by Holly Hook
Someone breathes on me. We're packed tight in here.
Very tight.
“Come on,” Jaden says over Weslie's breaths. “I don't think this place goes any deeper. It's just a secret passage. I think I even feel the remnants of a torch on the floor right here. I'm rolling it with my foot. Be careful that you don't step on it.”
“So people have been down here,” I say. That could be good or bad. Maybe it's just an escape tunnel out of Wompitt. We could be risking our lives for no good reason.
But I won't leave this town of people to get captured. That'll make me no better than the Flamestone Society.
Jaden walks. I reach out and feel the tunnel. Dirt. There's nothing else. It's not very wide, either—maybe three feet at the most. We walk through darkness, leaving the rain to pour through the opening.
“Shouldn't we move that boulder back over the hole?” I ask. “What if the Dwellers come back and they come in?”
“Good point,” Weslie says. She turns, bumping into me. “I don't like that.” She's shaking.
“Then we might leave ourselves stuck in here,” Jaden protests. “If Ned finds us, we won't have an easy way back out. He's sure not going to lower the gates for us if we need to run.”
“I know he won't.” I don't like leaving it open. “Let's go back and close it just enough to keep the Dwellers out.”
“That'll be all the way,” Jaden says. “You sure?”
“Sure,” Weslie and I say at the same time.
“Let me do it. I'm the strongest.” Jaden pushes around us and climbs the ladder, vanishing from sight. “Go on. I'll catch up.”
“Not without you,” I say. “I haven't been teaching you to read just to have you carted off by Dwellers.”
Jaden climbs back down. “We're good now.”
We walk through the tunnel for about five minutes, feeling our way along the walls. It's almost muddy in here, too. The water's soaking in through the soil and getting all the way down here, it's raining so hard. What if this tunnel starts to fill with water? We'd have to get many, many inches of rain for that to happen—right?
“Doing okay?” I ask Weslie.
“Yes. Now that I know nothing's going to come up behind us,” she says. “There's a bit of light up ahead,” Weslie says. She sounds more calm now, but keeps her voice to a whisper. “It's not much, but we're definitely under Wompitt. I wonder who dug this and how they kept it secret.”
“Hint. Starts with N,” Jaden says.
I let my eyes adjust and my backpack hangs heavy. I keep the axe at my side, ready for use. I don't want to have to swing this at anyone, but I know that I will if I have to. Garrett proved that to me. I have something terrible in me after all.
“It's floorboards,” Weslie whispers.
A space opens up. There's very little light, but she's correct. Right above our heads, just out of reach, are rows of crude floorboards. They're nothing more than logs cut in half with the flat sides on top. Cobwebs hang from them and gray light shines through. The roar of the rain on the roof gets louder again and the air fresher. The earth smell fades a bit to be replaced by moisture, storm and rain. Lightning flashes. White stripes blaze on the earthen walls for a moment, revealing old roots. Is this Ned's house already?
I freeze. We all do. I peek up through the cracks to see if anyone's home. If Ned's snoring or not. But I hear no sign of him an find no big, hulking form right above our heads.
“Is he here?” Weslie asks.
“No,” I say, craning my neck. Lightning flashes again and shows the inside of the cabin. I think I catch the outline of another bed and the wall, but that's it. There's nothing else. It's empty. “Is this...my cabin?”
“My mother's cabin?” Jaden asks. “It was the only empty one before you came. It must be.”
My heart about stops.
This tunnel was under my cabin?
Weslie curses. “Is someone going around, digging under everyone's houses? That's creepy.”
I slept over this.
Three times.
“I think there might be another tunnel here,” Jaden says. There's another flash, and I catch his form over by the far wall, right under where my bed's located. At least we can talk now. No one's here. And indeed, there's another tunnel right where he's standing, going into darkness.
Weslie sighs. “I can't believe this. Everyone might have a chamber under their house for all we know.”
