiling of rock. It creeped her out. She kicked forward, but her shoulder kept butting up against the rock, spurring her anxiety. The need to scratch and claw was about to kick in when she realized the craggy ceiling was gone. Peering through slits in her eyes she even caught a faint glimmer of light. She swam towards it and surfaced with a quick gasp.
Colin was already hefting his lean torso onto the shore and as soon as he was up he quickly turned to assist her.
Stella took his hand and slid up onto the gravelly ledge. She was surprised to find two torches embedded in a pile of rubble, their wicks just now starting to blossom.
“How?”
Colin held his hands up to one of the flares. “Loren said she and Daniel brought them here, along with a box of matches that they kept in an airtight bag when they swam in. The matches didn’t want to work at first, but she finally got them going. We’re supposed to douse the flames when we leave. There’s a metal bucket over there that we just have to hold over the torches.”
Stella drew in a deep breath tinged with salt and sulfur.
“This cave has oxygen,” she observed.
“Yeah.” Colin’s head tipped back. “If you look up, there’s a natural chimney up above that must connect it with the other tunnels. It’s just too high to reach. Swimming is the easier option.”
“Not for the dead guy,” she remarked quietly.
“No–” he paused, “–but his sacrifice helped Loren and Daniel discover this place.”
Stella hugged her arms about her. “If they know about it, there’s no doubt Etienne is aware.”
Colin stood up. “Yeah, Loren said we should be quick. He’ll come looking soon.”
Stella’s face scrunched up in anger. Let him come. He didn’t own this land. What was he going to do?
An image of the cells she and Colin had discovered came to mind.
“So, what’s so special about this place?” she challenged, scrambling up beside him.
Colin grinned and tugged a torch from its moorings.
“Follow me.”
The ceiling was high enough that Stella was able to stand upright. She searched its jagged surface. There were no sharp fangs of stalactites here. Instead, it was a crusty canopy of rock that looked like it could pulverize her just as well.
She followed Colin’s bare back, crying out when she stepped on a loose rock.
“Are you okay?”
How much abuse had her poor feet taken in the past few days?
“Yeah, fine. Keep going.”
As Colin progressed, his torch revealed new portions of the cave. The pool widened and she lost the far end to the shadows. Blunt molars of rock dipped down periodically, but the floor was relatively flat and unobstructed. A large pile of rubble stacked against the walls gave the scary impression that there was once a cave-in.
Busy taking in these details, she walked right into Colin when he stopped abruptly.
“What–”
Colin turned to steady her and swept the torch out in front of him.
“Look.”
Stella followed the torch.
About fifteen feet ahead, a bulky object rested on the bank of the water. At first she thought it was a boulder, but then she realized it had color. A vivid flash of yellow was visible in the torchlight. With its two elongated feet it looked like some sort of cartoon character. A reclined lion with his two paws splayed out before him.
The seamless spherical shape hinted that it was man-made and not a natural rock formation.
“What is it?”
Colin stepped up alongside the object, which was taller than him. It’s bulbous belly looked large enough to consume him–to co
nsume them both. He reached out and knocked on that yellow globe and a dull clang filled the chamber. He moved another foot and knocked again, this time receiving a brief clunk. As Stella circled around it, she saw a steel sphere, rusted in some spots, but remarkably intact. A murky domed window gave a shadowy insight to what the container might be.
“A sub of some sort?” she speculated.
Colin nodded. “It must be a research submersible. It’s got a logo.” He reached over and rubbed the mud-caked surface.
AHI.
“It had to have been lowered from a ship. There’s a few feet of its lifeline still attached.”
“Didn’t the ship come searching for it?”
“Probably. If we’re tucked deep in this canyon they must have lost all traces of it, though.” Colin continued his inspection. “Loren said that the pilot of this sub mentioned investigating a plane crash, but that most everyone chalked it up as another loss to the Bermuda Triangle.”
“This pilot. What happened to him?”
Colin’s eyes moved from the sphere to the threatening water. “Apparently he was the guy who died down here. He was trying to get back to his sub, but got disoriented in the underwater cave.”
That notion humbled her. The very cave she just swam through had claimed the life of the man commanding this vessel.
“Is this it? Is this what Loren proposes is our way out? How long has it been down here? How can it be seaworthy?”
“Actually,” Colin crawled around behind it, “I’ve been looking it over, and it appears to be intact. It needs a little work, but–”
“Col, seriously? You think you could make it to the surface in this?”
“We,” he emphasized. “It’s clearly a one-man submersible. There’s one seat inside. But we could fit two–maybe even three just for the purpose of getting to the surface.”
“Well that would be you, Jill, and your father.” She studied the orb that looked like it was only eight feet in circumference. They would be plied together like sardines.
Colin’s silence drew her attention. He was looking down at the ground, but his jaw muscle was pumping in thought.
“Whoever it is,” he muttered hoarsely, “we’ll get to the surface. We’ll get help.”
Beneath Page 18