NeverSeen

Tracer hadn’t blinked before Emma sent the shockwave. A field of yellow and black flowers blew up towards the roof. His heart pounded in his throat as Emma sprinted past, snatching his hand for the second time, and darted down the passage. They ran past the others, who soon gave chase, and followed the curve around and down and down and around. Light from yet another massive cavern zipped past them as they bolted across a narrow stone bridge, avoiding the straight plummet to certain death.

They entered a short tunnel with a stone island at the end, full of torches and mine carts, with a sheer wall on their left and a shaft plummeting down to infinity on their right. Luck was theirs in that nobody was there. A large metal door left ajar sat at the end of the tunnel. They stumbled through the doorway and turned to shut it behind them. It took all of their energy combined just to make it move. The door closed with an ominous rumble, and the bolts groaned as Kael and Falcon locked it shut.

There was a long silence. The atmosphere, stuffy from lack of sufficient airflow, put them in an exhausted trance, teasing them with the rest they so desired and could not afford. Without a word, they looked around, doing mental buddy checks and searching for hidden areas where at any second, a soldier could jump out, open fire, and kill them all. Emma stood drenched in sweat, hands on her hips, struggling to breathe.

Their wounds were in more need of attention than before. Wayk had a nasty gash on his forehead, Kael and Gator had several cuts on their arms and legs, Falcon could hardly walk from the surplus of vicious blows to his left knee, and Tracer was almost certain he’d dislocated his left wrist. When Kael heard of Tracer’s discomfort, he walked over and set it back in place.