The Return
was in. Then he lowered himself back into the tunnel.
    Reaching the bottom, he tried to figure out which way he had gone before.
    It seemed darker in here than usual.
    He began to walk, looking on the ground for his phone.
    He walked and walked and couldn’t find it. Then he heard a slight noise behind him.
    Footsteps?
    Spinning around quickly, he saw someone rapidly approaching him.
    He wasn’t alone in the tunnel! Someone was coming. He turned to run.
    â€œTim, don’t run,” a voice called out. “Please don’t be afraid.”
    Tim’s mind raced.
He knows who I am!
He had no choice but to turn and face his pursuer.
    The person was beginning to come out of the shadows now and he could just make out his face.
    â€œTim, it’s me,” the voice said. “It’s Luke.”
    Everything went black. The last thing Tim remembered before falling to the ground was seeing a face hovering over him . . . Luke’s face.

Chapter 10
Hello Again
    â€œTim?”
    â€œWake up, Tim.”
    From somewhere in his consciousness, he could hear the voice calling but couldn’t seem to rouse himself. He tried to open his eyes, but it took too much effort.
    â€œJust let him come out of it on his own,” a female voice said.
    â€œWe don’t have time for this,” a man answered. “We have to move fast.”
    Tim didn’t recognize the voices. Had he even heard them in the first place?
    â€œGet a cold cloth and wipe his face with it.”
    This time the voice was familiar.
    â€œRusty,” Tim managed to say with a moan.
    His eyes slowly opened.
    â€œHe’s awake,” the woman said from across the room.
    â€œRusty?” Tim called out again.
    â€œYes, Tim, I’m here,” Rusty said. “You just passed out, but you’re going to be okay.”
    Suddenly Tim remembered the phone, the tunnel . . . Luke?
    He sat straight up from the bed where he was lying.
    â€œWhoa, take it easy,” Rusty said. “You hit your head pretty good.”
    â€œWhere am I?”
    Rusty moved to his side and sat on the edge of the bed.
    â€œYou’re in the cabin, you’re alright.”
    â€œI saw . . .” Tim stammered.
    â€œI saw Luke.”
    â€œHey, man,” Luke called out from a dark corner of the room. “I’m here.”
    The darkness filled his head like a black cloud, snuffing out all sound and sense.
    â€œOh, come on,” he heard the woman say before losing consciousness. “He’s out.”
    â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢
    Canary knew how to work these guys.
    Just promise information they desperately want in exchange for something he wants—like a breath of fresh air in the courtyard.
    The head guard had relented.
    What harm could it do after all?
    The compound was heavily guarded on the outside. Gates and thick walls prevented any unwanted entry. The courtyard was well inside the protected grounds.
    â€œI just want a little time to think,” Canary had said. “Give me some time alone in the yard, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
    The head guard had smirked.
    â€œYou think I’m letting you out there by yourself? I’m not that stupid,” he said with a laugh. “But I’ll tell you what, I won’t send the whole unit with you, just one guard—our biggest, strongest guard.”
    It was Canary’s turn to smirk when he saw who it was.
    â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢
    Cold water splashed on his face.
    â€œWhat the . . .”
    Tim jumped up.
    He was awake now, but the scene before him was definitely something out of a dream—or maybe a nightmare.
    Max stood in front of him with Rusty just to his left. A woman that looked vaguely familiar sat in a chair by the bed, and standing just above her was . . . Mr. Kull?
    Then from behind him, another familiar voice called out.
    â€œTim?”
    â€œLuke? What are you doing here? What’s going

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