“They might,” I say. I think of Pit, standing there in my cabin and pacing in circles the other day. Whimpering at me. I thought he was hungry.
He was really trying to tell me about this. He must have been so frustrated.
“Are there any loose boards?” I ask, searching the floor above. “Anything? Where Dwellers could pop in?”
“I don't see any,” Weslie says.
“We also need to see how many houses this is under,” Jaden says. “Follow me.”
We do. Jaden leads the way through more darkness for another couple of minutes. The tunnel curves and I fear we're going to end up inside of Ned's chamber next. But we don't. Instead, the faint light returns and we're right under another house.
And this one has people.
I hear snoring. Someone shifting in a bed. Someone else walking across the floor. Dirt falls down at us as they do. The boards remain strong since they're made of half logs. They're not going to give way. How do the Dwellers plan on snatching these people?
Jaden tugs on my sleeve. We can't speak now. Until we can find a way to warn these people without Ned finding us, by the way.
Weslie and I feel along the walls. There are two more tunnels branching off from this one. At least two more houses in this network.
I don't dare speak until we're well into another tunnel. “How did someone dig all of this without the people of Wompitt noticing?”
“We leave town for the day to do chores,” Weslie says. “It could have happened then. Ned might have been here to oversee it. Maybe that's why he sends us out on long hunting trips and farming trips. And it might be why he has Antoine go out into his cave.”
We pass under another cabin. The floorboards don't creak with feet this time, but I catch snippets of a quiet conversation between a man and a woman. The rain drives down as much as ever outside. The weather's not clearing up. These people have no chance at starting a fire and protecting themselves.
Jaden leads the way. Onward. Another tunnel. The earthy smell remains as strong as ever.
And then, we emerge under another empty house.
Jaden stops and we crash into him. “We're on a hill,” he says. “Let me see if I can reach this floor. If there's anything I can push up to let us out. Don't worry. This isn't Ned's house. That one would have a bunch of stolen things under it.”
He's right. The chamber under this house is bigger than Ned's. The dirt here smells very fresh, like someone just dug through it.
Jaden stands on the incline and pushes at the boards above him.
And to my shock, one of the logs lifts. It's not fastened in at all. Pale light floats in.
“Bingo,” he says. “This should just be big enough to fit us through. We can climb in here and then figure out what we're going to do.”
Jaden squeezes through the opening first. He's in a hurry. Weslie follows, eager to get out of the underground. “I'm glad that's over,” she says. “Well, I guess I'm slowly getting over my fear. I have both of you to thank for that.”
I squeeze out next. I barely fit. This seems to be the only loose floorboard. As I stand, Jaden sets it back down, fitting it precisely in the groove.
This house has a cradle bed of hay and a blanket that's been thrown on the floor, like someone never had the chance to come in put it back on. There's also something else on the floor that Jaden's eyes flick to, but then he looks back at us and to the door. “Who do you think we should warn first?”
“What's that on the floor?” I ask, approaching the blanket.
Jaden goes si
lent.
I lean down. Pick it up.
It's paper.
A piece of notebook paper. I hold it up. I don't need to see what the writing says to recognize my gel ink. The words I had Jaden write a couple of nights ago.
“This house is yours,” I say, turning to him.
“What?” Weslie says. She opens the front door just a little and peeks out, then back to Jaden. “It is your house. Why didn't you tell us? It could have saved us some--” She freezes as she thinks. “That floorboard was only big enough to let us through. Ned never could have gotten through that opening...or that one outside, now that I think about it.”
A wave of horror washes over me.
Jaden shrinks back as he waits for it.
He knew right where to go. Right where to come up. This is the real secret way in and out of Wompitt after all. Ned might be just a thief and a liar. Jaden is something so much worse.
“You're the traitor,” I say, advancing on him. “You're the one digging tunnels under Wompitt and working out ways to let the Dwellers in. You probably even cut the hole in the fence the other night and got it blamed on me.”
