chapter 54

In Which Jackson Hears an Ominous Sound (Ominous Means You’d Better Watch Out!)

It was hard to breathe in there. Jackson took deeper breaths, gasping a little as he coughed. The air was heavy, dank, and dark. The walls seemed to be made of dirt. Jackson reached out and scraped one with a finger. Spongy and moist. Dirt. Was he underground? Jackson reached into his satchel and pulled out the flashlight. He flicked on the switch and shone the light around. It didn’t reveal a lot. It was still dark, the walls were still made of dirt, and it was still hard to breathe.

“Tee hee hee!”

Jackson spun. There was nothing there.

“Tee hee hee!”

His head whipped around, his flashlight pointing in all directions, trying to find the source of the noise. The tittering, laughing, giggling didn’t sound friendly.

Jackson decided to be brave. He started walking. One foot in front of the other, his chest pounding as he gulped the stale air.

The tunnel seemed to get bigger up ahead. Jackson walked a bit faster. Then he blinked.