Breaking the Chain by C D Ledbetter

Author:C D Ledbetter [Ledbetter, C D]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: cookie429, Kat, Extratorrents
ISBN: 9781928973515
Google: v0cEAAAACAAJ
Amazon: B0037KM1YS
Publisher: DLSIJ Press
Published: 2010-02-06T13:00:00+00:00

27

"Wait here while I check everything out," Jack suggested as he tugged on the trap door. "After all that rain, the tunnel could be really slick."

"Be careful," Mary warned in a soft voice. "If water saturated the walls, they could cave in without warning. Don't take any chances, Jack. Please. I know you think this is a big adventure, but it's not. The tunnel's dangerous, especially when the ground's waterlogged." She chewed her bottom lip as he descended into the darkness, and prayed that the safety precautions they'd taken would be enough.

"Man, it's dark in here," Jack called out. "This big flashlight's worthless; I'll need the kerosene lamp." A few moments later he reappeared, perched half-in, half-out of the entrance.

"Can you tell if it's flooded?" Mary asked, handing him one of the two lanterns she'd brought from the house.

"I'll let you know in a minute, soon as I get far enough in," Jack called over his shoulder as he and the lantern disappeared.

Anxious for his safety, Mary leaned forward. "Is the floor wet? What about the walls? Has much water seeped in?"

"Not much; maybe half-an-inch at most," came the muffled reply a few seconds later. "Hang on a minute, and I'll come back for you. I just want to see where this leads. Be back in a jiff."

Five minutes ticked by, then six. Seven. Eight. Still no Jack. Where was he? Worried, Mary lit the extra lamp and gingerly stepped into the opening. Holding onto the makeshift handrail the workmen had built, she descended the few stairs into the dark hole.

Shivers raced up and down her spine when rank, moisture-laden air assaulted her face like a clammy, invisible spider web, clinging to anything and everything it touched. It felt as if a blanket of slime had coated her skin, and her first impulse was to turn and bolt for the opening, to escape back into the safety of the warm sunshine.

Why had she let Jack talk her into coming? She hated tunnels, especially after what happened the last time she'd been stupid enough to venture into one. Would she never learn? Biting her lip, she forced unwilling feet to propel her forward, slipping and sliding on the slick mud underfoot.

As she crept further and further from the opening, the smell of rotting vegetation intensified. Gagging at the fetid odors that now permeated the air, she dug a tissue out of her shorts and held it in across her face. "Jack, where the hell are you?" she called, thoroughly irritated. He could've at least come back to check on her. "What in God's name are you doing?"

"I'll be right there," came the excited reply. "I've nearly got them. Almost done."

The excitement in his voice was unmistakable. Obviously, he was having the time of his life. Great. So much for her hope of going back to the house anytime soon. He must have found something. What?

Her curiosity got the best of her and she picked her way through the slick mud that was giving way to soft dirt.

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