It was Sunday and the day of rest. This meant we would be delayed another whole day finding Ike. Mr. and Mrs. Swigart were each on their way back to Ashley Meadows. McGarrett had told them about Ike and they’d made arrangements to return. The Chilean Etherpit was turning out to be a big project and a replacement for Ike’s dad couldn’t be found. The defenses would have to remain weak at the site until Mr. Swigart could return. To make up for his departure, three extra hunters were being sent. But this meant none could be spared to help us search for Ike.
I had to be better tomorrow. I’d told Mr. Riley repeatedly that I felt fine, but he insisted I needed rest. Mrs. Riley had given me several cups of this nasty tea as well as a shot of something in my thigh, which hurt as I sat in the wooden church pew.
Jesse was sitting in his seat, Bible open in lap, but he just stared at the pastor, eyes glossy. I looked around. The church seemed dead to me. Its members sitting in their seats listening to the drone of the message, the next generation of members, kids, busy texting or chatting to the person next to them.
If Ike was here, he’d be taking notes. But he wasn’t here, I was, and I wasn’t getting anything from it.
The air was crisp with the chill of the oncoming winter. Jack Frost had started to let us know he’d be here sooner than later.
As we drove up the winding road from Ashley Meadows to the inn, my mind started to play tricks on me. As the trees zipped by, I was sure I was seeing the HowlSage run alongside us, just hidden within the tree line. But I also knew that it was day and a Sunday. Demons rarely attempted to come out of their hiding places on the Lord’s day.
Jesse offered to go on a hike with me when we arrived back at the inn, but I didn’t really feel up to it. Instead I decided to go sit in the hot tub and relax.
Chapter Fifteen
October 16th—Monday
McGarrett had decided to take me to school today. As we rode along, he explained a new plan to me. Tonight we would wait until midnight to begin the hunt and our search. The idea was to change it up a bit, throw a wrench into the HowlSage’s and the cloaked figure’s plans.
I’d only taken a few steps into school when Mel ran up to me.
“Hey there, cutie,” she said and ran her hand through the back of my hair.
I gave her a smile, but didn’t know what to say in response to such a greeting.
“So, do you want to hang out tonight?” she asked.
I really wanted to, but I knew I shouldn’t. I needed to concentrate on finding Ike.
She reached out and took my hand. “Please!” she said with a bright smile.
I sighed, “Of course I do. But—”
“Come on Taylor,” she pleaded sweetly.
I had an idea. I’d have her go up to the inn with me. Then we’d be near. “How about you come up to my place?” I asked tentatively.
She looked more pleased than I had expected. “Really?” she asked.
“Yah,” I affirmed, surprised at her excitement.
“What is there to do?”
“Lots. We have a swimming pool and a library and even a game room,” I explained.
“That’s cool, anything else?”
I thought for a moment. “Well, there is a lake out behind the inn. We can take the boat out on it if you like.”
She smiled. “Now that sounds romantic.”
Romantic? Oh man.
“I’ll see you after school; we can take my scooter,” she offered and then started down the hall as the first bell rang.
I nodded dazedly and headed for my own class, and the day flew by. It seemed like only minutes had passed when the end of school bell rang.
As the out of school bell rang I felt myself float down the hall and to the front doors. As promised, Melanie was there waiting for me. She’d already unhooked the scooter and this time she offered to let me drive. I figured if I could handle a J-Pak I could handle an electric scooter.
We took off and headed out of town on the winding blacktop road toward the inn. The pine trees zipped by and Melanie’s arms were wrapped around my waist tightly.
When we got to the gate we had to leave the scooter, because its wheels wouldn’t do well in the gravel.
“So are you going to invite me up to the inn?” Melanie asked.
I looked at her peculiarly, “Well, of course I am. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well then, do it,” she said.
What was she playing at? I shrugged and offered my hand. “Melanie, would you come to the inn with me?”
She nodded. “I accept your invitation to come onto the property of The Pink Hippo.”
That really sounded weird, but when she took my hand it didn’t matter anymore.
We hiked up the driveway and stood on the rotunda before the inn.
“Wow!” she exclaimed. “This is where you live?”
I nodded and for the first time really admired my impressive abode. It was rather big and it did have its own charm, I supposed.
“Yep, I live here with the Rileys and Swigarts.”
She smiled. “So where is this boat?”
“This way,” I said, and we started into the woods on the same narrow dirt path I’d followed with Ike a few days ago.
As we walked she told me more about the cool places she’d been as a missionary kid. They’d just come back from Egypt, which had been a really cool experience. She’d been able to visit and live near the pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, and the Sphinx.
I’d been to Egypt once before with my dad, but at that time I still believed he was a secret agent. I figured we were on some sort of mission for the CIA. Now I wondered why we’d been there. Had he been hunting?
A light steam rose off the lake and the sun was getting low over the mountain range in the distance. I flipped the small boat over and pushed it half into the water.
“Get in,” I said, and Melanie stepped in as I shoved us off.
She dipped her hand in the cold water as I rowed. We circled some of the islands and got off onto Pine Needle Island. We sat on the thick carpet of pine needles and watched as the sun sunk lower in the sky. Then it hit me—we didn’t have a flashlight and we still had to row back across the lake and make our way through the woods.
