Chapter Three

Pulling tightly to secure the rope one final time Hannah smiled at Sean comfortingly, "Ready Sean?"

"Why are we doing this again?" Sean asked with worry lacing every word. His hands fumbled shakily with the rope tied around his body making sure they were all extremely tight.

Hannah chuckled, "If we don't then we will be stuck in this cave forever. This is our only option."

"What about the other path?" he pleaded with a frown.

"It would probably end up taking us the same way Sean," Hannah patted his shoulder gently. "Don't worry. We are all connected."

"Are you guys coming down here?" Trevor asked up towards the two that were talking on the edge. Emmie and him were half-way down the hole already without much effort. Although, Emmie seemed to slip a bit more than Trevor. "It's pretty great down here..."

Sean gulped.

"Way down here."

Leaning over the edge he started to ease himself down with Hannah's help, "Alright Sean. I'm going to start lowering you down slowly. Stay calm and keep your grip tight and footing careful. Try not to slip."

Trevor looked up at his nephew and snickered at the frightened expression on his face.

"Lean back Sean," Hannah ordered as she started to let herself fall beside him. "We are all connected so nothing is going to happen, okay?"

He exhaled shakily, "Sure."

"Baby..." Emmie muttered under her breath. Just as she said it her footing slipped and she had to grab hard onto a sharp rock. She cursed loudly and her mother shook her head at her daughter. Sean heard the mocking comment and shot her a scowl.

"You're looking pretty good up there," Trevor said as he slid down with ease. "Are you sure you haven't done this before?"

"Shut it," Sean grumbled closing his eyes. The fact that every one was doing this better than him was starting to make him afraid and very intimidated. Not to mention pretty helpless. He couldn't even fend for himself.

He kicked some rocks with his foot and they bounced off the walls and on Trevor's head. His uncle shot him another comment, but re-focused on himself and the now pounding headache he had.

"Sean," Hannah said forcefully. "Talk to me. It will make it easier."

He swallowed loudly, "So, Hannah, you come here often?"

Emmie scoffed, "Really Sean? Really?"

"Is that the best you could come up with?" jeered Trevor. Emmie and him shared a snicker at Sean's expense while his cheeks turned a deep red.

"I'm making conversation with her!" Sean retorted hotly.

"No Sean," Hannah laughed throwing her head back. "I do not come here often."

Trevor became intrigued with the rock, "Hey, look at all this schist!"

"Shit? What shit?" Emmie questioned softly as she pulled her hand back with worry, but only saw the dirt from the rocky walls.

Sean looked down, "What?"

"It's a metamorphic rock... Green schist, garnet schist, mica-garnet schist."

"Oh, schist," Sean looked hard at the rock as well. He had learned about it in one of his science classes at school.

"Look at it-" Trevor went to reach over to look grab at a piece of rock, however he lost his footing. With a scream his rope pulled out and tangled around Hannah's causing her to loose her grip. Soon everyone was screaming and lost their footing. Emmie, Sean, and Hannah were able to grasp the rocky walls once more although Trevor still swung in the middle.

"Trevor I'm sorry but I am going to have to cut you loose. You are tied around my rope and you will bring us all down if I don't," Hannah shouted as she took a switch blade from her pocket.

"No Hannah!" Sean screamed as he stared down at his uncle with wide worried eyes.

"Don't, don't, don't!" Trevor begged as he attempted to grab onto the wall.

Emmie attempted to reach a hand out to reach Trevor, "Give me your hand Trevor! I think I can get you!"

The older man reached for her and their fingertips brushed just as Hannah cut the rope loose. A short thump was heard and Emmie sighed with relief as she realized Trevor was only a few feet from the ground.

"Hey guys, I found it. The bottoms right here..."

"Oh thank God..." she exhaled. Staring up at her mother she shot the woman a disapproving look.

"You knew the ground was there, right Hannah?" Trevor called up wishfully.

Hannah ignored him and the looks Sean and Emmie gave her as they continued their way down. When Emmie's feet touched the floor she loosened the rope and darted over to Trevor's side. He still sat on the floor trying to recuperate from falling hard on his back.

"You okay?" she asked as she examined his dazed expression.

He nodded, "Yeah. My head is just killing me."

Pulling her backpack around front she started going through the pockets and found her own first aid kit. She took out a couple Advil and her only water bottle handing it to the man. He thanked her quietly as he took a drink and plopped the pills into his mouth.

Sean touched the ground before Hannah and came to his uncle's side. He shook his head, "I am never doing that again."

"I hope you don't have to," Emmie smirked. "You slow us down kiddo."

"I'm not a kid," Sean grumbled giving the smaller girl a glare. She was almost half his size and she was calling him a kid. His pride was also hurt by her comment. He already knew he was sucking at this whole adventure thing; he didn't need her to rub it in.

"He was doing rather well," Hannah nodded at Sean approvingly. "For a first timer."

Her daughter rolled her eyes and stuck out a hand to help Trevor stand on his feet.

