CHAPTER THREE:
Lara felt the floor crumble beneath her, and instinctively through her arms above her head to grab anything she could find.
But before she could, Lara hit a steep stone chute and tumbled head over heels down it, before landing in a heap at the bottom.
The room smelt damp and musty, and it had a dirt floor. She quickly rolled to her feet as Jack fell to the ground behind her. "Great!" she heard him mutter as he got up. "Just great!"
"Colonel?" Came a voice over Jack's two-way radio. "Are you there, sir?"
"Yeah, Carter, I'm here." He replied.
"Sir, where are you?" Carter asked.
By this time, Lara had taken out her torch and was exploring the room. It was a small, stone walled space, with a narrow passage leading off into the darkness. Lara turned around and shone her torch up the chute they had come down.
"It looks like some kind of room." Jack said.
"We can't get back through there." Lara called, after looking up the chute.
"Croft says we can't get back up the way we came. Look's like we'll have to find another way out." Jack reported.
"What do you want us to do, sir?" Sam asked.
"Just stay where you are, Carter." Jack ordered. "And don't let Daniel touch anything!"
Lara turned and looked at the colonel. He had lost his cap somewhere on the fall and had a cut above his left eyebrow. "You know if there's another way out of here?" he asked.
Lara shrugged. "Don't know." She replied.
Jack sighed. "Well, after you."
Lara walked a few steps down the passage, before you noticed that the floor changed, and became paved. But when she stepped onto the stones, they began to tremble. Immediately, Lara jumped backwards, and crashed into Jack. "What?" he began, but then noticed the gap in the floor in front of her.
He shone his torch down into the hole, and the light glinted off large metal spikes. "What now?" he asked.
Lara turned and looked at him. "Now we run." She said. "But we have to do it together."
Jack groaned. "On the count of three, then. 1 - 2 - 3!"
Together they jumped forward and sprinted down the passage, the stones falling away behind them to reveal more metal spikes. They soon reached the end, where the passage widened into a T-intersection, but Lara groaned when she felt the passage rumble beneath her feet.
"Run!" she yelled when she saw two large boulders rolling towards them.
Jack and Lara sprinted down the slope to their right, veering to their left at the last minute. They slid down another ramp and Lara grabbed Jack's arm. "Jump!" she yelled, as they reached the spikes at the end.
They did, and landed in a narrow room. As soon as they did, a grinding noise echoed through the room and the spiked began to move.
"Oh, For Crying Out Loud!" Jack growled, but Lara grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the small opening she had spotted.
Quickly Lara grabbed the edge and pulled up as the room got smaller and smaller. Then she reached down and helped Jack up, before the spikes reached him.
Then, panting, the pair leaned against the walls of the narrow passage and caught their breath. "You've done this before." Jack said, after a while.
Lara grinned. "Yep. And this is easy compared to some of the other things I've come across."
Jack grimaced. Then he sighed. "On we go," he said, "and into the bowels of Hell."
Lara felt the floor crumble beneath her, and instinctively through her arms above her head to grab anything she could find.
But before she could, Lara hit a steep stone chute and tumbled head over heels down it, before landing in a heap at the bottom.
The room smelt damp and musty, and it had a dirt floor. She quickly rolled to her feet as Jack fell to the ground behind her. "Great!" she heard him mutter as he got up. "Just great!"
"Colonel?" Came a voice over Jack's two-way radio. "Are you there, sir?"
"Yeah, Carter, I'm here." He replied.
"Sir, where are you?" Carter asked.
By this time, Lara had taken out her torch and was exploring the room. It was a small, stone walled space, with a narrow passage leading off into the darkness. Lara turned around and shone her torch up the chute they had come down.
"It looks like some kind of room." Jack said.
"We can't get back through there." Lara called, after looking up the chute.
"Croft says we can't get back up the way we came. Look's like we'll have to find another way out." Jack reported.
"What do you want us to do, sir?" Sam asked.
"Just stay where you are, Carter." Jack ordered. "And don't let Daniel touch anything!"
Lara turned and looked at the colonel. He had lost his cap somewhere on the fall and had a cut above his left eyebrow. "You know if there's another way out of here?" he asked.
Lara shrugged. "Don't know." She replied.
Jack sighed. "Well, after you."
Lara walked a few steps down the passage, before you noticed that the floor changed, and became paved. But when she stepped onto the stones, they began to tremble. Immediately, Lara jumped backwards, and crashed into Jack. "What?" he began, but then noticed the gap in the floor in front of her.
He shone his torch down into the hole, and the light glinted off large metal spikes. "What now?" he asked.
Lara turned and looked at him. "Now we run." She said. "But we have to do it together."
Jack groaned. "On the count of three, then. 1 - 2 - 3!"
Together they jumped forward and sprinted down the passage, the stones falling away behind them to reveal more metal spikes. They soon reached the end, where the passage widened into a T-intersection, but Lara groaned when she felt the passage rumble beneath her feet.
"Run!" she yelled when she saw two large boulders rolling towards them.
Jack and Lara sprinted down the slope to their right, veering to their left at the last minute. They slid down another ramp and Lara grabbed Jack's arm. "Jump!" she yelled, as they reached the spikes at the end.
They did, and landed in a narrow room. As soon as they did, a grinding noise echoed through the room and the spiked began to move.
"Oh, For Crying Out Loud!" Jack growled, but Lara grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the small opening she had spotted.
Quickly Lara grabbed the edge and pulled up as the room got smaller and smaller. Then she reached down and helped Jack up, before the spikes reached him.
Then, panting, the pair leaned against the walls of the narrow passage and caught their breath. "You've done this before." Jack said, after a while.
Lara grinned. "Yep. And this is easy compared to some of the other things I've come across."
Jack grimaced. Then he sighed. "On we go," he said, "and into the bowels of Hell."