Chapter 8: Escape From the Sewers

A breeze of cool air awoke Rolf, and he gradually lifted his eyelids open. It was morning in the sewers of Peach Creek, and the ground above him was still being hammered hard with snow and ice from the blizzard. Today was Christmas Eve, and the kids were determined to make their way back to their homes in the cul-de-sac before Christmas Morning.

Within half an hour, everyone was awake. The night had been much more comfortable for the kids compared to the previous nights when they did not have the proper clothing and blankets to stay warm. The portable heater was on all night, so the warm breeze from the heater countered the freezing temperatures. The kids were no longer malnourished, as they had eaten a sufficient amount of food to survive.

However, breakfast was barely able to be provided, as the food Rolf had brought almost ran out after they finished eating breakfast. There was enough for a small lunch, and then their supply would run out completely. This increased their determination and need to get back up to the ground level and to their homes.

The kids wondered if it was safe enough for them to try to venture out into the snow and ice to get to their homes. Rolf claimed that the kids were not healthy enough to trek out into the blizzard. "Every footstep is like a dive in Nano's frozen pear juice bucket," Rolf had said.

"But Rolf, we need to get home in time for Christmas!" Nazz burst out. "My parents are like totally freaking out right now, you know."

"I would agree, dearest Nazz." Edd stated. "If we remain down in this lair of filth and nose-turning disgust, we will have denied ourselves an opportunity to arrive at our residences and be with family again. Every hard task can be overcome with strength and determination."

"Rolf admires your enthusiasm, Double-D Ed Boy." Rolf replied. "But maybe your mind will change once you step foot above us, yes? No?"

"Forget it!" Eddy grumbled. "We're going back up to the cul-de-sac now, get moving."

"Slide over, dork." Kevin yelled, irate and annoyed. "You put us through this mess in the first place, and I'm going to get us out of it. GOT IT?"

Eddy just stood there and moaned.

"If any of you have a problem with that, then we can gladly leave you here and suffer what this dork put us through in the first place." Kevin's rant stunned the other kids, who were not ready to argue, they wanted to work as a team.

"Plank says you guys are failing to accomplish what even a board of wood could do!" Jonny commented, raising his chin.

"Enough already!" Edd yelled. "Work as a team and come up with solutions, understand?"

"I don't see you doing anything, dork." Kevin mumbled. "Quit jabbering and actually do something other than talk nonsense."

"I am most certainly appalled by your statement, Kevin." Edd defended himself. "You can't go into a solution without coming up with a plan first!"

"Double D's right, Kev." Nazz spoke, stepping up to Edd and resting her hand on his shoulder. "Give it a break, he's doing his best, Kevin."

Kevin looked on and frowned. "Fine. So where do we start?"

"Hold it!" Eddy interrupted. "Don't I get to say something too?"

"Yes you do, Eddy." Edd responded. "We all will get to say something, now let's start discussing."

The majority of the kids wanted to try to venture outside into the blizzard and make their way to the cul-de-sac. The only kids who were hesitant to go were Rolf and Jonny. Rolf did not think that the kids were well enough yet to go out into the blizzard and Jonny figured that they could last another day down in the sewer. After a long discussion with the others, both Rolf and Jonny finally agreed that it was best to venture out into the blizzard and try to get back to their homes before Christmas Day.

"Let's roll!" Kevin shouted, retaking leadership of the group. He led the kids up the stairs of the sewer and they one-by-one began knocking their way at the ice that was covering the manhole. It was a painful process, so Rolf eventually stepped in with a small shovel he had brought along and started hammering away at the ice.

Before lunchtime, Rolf finished cracking away through the ice and snow, and there was enough space for all the kids to crawl out. A gust of cold air swept up to them, and it felt even colder to the kids after they had gotten used to the warmth of the portable heater Rolf had turned on in the sewer. Fortunately, they still were wearing their heavy clothes that Rolf had brought them, which kept them warm enough to proceed.

After all the kids had emerged from the sewer and on top of the layer of snow and ice, Rolf went back down into the sewer to fetch his wagon. He knew that they would need these essentials as they trekked on down to the cul-de-sac in the blizzard. He made sure to replace the portable heater's batteries with new ones, so it would not run out of battery power on their journey. He turned it back on and it blasted warm air back to the shivering kids.

"To the cul-de-sac, or bust." Ed muttered happily.

"Let's get this gravy train rolling." Eddy started.

"Gravy?" Ed asked.

The kids could barely take a footstep without quivering and shivering. The wind was blowing hard enough to affect their visibility, balance, and awareness of their surroundings. Snow and ice had thickened the air, which also fogged it up so much that it was difficult for the kids to see more than five feet in front of them. Sadly, they had no compass, and they had no map, but they did have a reason to get back to the cul-de-sac, and Rolf knew the direction from when he left the sewer to get the essentials the previous days.

At lunchtime, the kids ate up all the food Rolf had left in his wagon while standing out in the freezing cold temperatures. Lunch was only partial, as the food supply ran out before the kids would normally finish lunch. Therefore, the kids were still hungry after they finished the food.

By the afternoon, the blizzard was getting even worse, continuing to hammer the kids with snow and ice. The kids' colds only got worse, as they began sneezing and coughing and wheezing more often. Eventually, they had to come to a complete stop out on the road because the blizzard had weakened them from moving any further.

Rolf, who had been in the best health condition of all the kids, was now starting to fall ill himself, coughing and sneezing as the winds blew on him. He extracted one of his Old Country remedies out of his wagon, and applied it to his face. The other kids refused this remedy when offered it by Rolf.

Later into the afternoon, the wagon fell out of Rolf's grasp, blown away and crushed by the strong winds and ice flying through the air. Fortunately, there was almost nothing left in the wagon, having been used by the kids. However, the portable battery-powered heater was on this wagon, and was lost.

As the kids struggled through the snow and ice, Kevin eased out a question. "H-h-how m-much l-l-longer, Rolf?" He yelled desperately into the wind.

"Short amount of time, Kevin Boy." Rolf responded, sniffling his nose. "We have reached the cul-de-sac now, Rolf thinks."

Indeed, they had arrived at the beginning of the cul-de-sac, and were facing their homes. The clouds seemed to disperse for a moment, revealing just a little bit of sun, but then covered the sky up again. These few seconds with sunlight gave the kids a small opportunity to see their surroundings, and realize that they were close to their homes.

The kids were still shivering, but the sight of their residences made them want to run as fast and quickly as they could. They plowed their way through the snow and ice, splitting up to go to each of their individual homes.

Dinnertime arrived shortly and the kids were digging and sawing their way through the layer of ice and snow so they could reach their front doors. The sky was getting darker by the moment, as the blizzard continued to hammer down on the earth.

Rolf stood outside his home and plopped himself down in the snow. The stress of living through the blizzard in the sewers and getting food, water, and clothing for the kids had ended. It was the evening of Christmas Eve, and what a wonderful gift it was for all the kids to finally return to their homes after enduring Peach Creek's harshest winter yet down in the sewers.

Ed opened his eyes and jumped out of his bed with a start. Morning was nigh and snow was collecting outside his basement window. Noises could be heard upstairs, as Ed stood in his room with a huge smile. It was Christmas morning!