Refugees
By Thomas Mc


Note: This is the story of two young homeless runaways that found each other and finally found themselves when they were taken in by the tunnel community.


Chapter 1: Too Young Lost

February 2005

The heavily filtered and constantly shifting beams of moonlight shown down through the overhead grate, barely illuminating the two bundles of misery huddled together in the five-way storm drain junction. A quiet sniffle and a muffled sob escaped from the two as they desperately clung to each other for what meager warmth and comfort the contact afforded them. About fifteen feet away, a third entity crouched halfway between the widely spaced overhead drainage grates, quietly, hidden within the deeper darkness to be found there. She was observing the two unknown interlopers into her domain trying to figure out what to do about them. Unfortunately the two intruders were currently huddled right next to the secret entrance to her underground world, making the use of that entrance impossible.

Jennifer had stumbled across the outsider couple while on her way back to the home tunnels from the park. After a few minute's observation, there was something about them had prompted her to call for her twin brother, Jacob, over their empathic link. Ten minutes after Jennifer had alerted Jacob of her need, he had arrived at the secret entrance with his best friend Linda in tow. Through Jennifer's link with her twin brother, she knew that their father was also on his way across the park to provide whatever help that he could.

Just inside the secret entrance Jacob and Linda were quietly discussing their options as they were waiting for Jacob and Jennifer's father to arrive. In the four years that they had known each other, Jacob and Linda had become nearly inseparable. Jacob was now able to sense the emotions of the two unfamiliar presences on the other side of the hidden door and was echoing those emotions on to Linda and Jennifer through the empathic links that he had with both girls. Linda placed her hand on Jacob's shoulder as she processed the fear, desperation and hopelessness in the emotions he was passing on to her. "They are so lost." She remarked sadly. "Jacob, we have got to find a way to help them."

Jacob nodded. "We will, Linda, we will." He scanned his empathic sense and located his father back at the brownstone and alerted him then echoed the emotions of the intruders to him. After a couple of minutes he reported to Linda. "Dad is on his way."

~ o ~

Vincent paused at the opening to the storm drain and glanced, momentarily, up through the gently swaying tree branches at the nearly full moon high in the sky while he let himself open up to the five presences inside. He established where each presence was located then quietly made his way into the storm drain opening. He could clearly sense the presence of the two interlopers near the secret entrance as well as his son Jacob, His son's friend Linda and his daughter Jennifer waiting for his arrival.

It was Jacob's sense of the interlopers' emotions echoed through to him that had brought Vincent in on this little encounter. This wasn't going to be a simple case of scaring unwanted intruders away from the tunnels. These two were in bad emotional shape and needed help, therefore this encounter would have to be handled very differently and very carefully. As Vincent silently approached Jennifer's position, he could see the couple up ahead and clearly sense for himself the same emotions coming from them that his son had echoed to him earlier.

The pair's emotions were raw and very strong. They were scared, dejected, but most prominent was the hopelessness and desperation that was clearly coming from both of them. They clung to each other in that cold damp tunnel the way shipwrecked sailors clung to their life raft in the middle of the ocean. Their emotions tore at Vincent's heart as he stood in the deep shadows looking them over. Vincent sensed one other emotion though that stood out clearly from all the misery that these two were feeling. It was 'Love'. The love that this couple was feeling for each other was as strong as anything he had ever sensed between even the closest married couples. Vincent also was barely able to sense another, very faint, presence. That meant that the female must be at least eight weeks pregnant. If there was ever a pair of lost souls in desperate need of help, it was these two.

Vincent quietly moved in a bit closer until he had reached the place where his daughter was waiting. With his superior night vision, he could see the couple fairly clearly. As he knelt down next to his daughter the couple became aware of the movement of a massive dark shape within the tunnel because they both looked up at the same time and the female emitted a startled squeak. Vincent was just as stunned by what he saw in the two faces turned toward him. They were much too young to harbor such lost souls. They had to be only a few years older than Jennifer, Jacob and Linda. His heart went out to the two young teenagers. At that moment he made up his mind that, one way or the other, he would see to it that those two got whatever help they needed.

The fear in the couple rose dramatically as they became aware of Vincent's large dark shape blocking the way into their temporary refuge. The couple struggled to their feet. The male shifted, putting himself between Vincent and the female, and then spoke up, half fearfully. "We don't want no trouble mister." He was trying desperately to look braver than he felt. The female sidled up closer to the male and he put his arm protectively around her.

Vincent spoke softly putting every bit of persuasiveness into his voice as he could. "Please, don't be afraid. No one here wants to harm you." Vincent paused trying to asses the intruder's condition. "If you need a place to stay, we can take you to a very special place where you will be safe and no one will be able to find you . . . if that is what you want."

