Chapter 28

It was very disorienting as they jogged in the dark, not being able to tell which way they were going. But they held on to each other so they wouldn't feel like they were getting lost. After a while, the air began to smell crisper and lighter than it had. Up ahead, they could see little tiny lights. Frank felt like they had been running forever. His side ached. But the fresh air made it bearable.

"I think that's the end." Tony called out to them, panting.

"Finally!" Biff huffed, as he held on to Royce who was sucking in gulps of air.

The floor started to incline and they came upon some stairs. They climbed up to a door with a large window and they could see outside. The tiny lights they saw were actually stars in the night sky. Tony tried the door and it opened to his relief. There was a cool crisp breeze and they found themselves two hundred feet away on the east side of the building, at the edge of the woods that surrounded the property. The door they came through was a small little structure the size of an outhouse, used to disguise the opening for the underground tunnels. It was dark with patches of moonlight that was cast by wispy dark clouds drifting through the white and grey orb in the sky. It looked like a perfect night for Halloween, they were just missing the witch on her broom and a few bats. It was an almost flawless full moon.

Frank scanned the area, he almost couldn't see the van on the road, just out of site of the building. Hopefully it wouldn't take as long to run over the ground as it did under it. He determinedly started jogging toward the vehicle. He needed to see if Joe and the others were inside, and if not, what had happened to them. The others followed quickly on his heels. Halfway to the van he started running. He came to a halt outside the sliding side door and opened it.

"Joe?" Frank panted, as he hollered inside. Nothing. Just the quiet of the night.

"They must have already went inside." Tony said, fearfully. They were too late and his girlfriend was inside that house of horrors. "We have to get to them."
Frank called to him to stay calm, putting a hand on his arm. As much and as hard as it was for him to stay there, they had to devise a plan or they could all get captured.

"I want to run in there too to get my brother. But that's not going to do us a bit of good if we get ourselves caught." Frank said, assertively.

"What do you suggest?" asked, Royce.

"One of us has to take the van to get help." he answered, dogmatically. "Biff, I need you with me and Tony. Sorry, but you are what we need. Big and powerful."

"I wasn't planning on leaving. I wouldn't desert you guys." Biff said, loyally.

"I know." Frank smiled tightly. "Royce, I need you to go for help. You know the area better than we do and can get help faster."

"I can do that." Royce agreed.

"Here's the keys." Frank dug them out of his pocket, handing them over.

He laid the leather bound book that had the illustrations and directions for bringing humans back to life, on the floor of the van. He opened it.

"What are you doing?" Biff asked.

"Seeing what we're dealing with." Frank answered, flipping through pages.

"I wonder how long he's been doing this?" Tony asked in a whisper to know one in particular.

"I don't know, but, its disgusting." Biff wrinkled up his nose.

Royce stood there horrified, feeling betrayed and used. Biff put an arm around him and gently squeezed his support.

"At least we have the formula." Royce stated. "I should have dumped more arsenic in his wine at night."

"No, you shouldn't have." Biff frowned. "You didn't because you really aren't a killer. Not that I approve of what you did do, but….I can see why you did it."

"What if I did kill him?" Royce asked. Half of him wanted to know what his friends thought and the other half just wanted to know what he himself felt about that. He just didn't know. But he also knew if it came down to it, he couldn't do it, like Biff said.

"Just be glad you didn't." Frank said, levelly, "he needs to be punished, not put out of his misery."

"Here's the other walkie-talkie." Tony said, as he scrambled back out of the vehicle, showing Frank the hand held, before tossing it back in the van.

"Nothing seems out of place, does it?" Frank asked, agitated.

"Not that I can see." Tony assured, clearing his throat. "No blood or anything like that."

Frank nodded and relaxed somewhat, closing the slide door. "Okay, let's go."

Royce ran around and got into the van and drove off before the others reached the building.

HBHBHBHBHBHB

As he and Chet dragged Joe through the doorway, they could hear the bellows of the ogres and men talking. They were getting closer. Phil knew they had to get into another room and fast.

"Wait." Joe said, shakily. "I'm getting dizzy."

"We cant stop now Joe." Natalie said, looking behind her to see the open doorway. Shadows fell on the ground in front of the entrance as two small lights danced around the tunnel.

"Hurry, you guys." she whispered loud enough for them to hear.

Chet saw an opening to their right. "In here." he steered them. They ducked around the corner, backing up flat against the wall, keeping as still as they could, not daring to breathe. Natalie looked down and saw a few rats running along the wall towards them. Phil put a hand over her mouth just as she was about to scream. At that moment, they saw the ogres and two men walk past with lights on their hard hats. Both of the men were clueless of their hiding place as they talked to each other on the way by. They stayed still for a moment more, every fiber and cell on alert. They relaxed as the sounds grew faint and they knew they were safe.

Natalie pulled Phil's hand away and breathed in air, as stale as it was. The rats had gone on by.

"That was close." Natalie whispered, still shaking from the close encounter with it all. "What do we do now?"

They thought for a moment and Phil looked out and down the tunnel. He still didn't hear anything.

"I say we keep going." Phil suggested, as he turned the flashlight back on. "The guys have to be down here somewhere."

