Underland(36)

A second later, the bobbing light disappeared, and she heard a scream. Her own light on her band would be the death of her in that dark tunnel.

Kira slowed and fell to her knees in front of a mud puddle. She craned her neck and watched as a red runner veered off course, coming her way. Quickly, Kira dove flat into the mud to make her white uniform dark. She scooped up a thick glob and covered the digital screen of her band, making the glowing light disappear. Stumbling to her feet, she ran head first into the darkened tunnel. She tried to cover the light with her hand too, but still—she expected the attack any moment.





Chapter 15

Ten feet in it was pitch black.

Her eyes didn’t adjust right away, so she ran as far as she could and then found a sidewall, feeling along the cold stone until she found an outcropping. Kira made herself as small as she could and pressed herself into it. She closed her eyes and counted.

She listened: to others running by her, to their cries as they found other runners, or as they stumbled about in the darkness.

It didn’t take long for her human eyes to adjust. She was used to sorting out shapes in the darkness from living on the streets. She stayed to the side and tiptoed. Moving, freezing, then traveling farther into the blackness. She didn’t know how long the tunnel went, but it dipped down so low that all natural light from outside was disappearing.

From where she stayed, she could see that the rocky tunnel was wide, about thirty feet across. A few runners had spread themselves across the middle and were intercepting others that tried to pass by them.

Chaz stood in the middle of them, his feline eyes probably easily seeing in the darkness.

Kira pressed herself to the wall—mud-covered side out—and tried to keep herself moving, using large rocks and stalagmites as cover. Sounds of a huge scuffle filled the air as she passed the middle of the tunnel. She winced but refused to look.

The stronger teams were now fighting against each other.

Kira made it past the midway point before Chaz noticed her. She was grateful that he was feline and sight-oriented, not driven by scent. When he did see her, he looked like he was about to come after her, but a blind runner practically plowed into him.

She took off, hugely grateful for the distraction and the time to put distance between Chaz and her. When she stumbled back into the light, she was surround by a forest of giant crystals that jutted at odd angles out of the ground and walls. Natural or unnatural, it was still a sight to behold. Oh, she wanted to touch it. Her hand moved on its own, closer to the crystals. Closer.

Someone came crashing off the path in front of her. He was screaming at her, and she turned to see a wild-eyed champion in gray. He plowed over her and she fell backwards, his body landing on top of hers. His pupils were dilated and practically spinning in hollowed sockets. He was foaming at the mouth. Ferb had warned her these were like the small ones in the cavern. The ones that made humans crazy.

If that was the case, then…was he some sort of a halfling?

How would she make it through?

She pushed him off and rolled to her knees, staring at the crystal in front of her. It was very pretty. So pretty.

She dragged her eyes away from it, and they ached from the effort. But she couldn’t stay where she was. She had to keep moving.

Gritting her teeth, Kira continued into the crystal forest. She’d have to keep her eyes on the ground. The path wasn’t straight. After a few times in its circular grip, she could tell what it did—she just couldn’t beat it. It would veer right, split off into a fork, and she must’ve kept taking the wrong path, because she’d be back at the mouth of the tunnel.

She hid a few times when others ran past. Watched them.

Trumpets blared. How long had she been in this place? She glanced up and saw the projected image on the wall in front of her instead of crystals. It was showing the first runner crossing the finish line. A runner in gray.

Followed by a second runner in gray.

The screen flashed back to the course, zooming in on the crystal section she was currently on. She saw herself and noticed that she had almost made it through. Once she got out, it would be a straight run for the finish line.

A renewed burst of determination fueled her. She kept her eyes focused downward and continued to try and run, but she began to feel sick—a pull on her mind. Why was it so hard to focus?

Diamonds littered the ground in front of her. She faltered, slowed, could feel herself start to give up. The crystals were so, so mesmerizing. So comforting, and she wanted to have them all. She reached down to pick one up, just as a body rammed into her and they went rolling along the ground.

Bogeyman. The man-beast snapped at her, baring his teeth in a fierce growl. When it came for her jugular, she shoved her band into its mouth and punched at its bald head.

Her left hand found a broken piece of crystal. She aimed for its eye. Missed. She jabbed it in the side of the face.

The boggart reared back and shook its head.

Kira stared down the nightmare from her back position and tried to scoot away from it, but the ground began to give way behind her. Kira had reached the edge of a drop-off.

The boggart’s pink-rimmed eyes were filled with fury. It snarled, revealing a row of uneven teeth covered with a dark wet substance she didn’t care to dwell on. It howled and charged.

Kira gripped a long spear-like crystal and pulled it across her body. Waited.

The boggart lunged, and Kira lifted the spear, aiming for the stomach. She heard it cry out in pain, but it continued to scratch at her forearms and face. Adrenaline flooded her, and she used her feet to launch the boggart over her head and over the edge. Its mouth opened in shock as it fell over the side.