26 - Darkness and waiting

Within two hours, we have filled up the whole corridor to the basement and the secret door. I don't think it will do us much good, but it feels good to at least try and not just sit around and wait.

At 4 pm Zhan and I talked privately in the small bathroom. We don't want to just sit around here and find out what's in the basement of this building. Who knows, maybe there is a place here in the house after all that will lead us to a safer room than where we all are right now.

Yes, our fathers told us to stay by the phones. But they're not here, and they don't hear the scratching on the secret door. They haven't seen these creatures that are coming after us.

*~*~*

After a brief conversation with the others, Zhan and I then walked together back into the dark stairwell. We went to the approach that leads us downstairs. Zhan took my hand and together we went down step by step.

At the very end of the staircase, again just one floor down, a massive iron door very similar to the one in the cave awaited us. Somehow, I immediately prayed that it wasn't the exact door we couldn't get open.

Zhan pushed down on the door handle and the door opened. What awaited us was another staircase leading to another door. This door said, "To the tunnels." Damn, what tunnels?

Hesitantly we opened this door as well, a Massive and very thick door, the kind I usually only know from bunkers. A dark very long corridor was visible and somehow a breeze was also felt here.

Very, very slowly we entered the tunnel and all we could think of at first glance was, "Oh my God, there are cells here. So many cells." Didn't they tell us they kept the difficult patients in the basement? Was that what this basement was?

Hand in hand we walked to the first door, nervously I pulled it open by the handle. Behind it was a bedstead, a pot, and fixtures in the walls that might once have been used to hold the patient there. There were even scratch marks next to the door. Damn, what the hell was going on in this shithole? Why didn't they burn the place down after they found out what was going on?

Cell after cell, it was the same sight everywhere. After the tenth cell, we stopped counting. The tunnel just went on and on. When we finally reached the end of the long tunnel, one way led to the right, the other to the left.

Since the breeze was coming from the right, we followed it, not knowing, why actually? Going outside doesn't seem to be an option at the moment. Not until we know if these creatures are really lurking in the forest.

We entered the right tunnel and there were more cells here as well. But, also more tunnels. For example, there was this one tunnel leading to the left and not even ten meters further, another tunnel. Zhan said, "I don't think we should go anywhere here, this looks like a maze." I absolutely agreed with him there. Only, where was that breeze coming from?

And suddenly it occurred to me why it would be important to find out where the breeze was coming from. Because if there's a door there, and maybe it's open, then that means the creatures could come in here and do it completely without resistance.

We hurriedly made our way back to the others to discuss. We need to find out if there is a door that might not be locked.

*~*~*

It is now 5:45 pm and we have about 3 hours of daylight left. We all decided to go into the tunnels and look for that possible damn door. Luckily, our freakshow collectors even have white chalk in their collection. We'll use that to make markings so we can find our way back.

And, there are some kerosene lamps plus oil! So, we have a few more lights!

*~*~*

We're stuck once again, but this time we only have to spend this night here and then we can walk out of here tomorrow when the sun rises and get to freedom.

Everything started out normally. We gathered and walked together to the basement and to the tunnels. We marked our way by leaving arrows on the walls. All the tunnels, we discovered, were nothing more than dead ends, except for one.

We eventually came to another door that was unlocked. There were stairs leading up and back into daylight behind it. As we looked around, we were really startled. Because suddenly we were standing in one of the old barracks that we saw from the windows. The ones that belonged to the Crane Asylum.

Although from the outside the barracks still look as if the buildings were still intact, we had to realize that this is illusive. Inside, everything is destroyed, parts of the ceiling have already come down and most of the windows are missing their glass panes. Unfortunately, the windows are barred, so we could not get out. But, it now also explained where the strong breeze was coming from.

We continued to look around and Meng Yao pointed to a door. Or rather, to a place where there had once been a door. That answered the question of whether the creatures could find a way into the other building. Yes, definitely. We were as unsafe there as we were here. And it might have been more than luck that we didn't get a visit from these creatures already last night.

We left the barrack through the open door and faintly visible next to the door was a 3. I think that was the barrack where they had housed the children. Now, when you look around here, there's nothing recognizable about it. Somehow I am also glad about it.

Once outside and feeling the warm rays of the sun on our skin, we looked around to the building we came from. The supposed office building. I thought with the glass doors and windows, the building was easy to see. I thought it could be seen that this building was in use at least a few years ago. And likewise, I thought we could see anything of the cave. More than the mountain where the office building was built in, anyway.

More than the windows and the double-wing door could not be seen at all. The entire building is in that damn mountain!

