Escaping the End

Chapter 17

"It's okay Klara, It's okay," Klara quietly said to herself as she rocked back and forth in the dark cave.

Tamara stood against the wall opposite of Klara and crossed her arms. Klara didn't care about this though, she just wanted to get back to Ashton and the others. It might have been safer that way and they wouldn't be stuck in this mess. "This mess" being stuck in a cave with no way out according to Tamara. Klara never did get an exact explanation to why they had bolted back down the cave system even though no one was around.

Even if someone had been there, Klara knew that the machines were old and wouldn't function forever. She also knew Tamara could fight her way out and, if worse came to worse, Klara could just make a break for it into the forest. Thought the dress could prove a problem with the logs and long grasses that she could get caught on. Such a dress would also be really easy to spot in the woods.

"Tamara?" Klara weakly asked, "What, what are we going to do? We can't stay in here forever."

Tamara just sighed in response and looked down the tunnel. She didn't seem to have an answer for Klara, but this didn't bother her. Klara knew they would have to find a way out eventually, it was just a matter of time. She just sat quietly in hopes Tamara wouldn't get more stressed than she already obviously was. It would be hard having a minor to take care of when you are literally being hunted like a rabbit.

There was the sound of air being released from a pressurized can and Klara flicked her head towards the direction of the sound. She wasn't sure what it was exactly, but the sound continued without any sign of stopping. Klara stood up and started to bolt down the tunnel, afraid that the swat team had left to get gas since they wouldn't fit through the opening. It was a risky move on their part, but there was undoubtedly many way they had prepared to keep themselves safe.

It didn't take long for Tamara to catch up to Klara and, with little effort, pulled her up onto her back. Klara would have rathered she run on her own two feet, but she had been carried so much since she was found, she found it pointless to fight with Tamara about it. Besides, they already had the strange noise to worry about, let alone a fourteen year old fighting with an adult about whether she could walk or not. There was simply no point to risk their lives over it.

It didn't take long for Tamara to carry Klara far enough away that she could no longer hear the awful hissing noise, but she knew they were still far from being in danger. If it truly was some noxious gas they were pumping into the cave system, then it wouldn't be long before they were affected by it. There wasn't any point in stopping now, so Klara urged Tamara to keep going forward in hopes they would find an exit.

There were winding tunnels, some darker than others, that always seemed to lead to even more tunnels. To Klara, it seemed they were just helplessly running around in circles and the only assurance she had that they weren't was the fact that they never saw an opening in the solid walls. The tunnels were definitely leading further in, but there was no sign of a way out. The darkness and dampness just seemed to further Klara's unease and fading hope that there was a way to escape.

Klara held on tight to Tamara and prayed they could find a way out when Taramara abruptly stopped. After a second or two of stillness, Klara looked up to see the reason why Tamara had stopped. There was a dark, stony wall just inches from the two. It was the end of the systems, but there was a rather thin crevasse in it. Tamara set Klara down and Klara took the chance to try and get a closer look at the wall.

It was hard to pick up on in the darkness of the cave, but the crevasse was definitely there. Klara took no time trying to see if she could fit through, it was tight but she somehow made it inside. Klara then popped her head out and beckoned Tamara to try and fit into the opening as well. It was a fruitless cause though, it had been a tight fit for Klara and Tamara was quite a bit bigger than her.

Klara looked down into the crevasse and back at Tamara, "What are we going to do? I can't fight against those guys by myself Tamara," she quietly pointed out.

Tamara nodded in understanding, but looked around for a bit before answering, "How about you go see if there is a way out and come back and tell me what you find," she finally responded.

Klara started to nod but heard the distant clamour of the swat teams, they had actually entered the further part of the cave system. Klara didn't know how they got in, but she knew it would take her too long to see what was in the crevasse, there was no way she would be back in time. She looked at Tamara and started pulling her arm, trying to will her inside but it wasn't working.

"Tamara, we have got to get you in here, come on!" she cried, but Tamara just stood stone still.

After a couple more minutes of the crescendoing sounds, Tamara looked to Klara, "I have abandoned my family. They are all dead now and I regret not bringing them with me, for not even trying to save them. Klara, go see what is down there, even if nothing is there, I promise you will be okay," she said firmly before pushing Klara's hand back into the crevasse.

"How can you be so sure? We managed to only find a dead end, what's to say every other path didn't also lead to a dead end? They will know I am still in these systems, or they will figure out about this crevasse. This may not even lead out either!" Klara desperately exclaimed.

Tamara just cocked her head, "That sure is a lot of 'what if's' girly. Is that how you go through life?"

Klara jumped back at that comment before finally agreeing to go down into the crevasse further. She turned her back and started moving as quickly as she could down the narrow passage, there couldn't be any going back now. It was life or death for Klara and everyone else who managed to escape. With this thought in mind, Klara just kept moving forward even after she heard shouting, even after she heard gunshots, even after she heard the sound of someone being dragged away. Klara never stopped moving forward.

After about ten minutes, Klara saw sunlight. It was just a crack, but it was sunlight nonetheless. Using the last of what little energy Klara had, she forced herself through the ever narrowing passage into the sunlight. It was warm and bright unlike the terror that she had just witnessed and it almost made it seem as though nothing could go wrong anymore. It was so comforting that she let herself fall to her knees and embrace the sunshine, trying the entire time to force back her tears.