“I’m coming!” Ant yelled, but the increasing roar drowned out his words.
As he drew near to the square of light, he saw two figures silhouetted there. One of them was clearly Madison, but the other looked too small to be Liam.
“Maddy!” he called, stumbling as another massive shudder hammered the tunnel.
He closed the gap, shouting the whole time, and finally Madison swung to face him. He still couldn’t see her face against the blinding light beyond, but it was definitely her.
She let out a gasp as he threw himself down next to her. “A-Ant? W-what are you—?”
Her words seemed like a distant murmur compared to the booms of whatever catastrophic disaster was occurring outside. He was only vaguely aware of the small boy kneeling next to him. Caleb, he guessed as he tried to hold on to the shaking ground, grasping loose rocks in his clawlike hands and trying to block out the terrible din. Though he knelt shoulder to shoulder with Barton’s powerful son, all he could think about right now was the mind-blowing scale of destruction unfolding before his eyes.
He leaned forward to get a better look. The tunnel opened out on the side of a cliff, a deadly drop if he were to tumble out. But far below, the cliff curved away in a rolling expanse of countryside. And it kept on curving away, starting to rise again in the distance, up and up, higher and higher, until . . .
It took only moments to figure out that he was, almost literally, an ant on the inside wall of a gigantic sphere miles across. Caleb’s World. He looked down on a picturesque scene of fields and forests, but the beauty was quickly decimated by falling earth and rubble as the landscape came unstuck from the upper half of the sphere. In the center of it all, a massive fireball had embedded itself in the ground, its crater steadily blackening around the edges, fire spreading outward.
He watched, stunned, as entire forests—thousands of trees together with the soil and rock they were rooted to—literally peeled loose of the sphere’s ceiling and fell in slow motion toward the fields below. The colossal cloud of debris hammered down in what had to be the deadliest downpour in history, millions of tons of trees and rock and earth turning the lower landscape into mush.
A single upside-down mountain, what looked like a hanging volcano, cracked apart around its base and unleashed further doom and destruction. For a second or two, it fell almost in one giant chunk . . . but then it split apart in eerie slow motion. As the gargantuan sections fell, bright-orange lava rained down amid billowing black smoke.
“Help Liam!” Madison screamed at the small boy. “Help him!”
Caleb shrugged. “Too late.”
Ant tore his gaze from the destruction and blinked at her. “Where is Liam?” he yelled.
She pointed downward, a frantic look on her face.
Ant leaned out again, acutely aware of the deluge of soil pouring like a muddy waterfall just a yard from his face. Rocks the size of his fist and boulders as big as cows tumbled past, and he gasped with terror.
Liam was not far below, hanging off a rope in the middle of the avalanche. He kept squeezing his eyes shut because of the cascading dirt, but it was a miracle nothing bigger had swept him away. He was climbing at a snail’s pace.
Ant followed the rope up. It was tethered to the remains of a half-door hanging from its hinges to one side of the tunnel opening. Fearful of being hit by the cascading debris right in front of his nose, he reached for the taut rope and tried pulling on it, but he wasn’t strong enough to hoist his friend up.
While Madison wore a stricken, tear-stained expression, Caleb had a wide-eyed look of wonder. Ant crawled closer to the boy and shouted in his face. “Your dad sent me to get you! He’s waiting for you outside!”
Caleb scowled. “Liar. That’s what the others said.”
“It’s true!” Ant dug in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He thumbed his way to the photo gallery and twisted the screen around so Caleb could see. “See? There’s your dad and me.”
Precious seconds ticked past as Caleb stared at the screen. The thunderous racket increased, and out of the corner of his eye, Ant saw flashes of explosions as the massive fireball embedded in the distant field ignited the grass all around.
Caleb’s mouth fell open. After a while, he looked at Ant and shouted, “He’s really outside?”
Ant stuffed his phone back in his pocket and grabbed the boy’s shirt. “Help Liam NOW!”
