The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues #1)(42)

A shadow loomed up behind the Kabras. Suddenly, Uncle Alistair charged into the room and knocked

Natalie to the ground. Her dart gun skittered away and Ian dove after it. "Run!" Alistair yelled.

Amy didn't argue. She, Nellie, and Dan raced through the other exit, into the darkness -- deeper into the Catacombs.

They ran for what seemed like hours, with nothing but the pin light to guide them.

They turned down one corridor and found it blocked by a mound of rubble. They doubled back and followed another tunnel until it submerged completely in murky yellow water. Soon, Amy had no idea which direction they were heading.

"Alistair said there are police down here," she murmured. "I wish one would find us."

But they saw no one. The little flashlight started to dim.

"No," Amy said. "No, no, no!"

They forged ahead. Fifty feet, sixty feet, and their light went out completely.

Amy found Dan's hand and squeezed it tight.

"It's going to be fine, kiddos," Nellie said, but her voice was quavering. "We can't be lost down here forever."

Amy didn't see why not. The Catacombs went on for miles and had never been mapped completely. There was no reason anyone would come looking for them.

"We could shout for help," Dan said.

"It won't do any good," Amy said gloomily. "I'm sorry, guys. This is not how I wanted things to end."

"It's not the end!" Dan said. "We could follow one wall until we find another exit. We could -- "

"Shhh!" Amy said.

"I'm just saying -- "

"Dan, seriously! Be quiet! I thought I heard something."

The tunnel was silent except for the distant drip of water. Then Amy heard it again -- a faint rumbling from somewhere in front of them.

"A train?" Nellie asked.

Amy's spirits lifted. "We must be near a Métro station. Come on!"

She shuffled forward with her hands outstretched. She shuddered as she touched a wall of bones, but she followed the corridor as it twisted to the right. Gradually, the rumbling sounds grew louder. Amy groped to the left. Her hand touched metal.

"A door!" she cried. "Dan, there's some kind of lock mechanism here. Come here and figure this out."

"Where?"

She found him in the dark and guided his hands to the lock. Within seconds, the hatch creaked open and they were blinded by electric light.

It took Amy a few moments to comprehend what she was seeing. The hatch was more like a window than a door -- a square opening about five feet off the ground, just big enough to crawl through if they climbed up to it. They were eye level with the side of some railroad tracks -- metal rails on wooden ties. And something brown and furry was scampering over the gravel bed.

Amy jumped. "A rat!"

The rodent regarded her, clearly unimpressed, then scurried on its way.

"It's a rail pit," Dan said. "We can climb out and-"

The light got brighter. The whole tunnel rumbled. Amy fell back and cupped her ears against the sound -- like a herd of dinosaurs. A train blasted past in a blur of metal wheels. It sucked the air right out of their tunnel, pulling her clothes and hair toward the hatch. Then, just as suddenly, it was gone.

When she was sure her voice would work again, she said, "We can't go out there! We'll get killed!"

"Look," Dan said. "There's a service ladder about five feet down. We'll crawl up to the rails, run to the ladder, and climb to the platform. Easy!"

"That's not easy! What if another train comes?"

"We can time it," Nellie suggested. "I've got a clock on my iPod...."

She pulled it out of her pocket, but she'd hardly pressed the wheel before another train roared by.

Nellie's glittery eye shadow made her face look ghostly in the dim light. "That was less than five minutes. The rails must be for express trains. We'll have to hurry."

"Right!" Dan said, and just like that he scrambled up and out of the hatch. "Dan!" Amy shouted.

He turned, crouching on the tracks. "Come on!"

In a daze, Amy let Nellie give her a boost. With Dan's help, she crawled out. "Now help me with Nellie!" Dan said. "But watch the third rail."

Amy stiffened. Two feet away was the black electric rail that ran the trains. She knew enough about subways to understand that one touch would be worse than a thousand Franklin batteries. She helped Nellie out of the hatch, but it was a tight squeeze. They lost time. The rails hissed and clicked beneath them.

"I'm okay!" Nellie said, brushing off her clothes. "Let's get to the ladder."

Dan started to follow, but he lurched when he tried to stand, like he was caught on something.

"Dan?" Amy said.

"It's my backpack," he said. "It's wedged ..."

He tugged at it helplessly. Somehow, one strap had gotten looped around a metal rail, and the rail had shifted, clamping the pack into place.

"Leave it!" Amy cried.

Nellie was already at the ladder, yelling at them to hurry. Passengers on the platform were starting to notice them, too. They were yelling in alarm, shouting in French.

Dan slipped the backpack off his shoulder, but it was still stuck to the rail. He tugged at it and tried to open it, but he wasn't having any luck. "Now!" Nellie yelled.