The rest of the periods flew by as Mike struggled to stay awake. Being Monday tiredness was expected, but the disorientation was much more than the usual: stayed up too late or drank too much. He couldn't focus on school and before he noticed it was lunch. Entering the cafeteria he opened his backpack and fished around for the lunch his mom made for him. After searching for two minutes he realized he had left it on the counter this morning.
Frustrated he left his bag at a bench and walked over to the lunch line. The gourmet meal of the day was Refried Beans and Braised Beef. Mike leaned back and let lose a huge yawn. A sudden burst of pain brought tears to his eyes as he almost tore open the semi-closed scar that went across his shoulder. "Why did I agree to go with him into his fricken death trap of a car," he thought. Frustrated, he didn't even notice Sarah walk up behind him and stand in line. Feeling a tap on his shoulder turned around quickly and almost knocked over her tray. As his cheeks turned red and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear she said, "Hey, how are ya?"
Not really in the mood for playful banter he quickly stuttered out, "Busy, I can't really talk now. Maybe later, after practice ok? I'm leavin' at 7:00 with James, but maybe we can talk, for like 5 minutes, before I leave." With a forced smile he walked away. Realizing that he was supposed to be "busy", he headed towards the library with no plan in mind. Just as he scooped down to grab his bag he started to get a feeling of vertigo. His hands and legs fell asleep as a thousand needles softly pricked his back and chest. As the walls started spinning he remembered metal ducts and rock collapsing all around him. And as the klaxons roared he drifted off to a deep abyss.
In front of him Kyle stood hunched over a little nursing a badly scratched arm. "Quick over here into the tunnels, I can see Jake's headlights!" he called out to Mike.
"Dude lets just go face him now, you're bleeding pretty bad and I have one helluva headache." Mike called back.
"No, I cant, I, I, I wont. He'll be so pissed. I cant, I just cant right now. I dunno. Lets just go I think there is a cave over here lets just spend a minute come-on, I think he is getting closer." He stuttered out.
The shrillness of his voice and slurring of his words rang like a gunshot. "Damn he is so scared," thought Mike.
So Mike let him have his way and followed the echoes of his voice, bouncing off the trees and rocks around them. Mike looked around a tree and saw Kyle standing there, peering into a boarded up entrance that left just enough space for a slender person to slide by. With difficulty they both slipped past the damp and rotten boards. Mike then pulled out his keychain flashlight and looked around them. He heard a faint whirring over Kyle's barely concealed sobs. Following a whim Mike marched forward deeper into the tunnel. As he got deeper he noticed footprints, as well as a clacking sound over the whirr. Turning around he saw Kyle's face, tears streaming cheeks red. Man he was messed up. He pointed up at the ceiling, "Look at those support beams, they haven't rusted at all," he whimpered out. True, they looked shiny and new, but the "support beams" had a fan attached to one end, while the other went straight into a wall. As Mike realized that the ventilation shafts were the source of the noise and vibrations, a small popping noise grabbed his attention. Looking to his right he saw Kyle pulling himself up onto the vents and looking inside. A sharp crack pierced the thick cavern air and a huge section of the vent pulled free from the wall. Kyle barley started to cry out as the floor and wall started to cave in!
Tangled among rocks and wire Mike floated in a dream of confusion. People in large orange suits with some strange symbol on them worked quickly and methodically, spraying frothy white foam over the whole room. A red light strobed on the wall, but all Mike heard was a deadly calm silence. A man stood over him, took some piece of metal and jabbed it into Mike's arm. A moment of pain was followed by a timeless sensation as Mike lost consciousness for the last time.
