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  “I won’t.”

  “Not even your mom, or best friend, or anyone.”

  “I won’t.” She put her arms around his neck. “I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

  Her touch caused his heart to speed up in his chest, sending a tingle into his weakened arms. Darren’s hands moved to the curve of Audrey’s hips.

  Without another word, Audrey reached up, and kissed Darren.

  “Whoa, didn’t need to see that,” another voice said.

  Darren and Audrey separated their lips and turned to look at the source of the voice.

  “How’d you get out?” Darren said.

  Audrey’s arms dropped from Darren and he let go of her hips a moment later.

  Jack laughed. He started to speak, but stopped himself when he looked at Audrey. “I’ll tell you later.”

  “You can tell me in front of her,” Darren said.

  Audrey looked up at Darren for a moment, but said nothing.

  Jack’s face tightened. “You told her?” he asked. “After the whole big speech I got, you told her anyways?”

  Darren stepped forward. “She caught me before I got the manhole-I mean the hatch closed up. What was I supposed to say? I was caught red handed.”

  “You said no one else could know!”

  “I had no choice!”

  Audrey raised her hand, slow and timid. “It’s my fault, and I promise I won’t tell anyone about this.”

  Jack sighed.

  “I’m sorry I had to tell her, but she caught us in the act,” Darren said. He shared a glance with Audrey. “She can be trusted to keep a secret. I know she can.”

  Jack shook his head. “Fine, good.” He looked up at Audrey. “Welcome to the club.”

  “Now will you tell us how you got out?” Darren said.

  Jack raised his arm and pointed down the aisle without giving it any real aim. “There’s another hatch halfway across the building.”

  “Another hatch?”

  “Well, at least two actually.”

  “Two?”

  “I came out of the second one I found.”

  “Where was that one?”

  “The boiler room,” Jack said. He waved his shirt on himself. “And it’s rather hot in there too.”

  “Jeez,” Darren said.

  “You’re telling me,” Jack said. “And that wasn’t the best part.”

  “Then what was?”

  “The tunnel didn’t stop there, it kept going.”

  “But the boiler room is at the end of the building.”

  “Exactly.”

  Audrey chimed in “The tunnel isn’t just under the library?”

  Jack shook his head. “It kept going, further than the light or my voice could travel.”

  “Where does it go?” Darren asked. “I figured it was only beneath the library, so if it isn’t, where does it go?”

  Jack shrugged. “From that little look, I couldn’t tell you,” he said. “But at least I plan on finding out.”

  “Wasn’t the boiler room locked?” Audrey asked.

  “Only from the outside,” Jack said. “I bet fire codes force it to be free passage out of the room.”

  “So we can’t get back in there,” Audrey said, looking toward the hatch buried beneath the bookshelf.

  Jack smiled. “I took care of that,” he said. “Tore off a piece of cardboard from a box and shoved it into the strike plate so the door couldn’t lock shut.”

  “I hope no one realizes it’s there.”

  “I think we’re safe, at least for the night. Next time the maintenance men show up, we might be in trouble, but I doubt they show up that often.”

  “What was down there?” Darren asked.

  “Nothing but dust and a few dead mice.”

  “Did you see where Troy’s footprints went? Did they stop at one of those other hatches that you found?”

  Jack shook his head.

  Darren’s eyes widened. “They kept going?”

  Jack nodded.

  Darren shook his head. “I wish we knew what was down there.”

  “Only one way to find out,” Jack said.

  “I don’t know, after what happened to Troy?”

  Jack shrugged. “Ain’t gunna stop me. Troy wasn’t the brightest of the bunch.”

  Darren sighed.

  Audrey put her arm around his waist and pulled herself to him. “You know, I’m getting quite curious myself.”

  “But look at what happened to Troy when he got caught snooping around down there. I can’t afford to get in trouble here, I need my scholarship.”

  “I think we can be a bit smarter about it than Troy was.”

  “That may be, but that doesn’t mean we can get away with it.”

  “Come on man,” Jack said. “Don’t be a spoil sport.”

  Audrey snapped her head toward Jack. The waves of her hair struck Darren's shoulder as soft as a falling leaf. “If you act like that, I’m not going to let him go anywhere.”

  Jack stepped backwards, raising his hands in defense.

  Audrey looked back up to Darren. “I think I would like to take a look down there,” she said. “But I’m not going to go without you.”

  “Are you asking me to go?” Darren said.

  Audrey looked into his eyes for a second before she spoke. “I guess I am.”

  Darren closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was curious himself, more curious than he ever had been about anything before. But was it worth the risk of getting caught and kicked out of school like Troy was?

  No. Absolutely not.

  “I can’t go down there,” Darren said. “It isn’t worth the risk, I’m sorry.”

  Audrey sighed and leaned her forehead against Darren’s shoulder.

  Jack shook his head. “I’m still going,” he said. “You’re welcome to come with me Miss Wilde.”

  “Not without Darren,” she said without moving her head.

  Darren put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a light squeeze. “I’m sorry. There’s just too much at stake.”