Vincent sensed the skepticism in their emotional response and guessed that the couple was also afraid of being detained so he tried to reassure them. "Those that live in this place are free to come and go as they please. No one will hold you there if you wish to leave. The only requirement we would make of you is that you keep the secret of this place if we agree to take you in. You may leave if you decide that you don't want to stay but you can tell no one about us."

At that moment, Jennifer stepped around Vincent and cautiously approached the young couple stopping directly in front of them. She was just a hair shorter than either of the intruders, and in the dim light the couple could just barely make out her features. Jennifer studied them for a moment and was shocked by the utter hopelessness she saw in their faces. It only reinforced her determination to find a way to help them. She spoke, keeping her voice light and springy. "Hi. My name is Jennifer. You two look like you're about my age."

The young couples eyes kept shifting between her and Vincent's dark foreboding shape behind her. She nodded over her shoulder in the direction of Vincent. "That's my dad back there. He won't hurt you." She looked back at the young couple. "It would really be nice to have some more people my age around to talk to." She cocked her head as she continued to talk to them imploringly. "I hope you both will be able to come stay with us and our friends . . . at least for a little while. I can promise you that nobody will bother you if you don't want them to. I can also promise that you will be safe from whoever it is that you are hiding from."

According to the emotions that Jacob was still echoing back to her, she knew that she had struck a nerve. So someone was after them and they were on the run. She could use this to help convince them. "It doesn't matter who is chasing you, they could scour the city and never find you even though you will be right under their noses. Where we live is really a very friendly place and they all will do their best to protect you from anyone who might want to hurt you." It appeared to Jennifer, based on the couple's emotions that her words were having a very slight but positive effect. She paused to let them consider her offer of sanctuary. They were still filled with doubt then Jennifer felt a surge of decisiveness from her brother.

The quiet was broken by a metallic click followed by a faint rumbling sound. At the new sound, the couple glanced over at the blocked off alcove on the other side of the storm drain junction to see the back wall of that alcove moving aside. In the brighter light from the new opening, the couple saw two more figures. One wore a hooded cape that completely hid its features. The other was another young teenage girl. They could also now see the large figure that had first spoken to them a bit more clearly. He also wore a hooded cloak. His face was also hidden in the deep darkness of the hood. The second young girl opened the iron barred barrier across the newly revealed tunnel and advanced until she was standing next to the first young girl.

In the slightly increased light, Vincent adjusted his estimate of the couple's age downward to somewhere between fourteen and sixteen years. Only a year or two older than Jacob and Jennifer at the most. They were so heartbreakingly young to be facing homelessness, hopelessness and pregnancy all on their own. He knew that Jacob, Jennifer and Linda were all three just as determined to help these two young people as he was. He also knew that they probably had the best chance of talking this young couple into coming below where they could be sheltered and get the type of help they needed, so he decided to let the two girls take the lead.

Like Jennifer, Linda was using her own link with Jacob to gauge the couple's reactions and guide her words as she spoke to them. "The place they are talking about is really neat. I like to visit there as often as I can. My big brother was actually born there." She cocked her head as she continued. "My name is Linda." She waved one hand at the dark figure standing in the opening to the dimly lighted tunnel behind her while the other hand was resting on Jennifer's shoulder as she continued. "These are my two best friends, Jacob, and his twin sister, Jennifer."

For a long time Jennifer, Linda and the couple stared at each other in silence while Jacob remained just inside the entrance observing the emotional state of the couple and echoing it on to Jennifer and Linda through his empathic link with them. From the couple's emotions Jennifer and Linda knew that the they were both balanced on the knife-edge of indecision . They were teetering between fear and hopelessness on one hand, and a faintly growing spark of hope and need on the other.

Vincent could clearly feel the young couple beginning to weaken to his daughter's and Linda's urgings and decided to remove himself as a factor. He felt that Jennifer and Linda would be more successful with them because the couple would be much more comfortable around the two girls, and his departure would greatly reduce the intimidation factor. The two girls were also better able to deal with the couple on their own level. Jacob would be more than able to protect everyone if any problems developed.

He stood up. "I think I'll go ahead and prepare guest chambers . . . just in case you decide to stay with us." He then quickly stepped past them and headed through the entrance to the tunnels, being careful all the while to keep his face hidden from the young couple. He nodded to Jacob as he passed him at the entrance letting him know that their safety was now in his hands.

As Vincent made his way down the upper tunnels toward the great spiral stairway he kept thinking how sad it was that those two young people were so terribly lost and alone. He would make sure that the denizens of his tunnel world would know that they were coming and be ready for them. If his kids were able to talk them into coming, they would find a friendly welcoming refuge waiting for them.

