The Voice of Reason

Chapter 4: The Warning

I didn't sleep as well that night. Perhaps it was because the ground was rockier and harder than last night's. Perhaps it was because the overcoat was stiff and starting to stink slightly. I didn't notice the smell until I was confined in the bedroll with Cal but without ventilation. Or perhaps I didn't sleep well because Cal stole most of the blanket in the middle of the night. That resulted in me shivering in the tunnel breeze and morally debating whether I should pull the blankets back over and risk waking her up too. Well, at least there was ventilation now. I pulled the overcoat tightly around me and curled myself into a ball on the hard ground. There was one layer of blanket between us and the solid rock, which I was grateful for.

I tried not to think of the story Aidan had told me. It didn't help that we were sleeping in a dark, lonely tunnel that could very well have been one where Liana had traveled. Who else had traveled these tunnels? Were we sleeping where Inferiors had walked? How close could they be? If they were far away, how big and expansive were these tunnel systems? How much more was out there?

I still couldn't sleep. I tried to distract my mind with other thoughts. Oh yeah, the Atrium! In moments of boredom, during the long hours of walking, Aidan and Cal described the Atrium. I had learned about the underground pool where mineral water collected from a hot spring. It served for bathing. There was a large, flat area where sports and activities could be held. There was a small historical center, which contained journals and maps from explorers. There were books on botany, which showcased all of the vegetation found in well-lit caverns and tunnels: herbs, shrubs, flora, shoots, vines, liverworts, and ferns. And, of course, the mushrooms and blue fungus that we ate for the past two dinners.

My mind wandered to the one thing I knew almost nothing about: the Society. What would they be like? Would they like me? Would I like them? My thoughts slowed down. A wave of anxiety rolled over me. What if they weren't good people? What if everything went wrong? Would I be able to leave again?

I realized the more questions I asked wouldn't make any answers come sooner. I had to sleep. I wanted to stop thinking. I wanted to calm down and fall asleep. I gently tugged enough of the blanket back from Cal to wrap around myself, and I shifted till my back was to her, almost touching hers. I listened to her gentle breaths. I tried to match their rhythm. I breathed in and out with her. I stared at Aidan. He always slept on his side, facing me. His black hair fell across his forehead. His mouth hung slightly open. His blanket was pulled up to his chin. He looked like a small child. I smiled. It was sincere. It calmed my fluttering heart and quieted my flustered head. The world seems all the more innocent when it is asleep.

I sighed. I wasn't alone; I had Cal and Aidan. They would be with me every step of the way. Everything would be all right. I closed my eyes, and sleep overtook me.

Morning commenced with Cal shaking Aidan and I awake. Despite the restless night, I was relieved and eager to get up and keep moving. We ate a quick breakfast and set off.

That day, the tunnel dissolved into a maze. There were twists and turns and small crevices every couple of steps. Call had to pull out one of her hand-drawn maps and follow along with her finger as we traversed the maze. The tunnel grew thinner and thinner. We came to a fork in the tunnel with 5 branches, all of differing sizes. Cal led the way through the fork to the far right. She held her lamp high in front of her. I tried to keep a mental map of the path we were taking. This tunnel continued to shrink as we squeezed onward. At its thinnest, the sides of the gray backpacks brushed each wall at the same time. Cal and Aidan had to walk carefully to keep from getting stuck. We all had to crouch and duck, especially Aidan.

There were a lot of good hiding places in this stretch of the tunnels. The thought comforted me as my mind sorted through various nightmarish scenarios. I could hide from anything here. Then I realized that Inferiors could obviously use the same hiding places. There went the comfort.