  Audrey nodded with her forehead still against his shoulder. “I understand.”

  “Are you going back down there now?” Darren asked.

  “Heck no,” Jack said. “I’m going tomorrow when I have more time.”

  Darren nodded. “Tell you what, I’ll at least keep a look out for you.”

  “You just want to know what I find.”

  “Yeah, but I can’t let you get caught either.”

  Jack nodded. “Alright, we’ll go after classes tomorrow then.”

  Darren nodded.

  “I’ll keep you company,” Audrey said to Darren. “If you want.”

  “I’d like that more than anything.”

  Jack groaned. “Do you two need some more time alone?” he asked. “More time to suck face?”

  Darren rolled his eyes. “I'll see you back at the room.”

  Jack nodded. “Yeah, yeah,” he said. “Miss Wilde, it was a pleasure to meet you. It wasn’t exactly a real introduction, but it works for me.”

  “You too,” Audrey said.

  Jack turned, gave a wave with the back of his hand, and walked away. The back of his shirt and pants were covered in dark red rust stains, but Darren decided not to mention it to his roommate.

  “That’s my roommate by the way,” Darren said after Jack was out of sight.

  “I gathered that.”

  “I suppose I get to walk you back to your room a second time.”

  “Twice in one night, I must be lucky.”

  “I think it’s the other way around, I’m the lucky one.”

  Audrey’s smile enlarged and she reached up for a kiss. “There’s something special about you,” she said. “I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something about you that I find very endearing.”

  “My good looks?”

  “Maybe, it’s at least not your sense of humor.”

  “Ha, ha,” Darren said in mock laughter.


  “There’s just something about you that I find so comfortable, so right,” she said. “I’ve never really had a serious boy friend, but there is something so different about you than any other guy I’ve met before. I barely know you, but there’s just something that I can’t seem to resist.”

  “I’m not special.”

  “I think you are.”

  “You don’t know me though. We just met yesterday.”

  “So you have a habit of kissing girls a day after meeting them, and not even going out on a proper date with them?”

  “Well, no.”

  “I'm good at judging people, and I’m telling you, you’re a special one. I want to get to know you.”

  “I want to know you too.”

  “So?”

  Darren frowned. “What?”

  “Are you going to ask me out on a proper date?”

  Darren froze. He wanted to. God did he want to. But he still had Rachel he was attached to. He needed to figure out what to do before he got too far with Audrey. He knew what he wanted, but how could he do that to Rachel? “I’m... uh.”

  “I’m free tomorrow night.”

  Darren nodded. How could he say no? He wanted to be with her more than anything, more than the tunnel beneath him. Rachel was the only obstacle. “Tomorrow is good with me.”

  Audrey’s smile rose higher. She reached up and kissed Darren.

  He’d have the day to figure out what to do about Rachel before the date. He had to keep some time reserved for the tunnel after class, but he would have plenty of time to figure out how to handle Rachel during the day. He probably wouldn’t see her until Saturday anyways because of her parties after class, so that would give him overnight to figure it out too. An entire night with Audrey.

  Darren blushed and tried to turn his thoughts back on track.

  “Wow,” Audrey said. “We’re going to be together most of the day, aren’t we?”

  “I guess so,” Darren said. “Lunch to work on the paper, the morning to walk to class, after class for the tunnel, and then a real date afterwards. It’s going to be a busy day.”

  “I think we’ll have fun together.”

  “I know we will.”

  “We’ll have to find time this weekend to work on the paper though.”

  “Maybe we’ll even find time for another date.”

  “Maybe you won’t like me after tomorrow night.”

  “I doubt that will happen.”

  Audrey smiled with a small chuckle. “So,” she said. “You going to walk me home again?”

  “It would be my pleasure.”

  Audrey slipped her arm around Darren’s and grabbed his elbow in her hand. “Lead the way.”

  “Didn’t you come to look for your notebook?”

  “I found something better instead.”

  Chapter 17

  Darren pushed into his dorm room to find Jack already on his computer, typing another message to a friend only a couple floors away. He still had his jacket on, and his flash light was on the desk beside him, telling Darren that the man walked into the room and went straight to his computer without a second thought.

  Probably telling all his buddies about the tunnel right now.

  He better not be. Or there will be hell to pay.

  “I figured you would take longer to get back to the room,” Jack said without removing his eyes from the computer.

  “Just walked Audrey to her dorm and came back here,” Darren said as he tossed his jacket over the back of the chair.

  “I figured you two would be too busy sucking face.”

  “Jealous?”

  “Not really. But she is a hot one,” Jack said. “I was just wondering what Rachel would have said if she saw that.”

  Darren froze in place. “Look, it’s not like I didn’t try t-”

  “You don’t have to explain to me,” Jack said. “I don’t care. I just wanted to warn you, as a friend, that you need to be careful stepping over girls like that.”

  Darren fell back into his chair. “I didn’t mean for it to happen,” Darren said. “It just did. I know it’s unfair to Rachel, and I need to figure out what to do about it.”

