The boys arrived at the manor just as Dr. Duvalier was about to instruct his men to search. Mr. Hardy hurriedly made his way over and pulled Joe into a bear hug. Releasing him, he shook Biff's proffered hand, then pulled him closer and gave him a quick hug as well.
Dr. Duvalier told his men the search was off and thanked them. Most cast furtive glances at the two boys who had been missing before departing.
"You get the feeling most of the people here know what's going on?" Phil asked Joe in a quiet voice.
Joe nodded. "But I don't think they know more than their Bokur wants them too," he added.
"What happened? Where were you two?" Mr. Hardy asked once they had all gathered in the living room of the manor.
Joe told them about the screams and getting lost. "Joe suggested we sit and wait for the sun," Biff took over when Joe quit speaking. "When he saw which way it was rising, he led us back to the guest house."
"Well done," Phil congratulated Joe. "Now, where is Frank?" he demanded, remembering Joe's earlier remark.
"Frank and the others are in a cave," Joe answered.
"That's not possible," Mrs. Duvalier told him. "Those caves remain underwater except at low tide."
"Which would give them time to leave the cave and then return at the next one," Joe said. "If the cave goes back far enough, they would be okay until the water went down again."
"None of those caves are that deep," Mrs. Duvalier informed Joe.
"Have you been in them?" Joe asked her. "All of them?"
"I've only seen two caves down there," she answered. "And neither are very deep."
"Maybe the entire entrance is covered up except at low tide," Chet suggested.
"It's worth checking," Mr. Hardy agreed.
"I don't suppose you have any SCUBA gear?" Joe asked Dr. Duvalier.
"As a matter of fact, Marla and I are avid divers," he replied. "You're more than welcome to use our equipment."
"Let's go then," Joe said, standing up.
"No," Mr. Hardy stopped him short. "You and Biff have been up all night and the rest of us haven't had much sleep either," he explained. "It would be far too easy to be overcome by the Rapture of the Deep in our present condition. If your theory is correct, Frank and the others won't be going anywhere this morning," he continued. "Let's all get a few hours sleep and then we will tackle the caves."
Frustrated at the delay, but recognizing the wisdom behind his father's words, Joe caved in. He and the other guys returned to the guest house, where, after a light breakfast, all four went to bed.
Six hours later, Joe switched off his alarm clock, showered, dressed and roused the other boys.
"I've been thinking," Mr. Hardy said when the boys arrived at the manor. "There has to be another way into the cave, if that is where they are, because there might come a time when whoever is behind this must need to send the zombies out of sight at a moment's notice."
"I disagree," Joe said, shaking his head. "The locals seem terrified of whoever is behind this. Even the Duvaliers were afraid." He looked over to where the two sat, shame-faced at their cowardice. "No offense," he added.
"You are right," Dr. Duvalier concurred with Joe. "The people are too afraid to explore the area and should anyone see anything, they would not speak of it for fear of being turned into one of the undead."
"Who is diving?" Mr. Hardy asked, accepting their argument.
"Chet should go with Joe," Phil said. "They have the most diving experience."
"Agreed," Biff stated. "And we can be topside watching out for any trouble."
"What about you?" Joe asked his dad.
"I'm going to brave the roads and see if I can get us any help," Mr. Hardy said. "Our finding Frank won't put a stop to this mess and if we don't have some authority behind us, even finding out who is responsible won't help."
The boys obtained the gear and checked it out to make sure the tanks were full and everything was functioning properly. It was almost an hour later before Joe and Chet wadded into the water and disappeared from view.
In order to keep in contact, Joe and Chet were connected by a nylon cord. Should one find something or get into trouble, a tug on the cord would alert the diving mate. This would also allow them to explore more territory in the limited time they had available.
They hadn't been under long when Joe spied an opening in the rocks. He cautiously approached the opening, expecting an eel to pop out at him. However, no creature, save for a few small fish, approached him from the opening.
Joe tugged on the cord and Chet appeared almost at once. Joe pointed toward the opening. Chet nodded and followed Joe inside.
What began as narrow soon opened up and Joe and Chet found themselves swiming perpendicular. In minutes, the underwater cavern ended and they stood knee deep in water.
"Looks like you were right," Chet whispered into Joe's ear after they had removed their masks and regulators.
Joe gave a curt nod and the two made their way stealthily deeper into the cave. Water gave way to hard ground and Joe hoped their footprints would evaporate before anyone arrived to claim their undead.
