by Clayton Wood
He hesitated then, staring at the steering wheel, feeling doubt trickle in. If he was going to do this…if he was going to go after Mom, then it might very well be a one-way trip. Hell, there was a possibility that Mom had even died getting sucked into that thing, whatever it was. If so, and he tried to go after her, then he’d be next. But it wasn’t as if he had much to live for here. A drunkard for a dad, no mom, no girlfriend. A future in shambles. Even a chance of getting his mom back was worth the risk.
He took a deep breath in, then let it out, gripping the steering wheel with both hands.
All right, he told himself. Let’s do this.
He hesitated, looking around the cabin. He might need some cash for the tolls, after all. He found a couple of dollars in the center console, then popped the glove compartment, reaching inside. He froze.
There was a gun inside.
He grabbed it, pulling it out. A silver revolver. It felt heavy, and very real. He turned it over in his hands, vaguely recalling going to the range with his mother so many years ago. He hadn’t shot a gun since she’d died. He popped the cylinder, spinning it around. There was a single bullet inside.
He stared at it, feeling a chill run through him.
Glancing back at the glove compartment, he saw another few bills laying there. He grabbed them, then shut the compartment, looking for the safety on the gun. He couldn’t find one, of course. Revolvers didn’t have safeties. But it did have a hammer…he vaguely remembered that he had to cock the hammer first before he could fire. He hesitated, then stuffed the revolver in his backpack.
Jesus Dad.
Opening the garage door, he pulled out of the garage and down the driveway. Then he accelerated forward down the street, following the signs for the highway.
* * *
The sun was hovering over the hills in the distance by the time Hunter pulled up in front of a tall chain-link fence blocking the dirt road. He glanced at the directions he’d printed out, then at his phone. Both said he’d come to the right place…Smuggler’s Cave. Past the fence, the road continued forward toward a large hill perhaps a quarter-mile away. Deep tire-marks ran through the dirt road ahead, as if heavy construction equipment had rolled over it. But that must’ve been a long time ago; grass had partially overtaken the road, along with a few gangly shrubs.
Hunter got out of the car, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and walking up to the fence. A sign on one side of the fence said: “DO NOT ENTER” in big red letters, and the chain-link double-doors blocking the path ahead had been chained and padlocked shut. But the padlock was rusty, the fence in disrepair, much like the road.
Interesting.
He tested the padlock, pulling on it vigorously, but it held. Looking upward, he spotted razor-wire at the top of the fence. He sure as hell wasn’t going to be able to climb over. He walked back to the car, popping the trunk. Dad still worked at the university, and occasionally still went to dig sites. He always kept random equipment in boxes his car just in case he needed it. Hunter searched through one of the boxes, finding exactly what he’d been hoping to find: a pair of heavy-duty bolt cutters. He grabbed them, walking back to the fence. He looked around, suddenly nervous that someone might spot him. After all, if his Dad was right, the place had been taken over by the government. If they caught him now, he probably wouldn’t get another chance at finding Mom.
But there was no one around…the place was deserted.
Hunter hesitated, then used the bolt cutters on the padlock. With a little effort, the padlock snapped, and Hunter pulled it from the chain looping around the fence doors. Unwrapping the chain, he opened one of the doors, stepping through to the path beyond. He paused, then left the door open. If someone caught him here before he could get to that thing that took Mom, he needed to make sure his escape route was clear. And if he wasn’t caught, it hardly mattered if someone discovered the open door afterward. If he managed to find Mom and bring her back, he’d deal with the consequences of his trespassing later.
Alright then.
He continued forward down the path, following it as it wound gently to the right. His shoes crunched on the dirt and rocks underfoot, the sound echoing through the night air. Ahead, the path rose upward at a slight angle, just as it had in the pictures he’d seen on Mom’s old phone. In the distance, he saw a sign by the side of the road. As he drew closer, he saw its familiar greeting: “Welcome to Smuggler’s Cave.”