  “Well, just be careful until you decide.”

  “I think I already have decided, I just need to convince myself to go through with it.”

  “Don’t wait too long.”

  “I won’t.”

  “But tell me one thing.”

  Darren looked up at Jack. What?”

  “Is she as good a kisser as I believe she is?”

  “Better.”

  Jack smiled. “I’d skip over that when you let Rachel down.”

  “I just need to make myself do it now.”

  “She probably sees it coming.”

  “I have seen it for awhile. I just didn’t want to admit it,” Darren said. “I knew it was on its last legs between us, but I couldn’t tell myself it was really over.”

  “But now-”

  “Now Audrey entered the picture.”

  “And it’s made you see things a bit clearer, hasn’t it?”

  Darren nodded. “Rachel and I are over,” he said. “It’s been over. She probably knows that as much as I do.” The image of the red mark near her groin came to mind. “In fact, I think she’s known longer than I have.”

  “I’m sure it’s for the best.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Audrey seems like a good person.”

  “She does, but I barely know her yet.”

  “You two will get along I’m sure.”

  “I hope so.”

  “You must think so already.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Oh, just because you have already told her about the tunnel and Troy.”

  Darren rolled his eyes. “I told you, she caught me red handed. I had no choice but to tell her what was going on.”

  “You could have lied.”

  “Me?”

  “Okay, maybe not.”

  Jack pushed his mouse aside, but continued to face the monitor in front of him. “You could have told her it wasn’t any of her business though.”

  “That would be a bit rude, don’t you think?”

  “You could have found a way to say it nice.”

  “Well, it’s a bit late now either way,” Darren said. “Three of us know, and I think all three of us can be trusted to keep it secret.”

  “I used to think I could trust you,” jack said. “Guess I was wrong.”

  “Look, I’m sorry, but I got caught off guard. She won’t tell anyone, I know she won’t.”

  “She better not.”

  “She won’t.”

  Jack nodded and put his hand back on the mouse, moving and clicking it across the blue pad it rested on.

  “Now are you going to tell me what you saw down there?” Darren asked.

  “I already did,” Jack said. “A lot of dust and a lot of cement.”

  “But that’s it?”

  “You didn’t see anything beyond the last hatch?”

  “Nothing within reach of the light. I was more curious as to where I was, because the library’s light vanished, I had no clue where I was.”

  “I wonder how far it goes.”

  “Me too, hence why I’m going back down there.”

  “What if it goes sheer across campus?”

  “I don’t know if it goes that far.”

  “Could you see the end of it?”

  “No, but that’s a long way to go for a small cement tunnel.”

  “I guess.”

  Jack sniffled and cleared his throat. “And it sure doesn't smell very good down there.”

  “I suppose not,” Darren said. “There’s no way to know how old the air is down there. With those big steel doors being the only openi-”

  “That we’ve seen.”

  Darren nodded. “It must not get very good ventilation down there.”

  “Probably doesn’t get any.”

  “
What about the sound?” Darren asked. He sat forward in his chair. “Troy said there as hissing noise and a thunk sounding like an old press.”

  “I heard it,” Jack said. “But it came from further down the tunnel, so I couldn’t find out what it was.”

  Darren sat back in his chair, letting out a loud sigh.

  “It was getting louder as I went further, but I couldn’t tell how much further it was down there. Quite a ways would be my guess. Not clear across campus, but a ways nonetheless.”

  “Maybe tomorrow.”

  “We’ll see,” Jack said. He glanced at Darren, then turned his eyes back to the screen in front of him. “Don’t know how far I can go without knowing if there are more hatches further down. Are you claustrophobic?"

  “I’ve never had a problem before,” Darren said. He paused, thinking of the manhole in Kingston. “But it’s just being in the dark, having no idea where you are or if the next exit will actually be open.” He shrugged.

  “Why don’t you just come with me? I’m sure that if there’s someone else there it won’t feel that way.”

  Darren sighed. “I can’t risk it. I can’t get kicked out of school like Troy was.”

  Jack turned his chair to face Darren. “But I think we can do it without getting caught," he said. “In fact, I’m positive.”

  “Troy got caught.”

  “He probably got caught because someone stumbled upon the open hatch in the library when they were closing up. If we leave no sign that we were there, no one will expect a thing.”

  “You do have a point.”

  “We can go through the hatch in the boiler room, and close it behind us. I was able to open it myself from down below, so I know we won’t get stuck down there.”

  “But what about where Troy was caught? We know he didn’t turn around and try to exit out of the library, and we know no one followed after him because there were no footprints following him. They caught up to him somewhere further up the tunnel."

  “But they had a reason to look for him. They probably saw the prints going in one direction so they ran ahead to another hatch further down and cut him off. If they don’t know we’re down there, they won’t try that on us.”

  “What if someone’s watching it now that they know at least one other student knows about it?”

  “I doubt that’s the case. They probably figured you’ve been properly scared off with what happened to Troy and the threat today.”

  “They did do a good job at that.”