Chapter 10
Liam glanced left and right. On the vertical faces of the world to both sides, the grassy terrain tore loose, sliding off in clumps of dirt and turf. Some of it came from higher up where the walls leaned inward, showering the back of Madison’s head. She gave a squeal and ducked inside the tunnel, only to reappear a second later to yell some more at Liam, who was too busy being pelted with clods of grass and small rocks to hear what she was saying.
He climbed, one hand after another, fighting the urge to look down but blinking too furiously to look up. The rope seemed a mile long, and he knew he had very little time before he was wiped off the side of the cliff by far heavier cascading debris.
Yet he paused again, unable to believe what he was seeing all around.
The sun finally relented to normalized gravity and plummeted, slamming down in a field just beyond the English village and leaving a crater that quickly blackened. Flames leapt into the air.
The village itself, now on a slant, seemed intact from a distance . . . until rocks rained down from above, smashing through rooftops and shattering windows. A murky, dry rain of loose soil showered the land all around, slowly darkening the lush grass.
Gasping with amazement, Liam thrashed about on the rope, trying to climb while gawking at the spectacle.
Far above, the world was literally falling apart. The sand dune he had crossed not so long ago erupted into a massive yellow cloud. Endless grassy hills crumbled and rained down. Thousands of trees in numerous forests shook loose and began to plummet, twisting and tumbling.
With ear-splitting booms, the volcano cracked apart around its base and started to fall in gargantuan chunks. Rivers of lava fell like bright-orange ribbons. When it all finally slammed down a few miles below, giant chunks of mountainside shattered and spread outward along with sprays of lava, and the once-beautiful countryside was burned and smothered in an instant.
Much of the sphere’s ceiling was bare by this time, having spilled millions of tons of rock in frightening slow motion. Now cracks appeared, spreading quickly, and it seemed the entire planet was about to fall apart . . .
“CLIMB!” Madison screamed once more.
Liam broke free of his open-mouthed paralysis and resumed his struggle, finding strength he never knew he had, one hand over the other, left, right, left, right. I can’t die, I can’t die, he told himself the whole time. But he knew he wouldn’t make it, not with all this debris pouring down in his face. It was all he could do to snatch glances here and there. He felt sure that the larger boulders were missing him by inches. Maybe they were. Maybe the universe was nudging them away, trying to prevent his death yet again.
The tall, rickety bungee tower abruptly fell away. More clods of earth spattered his head and shoulders. A wave of intense heat swept over him as the fallen sun flared brighter and set the surrounding fields alight.
Just when Liam thought an avalanche would wipe him off the side of the world, he heard a screech from below and instinctively looked down. The dragon was there, beating its massive wings as it tried to escape the carnage. Rocks slammed down on it, and it spun out of sight. But it returned moments later, dodging the largest boulders and fighting through the rest, rising fast toward Liam, its eyes fixed on him.
Just what I need, Liam thought in horror. The end of the world isn’t enough. Caleb has to send his pet dragon after me as well!
The monster shot upward and gripped him hard around the waist with one giant paw. Its leathery wings shielded him for the next few seconds as it continued ascending, and Liam was able to keep his eyes open and get a good look at
everything—at the dirt and rocks pounding the dragon’s body from above, the slowly blackening sky all around, the flashes of explosions from what had once been the sun . . .
Globs of yellow flesh spattered his face and clothes as the dragon took a severe beating from the deadly cascading rock. The creature was knocked senseless, its upward flight cut off—but then it tossed Liam away, and he flew through the air toward the cliff. He had a split second to see the square opening in the wall before he tumbled into the darkness of the tunnel.
He landed roughly, and by the time he’d turned around to look back outside, the dragon was long gone. Liam saw nothing but a choking deluge as Caleb’s World vanished forever.
Hands pulled at him. “You’re safe now,” Madison gasped as he struggled to sit up. “Caleb made his dragon help.”
Liam caught final glimpses of the collapsing world—images that he would never forget, especially the blazing sun as it lay in a smoldering heap on the blackened hills, a colossal ball of fire that continued to burn even as forests and houses and earth rained down on it.
