Mission 615

Chapter 23

The walk through the city sends chills up my spine and it doesn't get any better when I reach the desert. I stand against one of the buildings and stare out over the sand. A small figure trudges through the expanse towards the familiar mound that marks the entrance to the caves.

I begin to follow, knowing that if Hunter was to turn around he would probably see me in seconds but waiting for him to get further would be pointless.

The walk across the desert is painfully boring as nervousness clouds my thoughts.

What the heck am I walking into?

Up ahead of me, I watch Hunter disappear into the mouth of the cave. I inch ahead, walking around the opening to the side, making sure no one is posted at the entrance. It is empty, probably because more attention was needed elsewhere. Or because why would they need guards? It isn't like they have anything we don't in the city.

I climb down into the entrance and stalk along the moist wall. A soft light glows off in the distance and I creep towards it. The walk down the entrance hall is spooky, to say the least. Every little drip of water has me jumping. Finally, I reach the glow of light and step into an open chamber. The first signs of the earthquake jump out at me. A massive rock slide covers half of this section. Shards of glass spill out from under the rocks and I don't miss a small red stain on the dirt.

The ground underneath my feet shifts and a loud echo travels through the chamber.

I freeze, listening for any voices.

I don't hear anything for a long time. The caves are endless and as much as I don't want to admit it, I'm hopelessly lost. Finally, the lights mounted to the side of the cave grow closer and closer until a bigger cavern is in view. A few shouts echo down the hall and I press myself against the rocks.

I creep closer, trying to hear them. I drop the pack down on the ground, happy to get a break from hauling the heavy weight around.

Slowly, I peek out into the big area and see a few men speaking on a lower level of the cave floor. Beyond them, I can just make out more people milling around. Several bodies lay still in the dirt and others don't seem to be in much of a better state.

I focus on the men speaking closer to me. The closest has their back turned to me, but I quickly identify him as Hunter. His black clothes and pack give him away. Another man stands to his right with his arms tightly crossed. He looks frustrated with what whatever they're talking about and keeps running a hand through his jet black hair. The last man seems older, he seems calmer and doesn't appear to be as involved in the conversation. I watch them for a few more seconds and the man with the dark hair lays a hand on Hunter's shoulder. He and Hunter begin to move across the room in the direction of the other people.

Suddenly, a low rumble begins to echo through the caves.

"Aftershock!!" Someone screams from below. People start sprinting out of the large chamber in my direction and I panic. I take three strides before I remember my pack. Loud shouts already echo down the hall and I have no choice but to race away from my supplies.

I run on the shaking ground as fast as my body allows. Bangs and thuds fill the caves. The light starts to fade away and something crashes to my right, throwing me to the ground. My hands break my fall but my forehead isn't close behind. I reach up and brush my head. When my fingers come back I can barely make out the small glimmer of blood on my fingertips.

I almost scream when strong hands wrap around my waist. I'm pulled into a small tunnel like a rag doll. A noise begins to escape my mouth but a rough hand claps over my face.