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CHAPTER

19

MATTHEW COULDN’T SHAKE THE FEELING that the tunnel caving in was a bad sign of things to come. Not that he believed in omens, or that it made a difference. But still, dread was pinching the skin at the back of his neck. He brought up the rear once again so he could watch over the others. Alex had insisted that she stay with him. He hadn’t argued, because it gave him immediate company and someone to ensure his safety, too.

As he swam, he looked up periodically. The ceiling was a good twenty feet above them, and the surface was natural rock. It hadn’t been worked by man’s hands, as the stones of the tunnel had been. Maybe that was in their favor, and it would continue to hold as it had for who knew how many years already.

The air became clearer the farther they swam, and he could finally detect the smell of the water, which was fresh and carried the hint of fish. Assuming there was aquatic life down here, they were leaving him and the others alone. So he could rule out those of the carnivorous variety. Then again, it was possible those creatures just weren’t aware they had company. But he’d learned a long time ago not to dwell on the unknown too much or it could drive him mad. In this case, it could literally weigh him down. And with the oxygen bag, the module, and the cable, he was already toting more than he would have liked to be. He had to believe that this special radio would somehow serve as a literal lifeline, even if it was off to a bad start.

“I feel like we’re going in circles,” Robyn said, her strokes stopping and making everything that much quieter.

“We can’t be. Please don’t tell me we’re—” Cal didn’t finish.

Matthew looked around, seeking out any sort of landmark that would differentiate this location from where they had first entered the water. It was just more rock above them and more water around them. He couldn’t see where the water ended in any direction. He couldn’t even see the ledge where the tunnel had been.

He turned onto his back, floating there and fixing his eyes a particular section of rock that was jutting out from the ceiling. One of his hands was still clenched around the handle on the module and the antenna cable was spooled around his upper arm. He rested the oxygen bag on his abdomen. He stayed as motionless as possible, relaxing his body. He wanted to see if the water was flowing in any direction, though he wasn’t sure that information would even be useful.

But none of that mattered. A few seconds passed, and he hadn’t moved. He straightened back up.

“Were you checking the current?” Jasper asked.

“Yeah, but there isn’t one.”

Jasper’s face hardened. “The map showed the water coming after the tunnel, and there was an indication that the water was to the east of the tunnel.”

“Which is the way we came out of the tunnel,” Matthew said.

“Uh-huh. But seeing you on your back, I was thinking there may be more to the water being to the east of the tunnel. It could be that the water flows that way toward the next marker on the map.”

Maybe Jasper was having a hard time hearing or he just wasn’t comprehending. Either way, tension was snaking into Matthew’s chest. “As I said, the water’s not moving.”

Jasper didn’t say anything.

“What do we do?” Robyn asked, looking to Matthew for direction.

Their only option was to keep moving and hope they found land. It was a crappy plan, but this was a crappy situation. “We need to keep swimming and hope we get lucky.”

“Hope we get lucky?” Cal exclaimed. “I’d say we’re running on the wrong side of luck right now.”

Sometimes it was best to keep quiet, and Matthew was fresh out of assurances. What he did have was the will to survive and a determination to get everyone else out alive, as well. Still, the thought of being trapped down here scared him, and he wasn’t scared of much.

He took some strokes, cutting between Jasper and Robyn, to lead the way. Splashes from behind him confirmed the others were following. Not that he knew where he was going. He just knew that if he didn’t stay positive, the near pitch-black of the underground cavern would close in on him and suffocate the fight right out of him. As it was, all they had were the lights on their hats and a flashlight Jasper had.

A sense of foreboding tingled over his body, taunting him to give in. But as a Connor, he didn’t know or accept failure. His father had drilled that into him from a young age.

Sometime later, Matthew let himself rest, and he bobbed there with as little effort as possible. His arms and legs were aching from exertion, his throat dry from thirst.

The others reached him and treaded water.

“I just need a little break,” he told them. “And some water.”

“You don’t have enough?” Cal asked.

Matthew took the question as dense sarcasm, but when he looked at Cal, his friend crossed his eyes.

People said humor helped during times of tragedy, but it was difficult for Matthew to find comfort in that right now. “Here. Hold this for a bit.”