On his way down the great spiral stairs, Vincent's mind began to wander until he found himself again marveling anew over the link shared by those three young people. The bond he shared with his beloved Catherine was very strong and it effectively joined their souls together, but it was nothing next to the strength, depth, complexity, and versatility of the bond shared by those three teenagers. The only time the bond between him and Catherine became that deep was during lovemaking. Once again he found himself wondering what it must be like for those three to be linked that closely all the time. What would happen when those three reached the age where they became sexually active. Then he realized with a shudder that they were only about a year younger than the couple they had just encountered. Time was catching up with them.

Vincent forced his mind onto the problem of arranging accommodations for those two lost children in order to get it off the more unsettling subject of the twins and Linda's rapidly developing sexuality.

~ o ~

The young couple watched the large figure walk quickly down the lighted tunnel and disappear around the corner at the far end. The other hooded figure had not yet spoken but he was smaller and seemed less threatening. The couple was beginning to feel less afraid and they both relaxed a bit.

After Vincent disappeared into the tunnel Linda spoke. "Can you tell me your names at least?"

After a short pause. The young male spoke again. "Name's Oscar." He glanced at the girl a moment. "This is Heather."

"Hello, Oscar and Heather." Jennifer remarked. "Why don't you come with us? You won't be sorry, I promise you."

"It really is a very nice place and the people that live there are very friendly." Linda added.

Oscar and Heather looked at each other for several seconds. Oscar finally tightened his arms around Heather protectively and spoke quietly to her. "It's gotta be better than here." He tilted his head. "And it can't possibly be worse than where we came from."

A long silence ensued until Heather finally shrugged and spoke shyly. "OK." Then rested her head on his shoulder to draw some comfort from his strength and warmth.

Glancing at Heather's half hidden face, Oscar tightened his arm around her ever so slightly in encouragement. After a moment's hesitation, Oscar looked up at Linda and Jennifer and nodded his head. "OK we'll go with you."

Jennifer held out one hand indicating the lighted tunnel. "This way." She remarked quietly then she and Linda turned and stepped toward the open doorway to 'Below'. Oscar and Heather hesitantly followed behind them into the tunnel. Jacob stepped out and grabbed the open iron grate while turning away from them as the other four stepped through the opening. After they passed through Jacob pulled the iron grate closed.

The four of them had gone a short distance down the tunnel when Oscar and Heather both glanced back at the sound of the false wall rumbled back into place. Jacob started to turn around and the light from the nearest lamp momentarily illuminated his face beneath his hood. Oscar gasped. "My God!" Heather emitted a tiny frightened squeak and clung reflexively to Oscar burying her head against his shoulder. As they stood there clinging to each other, Oscar stared at the cloaked figure of Jacob. Both of their hearts were pounding, filled with a mix of fear and uncertainty.

Jacob turned away as Jennifer called out, mostly for the couples benefit. "Jake you're scaring them." Privately over their link she was sending a burst of sympathy to him. She had felt and understood the hurt that Jacob felt in reaction to their fear.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." Jacob remarked softly as he kept his head turned away from the two newcomers. Though he accepted and was even proud of what he was, it still hurt whenever he felt such fear of him in others.

Despite her fear, Heather had noticed that there was something so soothing about that voice, very much like the voice of that large stranger from earlier.

Linda placed her hand on Heather's arm. "Don't mind Jake. He's just a great big pussycat." Linda had also projected a private burst of sympathy to Jacob in response to his emotional reaction. She had also sent a burst of mischievous humor to Jacob with the 'pussycat' comment.

"Linda, I'm gonna get you for that." He shot back in his strangely soothing raspy voice that seemed incapable of projecting any true threat.

Linda stuck her tongue out at him. "Promises, promises."

Jennifer shook her head as she admonished them. "You two can chase each other later. Right now we have to get Oscar and Heather to Grandfather."

"Awe Jen, you're no fun." Jacob responded as he continued to keep turned partially away from them.

The short byplay between Linda, Jacob and Jennifer had served to lessen the tension and fear in the young couple.

Linda reached out and gave Heather's arm a gentle reassuring squeeze as she spoke to them quietly. "He really is very nice." Linda then raised her voice. "It's silly to turn away now, Jake; now that they've already seen you."

Slowly, reluctantly, Jacob turned back toward them. Again there was that, almost reflexive, flash of fear from the two strangers. Jacob again spoke, a hint of sadness in his voice. "If my appearance bothers you, I can leave."

