Chapter 43
Xavier
The water finally recedes, and I emerge from the pool, my clothes heavy and clinging to my skin. My breath is visible as tiny puffs of air, the cold penetrating the marrow of my bones.
“Now we know where the splashing and cussing came from,” I mutter.
Eventually, the tunnel opens up to a small cavern with three possible routes to take. We stop, each man considering his options.
“The left tunnel slopes downward, potentially leading to another pool of water,” I say. “The right, while narrower, continues on the same level. The middle is darker than the others. I’m taking the right tunnel, but you don’t have to.”
Declan claps me on the back. “Of course I’m going with you. I need someone to set off the boobytraps for me.”
“You’re such a dick.” I turn to look at Benjamin. “You coming?”
When he nods, I start walking. After several minutes, the echoes of my steps change, my instincts flaring. Something about the sound is off. It’s hollower, less solid. I stop and extend the pipe to tap the ground, listening to the response of each touch.
Tap. Tap. A thud, then a hollow echo. It’s a warning.
I apply a bit more pressure, and the ground just inches in front of me gives way, crumbling into a dark void below. Benjamin and Declan, a few paces behind, curse as they watch the floor collapse.
“Good catch,” Declan murmurs, his voice low, a mix of relief and admiration in his eyes. “Told you. You make an excellent guinea pig.”
I ignore his joke. “I’m turning back and taking the other tunnel. If you want to keep going forward, take the pipe to gauge the structural integrity of the ground.”
Declan shakes his head. “Nah, man, I’m good.”
“Same,” Benjamin says, his eyes still wide.
We head back the way we came. Although retracing our steps might cost us some time, it’s better than plunging to our deaths. Within a matter of minutes, we reach the entrance to the other tunnels, and I stride forward, selecting the middle one.
My flashlight is weak against the enveloping darkness that stretches endlessly ahead. The only sounds are our footsteps and my steady breathing that bounces off the walls, amplifying my unease.
I focus, trying to overlay the mental map burned into my memory as a child over the labyrinthine reality before me. What I recall has the hairs on my neck rising.
“This tunnel is full of trip wires,” I say. “Watch your step.”
“How do you know?” Declan asks.
“My father used to leave me in these tunnels during the college reunions.”
“Well, that’s fuc—”
“Stop!” I say, raising my hand to signal Benjamin and Declan. They come to a halt, standing stiller than marble statues.
I wiggle my flashlight, and the light reflects off a thin, almost invisible wire that stretches across the path at ankle height. I kneel to inspect it and the surrounding area. Once I determine it’s safe to proceed, I carefully step over it, ensuring I don’t apply any pressure.
They follow suit. Just as Benjamin clears the wire, there’s a shuffling behind us.
We all spin around to find Eric, who has carelessly tripped the wire.
Instantly, the sound of mechanical whirring fills the air, and the chamber in front of us is flooded with light. Ominous red beams crisscross the entire space, creating a deadly grid of infrared lasers.
Declan throws up his hands. “Motherfucker!”
The beams form a complex web, with some moving slowly, creating dynamic obstacles. I reach down to grab a handful of dirt and chuck it at the lasers. A crackling sound fills the air.
I look at Eric. “Gage, I’m not going through this with you behind me, ready to shove my ass into the lasers. Either you go first or the three of us are going to kill you. In the name of self-defense, of course.”
“I’ll show you fuckers how it’s done,” he says.
Eric steps forward, his face set in a grim mask of determination. His posture is stiff, overly confident. Typical for him.
As he navigates through the first few beams, he moves with a surprising grace, ducking and weaving with the kind of agility that speaks of his rigorous training.
His eyes are fixed ahead, focused intensely on the pattern of the lasers.
We stand back, watching his every move, ready for any possibility.
“I hope you die,” Declan shouts.
Eric lifts his arm to flip off Declan, and his shoulder strays too close to one of the higher beams. The moment his skin makes contact, there’s a bright flash of light and a sizzling sound. Eric jerks back violently, a sharp cry escaping his lips.
“Damn it!” he curses, clutching his shoulder. The smell of burned fabric and singed skin fills the air.
“Are you okay, honey boo?” Declan calls out, his voice high-pitched and laced with mockery.
Eric ignores him, busy assessing the damage, his face contorted in pain. He looks back at us, his expression darkening. “Just a burn. Unfortunately for you motherfuckers, I’ll live.”
I carefully step over a low beam, twist my body to avoid a vertical sweep, and then carefully duck under another. The confined space and the need for absolute precision make it a slow, nerve-wracking process.
Behind me, Benjamin follows closely, mimicking my movements. Declan, larger in build, struggles slightly more but manages to keep up, sweat beading on his forehead under the strain of concentration.
Once we all safely clear the laser grid, the tension among us eases slightly.
