Colony B Box Set by Michael Campling

Author:Michael Campling [Campling, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shadowstone Books
Published: 2018-11-18T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 5

The Hill

Nothing! Calum thought bitterly. I can’t see a damned thing. He kneeled down and peered into the dark space beneath the floor of Mac’s house, screwing up his eyes, but all he could see was the top of a rickety metal ladder, the lower rungs lost in the impenetrable darkness below.

“It looks bigger than his goddamned house,” Alan whispered. “How the hell did he dig so deep?”

Calum frowned, but he didn’t raise his head. “There are caves all over the hill. Perhaps he found this one and had his house put over it.”

“Maybe, but even so…”

Calum looked up. “What?”

“I was just thinking. There’s no way Mac did this on his own. He must’ve had help. A lot of help.” He paused as if to let his words sink in. “Whatever Mac’s getting into here, he must be taking a whole lot of people along with him. And that means trouble, Cal. Trouble for everyone.”

They looked at each other, wide-eyed, then a slow grin formed on Alan’s lips. “You know we’ve got to see what’s down there, right?”

“No,” Calum said quickly. “We’ve done enough already.”

But Alan was already crossing the room and heading for the cluttered kitchen counter. “I saw a flashlight here somewhere. Yeah, got it.” He lifted his prize triumphantly. “Fully charged and ready to go.”

Calum stood, shaking his head. “We haven’t got time. Come on, we’ve seen plenty. We’ve got to go.” He picked up the trapdoor and lined it up against the hole, but Alan stepped forward and took hold of his arm, his fingers pressing into Calum’s biceps.

“I’m going down there, Calum,” he stated. “If you don’t want to come, that’s fine, but I’m going down to find out that the hell Mac’s been doing. We might never get another opportunity like this.”

Calum held his gaze. There was no arguing with Alan when he got like this. All he could do was try and keep his friend from getting into too much trouble. Gently, he pulled his arm free from Alan’s grip. “All right. I’ll keep watch in case anyone comes. I’ll give you one minute, then we’re out of here whether you’ve found anything or not.”

Alan nodded, then he switched on the flashlight and positioned himself over the hole, lowering himself down onto the ladder until his feet found the rungs. The ladder creaked when Alan transferred his weight, and Calum held his breath.

“It’s fine,” Alan said as if reading his friend’s mind. “Feels solid enough.”

“One minute,” Calum reminded him. “Not one second longer.”

“Got it,” Alan replied, then he climbed down quickly, disappearing beneath the floor in a matter of moments.

Calum glanced nervously at the rear window, but there was no way he could cover the front and the back of Mac’s house at the same time. “I must be out of my mind,” he whispered, then he crossed to the front window and stood to one side, trying to get the best view of the approach to Mac’s house. Not much of a lookout spot, he thought.

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