“We’d better go. The sun will set soon and it’ll be dark,” I explained as I got to my feet.
Melanie shook her head and tugged on my hand to get me to sit back down. “No, let’s stay for a while. We’ll be fine.”
I obeyed, and we sat there on the island until the lake looked like a black pool of oil. Only a sliver of moon stood out in the sky. It was even getting difficult to see her sitting next to me, but I could feel her warmth. It’d been a good thing I’d chosen to wear a hooded sweatshirt to school today.
Something splashed in the water a few hundred yards away. I knew from being on the lake so often that the noise had come from somewhere near Ash Island.
Knowing what I did about what was lurking through Ashley Meadows at this very moment, I decided that it was time we got going. If something attacked, I was unarmed and I wasn’t sure I could protect Melanie.
“It’s probably time to go,” I said again. “I’m getting rather hungry.”
Melanie looked toward me. “Fine! If all you can think about is food, then take me home.”
All I can think about? I hadn’t even mentioned it once until now. “I didn’t mean to—”
“No, you’re right. I’m not worth your time. Take us back,” she said.
My mouth dropped open; I could have caught a dozen flies if it’d been summer. I was glad she couldn’t see. What in the world had just happened?
She didn’t speak to me anymore, and I wasn’t exactly sure what to say or even what I had said. I tried to apologize, but we stalked back through the woods in silence, me following her. When we reached the inn she didn’t stop but continued down the gravel driveway toward her scooter.
I started to follow, but the door to the workshop opened and out came McGarr
ett. He walked toward me.
“Where have you been?” he asked, clearly frustrated.
“I was just—” I started.
“Who was that?” McGarrett asked
“It’s a girl from—” but again I was interrupted. This time by a sharp whistle from Jesse.
“Taylor’s got himself a girlfriend,” he said.
Probably not anymore, I thought. I looked down the driveway, hoping Melanie hadn’t heard Jesse’s remark.
“Jesse, leave it alone,” McGarrett warned. “Taylor, there’s been a collapse,” he said.
“A what?”
“The tunnel into town collapsed; several vehicles are trapped inside.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Do I usually joke about such things?” Mr. Riley said as he started back toward the workshop.
I began to follow. “No.”
“What’s worse, I got a phone call from Mr. Swigart. They’re inside the tunnel.”
“Are they OK?” I asked as I passed Jesse, and although he’d been reprimanded he gave me a wide, jeering smile.
“Yes, actually there are at least twelve people inside the tunnel,” McGarrett explained. “Each end collapsed, but apparently no one was seriously hurt.”
“Wow. That’s amazing.”
“Amazing indeed, but expected,” McGarrett said.
“Expected?” I asked as I followed Mr. Riley through the workshop door. I let it shut before Jesse could come in and I heard it shake as he bumped into it. I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. How had he not seen it close?
McGarrett continued to speak. “I prayed for protection over the Swigarts as they traveled back to Ashley Meadows.”
I nodded in understanding.
McGarrett smiled. “And apparently they have food. A vending machine supplier truck is also trapped inside.”
“When will they be rescued?”
McGarrett tapped something on the keyboard and pulled up a video feed of the Ashley Meadows side of the tunnel. “The chief is saying three days. Apparently the collapse is significant on both sides, and Mr. Swigart said that as everyone gathered together more of the tunnel collapsed until they were all gathered around the vending truck. They’re in a space only twenty yards wide and the tunnel is a half mile in length.”
“Do they have enough oxygen?” I asked.
“Yes, the ventilation system is still working.”
“That’s good.”
“In the meantime, we’re headed to the canning factory and through the tunnel to the mines.”
“We?”
“Yes, you, Jesse, and myself. And we’re taking Ike’s invention with us.”
“You mean the purple smoke? Is it ready?” I asked.
McGarrett nodded. “I made a few tweaks and we tested it a couple of times today. We’ll pray for it to work.”
Chapter Sixteen
October 17th—Tuesday
Midnight had come and we were off. All three of us rode in the Rolls to the canning factory. Jesse and I were suited up in our usual gear, and McGarrett had dressed himself in one of my father’s old outfits which had been slightly modified by Mrs. Riley to fit Mr. Riley’s moderately larger midsection.
Seeing the old man in my dad’s clothing didn’t bring back painful memories; instead it seemed to comfort me in a way I hadn’t expected.
McGarrett was responsible for the purple smoke canisters. I had my sword, and Jesse was invisible. We’d stay together and move straight for the tunnel, but take it slow and listen.
We moved quietly to the ripped-up drain. Jesse was first in—being invisible had its advantages. I was next and McGarrett last. We all wore our night vision goggles, but their usefulness was limited.
The tunnel smelled of rot and mold. I almost gagged as we crossed over the carcass of an animal. What it once was we weren’t sure, but clearly it’d been the HowlSage’s dinner. One thing to note about the HowlSage was that it wasn’t hungry for humans. No, until the full moon, it could only bite us, not infect us with its venom. Of course, its bite could kill.