Then came suffocating darkness.
****
Everything fell silent.
A blinding light caused Liam to yell and jerk backward, certain a fiery ball was about to incinerate him. But it was just the beam from the miner’s helmet Caleb was wearing.
Dazed, Liam did a double take. “Where did you find that?” He shook his head. “Never mind. What’s wrong with relighting the gas lamps on the walls?”
“This is more fun,” Caleb said happily, rapping his knuckles on the hard hat.
Liam rubbed his eyes and looked around. He must have been out of it for a few seconds, because he had no recollection of the transition from deafening noise to this welcoming silence. Madison knelt opposite him, a disheveled mess covered in a fine layer of dust. And next to her . . .
“What the—?” he exclaimed. “Ant? How—why—?”
Ant grinned. “Couldn’t let you have all the fun down here.”
Both Liam and Madison stared at him until his smile faded.
“I found a back way in,” Ant explained. “Barton showed me. We got in ahead of the rescue workers.” He frowned. “Speaking of which, we should probably head back. We need to sneak Caleb out of this place before anyone sees him. Let’s go.”
Liam slowly climbed to his feet and studied the floor-to-ceiling pile of rocks that now blocked the way into Caleb’s World. The roof fall had only just missed them, but it had acted as a shield against the destructive force of the recent catastrophic event. On the other side of that thick wall, a wondrous place had existed until just minutes ago. Now? Nothing but a staggering amount of mess. Soil and rock and trees and houses and vehicles and—
And Lurkers.
He grimaced. He guessed Caleb’s demolition had done the job perfectly. He’d switched off the gravity, and now everything was gone. Every last trace of his crazy world was buried, leaving only the massive underground chamber itself, perfectly round, an anomaly in the Earth’s crust. If rescue workers found their way down here and dug through this roof fall and into that enormous, partially filled spherical void . . .
Madison patted his hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Yeah,” Caleb said, jiggling his helmet from side to side. He pointed to Ant and scowled. “Take me to my dad.”
Ant scowled back. “Ask nicely.”
Liam used his hand to block the glare of Caleb’s dazzling lamp. “And turn the lights back on, please.”
Caleb sighed and closed his eyes. Seconds later, every gas lamp in the tunnel flickered into life. He kept his helmet switched on, though.
Liam took one last look at the roof fall, then turned to peer up the sloping tunnel. The way out. He pushed past Ant and started marching.
He couldn’t help noticing that Ant wrinkled his nose. “Man, you need a shower,” his friend said. “You too, Maddy. Not attractive.”
“Okay, so we stink,” she retorted. “We’ve done a lot of running around, escaping monsters and stuff. What’s your excuse?”
He laughed.
Liam turned back. “Ant, what are you even doing down here? I thought Madison’s message was pretty clear about you staying away.”
“Yeah,” Madison griped. “What part of ‘stay away’ don’t you understand? I didn’t sleep-write that instruction for nothing.”
“Good thing I didn’t listen, or Liam would be buried in Earth’s core by now.”
“We’re nowhere near the core,” Liam muttered.
Ant ignored him. “The way I see it, your message said to stay clear of the house as it was sinking into the ground. It didn’t say anything about afterward.”
After a pause, Madison said, “I’m now wondering if there was another reason I told you to stay outside. If you hadn’t stayed with Barton, then he never would have showed you a back way into these tunnels, and you wouldn’t have arrived in the nick of time and did what we couldn’t—show Caleb proof that we’re friends of his dad.”
“Where is Barton?” Liam asked.
“He couldn’t come,” Ant said. “Caleb banished him from the tunnel ages ago. Anyone can enter except him.”
Liam waited for a more detailed explanation of this mysterious statement, but none came. Caleb seemed to understand, though, judging by the sheepish look on his face.
“I’d be dead by now if that dragon hadn’t given me a boost,” Liam said, his thoughts returning to his close escape. All that falling debris and spatters of lava . . . Suddenly angry, he reached out and punched Caleb hard on the arm despite the inherent danger of provoking a boy with incredible powers.
