Under Bethel by Hubert L. Mullins

Author:Hubert L. Mullins [Mullins, Hubert L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-11-25T00:00:00+00:00

1,500 METERS UNDER BETHEL

Another twenty minutes of walking downhill, deeper into the coolness of the earth, saw Elisabeth with achy feet, tired joints, and shaky limbs. She knew she’d be exerted from the physical toll this place would bring. What she didn’t factor was the amount of energy she’d spend keeping her fight-or-flight mode active. Right now the equipment on her back felt double the weight. If she stopped moving long enough, she’d probably drift off to sleep.

They didn’t talk much after their short canteen break, at least not to each other. Neither could go long without saying a random name into their Tether hoping someone would answer back.

Both were tired, their reaction time lessened. They jumped at shadows and often thought spiders were creeping overhead when it was only web fragments blowing with the trapped air. Elisabeth checked her phone, not surprised that there was no service, but quite shocked that her battery was almost dead. She’d forgotten to put it in Airplane Mode and after hours of searching for a signal, it had all but killed the charge. She hoped to use the phone as a backup torch, but that would not be an option now.

She knew she’d better keep her headlamp, batteries, and flares safe.

“The rock’s a different color,” she said after following his backside for half an hour. She put her hand up against the wall but couldn’t tell what made it unique through such a heavy-duty glove.

“Yeah, it is. Lighter. We’re getting deep. Not sure how much. Maybe Duncan’s computer can tell us.”

“Maybe,” she said, then he stopped dead in the middle of the tight passage. She could feel his body tense.

Elisabeth put a hand on his shoulder and that’s when she could hear something up ahead—it was running water. Not just a drip, but a full torrent. She hoped it wasn’t coming their way.

“I hear it too,” she whispered.

“That’s not it. There’s light up ahead.”

The passage was too narrow for her to see past him, so she backed up and dropped to a knee and looked between his legs. Ten meters beyond, in such a tiny sliver between the rocks that she almost missed it, was a dingy, yellowish light.

“What is it?” she asked. She’d walked far enough by her own headlamp’s glow to know that’s not what they were seeing. It wasn’t the reddish, throbbing blaze of the flares either. Fire? Maybe, but she didn’t think so. This strange light didn’t lap or crackle like flames.

Nathan pressed on, his posture stern and balanced. He turned sideways and that’s when she saw he was holding the gun. She followed behind him, all the way to the edge where the passage widened and the yellow glow parted all around him.

When there was enough room for them to stand side by side, they were amazed by the radiant yellow lichen along the cave floor and walls. To Elisabeth, it reminded her of dandelions, only these dandelions had glowing stems and bulbs. It was enough light that they could turn off their headlamps.

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