The Third Omen

PART THREE: TWO STEPS FROM HELL

Without having to think twice about it—not giving Gabriel enough time to realize what I was doing, either—I left the girl's weight over his shoulder entirely, pushing them to the other side of the creviced line on the roof. I wasn't able to hear Dad's yell before the stone began crumbling down and causing a thick layer of dust to cover the air.

By instinct, I reached both arms to try and protect my head from whatever debris I could, the merciless floor greeting me shortly after. Pieces or roof kept on falling for a couple more seconds, actually feeling like eons, but it all ceased as quickly as it started. One of the smaller rocks had bounced on my forehead, for sure, since I now felt a thick, warm substance oozing out of my right temple. "Crap."

I heard a voice calling my name, but with the sudden screeching sound banging on my eardrums, it seemed impossible for me to know who it belonged to until it came up again. "Lauren! Are you okay?"

Gabriel. "I'm fine," I yelled back, choking on the dust before I could say anything else.

"We're gonna get you out, baby," Dad said, and the sizzling sound of smaller rocks falling didn't seem to have stopped quite yet.

"No," I let out, pushing myself into a sitting position before taking in what surrounded me. Indeed, there was debris everywhere—not to mention the thick layer of dust and pulverized cement floating around—and the tunnel appeared to be completely blocked up. "You guys keep going! I'll go through the east corridors and meet you guys there."

Behind the barrier, I heard what sounded like a heated argument, Gabriel's voice coming out in the end. "You would have to go to the surface and walk around the electrical towers to get to Block D's outer gates. It's about two hundred meters from the emergency door. Too risky."

"Just as risky as staying here moving five hundred pounds or more of piled up concrete. I'll be fine. We'll meet there in ten. If I'm not there, you just leave without—"

"Not happening," Dad's voice cut me off, and I was already getting on my feet, wavering before I could stabilize myself completely.

"Dad, remember what you told me six years ago when we first came down here? That every decision had to be thought through and no time should be wasted?" With no reply coming from him, I chose to continue. "I'm telling you now, turn around and keep going to Block D. I'll go through the corridors and meet you there. If I haven't gotten there after ten minutes...you leave."

"I won't go without you."

I heard the now familiar wail coming from the corridors to my right—possibly my own omen of death. "Ten minutes, Dad." I sighed, pressing my hand into one of the broken stones. "I love you guys."

"Lauren," Gabriel began, but I was already walking toward the dark corridor, trying not to trip with one of the loose pipes or blocks laying around. Truly, I felt scared, as if my inner conscience knew all the odds pointed to me dying in the hands of whatever kept wailing and howling in the deep tunnels, though it was more than necessary for me to gather the small pieces of bravery I had left and keep going.

Trace your plan, I suggested in my mind, creating a distraction from the whole 'venturing-into-a-deadly-dark-corridor' situation going on.

If I kept going past the three main connections on the tunnel's sides, I'd bump into the wall. There, I'd have to turn left, toward Block C. If Davis was right and the entrance had been blocked in the attack, I would have to use the emergency door and finish the two hundred meters or so on the outside.

Fifty percent chance a Wendigo got me, and fifty percent one of the Outside People took my insides out to express their rage toward our underground community. Fabulous.