The Hollow (Rose of the Dawn Series Book 2) by Ily Maguire Page B

doing all this time. Her investors will be
sure to have dropped out by this point.”
    “So what do we
do?” I turn to Delia. She seems to have the answers. Tithonus has moved from
his seat and is gone. Has Jenny come down for him? Why didn’t she tell me
she was here?
    “We have to get
out of here,” Christophe says. “Leland, how much farther on the tunnel?”
    “The tunnel down
there?” I point to where Tithonus showed me.
    “Yes, but how do
you know—” Leland doesn’t finish. He brightens the light on his wrist and I
follow him down the tunnel. A few feet in, there is a door in the wall. Hewn of
wood, it is flush with the large limestones. A small latch sticks out of the
center of the wall. Leland pulls on it and the door creaks open partway.
    “Is that a way
out?” I ask.
    “It could be
with a bit more work,” Leland flashes his light inside. Christophe stands far
enough back and doesn’t look at us. I can’t see far because it’s still too
dark, but the walls seem to have collapsed in. Two twins are digging out the
sides of the tunnel, pushing dirt out of the way of beams that hold up the low
ceiling in sections like an underground mine.
    “Who are they?
Where does it lead?” I ask.
    “Archer and
Alex. They’re helping dig.” Leland states. Neither of them looks back, nor do
they stop digging.
    “We think it
used to go to the chapel, but that’s long gone.” Christophe adds. “We think it
may have already been a way in and out of the hospital before The Hollow got a
hold of it.”
    “Once it
collapsed, someone started digging. We’ve just been finishing the job,” Leland finishes,
looking around him.
    “How far does it
go?” I try to imagine.
    “It used to go
all the way out, until the end caved in. We had installed some support beams
and were taking shifts digging. If there were more of us, it would go faster.”
    A deafening shot
rings out and a scream pierces the air. Am I hallucinating again?
    “Jenny!” I cry
out, though I don’t know why.
    “We have to get
out of here now, Leland.” Delia says.
    He reaches down
for an old aluminum bedpan, dented and rusted. Christophe grabs a piece of
something that looks like it could’ve been attached to a wheelchair or
examination table. A footrest, maybe.
    “Let’s get the
door the rest of the way open,” Christophe says.
    “It won’t budge,
it’s stuck.” Leland steps back, out of the entrance.
    Leland kicks
another bedpan. It clanks against the floor and other metal detritus. Sound
bounces around the cavernous space.
    “We can squeeze
through, it’s fine,” Delia grabs Leland’s hand and pushes him through first.
“How far did you have left to go?” She asks before Christophe makes her go in
next.
    “There isn’t any
time to talk.” Christophe interrupts before Leland can answer. “My glasses will
be uploaded soon, if they haven’t been already.”
    “Not far,”
Leland calls from inside. “The soil is soft. We saw daylight. Roz, you come
through next.”
    “Give me a pan,
I can help dig.” I turn back as Christophe helps me through the door. I hold
out my artificial arm and Christophe puts a dented desk drawer into my hand. My
fingers grasp it, clutching it tight.
    I follow the
rest into the makeshift tunnel. Archer and Alex have gone ahead. The walls are
narrow and mostly dirt and rubble. I reach up, the ceiling crumbles, too.
    “Christophe?” I
stop and call back. I look over my shoulder and he stands behind, still in the
doorway. “You’re coming, too, aren’t you?”
    He shakes his
head.
    “Wait, why not?”
I don’t know how far up everyone is. I can’t see a thing ahead.
    “They’ll know every
move you make with me in tow. I’m going to go back and check on Jenny. And
Tithonus.”
    “Will you be
careful?” I turn completely around and head back to the door. It’s still so
dark.
    He nods.
    I put my hands
up on his shoulder and he leans down.
    I kiss his
cheek.
    “Please be
safe,” I say and