"B-but the those m-monsters are that way." Chet said, uneasily.

"And they wont expect us to follow them. They don't even look like they're searching for us, yet." Phil answered.

"But I don't think Joe is up to it." Natalie said, as she was bent down on one knee, where Joe was sitting, looking at him closely and checking his forehead for a temperature.

"He's warm and clammy and he already said he was dizzy."

"Then you two stay here and Chet and I will go check out the tunnel."

"What?" Chet squeaked. "Are you sure you want me to go?"

"Yes, buddy." Phil said, playfully, "I wouldn't want to go with anyone else but you."

"Ha ha. Even if the others were here?" he shot back good naturedly.

Phil frowned, "If the others were here, we wouldn't be having this conversation, now would we?"

Chet's cheeks pinked, grateful only he knew.

"Are you two going to be okay here?" Phil asked, not really wanting to leave them, but seeing no other choice. "We only have the one flashlight."

"Yes, we'll be fine." Natalie smiled. "We really won't need one since we're trying to stay hidden anyway. Just don't leave us."

"As soon as my head quits swimming, we'll be right behind you." Joe said, huskily, eyes unfocused.

They all looked at each other, fearful that he was having a setback. "Ya okay, Joe. You just take it easy though." said Chet.

"We'll be back as soon as we can." said Phil, as he started out the doorway. Chet reluctantly followed close on his heels.

They listened as they quietly crept down the tunnel trying to find another open doorway.

"What if we don't find them?" Chet asked, "what if we get caught by the monsters and those men?"

"One thing at a time, Chet."

"Here's another opening going left." Chet informed.

They stopped and peered around the corner and seeing nothing they went through. The tunnel was just as dark as the rest of them.

"This is a maze down here." Chet stated.

"Yep, I just hope we don't get lost."

"All of a sudden I'm getting claustrophobic."

"Come on, Chet. Stay tough. We are all counting on you for your help."

Chet was quiet for awhile. Then, "Alright. I wont let you guys down."

"That's the spirit." Phil brightened.

HBHBHBHBHB

Frank, Tony and Biff made their way back inside the dark building. Having no flashlights, they went to the closet to see if there was anything they could use for light.

"There's a camping lantern. Its got oil in it, too." Tony said.

"Better than nothing, okay let's go. We need to find everyone." Frank said, shortly. He was in no mood to stand around and talk.

Tony lit the lamp and started walking back to the hall and the door that went downstairs.

"What door do you think they went through?" asked Biff, as they got to the bottom step.

"I don't know, lets just pick one." Frank said, as he opened the door on his left.

It was another tunnel. They walked farther down and they saw a door up ahead. Taking a hold of the knob, Frank pushed it open. A green light lit the room. Immediately Frank's nose picked up on the metallic smell. Blood. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. All he could think of was Joe. 'Dear God.' he thought. 'He has to be alive.'

He looked around and saw the long stainless steel sink, the respiratory machine, the operating table with straps, the silver cart with red drawers. Everything a primitive ER room would need. He backed up to leave. Tony and Biff following.

"Someone was in here." Tony said. "There was blood in the bucket…" he put a hand over his mouth.

"We need to find them, now." Frank said. 'Please God, which way do we go? Help us find our friends.' he prayed.

They went back the same way they came and found the door that led back to the stairs. This time Frank heard noises. Right by the heavy metal door. It was slightly ajar.

"Was this door open when we came down earlier?" Tony asked.

"I don't think so." Biff answered.

Frank put a finger to his lips as he looked at his friends, "Shhh…"

He bent nearer with his ear to the opening. He heard an older man wheezing and sneering. Then he heard his dad.

Frank jerked his head up and stared at he door, not believing what he was hearing. There were other voices but he swore he heard his dad.

"What is it?" Tony asked, curiously.

Biff looked at him in question but Tony just shook his head.

Frank got closer and peered in through the door. He saw two ogres who were restless standing to the right. The old man was in his way, talking to someone. As he shifted out of his line of vision, he could see his dad and-he gasped. 'Mom!'

HBHBHBHBHB

Royce drove to the only ranger tower he knew. He didn't want to wait to drive ten miles to the nearest town. Hopefully there was someone on duty this early in the morning. He didn't know if rangers stayed out all night for a shift, but he was betting they did. The branches of the trees were scraping the sides of the van. He could almost make out the tower in the dark. He bounced along hoping he didn't break an axle. It was deeply rutted but without any pot holes. He checked his phone-still no reception. He looked at the time. It was one nineteen.

He was about twenty feet to the tower, concentrating on seeing if there was even anyone up there, when the van gave a lurch to the right and started to lean toward the side. Too late, he realized he was too close to the edge. He put on the breaks but the dew had made the leaves and foliage slippery and the van slid out of control.

His heart in his throat, Royce fought to keep a grip on the steering wheel. But it was useless. The van started to turn over the embankment and there wasn't anything he could do but roll with it. He tumbled around the inside as it rolled, hitting his head on the roof. He saw a burst of light and he thought, before he was knocked out, that maybe he should have went the ten miles to the nearest town.