And Eric is nowhere to be found.
Dawn is hours away, and while the pressure of the ticking clock is ever present, I keep my ultimate goal in mind: to keep myself and Benjamin alive. Not just during the Trial, but after, which is becoming more impossible the longer I dwell on it.
As we press deeper into the shadowy corridors of the tunnel, the silence is oppressive, punctuated only by the soft sounds of our cautious movements. The air is cool and damp, clinging to my skin, a contrast to the warmth I felt when last with Delilah. The image of her flashes in my mind.
The way she says my name when she comes.
The way her eyes light up when I touch her.
The way her body takes my cock, welcoming it home.
For a fleeting moment, I allow myself to dwell on her, on what she means to me. It offers a brief respite from the tension, but then the reality of the moment returns. I can’t afford any distractions, not even Delilah.
With a mental shake, I force those thoughts aside and refocus on the task at hand, my senses heightened. Every shadow could be a trick of the light, every slight echo might mask the sound of a trap activating. I need to be wholly present, alert to every detail in my environment.
The floor beneath us shifts slightly, a subtle, unnerving tremor. My pulse kicks up a notch as I halt, signaling to Benjamin and Declan to stop.
“Did you feel that?” I whisper.
Both nod, their gazes darting all around, searching for the source.
“Remember the briefing about possible cave-ins? Keep an eye on the walls and the ceiling,” I say, pointing out a crack that snakes its way up the wall to the top. “Any sign of movement, and we need to backtrack immediately.”
As we move forward, the air grows colder, denser. A drop of water plinks loudly as it hits the rocks below, the sound amplified in the enclosed space. Our lights land on small puddles, the water still, undisturbed, as if waiting for something to shatter the silence.
The walls of the tunnel glisten with moisture, and the ground becomes increasingly slick. Every inch of this place could be a trap. My caution pays off when I notice a slight discoloration on the floor ahead.
Kneeling, I set down the pipe and extend my hand, holding it above the surface. A faint heat radiates from the patch, licking at my palm. “It’s an electrified trap,” I call out.
After walking around the metal plate, I continue forward. Farther down, the narrow path forces me to move with even more care. Every so often, I glance back, ensuring that the others are with me.
My heart beats faster when familiarity tugs at the edges of my consciousness. I know these pathways; as a child, they were my secret haunts, places where I felt safe from the demands of my father.
“We’re almost at the end of the Trial,” I murmur to Benjamin and Declan, scanning the dimly lit corridor ahead.
My mind races, trying to piece together a plan. We’re close now, close to the hidden room I used to escape to. If I can get Benjamin there, I can protect him, at least temporarily.
“Are you serious?” Declan asks. “It’s about fucking time. I swear my nuts are chafing from my pants being wet.”
With eagerness, he steps ahead of me, his boot pressing down on what seems like ordinary dirt. But then there’s a metallic click, barely audible over our movements. Before I can shout a warning, a panel in the tunnel wall slides open, releasing a dense white substance.
“Gas!” I shout, my voice muffled by my arm as I cover my nose and mouth. The vapor fills the tunnel rapidly, a creeping fog that’s meant to disorient us. If the sparkling in my vision wasn’t enough of a clue, the flying skulls with wings was a dead giveaway.
“This way!” I drop the rusted pipe and grab Benjamin’s arm, pulling him with me, away from the main path. Declan, slightly ahead, fumbles as he walks, his curses muted by the thickening haze.
Shadows morph into grotesque figures, and the walls seem to pulse and twist unnaturally. I keep my grip on Benjamin, who stumbles beside me, coughing through the material of his shirt.
I don’t waste my precious oxygen by saying anything to him. Guided by memory more than sight, I find the small, almost invisible seam in the concrete that marks the entrance to my old hideaway. After twisting the section of pipe, the hidden wall swings silently open.
Inside, the air is clear, the small space untouched by the chaos outside. I usher Benjamin in quickly, then glance back to make sure Declan isn’t following as I shut the door.
I cough until I’m about to puke. After a few seconds of breathing the untainted air, I straighten and turn on the lights. My vision isn’t clear yet, but I can see well enough. If I ignore the skulls floating in the air.
“McKenzie, listen to me,” I say, turning to face him. “I don’t have much time, so don’t interrupt.”
Benjamin watches me intently, his back pressed against the cool stone wall, the faint light casting shadows across his features. I wonder what his hallucinations contain . . .
“My father has plans for you after the Trial,” I say. “Once you’re a crow and have access to the catacombs, he wants you to unlock the McKenzie family vault.”
“Why?”
“It’s unlocked with a DNA code, so you’re the only one who can. Your father designed it before you were born.”
Benjamin’s eyes narrow, a spark of unease flickering within. “And after I open the vault?”
I take a preparatory breath. “He expects me to kill you.”