"Do you remember your first time?"

"Let's not talk about that right now Mom," she took her flashlight and moved it around the bottom of the cave stopping at an opening. "Does that look like a mining tunnel to you guys?"

Trevor agreed, "Yeah it sure does."

"Old Bla'gils Mine... it was shut down after a big disaster over sixty years ago," Hannah inputted as they walked closer to the tunnel.

"How big?" Sean bit his lip nervously.

"Eighty-one dead."

"That's big."

Emmie frowned, "Well, let's get going then."

"Hey Trevor," Sean asked as they started walking. He gazed around and the stony walls amazed. If anyone told him a few hours ago what he would be doing he would have never believed them. "Was there a mining tunnel like this in the book?"

His uncle shook his head, "No. I don't think so."

Emmie fell back beside Sean who had ended up picking up the rear this time. He glanced at her confusedly, but didn't say anything as they walked silently.

"I am not my father!" Hannah shouted out. Emmie looked up at her mother to see her angrily pointing a finger at Trevor's face. She had missed the conversation as she had been spacing out staring at her surroundings. "I loved him very much, but he was caught up in these strange fictional stories... I refuse to believe they could be real."

She winced at her mothers words. She knew how much her grandfather's crazed obsession with the books had caused her mom to resent them and him.

Emmie would never admit it to her mother, but sometimes she believed that her grandfather hadn't been a crazy old cook that everyone made him out to be. How could someone be so dedicated to something and it not be real? It just didn't seem plausible. At least... it didn't fit in her mind that someone she cared about could be making something so extreme up.

Then when she was younger and came to visit her grandpa would read her the stories before bed. He would tell her all his little findings and how they fell into place. How it all made sense that it wasn't just a book. She wanted to believe for him. That is the truth to why she had decided to come along on this little adventure.

Yesterday when her mother had invited the two men in she had seen them approaching from outside her bedroom window. She had snuck outside of her room to listen to the conversation and overheard the topic of her grandfather come up and the way they talked about the book...

Never in her life had she been much of an adventurous person. Emmie liked boys, makeup, clothes, and hanging out with friends on the weekends. She wasn't an explorer like her dad or a mountain hiker like her mom. But when her grandfather was mentioned there was something in her gut that told her she needed to go for him.

"Do you think it's real?" she whispered the question to Sean. Hannah was informing Trevor that he was still being billed so she knew she wouldn't overhear their conversation.

He glanced at her skeptically, "Not really. Do you?"

"Sometimes," she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Gramps used to tell me stories when I was little about the book. He told me they were real and he showed me facts..."

"I want to believe it's real," Sean said honestly. He gave her an unsure smile. "I don't want to think my dad was crazy."

They came up to a change in the ceiling length. Sean looked to his right and saw a bunch of odd wiring and machinery, "Hey Hannah, what's that?"

"That's an old mining generator..." she walked up to it and started pressing buttons. A noise started and Sean backed away.

"Hannah, stop touching that," Trevor scolded worriedly. "It could blow up."

"It might turn on the lights," informed Hannah ignoring Trevor's words.

"Stop flipping switches, no don't touch that!" he stepped forward and flinched as Hannah grabbed a large handle. "Don't do it Hannah!"

Then she pulled it up and a loud buzzing sounded. Soon after lights started to turn on one by one lightening the entire cave dimly. A gasp escaped Emmie's lips at all the tracks and tools that surrounded the place.

Trevor laughed happily, "Okay I take it back. You can touch anything you want."

"That's what she said," Emmie said under her breath. Her mother smacked her arm at hearing the comment.

"This is our way out right?" asked Sean as he rushed up to one of the mining carts. "They had to get the supplies somehow."

"Hey Hannah, how many people got out?" Trevor muttered looking around.

"One."

Sean hopped into the front cart, "Well, that's a start. I call front."

"Me too," Emmie jumped into the cart beside him. He scooted over to give her room.

Trevor rolled his eyes, "Get out of there. We don't even know if they work."

Hannah appeared on one with a lever to push the carts, "Apparently they do."

"We don't know if they are safe," Trevor pressed mutinying ahead.

"Looks good from here," Sean stated with a frown.

"Just get in," Emmie urged. "What else do you propose we do?"

With an annoyed sigh, Trevor hopped into the cart behind them. Hannah started pumping and eventually they sped up to a quick pace. There was silence until Sean leant forward in the cart.

"Sean, I don't think you should be doing that," Trevor called out parentally as his nephew leant even more out of the cart.

"I think I see something..." he trailed off.

Emmie turned her head and squinted in the distance. Her stomach knotted.

"If it's not daylight I don't want to know."

"No..." Emmie breathed out loudly.

"No, it's not daylight," he stared back at his uncle, 'We're in deep schist."

Happy New Years Eve you all! I hope you have a great and safe adventure into the year 2011. I know I'm probably going to be sloshed out of my mind on coke and rum with one of my greatest friends, hah. My New Years resolution is to grow my hair down to my ass. What's yours?