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 couldnât find it. Then he heard a slight noise behind him.
Footsteps?
Spinning around quickly, he saw someone rapidly approaching him.
He wasnât alone in the tunnel! Someone was coming. He turned to run.
âTim, donât run,â a voice called out. âPlease donât be afraid.â
Timâs 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.
âTim, itâs me,â the voice said. âItâs Luke.â
Everything went black. The last thing Tim remembered before falling to the ground was seeing a face hovering over him . . . Lukeâs face.
Chapter 10
Hello Again
âTim?â
âWake up, Tim.â
From somewhere in his consciousness, he could hear the voice calling but couldnât seem to rouse himself. He tried to open his eyes, but it took too much effort.
âJust let him come out of it on his own,â a female voice said.
âWe donât have time for this,â a man answered. âWe have to move fast.â
Tim didnât recognize the voices. Had he even heard them in the first place?
âGet a cold cloth and wipe his face with it.â
This time the voice was familiar.
âRusty,â Tim managed to say with a moan.
His eyes slowly opened.
âHeâs awake,â the woman said from across the room.
âRusty?â Tim called out again.
âYes, Tim, Iâm here,â Rusty said. âYou just passed out, but youâre going to be okay.â
Suddenly Tim remembered the phone, the tunnel . . . Luke?
He sat straight up from the bed where he was lying.
âWhoa, take it easy,â Rusty said. âYou hit your head pretty good.â
âWhere am I?â
Rusty moved to his side and sat on the edge of the bed.
âYouâre in the cabin, youâre alright.â
âI saw . . .â Tim stammered.
âI saw Luke.â
âHey, man,â Luke called out from a dark corner of the room. âIâm here.â
The darkness filled his head like a black cloud, snuffing out all sound and sense.
âOh, come on,â he heard the woman say before losing consciousness. âHeâs out.â
â¢â¢â¢â¢â¢
Canary knew how to work these guys.
Just promise information they desperately want in exchange for something he wantsâlike 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.
âI just want a little time to think,â Canary had said. âGive me some time alone in the yard, and Iâll tell you whatever you want to know.â
The head guard had smirked.
âYou think Iâm letting you out there by yourself? Iâm not that stupid,â he said with a laugh. âBut Iâll tell you what, I wonât send the whole unit with you, just one guardâour biggest, strongest guard.â
It was Canaryâs turn to smirk when he saw who it was.
â¢â¢â¢â¢â¢
Cold water splashed on his face.
âWhat the . . .â
Tim jumped up.
He was awake now, but the scene before him was definitely something out of a dreamâor 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.
âTim?â
âLuke? What are you doing here? Whatâs going
Under the Cover of the Moon (Cobblestone)