The Tunnel

The Tunnel
 
It was early on Saturday morning, Fred and Mark were on their usual morning jog through the woods and fields behind the school. The jog though was hardly your normal jog as they pushed each other hard and were fierce competitors but yet best friends. They were just into their thirties but played like they were still in their teen years or atleast early twenties. It did not seem to matter if it was weight lifting or hockey or even something simple like a video game. It was all go all the time to one up the other and get the bragging rights for the day. This day was no different as each searched for a little more distance between them on the path and looked for new opportunities to pass the man in the lead. They knew the path like the back of their hands or so they thought atleast. They came to a part of the path that veered left and was just wide enough for a pass. Mark trailing for much longer than he cared had decided many steps ago that he would pass here and then lead them home. Fred knew Mark was hanging back and tried to take up as much space as he could and as Mark tried to go by he tried to block him. They bumped and tangled as they tried to get the edge on one another. Fred lost his balance and tumbled and on his way down his feet tangled with Mark’s sending him tumbling a little farther down the path and into the brush on the side of the trail.  Fred started to get up as he saw Mark lying beside the trail in the brush and wondered if his friend was okay. It was a hard landing for him and he imagined just as hard for Mark. As he neared where his friend lay in the brush, Mark turned and motioned for him to be quiet by putting a lone finger in front of his mouth.  He knelt beside his friend and they both heard something coming from the brush. As they slowly moved the brush aside they were able to see a manhole cover a little deeper in the brush. They knew years ago there used to be industrial buildings on the site but had never seen anything like this before and assumed it was all filled in some time ago. As they neared the cover the noise turned to a voice and it was a young voice of a female. She was pleading for help and was sobbing. Her voice cracked each time she spoke and she just kept asking for someone to help her. To please just come find her and to get her out as it was dark and cold. They looked at each other and did not need to speak any words as they moved to the cover quickly. They began to clear the brush away so they could access the cover. There were thorns in the brush but they were even making this into a competition, to see who could clear it faster as they both just pulled and tossed brush as fast as they could until it was clear. Then they looked up at each other and then both fell towards the cover wanting to be the first to yell to the trapped girl. As if planned they both said help was on the way into the holes in the cover. They lifted the cover off and jockeyed to get down the hole to get to her. They paused long enough to look at each other as if to say come on, you go, before both tried again but Mark slid down into the open hole and began climbing down the ladder. Fred was right behind him and on the ladder and heading down. They climbed for what seemed longer than they had thought would be possible. Mark kept going and Fred did as well but soon Fred paused and looked out over Mark’s body below him. He could see a dim light or glow from down at the bottom which still seemed to be a ways away. He told Mark that maybe he should go get some help while Mark went to the girl. Mark paused and looked up at Fred to see if it was a trick but he knew by his voice that Fred was leery of this all of the sudden. Mark motioned again for them to be quiet and listen; they no longer heard the girl’s voice calling to them. They called to her but there was no response. Nothing but there own voices bouncing around the walls. Mark started to head down as quick as he could fearing the girl was fading from them. Fred began to head up towards the top to go get some help. He mad it maybe ten feet back up the ladder before he could see someone up above him staring down at him. He could not make out the features as the sun was behind him but this was a big person. Then the sun started to be blocked out as the cover was being slid back over the hole. He began to yell and Mark below him stopped his descent to look up, he saw the light fading. Fred hurried up the ladder but whoever it was ignored him as the manhole cover was now in place above them. He climbed hoping to be able to push it out from underneath. He could hear something being done above him and as he neared the top he tried to push but the cover would not move. Something had been done too it and he could not budge it. Mark decided that they needed to get the girl anyway and then could worry about how to get the cover open. Mark started climbing down again while Fred tried to figure out how to open the cover. He pushed and pounded but it did not move and he was getting tired from the effort. He decided to head down to find Mark who was no longer on the ladder and had disappeared into whatever lay beyond the bottom. He felt nervous and did not like the situation but he would not, could not express that to Mark as he would get ribbed by it for quite sometime. He started to head down and as he neared the bottom he called for Mark and did not get an answer. He tried a couple more times but did not get a response and just assumed Mark was playing games with him or caught up in helping the girl or maybe just couldn’t hear him for whatever reason. Once at the bottom, he saw that there was along tunnel with what appeared to be other tunnels off of it. He started to edge down the main tunnel that was dimly lit and listened carefully for any noise to help him locate Mark and the girl. As he took step after step he and heard nothing he began to worry. He yelled again for Mark but still did not get any response. He was becoming worried and was just hoping everything was going to be fine as his mind began to run scenarios of possible problems. There were numerous tunnels off of this main tunnel and all were dark except one. So he headed towards that tunnel. The placed smelled like chemicals or some combination of things he could only imagine that had seeped into this place in the years before when it was active above ground. He wondered why there was even power here at all and thought these things were supposed to be destroyed or filled in years ago. He was nearing the tunnel when a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder. He about jumped out of his shoes as the chills went through his body. The hand squeezed hard and he could feel a hot breath on the back of his head. The hair on his arms began to stand up as he realized this was not Mark, it was not possible for it to be him.
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