“But...” Jaden starts, holding up both hands. “Okay. I knew you'd find this out. But I had to be back here tonight. It's my only chance. I want you to know that--”
“What kind of sick person are you?” I ask. I should go and tell Ned right now about this. “You did this after I showed you how to read and write. After I told you about Earth like you wanted me to. Thanks for that.” My voice rises and thunder crashes. We have all the proof we need here to implicate him. Jaden must have been working at this for a long time.
“Shhh!” Jaden says. “Ned...Ned will kill me before they get here.”
“Who?” I ask.
“The Dwellers. I'm sorry. It was a year ago. They caught me when I was out looking for my mother. The Society promised me I'd see Earth if I told them where Wompitt was and got them in. That I might be able to see my mother again. The Dwellers are supposed to take me out of here on the first rainy night after I finished the tunnel.”
“You worked with them so you could go back to Earth?” I say. So I didn't doom Wompitt after all. This was already happening. I just got here at a bad time. The rain pounds down, hiding my words from the rest of town. I'm so mad and disgusted that I can't stop myself. “Don't you realize the Flamestone Society could be lying to you? They're going to work you down in the mines right along with everyone else. And here you were trying to make us think that Ned was the mole all along. That's a fitting name for you, by the way.”
“We were friends,” Weslie shouts. She has her fists balled.
Jaden's backing for the door, but Weslie blocks him.
“Don't,” he begs. “I just want to see my mother again. They have her in the mines and they're working her to death. They told me that. I can't let her die down there.” His voice shakes. He's near tears. “I have nothing here.”
“You had us. Your friends!” Weslie's voice pierces the roar of the rain.
“I have people down in the mines, too,” I say. My pulse pounds. “But I didn't go along with the Society. I refused.” I'm revealing things I shouldn't. “I get what that's like.” I tighten my grip on the axe. I should kill him, but I won't. That'll make me no better than him. I'm not a killer and I don't want to become one now. “When are the Dwellers going to get here?”
“They take about half an hour to run from the mines to here. There's a long cave system that connects the mines to my tunnel.” He's panting. Jaden won't take his gaze off my axe. He's stuck between me and Weslie.
“Weslie, we need to move the bed over the tunnel. Now. And if you want any shot at redeeming yourself, Jaden, you help.” I change my mind. “In fact, I'll watch while you and Weslie move the bed over this. I need to make sure you don't run away.”
Weslie nods. I lift the axe a bit. Jaden's mouth falls.
“Okay.”
Weslie moves over to the bed and I block the door. “We have to slide this all the way across the floor.” Her voice is high and terrified.
They get on either side. Grab the logs and grit their teeth. I keep the axe raised. Stand right behind Jaden. I won't tell him that I won't swing. We need to block off this hole if the people of Wompitt are going to have any chance to making it through the night.
“Pull!” I order. I know I'm sealing us in with Ned, but we have no choice.
Weslie screws up her face and pushes as hard as she can. Jaden glances back at me and pulls. The bed barely moves. Someone's built it right here and filled it with the hay. The floor's uneven and it's getting stuck.
“Harder!” I yell. I feel like Ned standing here, but if I join them, Jaden will run. He'll dive back in that tunnel and we'll never find him again. But if he doesn't run into his secret tunnel, Ned will find him and kill him. I'm not sure I want to see that. Or if Weslie wants to see that.
“This isn't moving,” Weslie says.
“Then we need something else,” I say. “Anything. Maybe we can start a fire right below us. That'll keep any Dwellers back.”
“You're right,” Weslie says.
“But this is my cabin,” Jaden protests.
“I don't care,” I snap at him. “You shouldn't have worked with the Dwellers. Good job. I hope your house burns!"
“But what about the other houses?” Jaden asks. "Won't they catch?"
“It's raining.” I grab a bunch of hay out of the bed with my free hand. That'll start the fire. “Weslie, where's the dry lumber? Do they keep that in the storage cave?” I'll be left alone with Jaden if she goes out searching for some. I don't really like that thought. I don't want to face him. How many more people are going to turn out to be with the Flamestone Society? How many more that I know?
