“No,
turning around doesn’t sound… craven… at all,” Dani said, “In fact… I think we
should turn around too.”
“Awesome,” Mary said. She turned.
There was a tapping noise from where they’d come from. Like bored nails tapping
against the side of a desk in class, just waiting for school to be over. “You
heard that too, I’m hoping. Or maybe, not hoping. I kind of hope I didn’t hear
anything.”
“Let’s just keep going forward.
Maybe it’s safer away from the clicking noise.”
“But where will we end up?” Mary
asked.
“We’ve only been walking for, like,
thirty minutes,” Dani said, “We shouldn’t be too far out of town. I’ll pull up
my GPS as we leave and get a good idea for where we’re headed.”
“You carry a GPS with you
everywhere?” The clicking noise refused to change in frequency, but it did grow
louder. Maybe even closer, if ears are to be completely trusted.
“It’s my phone, the GPS is my phone,”
Dani said, “Should I say duh or can
we just start running.”
Mary ran past Dani, who turned and
ran with her. Mary wasn’t sure if Dani was as afraid as she was, but Dani never
overtook her so at least Dani was only a little bit less afraid than Mary was.
Over the sound of their sneakers slapping against the black floor, neither
could hear whether or not the clicking noise had decided to follow them. Mary
imagined that it was right behind, though; something like a spider. She
imagined each click was one tap of its legs, each of which ended with a dagger
or spearlike object.
This was all in Mary’s head of
course. The clicking was being made by a walking cane, the kind used by the
blind.
Dani didn’t really imagine what it
was that was chasing them, but she was pretty sure it was chasing them. This assumption was just as false as Mary’s had
been. But who is to blame Dani for thinking that something they’d encountered
in the middle of a dark tunnel was going to be a deadly foe? Dark tunnels are
usually the home to vile creatures of varying and vicious size. At least, they
usually are in books and movies and things.
Perhaps Dani realized that there was
no longer any sort of sound behind them, or perhaps she simply tired of
running, but eventually she stopped. And when she stopped, Mary did too, nearly
falling over to halt her momentum. When she turned, she brought her flashlight
to bear and nearly blinded Dani. Dani held up the hand that held her phone and
said, “Ye-ouch. How’s about dropping that laser there?”
“Sorry,” Mary said, pointing it at
the ground. Neither of them spoke for about four and a half seconds, “So I
guess it isn’t following us. I don’t hear it.”
“I don’t hear it either,” Dani said.
“Are you finding out where we are?”
“Yeah, but I can’t get a signal
here,” Dani turned and looked back into the dark whence they came, and then
looked back at Mary, “Let’s keep going forward until I catch a signal.”
“Ok,” Mary said, gesturing ahead
with her flashlight, “Could you, uh.”
“Take the lead?” Dani asked, “Yeah,
that wouldn’t be too difficult, I guess.”
“Thanks,” Mary said.
“So,” Dani said, walking past Mary,
“I kind of want to talk about something because I’m kind of still freaked out.
So… how about that David fellow?”
“What about him?” Mary asked.
“You think it’s true what Neil
said?”
“About Dave not really trying
anymore?” Mary asked.
“Yeah,” Dani said.
“Why?”
For a while it was back to how it’d
been for most of their adventure. Just the sound of their shoes against the
mysterious substance they traversed, with the steady current of tunnel breath
rushing past them at a pace so slow it could hardly be called rushing.
“I don’t think Dave ever really
tried,” Mary said, “I think that he’s just getting busy with everything else he
wants to do.”
“Yeah?” Dani asked, “He, like,
actually seems like the kind of guy to just… give up, or… not care.”
“Maybe not caring is a more accurate
statement,” Mary said, “But I don’t really know. I only hear about him through
Neil. And I think Neil is trying too hard to be a supportive friend.”
“Ha,” Dani said, “Trying too hard?”
“Yeah, that sounded funny,” Mary
said, “He’s being nosy. Getting in Dave’s business.”
“Does Neil realize that?”
“I think Neil does realize that on
some… level…” Mary said, “If levels are areas you can realize things in; Neil’s
at one of those levels.”
“Hmm,” Dani said.
“Yeah it’s a pretty awful metaphor,”
Mary said.
“I mean, hmm, look ahead.”
Mary did. There was a light ahead of
them. It was pale and blue and to Mary’s eyes it looked like moonlight.
“Think we’re nearing the end of this
tunnel?” Dani asked.
“How should I know?”
“It looks a bit like moonlight,”
Dani said, “Was just trying to see if you thought the same.”
“Yeah,” Mary said, “I do.”
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