“Ow!” Caleb yelled, swinging around. “Don’t you DARE—”
Ant stepped between them, his hands outstretched. “Enough! Caleb, settle down or I’ll tell your dad what a brat you’ve been. Everybody’s safe, and that’s all that matters right now.” He turned to face Liam. “Right?”
“Right,” he mumbled.
Madison rolled her eyes. “When you boys have finished squabbling, can we please get out of this place?”
Chapter 11
The uphill trek was tiring. It didn’t help that the ground was so soft and lumpy, a thick carpet of loose soil and rubble mingled with twisted bits of metal.
“What is this?” Liam wondered aloud, kicking at it and stubbing his toe.
“Elevator,” Caleb said.
His cryptic response begged an explanation, but Liam was too tired to care.
Caleb led the way, talking loudly about how the tunnel stretched all the way to the surface, thus confirming Ant’s all-too-brief explanation. “It’s a really long way, though,” he warned. “We need something to ride in. How about I make us—”
“Walking is fine,” Madison said sternly.
Ant stayed by Caleb’s side, talking quietly to him, obviously trying to keep the peace, even showing him the picture of Barton again. The boy’s eyes widened, a grin spreading across his face. “He looks so old,” he squawked.
Liam lagged behind with Madison, holding hands to help each other over the uneven, treacherous rubble. They talked for a while but then fell silent. Liam was too busy thinking about what came next, and he was sure Madison was just as worried. Could they really unleash someone as powerful as Caleb on the world?
For the next fifteen minutes, the only sounds were their footfalls in the dirt, heavy breathing, and the occasional rumbles far behind. Now that the tunnel was blocked, the draft was gone and the air still. With everything that had happened lately—the endless walking, the heart-pounding terror of being chased by hideous creatures, the anxiety and tension brought on by facing Caleb, the collapse of his impossible world, and now the intense relief at being on his way home—Liam felt ready to drop. He couldn’t wait for a good hot bath and then bed. He would sleep for days.
But of course he had no bed anymore. He had no home to go to.
He sighed, too exhausted to wonder where he and his family would end up for t
he foreseeable future. Maybe Ant’s house? It didn’t really matter as long as he had a bath and a bed. Maybe Caleb could conjure up—
He shuddered. No way.
When Madison stumbled and her grip on his hand tightened, Liam thanked the universe for saving them both. No wonder her future self had warned Ant away in her sleep-written message. He might have died several times over! But maybe she was right and Ant’s primary purpose had always been to find a back way in so that Caleb could be snuck out without anyone seeing him.
The boy turned to face them, the beam on his helmet dazzling. “My feet are tired. I’m going to get us something to ride in. How about a—”
“No!” Liam said sharply. He let go of Madison’s hand and stamped toward Caleb, blinking in the glare. “No more of your magic. Don’t you understand yet? You have to stop. If you want to fit into the real world up there, you have to be careful.” He softened his voice. “Look, I’m not saying you should completely stop using your magic. Just use it sparingly, you know? When you really, really need it.”
“Actually,” Ant said, putting a hand on Caleb’s shoulder and looking at Liam, “it wouldn’t be a bad idea to speed things up a little, you know? Those rescue workers could arrive any minute. This is a really long walk, and—”
Liam shook his head firmly. “No.”
Ant shrugged, a sign of reluctant agreement.
Caleb looked thoughtful as he stared at the tunnel floor. Eventually he looked up again, and Liam winced as the beam shone directly in his face. “Not even a tiny flying saucer?”
“Especially not that,” Madison said.
They resumed their weary march.
After a minute or two, Liam said, “A flying saucer?”
“Liam,” Madison whispered.
Caleb stopped and grinned. “Yeah, a little one, just big enough to fit inside. It’ll be shiny and round, and it’ll float along really fast.”
Madison shook her head firmly. “We don’t need your magic.”
But Liam stared at Ant, and he stared back. A flicker of excitement lit up his friend’s eyes. “What do you think, Ant?”
Power of Imagination Page 5