We’d traveled nearly a mile through the old sewer tunnel without another sign of the HowlSage or the gray mist.
“We’re nearly to the mine,” McGarrett said. We approached a split in the passage, McGarrett explained that one led to the river and one into the mine.
“Taylor,” I heard. But neither Jesse nor McGarrett had spoken. “Taylor,” the voice came again. A whisper. “Taylor, you must turn back. Don’t go any further.”
I stopped and looked around. Behind us was dark, before us I could see the split and the two paths.
Jesse spoke. “Should either of us check the path to the river?” he asked.
“No, I don’t think so.” McGarrett tapped the screen of the device in his hand. “None of the sensors picked anything up that would signal the HowlSage has been there.”
“Taylor,” I heard again. Was the sound in my head? “Turn back.”
I shook my head and continued forward after Jesse.
We followed the tunnel toward the mine, and the air became considerably colder. A shiver ran through my body and I rubbed my arms.
“Taylor,” I heard again, but this time it was a different voice.
My body jolted backward as I ran into an invisible wall.
“Ouch,” Jesse said. “You stepped on my heel.”
“Well, why did you stop?”
“Did you hear that?” he asked.
“Yes,” McGarrett said.
“Wait, you guys heard someone call my name?” I asked.
“No,” Jesse said. “The creaking noise. It’s somewhere up ahead.”
I listened and sure enough, over the constant drip drop of water, there was a sound, like when someone walks across an old wood floor, or rocks in an antique rocking chair. “What is it?”
“I don’t know, but let’s keep going.”
Our pace quickened down the tunnel. The air became frigid and I started to shiver. The water slopping over my shoes didn’t help. The bottoms of my pants were wet.
Another hundred yards down the tunnel and we stopped. We’d gone too far, the sound was behind us. We started back. There’d been no split in the tunnel and nothing wooden along the way. I took the lead this time. Jesse brought up the rear, keeping watch behind us in case this was a trick.
About ten yards back I noticed a set of bars above us, like a drain cover. We stopped and listened. The creaking was overhead.
Even with the night goggles, I couldn’t see up through the vent or drain very well. It had to curve or was blocked by something.
“Let’s take down the grate,” McGarrett suggested.
I reached up and gripped two of the bars. They wouldn’t budge.
McGarrett pointed out two large bolts. He reached inside his pack and pulled out a multi-tool that he started working the bolts loose with. Once they’d both dropped to the ground below, I lowered the grate and set it against the tunnel wall.
“Give me a hand; I’m going up,” I said.
McGarrett nodded and created a step with his knee, then lifted me into the vent. It was hardly wide enough for my torso, let alone my pack.
“Bring me back down.” Mr. Riley did, and I quickly stripped off my excess gear. “All right, here I go.”
Once raised back into the tunnel, I used my arms and legs as wedges to move myself up the vent. The walls were slimy with mud, but the vertical tunnel was rigid and narrow enough that I could stop myself from slipping.
I could hear Jesse and McGarrett speaking below, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying.
The creaking was getting louder as I got closer. The vent curved and slanted back and forth, blocking the view ahead. I’d left my sword below, and was armed with only a dagger at the moment. If the HowlSage or gray mist were up ahead, I’d be nearly helpless. Escape would be nearly impossible.
I cleared another curve in the tunnel and with my night vision goggles I could see something ahead. It l
ooked like a platform from my angle. Maybe a lift or elevator? This mission was probably a waste of time, and I was probably looking at some remnant from the mines.
The vent widened and I found a narrow ledge to stand on. The lift was swaying side to side, creaking as it did. I’d already come this far, so I wasn’t about to leave without seeing the top side of the lift. Of course, the platform was suspended twelve feet above me, and I didn’t have a jet pack to blast me up there. I’d have to use my dagger as a pick and pull myself up along the wall.
A noise caught me off guard. It was overhead and sounded like footsteps in sloshy muck.
A beam of light suddenly shone downward onto the lift, some of its rays glancing on the side of the vent.
“You down there,” a voice called.
I froze; it could see me.
“Wake up, or you’ll not get anything to drink today,” the voice said again, its tone malevolent.
I heard the lift creak—someone was on it. Someone was moving. The voice hadn’t been speaking to me.
“You see, he’s perfectly fine. I promised I wouldn’t hurt him,” the voice said. Someone else was with it, but didn’t respond to the kept promise.
“You—you said I could have something to drink,” the prisoner on the lift spoke and, even though the voice was dry and cracked, I knew it.
It was Ike. I knew better than to shout in excitement; I wasn’t in any position to fight the voice from above. The light disappeared for a moment.
“But you—” Ike started, but was cut off as a deluge of water poured down. It ricocheted off the lift and icy cold water splattered all over me. I worked hard to hold my position in the slimy wall and keep silent at the same time.
I heard Ike sputtering. Anger burbled in my gut. I wanted vengeance on the tyrant who was treating my friend this way.
“There, now you have your water. Sleep well, your time will come,” the voice said, with one last flash of the light. “Good night.”
And with that the tunnel was dark again. I used one hand to wipe off the lenses of my goggles and the other to keep hold of the dagger inserted into the wall.
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