He slowed his pace, staring at the sign, feeling a chill come over him. This was where she’d been. Walking on this very path, seeing this very sign. He imagined her snapping a picture, Dad a few steps ahead. Probably laughing at one of Dad’s silly jokes. Back when Dad used to tell jokes.
He sighed, trudging past the sign, continuing forward and upward.
The path narrowed a bit, squat rocky walls rising some five to six feet high on either side. A strong breeze blew up the path, pushing him from behind. He switched his backpack to his other shoulder, his back starting to ache from the weight of it. After a few minutes, he saw the path end abruptly, blocked by a tall rock wall. And there, in the middle of the wall, was the opening to a small cave…just like Mom’s photo.
He glanced behind him, seeing the empty path winding down the hill. Far in the distance, he could see his Dad’s car beyond the fence.
Hunter continued up the path, reaching the entrance to the cave. A few feet into the cave, the path was plunged into utter darkness. He retrieved his phone, turning on its flashlight and checking his battery. It was at 42%. Running out of juice while rappelling into the bowels of the earth wouldn’t just be inconvenient…it’d be deadly. And he needed enough battery life for the trip back, assuming he ever got back. He’d have to be quick.
He shined the light into the cave, then strode inside.
There was a narrow tunnel beyond, the ceiling just high enough that he didn’t have to stoop. The light from his phone was barely bright enough to guide his way, sending inky black shadows like long fingers across the irregular walls on either side. He strode forward, glancing from side to side as he went. The photos from Mom’s phone had shown a hole in the wall…the one that had led to the long shaft traveling downward.
The cave wound through the earth, twisting left, then right, angling slightly downward. He followed it, moving quickly. He glanced at his phone…40% battery left. It was draining pretty quickly. He switched it to power-saving mode, turning off wi-fi and putting it into airplane mode.
Onward he went, the tunnel widening a little ahead. He tread carefully, not wanting to roll an ankle on rocks littering the cave floor. While the temperature outside must have been in the 70’s, the air here was much cooler, and he shivered, suddenly wishing he’d brought a jacket.
Minutes passed.
Suddenly the tunnel ended, a rock wall blocking his way. Hunter stared at it, then shined his light on the walls on either side. There was no hole in the wall like he’d seen in his mother’s photos…just a dead end.
The hell?
He turned back the way he’d come, shining the light down the length of the tunnel. Shadows stretched across the walls on either side. He moved forward, the shadows shifting as he went. He angled the light side-to-side as he walked, and after a few minutes, he saw what he’d missed the way in: a waist-high hole in the wall to the left. The shadows thrown by his light must have hidden it earlier. He squatted in front of it, shining his light through. Beyond, there was a small cavern, with a hole in the ground. A rope hung from a hook embedded in the ceiling, extending downward through the hole.
Bingo.
He crawled through the hole, his backpack scraping against the top of it. Squeezing through, he stopped before the vertical shaft. Slipping his backpack off and setting it to the side, he took the rappelling equipment out, putting it on. That done, he clipped his harness to the rope, picking up his phone and glancing at the screen.
36% left.
He grimaced, aiming the light down the shaft. It plunged downwa
rd as far as he could see, vanishing into the shadows. He retrieved his backpack, then grabbed the rope with one hand, lowering himself into the hole, bracing his feet against the walls of the shaft. He hesitated then, staring downward, realizing just how long it’d been since he’d done something like this. He took a deep breath in, then let it out.
Here goes…
Downward he went, slowly at first, then more quickly as his muscle-memory kicked in. It wasn’t long before he saw the bottom of the shaft below. He dropped toward it, his feet striking the rocky floor a few moments later. Unclipping his harness from the rope, he shined his light forward. He was in a cavern, exactly the same as he’d seen on his mother’s phone. At the far end of the cavern was a tunnel; it was bigger than he remembered; tall enough for him to walk through without stooping, and wide enough to fit two people side-by-side.
Hunter strode forward into the tunnel, glancing at his phone again. 32% battery left…he’d managed to make it using only a quarter of the phone’s charge. It’d take longer to climb back up the shaft, but he could probably get away with not using the light while doing so. So far, so good.
