Just as it detonated, Zane felt something grasp his ankles and pull.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
The group moved down the tunnel quietly, their beams slicing through the Stygian darkness. Amanda couldn’t figure out whether the silence was due to lingering thoughts of the terror behind them or of what might be lurking ahead.
For her part, she was just thankful that Zane was alive. She had watched the whole event play out from a few feet away. Somehow Sergeant Bennett had realized what was going on and had managed to grab Zane’s legs and pull him to safety. Had it happened a second or two later, Zane might have been seriously injured by the blast, or worse.
To everyone’s horror, a few vines had appeared at the opening a few minutes later, but they’d refused to cross the threshold. Amanda believed they were safe now, provided the tunnel didn’t lead to something even worse.
She shook all the troubling thoughts out of her mind and focused on her dark surroundings. As she panned her light around, she couldn’t help but wonder how the passage had come into being. Had it been cut by human hands? Or had it formed through some natural process? Its sheer size suggested the former, but she couldn’t rule out the latter.
As they continued walking, she was struck by the intense mustiness that permeated the air. It was as though they were walking through some ancient catacomb in Europe. The smell was so strong that it blotted out almost every other scent.
Amanda looked up and noticed that Katiya had stopped and was playing her beam around on the ceiling.
“See something?” Amanda asked.
Katiya nodded toward the area her light had illuminated. “The tunnel is starting to change.”
Amanda aimed her own light at the same place. There, about five feet above them, large flat stones stretched from one side of the tunnel to the other. “That’s definitely manmade.” She stared intently at the seams. “And they’re fitted tightly together just like the bridge. It reminds me a bit of all the tunnels underneath the pyramids in Egypt. Strange.”
“It is strange, but then again, perhaps it makes perfect sense,” Katiya said as they continued down the passage.
Amanda looked up and saw that the space had widened considerably. Zane and the others were standing in the distance, their flashlights trained on something out of sight. “Looks like they may have found the water.”
When they arrived, Amanda’s eyes widened. Directly in front of her was an underground lake, its still, dark surface spreading in every direction. How far did it go? Was this the end of their subterranean journey? The thought of going back to the vines made her shudder.
Bennett stood on the shore and looked out over the water. “I guess I was wrong,” he said, looking back at Zane. “It’s not some little stream.”
“It looks like we’re at an intersection of tunnels.” Katiya pointed her flashlight to the left and then to the right. The water disappeared into openings in both directions.
“My guess is that it may be a sewer system of some kind,” Amanda said, “funneling water out of upper chambers.”
Katiya nodded. “Apparently we’re at the low point in the network, where the water gathers temporarily after a storm.”
“It would be hard for this much water to evaporate,” Zane said. “If I had to guess, I’d say this little lake is permanent.”
Bennett bent over and rummaged through his pack, eventually pulling out a flashlight that was a full two feet long. Amanda had seen them use it when Corporal Wilson had gone missing.
The soldier waded out into the water and directed the powerful LED beam toward the far shore. A rocky ledge appeared in the cone of light, and beyond the ledge was another opening. “Looks like the tunnel continues on the far side.”
“Good,” Zane said. “How deep do you think this gets?”
The water was up to Bennett’s knees. “Using the tunnels as a gauge, my guess is that it will max out about here.” He held a hand just above his waist.
“How about the bottom?” Zane asked.
“No mud or slickness that I can tell,” Bennett replied. “Hard pan rock.”
“Good.” Zane turned toward the others. “We’re going across. Take your time. Don’t feel like you have to rush. Sergeant Bennett and I will go first and check for holes, so follow directly behind us.”
As everyone prepared to enter, they heard splashing out in the lake, a bit to the right. Several beams turned in that direction, searching for the source. Suddenly a figure appeared, moving in their direction through the water. Tocchet raised his rifle, but Zane held up a hand.
“It’s Osak,” Katiya said as he came into view.
The boy stopped about twenty yards from shore. He spoke a few quick words, which Max translated. “He says he believes something large is out there, down at one of the crossing tunnels.”
Zane frowned. “What is it?”
After another brief exchange with Osak, Max said, “It was hard to understand what he said, but I believe he picked up some vibrations in the water. He said we need to cross now.”
Katiya flashed a concerned look at Zane. “Do you really think we should?”
“We have to. The tunnels to the right and left are flooded, and we’re certainly not going back outside.”
“He’s right,” Brett said. “We really have no choice.”
Katiya nodded reluctantly and adjusted her pack.
“Okay, let’s go, everybody,” Zane said, wading out into the water.
Amanda slung her pack over her shoulder then walked over to the water’s edge. She was concerned about what might be out there under the surface and therefore knew she needed to just go before her fear got the best of her.
Amanda took a deep breath and entered the dark water. She pointed her flashlight downward, but the beam couldn’t penetrate the coffee-colored depths. If something was down there, she wouldn’t know until it was too late.
As she continued walking, someone sloshed up behind her. “Thank goodness I haven’t bumped up against a plesiosaurus yet.” It was Katiya.
“Hush.” Amanda smiled at her. “You’re worse than Brett.”
Katiya laughed. “In all seriousness, I wouldn’t worry. Despite what Osak said, I doubt there are any life forms in here. As large as it is, it’s not connected to any other bodies of water, so I can’t imagine anything living here. I mean, what would it eat?”
“A team of explorers might fill a belly up pretty quick,” said Brett, who had suddenly appeared on Amanda’s right.
Amanda looked at Katiya then jerked a thumb toward Brett. “See what I mean?”
“Funny guy. The problem with that theory is we’re likely the first human beings to pass through here in decades, if not centuries.”
Amanda looked down. The water had now risen to her waist. Bennett had said that was about as high as it would go. She hoped he was right.
About a minute later, someone at the front of the line shouted. She turned her flashlight in that direction and saw Osak standing next to Zane and Bennett. The boy was pointing at the tunnel to their left.
“What on earth is he so upset about?” Katiya asked.
Amanda turned and played her beam around in the general direction Osak was pointing. A few seconds later, she saw something, a slight swirl in the water. It was subtle, but clearly something was moving beneath the surface.
“Everybody get going!” Zane shouted from just ahead.
Amanda didn’t need to be told twice. Just as she had in the river, she focused on moving her feet one at a time. As she did that, she also kept reminding herself of what Katiya had said. It did make perfect sense. How could something of any appreciable size live down here? What would it eat?
Suddenly a shot rang out. Then another.
So much for that theory.