"Oh Jake, don't get so defensive." Linda retorted. "They just need a little time to get used to you is all." She faced Oscar and Heather. "Jacob is a very sweet person and he is very protective of all of us." She again addressed Jacob. "Come on over and join us."

Jacob cautiously approached them. He could sense apprehension and uncertainty but the overt fear was slowly melting away at the total lack of fear shown by Jennifer and Linda. When he reached the small group Linda threw her arms around him in a hug. The she faced the other three, keeping one arm around his waist. "Come on guys Father will want to check them out to be sure that they are OK."

Heather finally spoke up for the first time. "Father?" She was thinking about the looming figure that they had seen earlier.

Jennifer responded. "I'm actually talking about Grandfather. Everyone down here calls him 'Father'. He has been like a surrogate father to half the people that live here. He's sort of the leader and he is a very good doctor. He's also my grandfather on Dad's side."

Linda spoke up. "Yea, we all call him 'Father' down here, but it's just a name." She nodded back toward the hidden doorway. "My real parents live 'Above', not too far from the park. They are out of town for the week on business, so me and my brother are staying with Jacob's family while they are gone."

Jennifer jumped in. "I don't know about you two but our guests are tired and hungry. Don't you think we should get going?" She was still sensing the young couple's emotions through her link with Jacob.

"Sorry sis." Jacob shrugged then faced the young couple. "Jen is right we need to get you to Father then we will get you something to eat and a place to sleep. We can talk later when you are feeling more up to it." Still arm-in-arm, he and Linda quickly stepped around the couple. Jacob and Linda took a few steps then he paused and looked back. "Well you coming or not?"

Jennifer was still getting the echo over the link from Jacob of a great deal of doubt and resignation from the couple and a fair amount of uncertainty from the girl. "You don't have to go with us if you don't want to." She pointed back at the door. "If you would rather leave, the switch to open the topside door is right there on the wall to the left of the door. Either way you need to make up your mind."

Jacob added. "We can't just leave you here alone. These tunnels are like a maze and there are some areas that are very dangerous. We wouldn't want you to get lost or hurt down here."

Oscar and Heather looked at each other a moment then at Jacob and Linda. The idea of following these strangers and, in particular, that creature into that dark unknown was a very unsettling prospect, but there was absolutely nothing left for them back there where they had come from. If these strangers were telling the truth then there was the possibility of a place to stay and maybe even friendship if they followed them. He knew that Heather would go along with whatever he decided. What self assertiveness she had once possessed had been destroyed long ago by those that were supposed to have been her guardians. Now it was up to him to look after her interest because he knew that she wouldn't. There was no way he would ever expose her again to the world that had very nearly destroyed her. The real question was; were these strangers leading them to a safe haven or were they being led into another, possibly worse, hell.

On the other hand neither would he take away her right to choose in his desire to protect her. Finally after, serious soul searching, Oscar drew Heather's attention and looked directly into her eyes. "What do you think? Do you want to go with them?"

After a moment Heather turned her head to stare at Jacob. Finally, while she continued to stare at Jacob, she nodded.

Oscar shrugged, giving her a gentle hug, then faced Jennifer. "I guess we're going with you."

Linda replied. "OK then just follow us." She and Jacob started down the tunnel as Jennifer gently touched his elbow and added. "Let's go. You really will like it there, I'm sure."

Oscar and Heather followed behind Jacob and Linda. Jennifer fell in beside the newcomers. Within minutes Oscar had become completely lost as they wandered through the maze of tunnels. They soon came to a large brick walled chamber with several openings. In the center of the floor was a large open shaft with a spiral stairway along the shaft's wall.

As they descended the spiral stairway, Heather hugged Oscar tightly while trying to hug the shaft wall. Oscar occasionally glanced down the seemingly bottomless shaft. He found himself wondering just how far down they were going, and wondering if going with these strange people had really been the right decision. Oscar glanced at the back of Jacob's head and looked again down into the misty depths of the shaft and again wondered if they were heading toward a safe haven or toward hell itself.

After a long descent Oscar and Heather both became aware of a constant irregular clanging noise that seemed to get stronger as they descended. "What is that banging noise?" He asked.

Linda glanced back at Oscar and Heather. "It's messages." She smiled. "At present the messages have informed everyone that you are coming and they are asking what they need to do to make you welcome." She paused listening. "Someone is asking how long you will be staying and if you will be needing anything special."

They came to a landing somewhere in the middle of the seemingly endless shaft and Jacob waved his hand toward the opening. "This is it. Through that door is a new world. It is our refuge, our place of sanctuary where you can find a new beginning for yourself." He then led them through the opening into a rough hewn stone tunnel beyond.

Continued in Part 2


'Beauty and the Beast' and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.