Suddenly, he heard voices in the distance.
He froze, quickly turning off his light. He stood there in the tunnel, pressing himself against the wall and straining his ears. He heard the voices again, echoing through the tunnel. They were coming from ahead, unintelligible but clearly male.
Shit.
Hunter hesitated, then turned on his light again, aiming it downward so it wouldn’t travel as far. If there were people ahead, he didn’t want them to know he was coming. If he got caught, he’d have to pretend he was just some stupid kid spelunking. He’d have to get past them somehow, and make a run for the archway his mother had vanished through. But what if he couldn’t get past them?
He stood there in the darkness, hearing the voices again in the distance, and had the sudden urge to turn back. Then he pictured his mother the last time he’d seen her. Her big brown eyes, high cheekbones. Long curly hair tied back into a ponytail. Her laugh.
She’d been the strongest woman he’d ever known, the glue that had held their family together. She would have done anything for him, and for his father. And his father had abandoned her.
If he didn’t do this, he’d be no better than his dad.
He took off his backpack, setting it on the ground, then unzipping the main compartment. He reached in, feeling cold metal under his fingertips. He grabbed it, pulling it out.
It was Dad’s revolver.
He stared at it, then glanced down the tunnel. If the people ahead were armed, it was game over. But if they weren’t, and they gave him trouble, the revolver would give him the upper hand. But there’d be no coming back from that…his future here would be over.
If he was really going to do this, he had to commit.
Hunter glanced at the revolver one more time, then stuffed it in his pants, hiding it under his shirt.
Here goes…
He slid his backpack on again, then moved forward through the tunnel.
* * *
“Come on Gus,” Harvey grumbled, lifting a box and walking it to the young man. The box was light, thank god, filled with some equipment the Army Corps had left behind. Gus took the box, stepping through a hole in the stone wall ahead and depositing it in the chamber beyond. Then he came back through the hole.
“We almost done?” Gus asked, glancing to his right. Harvey nodded, following the young man’s gaze. They were standing in a long underground chamber, with dead-ends on either side. The far wall was made of rock, while the wall to Gus’s left was something…different. A wall of pure blackness, bordered by a huge arch of black stone, symbols carved into its surface. A short fence stood before the black wall, a reminder of the danger that it posed. Harvey remembered the briefing he’d gotten from the Corps before coming down here.
Don’t touch the wall, they’d said. If you want to live.
“Almost,” Harvey replied. “Just a couple more boxes. We’ll finish loading the cart, then wheel it back to the rope and haul it up.”
“Got it,” Gus agreed. Harvey picked up another box, handing it to Gus. “What is this stuff anyway?” he asked.
“Bunch of leftover equipment, probably,” Harvey answered.
“Looks like it hasn’t been used in a while,” Gus observed, walking the box through the hole to the chamber beyond, then returning.
“Damn liberals cut our funding,” Harvey grumbled. “The Corps had to abandon this place a couple years ago, among others.”
“Heard they sold it off,” Gus said. Harvey nodded.
“That’s what I heard too,” he agreed. “Some corporation I never heard of bought it recently. That’s why we’re getting rid of all this crap. The company wants us outta here.”
“What’s the name of the company?”
“The Bridge Corporation, I think,” Harvey answered. “Like I said, never heard of them.” He glanced at the black wall. “Why the hell they’d want to own this place is beyond me.” He’d heard stories of this tunnel, of course. Of people who’d studied it earlier. People who came in and never came out. No one seemed to know why…at least no one that Harvey had talked to in the Corps. But there was a reason they’d put that fence up in front of the wall.
“Huh,” Gus mumbled. “Never heard of them.”
“I looked them up,” Harvey admitted. “Apparently they’re some tech company. A startup.”
“Yeah, well I hope they didn’t pay much,” Gus muttered. “Nothing worth having here.”