Looking at the clock on my phone, I knew we had two hours of daylight left. And either we would have to go back to the building we came from, or we found another hiding place by then.

Han looked around very carefully, he was very silent and seemed to be thinking hard, and suddenly he shouted almost in euphoria, "I know how to get out of here. I know the way to the cave where all our stuff is!" And before anyone could say anything, he was already running. Strange that he could suddenly run like that, despite his wound.

Like crazy we ran after Han, having trouble keeping up, because we had to wait for Leni again and again, who had a speed of 100 meters per day because of her ankle.

It was criss-cross through the forest, over smaller hills, branches and roots that fought their way up. Bushes with thorns, nettles, over and through ant hills and on and on. When Leni could no longer, my brother took her on his back and carried her, then André took her.

We could see the sun setting and it getting darker and darker around us. I pulled Zhan along with me by his hand and didn't let go. I just pulled him along behind me. We were in pain, our breathing was completely out of control. But we kept running.

Han jumped over something, we did too, it didn't matter what it was, we didn't have time to look. My brother took over Leni again, while André, took Yanli on his back, because she was also at the end of her strength. And also Missy was only a short time later so finished that Cheng took her on his back. However, I only cared about Zhan and if I had to, I would have carried him too. But he endured and ran with me.

Darkness fell over us, Han yelled that we wouldn't make it, he suddenly changed the direction and ran another hundred meters until he stopped and looked for something on the ground. Gasping for air, we watched him until he knocked on something that sounded hollow. He searched for a moment more and then pulled hard on something that turned out to be a trap door.

Han shone down into the darkness and told us to crawl down the ladder one at a time. We did as he said and he yelled, "Faster, faster, I can hear them already."

Leni lost her footing and if André hadn't been able to grab her at the last moment, she would have simply crashed. I could see Han closing the hatch and pushing forward a very, very sturdy-looking and thick bolt.

I don't know how many meters it went down, but it seemed like an eternity. When we reached the bottom, we were standing on a concrete floor. Han disappeared into the darkness, there was a clatter where he was and shortly after a very loud noise. A generator! We had light.

Even though the generator was so loud, we could hear the banging on the hatch above us. Furiously, the creatures drummed on it. But the hatch could take it.

Zhan and I looked around the room we were in. It's not very big, there's nothing else here, no chairs, no table. Nothing, just the generator and a few canisters of diesel.

Han told us that at that time this room was used to hide alcohol and other things here. When asked how far it is to the cave where all our stuff is, Han said he didn't know for sure. "Maybe two or three more miles. Or maybe five." He explained.

How big is this damn forest?

Now we're sitting here, I guess we're safe for the night. But, we have no water. We haven't eaten in over 24 hours and we didn't sleep last night. We have our flashlights, whose batteries are almost at the end, and four kerosene lamps. Who knows if we have enough diesel here for the generator. It may even be a miracle that this old thing started at all.

I wonder all the time about the exhaust gases. Are they going to be all over the room soon? Or will that move up and out? Cause I don't want to suffocate here.

*~*~*

We are all exhausted, but no one wants to sleep. My brother, who had been silently watching Han and André the whole time, finally seemed to have the courage to ask them what we all wanted to know.

"Han, André. Just be honest with us, please. Did you, along with Brian and Sarah, hang the three crazy ones?" Asked my brother.

The two men looked at each other and finally shook their heads. "No. We didn't. Brian and Sarah said to us they were worried because you guys had been gone so long. They asked if we wanted to go see where you were. So we went with them to the stairwell. Han and I went to station 4, we knew you wouldn't be there, but we thought we could help you if we made a floor plan of the station. We don't know what station Brian and Sarah went to. They just told us they were going to go find you guys. - After an hour and a half, we had everything mapped out and even gathered some of our stuff together. When we walked out the door, the three of them were already hanging there. Brian and Sarah came down from upstairs. They were very calm and when they saw our startled faces, they pretended to be shocked as well. Han and I realized they were the ones who did it. But, we don't know how - We didn't say anything, but our looks must have given us away. Because Sarah suddenly held a gun out to us and said we can keep quiet or die. Brian told her to put the gun down and explained to us that they had to do it because they had become a danger and killed. They wanted to make sure the three of them didn't just run off and kill more people." Explained André and Han confirmed it.

I don't know if I can believe that it really happened exactly like that. It's hard to imagine because the two of them were alone and the three of them were totally freaked out. Would they have let a gun stop them?

Right now I'm too tired to think about it. However, with the noise the generator is making and our anxiety, we won't be able to sleep that night either. I hope we're not too weak tomorrow when we head back to the cave and then hopefully straight to our cars. Then I'll call my dad and everything will be fine.