Set in Stone: The Rose Secret

Chapter 13: Mousetrap 🐭

I rolled my eyes and so did Antonia. Liannetta bragged on about how rich she was and I just stopped listening for a while. Antonia, umbrella in hand, guides Liannetta out the door. We all left down the pebble drive way, the smell of wet cow manure in our noses. "Gosh what is that stench"?, Liannetta screamed. No one answered. We neared the edge of the long field and started to trudge through the mushy puddles and corn stalks.

We continued to walk, sheltered from the rain by the brimmed umbrella. The sky parted ahead showing a slight shimmer of sun through the pounding rain. The breeze was cold. I got wetter by the minute, especially in my boots.

The exit from the cellar was merely meters away, as I pointed it out to them. "There" I spoke. They squinted and as soon as they saw it, sprinted (except Liannetta and her camel fur heels) towards the entrance. "Thats funny", Antonia yelled from ahead, "I have never noticed it before".

I stood at the entrance shivering from the wind. "Lets go in. What are you waiting for" Liannetta said as she parted her oak coloured hair. Liannetta the tallest of us, crashed against the door letting it slam on the cellar walls. We headed in the tunnel, which sheltered us from the storm.

I pointed out my set of footprints from earlier, they were of course fresh. Then I noticed a second set that seemed fresher than my set of footprints. The footprint was large and wide and had a zig zag pattern across it moulded into the fresh dirt. "There is someone down here", I said, alarmed. "Uhh, ya we are" Liannetta growled rolling her eyes. "A fifth person" I sternly said staring off down the path.

"Look at these prints" Antonia said. I put my gaze against Antonia's finger which pointed to a third set of footprints. These were a lot older than the other prints because the dirt was settled and dried on the print whereas my prints had dug up raw top soil.

I shivered. Who was down here? We slowly but cautiously made our way down the dark alley. Until we reached the fork in the path, which I chose to go left on earlier. "Go that way" I yelled pointing down the dark corridor that I had not yet discovered.

All in single file we walked a short distance to a steel door. Luckily the chains that were used to tie the door shut was broken. I gently swung the door open and shone a light inside. It looked like a high security bank. An array of modern computers were set on a steel table. A few pictures were hung on the wall.

"Whoever's footprints those are, must've set this place up. The older pair of prints is probably is too old for these modern computers", Antonia suggested. "Whoever is down here, might be close, keep on guard", I whispered. I shone the flashlight upon the pictures. There were of old handguns. But there was one particular photo that caught my attention. It was of a hand holding a pistol, but the hand also held the two faced charm locket. The same one I found in the cellar earlier with the little girl in it!

Liannetta sat on a wooden chair and faced the computers. She gave a shy woggle of the mouse and a home screen showed up. The image of an black and white dog in the background. Liannetta searched around until she found a file named B.R and besides it E.D.

"Click that one"! I eagerly yelled pointed to the file. "It has a few pictures inside" Liannetta said. She clicked on them. The first picture... Was of Blue! She looked about eight! "Hey isn't that you"? Sasha remarked. "My sister" I said. The next photo was of Blue again this time she was ten. Liannetta scrolled through the pictures until coming to the last one. One of Blue sitting in a wooden chair with duct tape across her mouth.

Before I could say a word a voice came from behind us. "Darn juveniles"! We turned to see a lurking figure in the doorway. It quickly slammed the door with a big 'slam'.

"C'mon lets catch em", Antonia yelled heroically. We piled to the door, slamming against it. It wouldn't budge. "Its locked" I panicked. I slammed myself against it again. It only rattled. "Great job guys" Liannetta angrily said. Antonia pulled out her walkie-talkie she had grabbed on her way out. "I can't get a channel", she shrieked.

"Ahhhhh get me out of here" we yelled. We shovelled ourselves against the door and screamed at the top of our lungs, we were caught in a mousetrap, stuck in a secret underground cellar. I fumbled with the computer when it suddenly shut off. "I didn't turn it off"?, I whispered. I was puzzled and so were the rest of us.

"Ok guys calm down", Sasha sighed. "Its not like people will forget about us, they will search to find us" she smiled. "Yah but not in an underground lair! It is secret for a reason!" Antonia yelled.

I slumped down in the corner and waited while the others paced around me. We waited for hours which felt like days. Wet, cold, tired and scared until the door started to move. We sprung to our feet. The door opened! A tall lady with a slightly wrinkled face stood in front of us. She had long slick blond hair that was in a ponytail, red lipstick and a dark trench coat. "I am here to rescue you, follow me" she said breathing heavily.