099-Dungeon of Doom by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon [Dixon, Franklin W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-08-07T15:13:34+00:00

Chapter 9

Crossing the Abyss

"Take his help!" shouted Frank desperately. "There's an arrow aimed at my chest!"

Joe gave Derek a nasty look. "All right, Hannon, but make it fast. That bow might go off any second."

"No sooner said than done," said Derek, kneeling behind Joe and lacing his hands on the floor. "Put one foot in my hands and the other against the wall. Get a good grip on Frank's shoulder and I'll give you a push. Then climb over Frank's shoulder and into the next room."

"Take it easy," said Frank. "Don't shake my leg. That string looks like it's going to snap any second."

"Okay," said Joe, reluctantly following Derek's instructions. "I'm ready to go. Give me a lift."

With a grunt, Derek pulled up on Joe's leg. Frank winced as Joe pressed down on his shoulder with his hands, then threw his other leg next to Frank's neck.

"Whew!" shouted Frank. "You must weigh as much as Chet! Hurry up before I collapse on top of the bow!"

"Don't rush me," said Joe. "I don't want to land on the trip wire. I might cause the bow to fire." He surveyed the floor on the other side of Frank. "All right, I'm going to jump."

"It can't happen too soon," said Frank. "Derek, give him a push."

"Here you go, Joe," said Derek. "Get your other leg over. That's right. Now jump!"

Joe jumped, landing inches from the crossbow. Gingerly, he turned around and surveyed the situation. The bow was still taut and the trip wire was vibrating slightly from the impact of his leap.

"Now what?" said Joe. "I can't cut the wire, or the arrow will fire."

"Grab the arrow!" said Frank. "Pull it out of the bow before it can fire!"

"No!" said Derek. "Put your leg in between the string and the bow! That way, even if the string is released, the arrow won't fire!"

Joe heeded the advice. "Okay, now I'm going to get the arrow," he said, slowly bending down toward the bow.

Even as he touched the arrow, the string snapped loose from the stick that was holding it in place and wrapped itself around Joe's leg. The arrow popped limply from the bow and landed at Frank's feet.

Frank sagged at the knees. "I think I'm ready to take a break," he said.

"Aren't we all?" said Derek.

Joe looked around the room he had just entered. Derek held up the lantern to illuminate the walls, as the others filed in.

"Nothing in here," Joe said. "Not even any doors. Another dead end."

"Terrific," Pete said. "This was the last passage. Where do we go now?"

"There was that door we couldn't get through in the first passage," suggested Win.

"Right," said Frank. "The one with the purple keyhole. Has anyone seen a purple key?"

"Not yet," said Derek. "And there don't seem to be any more chests."

"I guess we'd better go back to the purple door, then," said Win.

"What good will that do?" Joe said. "We don't have a key."

"Maybe we'll think of something when we get there," said Frank. "Come on.

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