He handed Cal the module and snaked the cable through his arm. Then he worked his hands beneath the water to free his canteen from his waist where it was clipped to his pants. His arms were fatigued, and all he wanted to do was crawl onto land, drink water, and breathe for a while. He treaded water with his legs only and brought the canteen to his lips, gulping back the water. He started choking. The particles of dirt and dust were like tiny stones going down his throat. He coughed, his eyes filling with tears and his stomach threatening to bring up lunch.

Robyn swam over to him. “Matt?”

He held up a hand and worked through the worst of it. After a few deep breaths, he took another go at the canteen, drinking more slowly this time.

The beam of Jasper’s flashlight bounced along the ceiling, then ahead of him and behind him. There was nothing but water around them and stone above. Nothing new.

“All right, is it just me or is the cavern ceiling getting lower as we go?” Jasper turned the light back the way they had come.

Matthew scrutinized the ceiling. It was hard to tell for sure, but here it was about fifteen feet from the surface of the water.

Jasper shifted and shone his flashlight in the direction they’d been heading. “Look at how close it’s getting to the surface of the water ahead of us.”

Matthew saw what Jasper meant, and his insides felt like they’d turned to stone. “Let’s hope it’s not a dead end.”

“Oh, please don’t even say that,” Robyn moaned.

“We probably should go back,” Cal said.

He turned to his friend. “Go back to where? There’s no way for us to get out back there.”

Cal was fiercely shaking his head. “I shouldn’t have come.”

Pain shot through Matthew. Whatever happened to his friends down here was on him. Cal might never see the love of his life again, and Robyn had finally made it to Egypt, her dream come true, and it was turning into a nightmare. He had to rally them. “We’ll get out of here.”

On a wing and a prayer…

“I appreciate you saying that, but you don’t know that,” Cal said.

“We’ll get out of this, Cal. Matthew is right,” Alex chimed in. Matthew looked at her, appreciating her backing him up.

“I have no plans of dying down here.” That was probably the closest Jasper came to offering reassurances. He spoke with his gaze glued to the ceiling ahead of them. Again, assuming that was ahead. With no reliable way of gauging what direction they were going, they could be swimming in circles.

“Me neither,” Robyn agreed.

A few beats of silence passed.

“That has to mean something…” Cal squinted when everyone’s lights hit him. “The ceiling getting lower,” he clarified.

Matthew wasn’t going to bring up the possibility of it being a dead end again.

Jasper’s flashlight cut out, and he resumed swimming.

“Where are you going?” Alex called out to him.

A few strokes later, Jasper replied, “I’m not going to just stay still and hope to be rescued.”

Alex turned to Matthew, and fear burrowed into every crease on her face. “I’m going to follow him.”

“We all should. We need to stay together.” Matthew hurried to clip his canteen back onto his pants. He and the others swam quickly, trying to catch up to Jasper, who had a solid head start. Matthew’s heart was thumping against his rib cage in no time.

“Do you see anything?” Alex sounded desperate.

Jasper stopped swimming. “The ceiling is definitely getting lower. I’d say it’s about ten feet from the surface of the water here.”

Did that even mean anything? Matthew longed to say something inspiring and motivational to light them with hope. But that would be a tall order, as he was struggling to stay positive himself. After all, it would only be a matter of time before they’d tire out and drown if there wasn’t divine intervention or some miraculous twist of fate.

They finally reached Jasper and gathered around him. He had his flashlight out again and was shining it ahead of them.

Matthew strained to see past the light into the shadows and beyond that into the darkness. He was trying to force himself to see something that didn’t exist. Still, he thought he could see shapes. He was probably succumbing to his exhaustion in much the same way a traveler in the desert does to a mirage. It was likely sheer determination that was inserting hope into an otherwise hopeless situation.

“I think there might be…” Alex snatched Jasper’s flashlight and began swimming with one arm while the other directed the flashlight.

“Might be, what?” Matthew followed her, and as he got closer, he was certain formations were emerging from the shadows.

“Is that…?” Alex’s words trailed off.

Jasper and Robyn caught up with them. Cal was still a bit behind, holding the module and antenna. Matthew grabbed the flashlight from Alex and set off, cutting through the water.

He slowed down when he was able to confirm his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. Here, the ceiling was only about eight feet above the water. And better yet, about two hundred feet ahead, there was land.