I, Volcano by Eule Grey

Author:Eule Grey [Grey, Eule]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LGBTQIA+, new adult, alternate universe, bisexual, lesbian, action/adventure, illness/disease, intercultural, doctors, musician, enemies to lovers, folklore, ocean/sea creatures, hurt/ comfort, tear-jerker, grieving, survivor’s guilt
Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
Published: 2021-08-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

I stare at the gates that block the downwards tunnel. “Can they be locked from the inside?”

“Nope.” Susan swings the tall iron grills open and pockets the keys. “Only from the outside. We’ll have to leave them open, but don’t worry—nobody ever comes down here. It smells too bad. We won’t be trapped, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“No, it’s not that. I was thinking about, um— What if we were being chased by soldiers?”

“You couldn’t lock the gates,” she said. “It’s impossible. There’s no way from inside. Now, come on. Get down there. You might want to cover your nose.”

The dark tunnel doesn’t look inviting. I tiptoe down the steps after Susan, listening to the echoes. “Are you sure we won’t get stuck?”

“Quite sure. There’s a pathway alongside the waste. It’s not comfortable though. I hope you’ve got tough kneecaps.”

Almost immediately, the passage ends and splits into tunnels with low ceilings. Not even a child could walk without bending. On hands and knees, I follow Susan along the narrow path that follows the lines of sewage.

“When I asked about the sewers, I didn’t think you’d take me through the waste pipes,” I say. “I think I’m going to throw up.” I tie my scarf tighter around my nose. “Are there rats?”

“Stop moaning. It’s your waste too.” She chuckles, and we trudge onwards, knees and hands burning. At every junction, Susan attaches white tape as a marker. “At least you can be sure the soldiers won’t come down here.”

“How much farther?”

“I don’t know. I’m going off memory. It’s years since I’ve been down here.”

When we reach a T-junction, Susan takes out some white tape and sticks it to the left side. “Whatever you do, don’t go right. It takes you to the car park.”

“You’ll be with us,” I say. “You can come too. We can get three people in the boat. It’s easier with three rowing.”

“You must be joking. I wouldn’t come with you if you were the last Skarle in Esk. All that talk of Dolphins and the sea.” She snorts. “It would drive me mad. I’d probably end up pushing you in and then falling in afterwards.”

“Um, excuse me,” I say, “but I actually am the last Skarle in Esk.”

“You’re the only one who’s too dumb to leave.”

“You could be right.”

We laugh and pass more pipes and rubbish. After a while, the shrill songs of gulls pierce the gloom.

“This is it. The beach is right there.” Susan stops and points towards a metal grille. “It’s not locked. You can easily push it to one side and escape through. It takes you to a gully, quite near the jetty. You’ll have to keep your head down and make sure it’s dark.”

“How do you know all this?”

She sighed. “Because once upon a time, in another life long before the war, I had a boyfriend who was an engineer. He thought it would be fun to bring me down here and show me how the sewers work.”

“Classy! What happened to him?”

“He pissed our relationship up the wall.

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