Page 78 of Into The Rabbit Hole

“No, don’t say that. This isn’t you. Wade, Aaron is Richard,” she cried, shaking herhead.

He cupped her face. “I know, baby, listen, we have to get out of here.” He looked over at Taylor and Brian. Brian had just released Taylor, too, and held herface.

Taylor looked over athim.

“Wade, tell her it’ll be okay,” Wes said quickly. His voice sounded heavy with emotion and his breathing made the sound crackle with static. “She needs to be told that. It gives her strength. Just tell her I saidthat.”

“Taylor, Wes says everything will be okay,” Wadesaid.

“Wes? He’s here?” Taylor’s face immediately brightened. No one would have thought that they were in a cave and she had a bomb attached to her, with another on Chloe just paces away, a dead body, and all manner of hell breakingloose.

“Here.” Wade pointed to his ear and briefly pulled out the microphone so they could all see. He put it back. “He said you’d need to hear that forstrength.”

Brian smiled atthat.

“Tell him I love him,” Taylorreplied.

“Tell her I love her, too, but I’ll say it again when I see her inperson.”

Wade relayed the message and then looked back at Chloe. “Wes has been my eyes and ears, and he’ll get us out ofhere.”

Chloe managed a gratefulsmile.

Wade moved to her to look at thebomb.

“It’ll detonate if we take them off,” shemuttered.

“I know. I’m just checking the timer.” He lifted the flap and saw that they had 35minutes.

“35 minutes, Wes. What do we donow?”

“The mining carts. Go straight to them. They’re real old fashioned, but they look workable. You should be with me in less than ten minutes, and the bomb squad can disable the bombs,” Wesreplied.

“Come, let’s go. We have to use the mining carts. There’s a bomb squad with Wes. We just have to get tothem.”

They left the room and headed to the carts. Wes wasn’t joking about them being old fashioned, and they barely looked functional. But that was their ride. Wade helped Taylor and Chloe to get inside one cart, and then he and Brian got into the one at the front. There was a panel with buttons to press so that it would start up. Wade pressed a button that was labelledonand the whole screen lit up. Next to it was a green button which he presumed would make the cartgo.

“Let’s go, guys,” he said when he saw that they were all secured inside andready.

Brian nodded and Wade pressed the go button, bringing the thing to life. It must have been electrical with a connection in the rail. It roared to life and started moving at a quick pace, making an awful racket sound as it propelled along the rails. They moved along the twists and turns, then suddenly a spark on the rail caught his attention. Another one hit it and Wade realized they werebullets.

He looked up to where they came from and saw Zeek above them on one of the paths. He fired one shot afteranother.

“Get down!” Wade yelled. He attempted to go into the cart with Chloe and Taylor, but they were travelling too fast and he couldn’t. He looked up as more shots were fired and Zeek now ran along a platform. Within seconds he’d be across their route and he would be at the perfect angle to shoot themall.

Zeek laughed as he approached. Wade looked at him, gearing himself up to receive abullet.

“Wade, stay down!” Wes was yelling, but Wade couldn’t. He was gearing up to jump in the back cart to use his body to shield Chloe andTaylor.

He stood up, ready to turn and take off, when a piercing sound heaved through the air. Anothergun.

Something rippled straight into Zeek, a bullet from a shotgun that took off his whole arm. They all turned in the direction the bullet came from and Wade saw his father standing on the other side on the cavern. He held a shotgun, pointing it skillfully atZeek.

Wade watched him fire another shot that went straight to Zeek’s heart, taking him out and knocking him right over the path and into the abyss of thechasm.

“Dad!” Wade yelled, but his father just looked at him as the cart wentby.

“Dad!” Taylor cried, but he still didn’tanswer.