Beastly Winter — Chapter 14

Vic pointed the light ahead and saw that the shaft sloped downhill at an increasingly steep pitch.

“Watch your step, Bobby.” With his free hand, he touched the rough rock. It felt chilly but not damp.

“Vic, are we going down there?” Bobby’s teeth chattered, although it wasn’t really that cold here.

“At least a little. I want to see what’s ahead.” The flashlight beam didn’t indicate any leveling off. Neither did it reveal, as Vic had feared, any small human form on the cave floor.

He could hear his friend’s labored breathing, probably more a result of fear than of exertion. Vic became aware of his own tightening chest and tried to relax. This area was beehived with caves and, with an older cousin, he’d explored a number of them. His anxiety, he knew, was related to finding his brother’s coat at the tunnel entrance.

Why would Sonny be in a cave? One good thing. If he was here, he wouldn’t freeze.

Walking flatfooted, Vic took shorter steps to compensate for the floor’s slant. Five minutes later, the shape of the tunnel ahead changed. Vic groaned when he realized that the passageway branched, becoming two.

He felt movement at his side.

“What do we do, Vic? Can we go up now?”