Chapter 29

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Cacee swallowed a low sob and, when Ray shone the light on the, pulled away from Jess with relief. She did her best to remain detached as she cleaned Jess's hands and taped them up. When she finished, she saw that Ray managed to put clean socks and shoes on him. The expression on Jess's face made it obvious he hated taking Ray's help, but he didn't say anything.

Ray said, "We'll walk together. Cacee, stay in the middle. Jess, if you start getting claustrophobic, hold onto her. You can hang onto the light too, that might help."

Jess nodded. Even in the gloom, his face was scarlet, and another reluctant surge of pity went through her. Ray got up to leave, but she grabbed his arm. "Wait. I have to do one more thing. I need the rope and some scissors."

Ray handed them to her, "Hurry."

She cut a length of rope and used it to wrap her hair into a sloppy ponytail. It was hard to tie the rope tightly enough to keep all her hair back and the strands in front immediately fell out and hung in her eyes. She let out a hiss of frustration and looked at the scissors she still held. Screw it. With a deep breath, she shook her hair out and gathered the pieces in front of her eyes in a straight line between her fingers.

Both Ray and Jess said, "What are you...?" Their words came too late. Pieces of hair were already falling to the ground, leaving jagged bangs that hung just below her eyebrows. She said calmly, "I need to be able to watch where I'm going."

They both looked so surprised she found herself quelling the urge to cringe.

She glared at them, "I know it looks like crap. So what? It's just hair."

They stood and Jess murmured, "It actually looks cute. I can see your face."

Her anger rushed back, and she shot him a glare. The last thing she wanted to be called right now was, "cute."

In a surprising show of good sense, Ray chose not to comment.

They walked in silence, hurrying to make up for lost time. But stopping had put her firmly in the moment and she repeatedly checked behind them. Each time she looked into the shadows, her heartbeat quivered faster. The tunnels surrounding them seemed to transform into an enormous creature. The sludge she waded into was its blood, pouring through cavernous veins. Its smell was one of damp basements and abandoned houses and rot. It was alive in the darkness, crawling at her heels, licking the sweat from her neck, panting in her ear. Her feet came down faster as the breath leaped from her lungs. When Ray's hand landed on her arm, she shrieked and threw a punch at him. He dodged it, "Shhhh!"

She stopped, trembling. She tried to breathe quietly.

Ray said, "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. We're okay for now. I don't hear anyone back there. You need to slow down."

He gestured towards Jess, who was breathing in harsh gasps again, the flashlight in his hand shaking strange patterns onto the walls. She'd counted on him to tell her if he needed her, to at least grab her hand if he couldn't breathe. When would she learn? She covered her face and focused on filling her lungs with air.

Ray said, "We're gonna be okay. I promise. You have to stay calm."

She nodded and took Jess's hand in hers. The flashlight he held steadied, although his breathing remained strained and labored. Between that and the fever still baking off him, she was afraid he'd pass out. Ray was in better shape than Jess but he was walking with a noticeable limp and, in the random flashes of light from Jess's hand, she spotted numerous cuts and bruises. He didn't seem to be in any condition to carry Jess out of here if he lost consciousness. She let go of Jess's hand slipped her arm around his waist. Jess immediately looped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her even closer. His breathing slowed as his feet picked up the pace.

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