Joe had already realized that it would be impossible to remove even half of the people he had seen two evenings ago. They would have to be rescued at low tide or while they were working. But, and Joe was adamant on this, he was not leaving without his brother. Even if it meant staying behind and letting Chet return to the surface alone.
They moved forward in the darkness, the only light visible were the beams from the small waterproof flashlights the boys held. Joe took another step, his light hitting the stone wall a mere twenty feet ahead. His foot came down on something soft. Joe gasped in surprise and stepped back, crashing into Chet who steadied him before he could fall.
Joe pointed his light down. A mass of bodies littered the stone floor. Chet moved his light around. The cave which ended not too far ahead, expanded in both an easterly and westerly direction.
"There are at least forty people in here," Chet whispered in awe.
"Let's find Frank," Joe ordered. The two moved around the helpless victims, careful not to step or trip over anyone.
"Over here," Chet hissed. It was obvious they were the only conscious people there, but being in a cave full of zombies was still a bit much for Chet.
Joe hurried over to Chet's side and knelt down by his brother, who looked wan and malnourished. He felt the pulse at Frank's neck. "He has a pulse," Joe said, looking up at Chet. "Which means, at least the poison used on him originally has worn off or was taken out of his system somehow."
"How are going to get him out of here?" Chet asked.
"We'll put a tank on him and you and I can buddy-breathe on the other," Joe answered after a moment's thought. "We'll have to keep him between us."
"We going to tie him to us?" Chet wanted to know.
"No," Joe replied with a shake of his head. "I think we're better off without the cord now that we've found what we were looking for." Joe untied the cord from his waist and Chet did likewise, rolling the cord up and securing it to his waist.
Joe lifted Frank's shoulders up, then stood. He and Chet each took an arm and pulled Frank tp his feet. They made their way back to where they had left their tanks and put one on Frank. Chet put the other tank on and they entered the water with Joe taking a deep breath before sinking into the water.
It occurred to Joe that there must be some type of opening above ground for the air not to be stale. This fact was stored for later use as Joe gave his full attention to the task at hand.
Several times Chet let Joe take a breath from the regulator. The air in his tank was almost gone, but he was sure there was enough to get to the surface. He took a deep breath, then passed it, once again, over to Joe.
Joe took the regulator and breathed in more oxygen. He handed it back to Chet, never releasing his grip on Frank. As Chet took the regulator, he saw Joe's eyes widen behind his mask. Chet turned his head and saw two large blue sharks swimming right at them!
Dr. Duvalier told his men the search was off and thanked them. Most cast furtive glances at the two boys who had been missing before departing.
"You get the feeling most of the people here know what's going on?" Phil asked Joe in a quiet voice.
Joe nodded. "But I don't think they know more than their Bokur wants them too," he added.
"What happened? Where were you two?" Mr. Hardy asked once they had all gathered in the living room of the manor.
Joe told them about the screams and getting lost. "Joe suggested we sit and wait for the sun," Biff took over when Joe quit speaking. "When he saw which way it was rising, he led us back to the guest house."
"Well done," Phil congratulated Joe. "Now, where is Frank?" he demanded, remembering Joe's earlier remark.
"Frank and the others are in a cave," Joe answered.
"That's not possible," Mrs. Duvalier told him. "Those caves remain underwater except at low tide."
"Which would give them time to leave the cave and then return at the next one," Joe said. "If the cave goes back far enough, they would be okay until the water went down again."
"None of those caves are that deep," Mrs. Duvalier informed Joe.
"Have you been in them?" Joe asked her. "All of them?"
"I've only seen two caves down there," she answered. "And neither are very deep."
"Maybe the entire entrance is covered up except at low tide," Chet suggested.
"It's worth checking," Mr. Hardy agreed.
"I don't suppose you have any SCUBA gear?" Joe asked Dr. Duvalier.
"As a matter of fact, Marla and I are avid divers," he replied. "You're more than welcome to use our equipment."
"Let's go then," Joe said, standing up.
"No," Mr. Hardy stopped him short. "You and Biff have been up all night and the rest of us haven't had much sleep either," he explained. "It would be far too easy to be overcome by the Rapture of the Deep in our present condition. If your theory is correct, Frank and the others won't be going anywhere this morning," he continued. "Let's all get a few hours sleep and then we will tackle the caves."
Frustrated at the delay, but recognizing the wisdom behind his father's words, Joe caved in. He and the other guys returned to the guest house, where, after a light breakfast, all four went to bed.
Six hours later, Joe switched off his alarm clock, showered, dressed and roused the other boys.