“Two more of these,” Harvey stated, grabbing a box and gesturing for Gus to grab another. “Then we grab the lights and go.” Gus complied, lifting the last box. They both walked the boxes through the hole in the wall, entering a small cavern. A flat cart was in the center, loaded with a bunch of boxes. They set the boxes on the cart, then went back through the hole and into the larger chamber. A few electric lanterns were scattered on the floor, and Harvey picked two up.
“Shouldn’t we just leave these here?” Gus asked. Harvey shrugged.
“They said they wanted everything out,” he replied. “So take them out.”
Gus sighed, grabbing another two lanterns, and they walked them toward the hole.
Then froze.
Someone was standing there in front of the hole in the wall. A black kid in a t-shirt and cargo pants, wearing a backpack.
“Who the hell are you?” Harvey demanded. The kid stood there, staring back at him, not moving. Harvey dropped the lanterns. “I asked you a question, kid,” he growled.
“Who are you?” the kid shot back. Harvey glanced at Gus, then back at the kid.
“We’re here on behalf of the Army Corps of Engineers,” he answered. “This is a restricted area,” he added. “Which means you don’t belong here.”
“Oh, sorry,” the kid mumbled, grinning sheepishly. “I was just spelunking…I didn’t realize…”
“That there was a locked fence with a sign telling you to stay the hell out?” Harvey interrupted. “You’re trespassing on government property,” he added. “You understand what that means, kid?”
“Uh…” the kid stammered. “Sorry?”
“You will be,” Harvey promised. “Come on Gus, we gotta escort our little friend here back to the surface and call the police.”
“What are we gonna do about all this stuff?” Gus asked.
“We’ll have to get back to it tomorrow,” Harvey answered. Gus groaned.
“Tomorrow’s the weekend,” he complained. “Now I have to come in on my day off?” He gestured at the kid. “Just let him go man.”
“The kid trespassed on government property,” Harvey retorted. “How’d you get past that fence, kid?”
“I had the key to the padlock,” the kid quipped. Gus rolled his eyes.
“Very funny, wise-ass.”
“Isn’t it technically that company’s property now?” Gus countered. Harvey hesitated, glancing at the kid
, then back at Gus. Technically, Gus was right. And it would suck to have to come back in tomorrow. He sighed, turning back to the kid.
“Get the hell out of here,” he ordered, waving the kid away. “And don’t come back, or we will call the police.” The kid took a step back, then glanced at the stone arch bordering the huge wall of blackness. He pointed at it.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“I said leave kid,” Harvey growled. But still the kid hesitated.
“So you’re from the Army?” he pressed, eyeing them dubiously. “Where are your guns?” Harvey rolled his eyes.
“The Army Corps of Engineers, moron,” he retorted. “We don’t carry guns.”
The kid reached into the front of his pants, then pulled something out. Harvey froze.
It was a revolver.
“Well I do,” the kid stated, pointing the gun at Harvey’s chest. Harvey took a step back reflexively, raising his hands in the air, as did Gus.
“Jesus kid,” Harvey blurted out. “Put that thing down!”
“Let me in,” the kid replied, “…and I will.”
“In where?” Harvey asked. The kid pointed to the black wall past the fence.
“In there.”
“Are you an idiot?” Harvey retorted. “Don’t you see the damn sign?” There was a sign in the center of the fence. DANGER, DO NOT CROSS, it read.
“You could let me pass and not get shot,” the kid offered. “That way we’d both be winners.”
“Hey kid,” Gus interjected. “We said we’d let you go…give us a break, man. I got a wife and kids, for Christ’s sake.”
“Get back now,” the kid ordered, gesturing with the gun. “All the way back to the far wall.” Gus nodded, backing up slowly. Harvey stayed where he was, keeping his eyes on the kid’s gun. The kid clearly had no idea how to use it. His grip was all wrong; he held the revolver with one hand, and was carrying it way too far from his body. The kickback would make him shoot too high to hit anyone. Typical clueless gangster wanna-be.
“Come on, kid…” Harvey pleaded.
