“Guys, come on!” Marcus demanded. “I can’t keep shoving this bowl into their faces without help!”
Kallie started chanting along first, then Ava and I joined in. “I am love. I am light. You cannot hurt me!”
Marcus’ voice grew, until it echoed off the walls of the tunnel. His boots squeaked as he stood. “I am love. I am light.YOU CANNOT HURT ME!”
The ghostly hands on me drew back, though the pain continued to ebb and flow throughout my body. The ghosts gave a deafening, hallowed cry, and Marcus took off running down the tunnel.
“I AM LOVE. I AM LIGHT. YOU CANNOT HURT ME!” His voice faded as he chased the ghosts away. Rishi screeched and tore off after him. The tunnel fell silent, apart from Marcus’ echoing voice.
I groaned as I rolled off Ava. She panted, as did Kallie. Oberi rushed between Ava and me, pressing his nose to either of us in turn. I lay on the cave floor, enjoying the cold pressure on my sore back.
“Holy fuck,” Kallie gasped. “That was intense.”
“But we made it,” Ava said. “That’s one trap down. Only a few more to go.”
Hell, what if we couldn’t make it out of those ones?
But I told Ava I’d help, and I didn’t think I’d find my way back on my own, so I had to keep going.
Time passed. I worried Marcus had been taken by the ghosts, until I heard the sound of footsteps. Marcus and Rishi returned, panting over us. “They’re… gone.”
I pushed myself to my feet. I was sore everywhere, but I’d gotten used to it with all the fighting I’d been doing this semester. It was the others I was worried about. “Thanks, bro.”
“Yeah,” Kallie added. “That was very… brave.”
Was that admiration I detected in Kallie’s tone?
“Is everyone all right?” I asked.
Ava sighed from beside me. “Sore, but I’ll live.”
“Sore?” Marcus squeaked. “Ava, you have blood running down your face.”
My stomach hollowed, and I reached out for her cheek. Blood coated my fingers, and she yanked away.
“I said I’ll live,” she snapped.
“We should get that patched up,” I insisted.
“It’s fine,” she countered.
“I stole a first-aid kit from the infirmary earlier this semester,” Marcus said. “Hang on.”
He conjured and distributed gauze pads and disinfectant wipes. We cleaned up the blood— it seemed everyone had at least a few scratches that were oozing— and continued down the tunnel.
The walk was quiet. The only sound came from our boots on the cave floor, and the rustle of our mining uniforms. I half expected the ghosts to return, but they didn’t.
After several long minutes, Kallie asked, “How much farther do you think—?”
Click.
My friends all shrieked at once, and Oberi stilled from beside me. My heart gave a start.
“What?” I demanded.
“Our lights went out!” Kallie cried. She smacked her helmet, as if that would get the light to turn back on.
I stilled. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