“There is,” she says, and runs out of the house.
Jaden and I face each other. “You know Weslie's terrified of going back down there. Good job selling her out.”
“I didn't offer then Weslie,” Jaden says, holding up his hands. “Just...someone here that the Flamestone Society thinks may be a threat. Someone they made me tell them about.”
“That doesn't make you any better,” I say. “Who did you offer the Dwellers?” I have a feeling I know who.
“Here's some!” Weslie shouts. “You have your Flamestone—right?”
“Right,” I say. I drop my backpack to get it out. “We should go back to that first tunnel and light it there. That'll keep them out of Wompitt, period.”
Jaden backs against the wall. If he runs, he won't escape from town. We're blocking the tunnel.
“Good idea,” Weslie says. “Then we figure out what to do with Jaden here.” She shoves him back into the wall, shocking me. I didn't think Weslie had that in her.
“Hey!” He shouts. “I didn't offer them you. I'd never do that.”
“Stop fighting,” I say. “Hurry. They're--”
And then I hear the horrible noise.
The thunder of thousands of little feet, headed this way.
Weslie straightens up. Her chin trembles. “They're here.”
Chapter Six
Raid
“Crap!” I shout, lifting the board to head back down into the tunnel. It's the last thing I want to do.
“It's too late!” Weslie pulls me back. “We have to wake everyone up!”
She's right. The sound's too loud now. Too intense. The ground vibrates. They're free to come up through the opening and terrorize Wompitt. They're free to take prisoners.
Weslie tears open Jaden's crude door. “Everyone! Wake up! The Dwellers are getting in!”
“Huh?” someone shouts from another house.
Other people must be able to hear them. I'm sure. I push past Weslie, leaving Jaden there in his house. “Wake up!” I shout. “Get on your roofs, or something!”
The world's a blurry waterfall. Doors open. We're standing in a row of houses. People stick their heads out. They're shadows. There's no light here.
And then there's chaos.
“Dwellers!”
“Get the juice.”
“What is going on?” Ned roars from somewhere. Panic's sweeping through Wompitt.
I leave all thoughts of self preservation behind. “Ned!” I shout. I have to warn him. He might know what to do.
But my voice is lost. People run past, including the mother carrying her five year old boy. He's crying. These people are terrified.
Dwellers seethe and rush past my feet. Hundreds of red and yellow points flow around me. I grab the door frame to keep upright. They'll take me for sure. Garrett would order them to. Maybe they even want Ned himself.
The mass of Dwellers thickens around my legs and mixes in with the sound of the rain. I keep my gaze from the ground. Claws dig into my shoes. Weslie screams behind me. I bite in my cries. They scurry past me and into town, leaving the ground clear. I must not be the first target. Maybe I'm their second target and they're going after one person at a time since they have some kind of hive mind. It might be the only reason I'm still here.
Screams erupt.
People run.
It's all chaos. Someone goes down and the Dwellers swarm all over them. Two people sit on the roof of a house. Two others scramble up and the thatch threatens to collapse under them. People are getting on elevated ground. Ned roars an order somewhere. It's all water. Darkness. Terror.
“Weslie!” I shout. Is she still here?
She's hyperventilating with one hand on the bed. Jaden stands against the wall, waiting. My mind spins. I rush over and shake her. “We have to keep the Dwellers from leaving with these people!”
Weslie blinks and gathers the sticks. “How?”
“The Dwellers need to leave through this tunnel. If we block it, they can't.”
“Good idea!” She shoves Jaden again. “Down below!”
We have to do this. It's the only way to stop or slow down the Dwellers.
Weslie and I slide down the incline. A stray Dweller runs over my shoe. I don't dare look down, even though it's too dark to see it. What if Garrett's coming up this tunnel? He'll still be injured. Or it could be Roger or Larconi heading this way. They'll have guns and my axe will be worthless.