"I've been thinking," Mr. Hardy said when the boys arrived at the manor. "There has to be another way into the cave, if that is where they are, because there might come a time when whoever is behind this must need to send the zombies out of sight at a moment's notice."
"I disagree," Joe said, shaking his head. "The locals seem terrified of whoever is behind this. Even the Duvaliers were afraid." He looked over to where the two sat, shame-faced at their cowardice. "No offense," he added.
"You are right," Dr. Duvalier concurred with Joe. "The people are too afraid to explore the area and should anyone see anything, they would not speak of it for fear of being turned into one of the undead."
"Who is diving?" Mr. Hardy asked, accepting their argument.
"Chet should go with Joe," Phil said. "They have the most diving experience."
"Agreed," Biff stated. "And we can be topside watching out for any trouble."
"What about you?" Joe asked his dad.
"I'm going to brave the roads and see if I can get us any help," Mr. Hardy said. "Our finding Frank won't put a stop to this mess and if we don't have some authority behind us, even finding out who is responsible won't help."
The boys obtained the gear and checked it out to make sure the tanks were full and everything was functioning properly. It was almost an hour later before Joe and Chet wadded into the water and disappeared from view.
In order to keep in contact, Joe and Chet were connected by a nylon cord. Should one find something or get into trouble, a tug on the cord would alert the diving mate. This would also allow them to explore more territory in the limited time they had available.
They hadn't been under long when Joe spied an opening in the rocks. He cautiously approached the opening, expecting an eel to pop out at him. However, no creature, save for a few small fish, approached him from the opening.
Joe tugged on the cord and Chet appeared almost at once. Joe pointed toward the opening. Chet nodded and followed Joe inside.
What began as narrow soon opened up and Joe and Chet found themselves swiming perpendicular. In minutes, the underwater cavern ended and they stood knee deep in water.
"Looks like you were right," Chet whispered into Joe's ear after they had removed their masks and regulators.
Joe gave a curt nod and the two made their way stealthily deeper into the cave. Water gave way to hard ground and Joe hoped their footprints would evaporate before anyone arrived to claim their undead.
Joe had already realized that it would be impossible to remove even half of the people he had seen two evenings ago. They would have to be rescued at low tide or while they were working. But, and Joe was adamant on this, he was not leaving without his brother. Even if it meant staying behind and letting Chet return to the surface alone.
They moved forward in the darkness, the only light visible were the beams from the small waterproof flashlights the boys held. Joe took another step, his light hitting the stone wall a mere twenty feet ahead. His foot came down on something soft. Joe gasped in surprise and stepped back, crashing into Chet who steadied him before he could fall.
Joe pointed his light down. A mass of bodies littered the stone floor. Chet moved his light around. The cave which ended not too far ahead, expanded in both an easterly and westerly direction.
"There are at least forty people in here," Chet whispered in awe.
"Let's find Frank," Joe ordered. The two moved around the helpless victims, careful not to step or trip over anyone.
"Over here," Chet hissed. It was obvious they were the only conscious people there, but being in a cave full of zombies was still a bit much for Chet.
Joe hurried over to Chet's side and knelt down by his brother, who looked wan and malnourished. He felt the pulse at Frank's neck. "He has a pulse," Joe said, looking up at Chet. "Which means, at least the poison used on him originally has worn off or was taken out of his system somehow."
"How are going to get him out of here?" Chet asked.
"We'll put a tank on him and you and I can buddy-breathe on the other," Joe answered after a moment's thought. "We'll have to keep him between us."
"We going to tie him to us?" Chet wanted to know.
"No," Joe replied with a shake of his head. "I think we're better off without the cord now that we've found what we were looking for." Joe untied the cord from his waist and Chet did likewise, rolling the cord up and securing it to his waist.
Joe lifted Frank's shoulders up, then stood. He and Chet each took an arm and pulled Frank tp his feet. They made their way back to where they had left their tanks and put one on Frank. Chet put the other tank on and they entered the water with Joe taking a deep breath before sinking into the water.
It occurred to Joe that there must be some type of opening above ground for the air not to be stale. This fact was stored for later use as Joe gave his full attention to the task at hand.
Several times Chet let Joe take a breath from the regulator. The air in his tank was almost gone, but he was sure there was enough to get to the surface. He took a deep breath, then passed it, once again, over to Joe.
Joe took the regulator and breathed in more oxygen. He handed it back to Chet, never releasing his grip on Frank. As Chet took the regulator, he saw Joe's eyes widen behind his mask. Chet turned his head and saw two large blue sharks swimming right at them!