“There is someone in here with us,” Albertsaid after a moment. “I swear to you it’s not me. I didn’t comehere to hurt you and I won’t let anything else hurt you. I thinkI’ve done enough damage already by talking you into coming with mein the first place.”

“You didn’t talk me into it,” she said. “Icame because I wanted to. It’s like Grandma’s basement. I nevercould resist the adventure.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“I know.” She looked up at him with eyesthat were now more hurt than hateful. “I want to believe you sobad. I need to believe you. If I can’t, then that means I’m allalone down here.”

Albert nodded. “You’re not.”

“But all I know is that you broughtme the box, you figured it out, you solved all thepuzzles and brought me here and… And when I woke up just now, youwere gone and so were our clothes.”

“Yeah, I guess that does look pretty bad forme.”

“I thought for a minute that you’d just leftme there.”

“I’d never.”

“But I thought you did. I couldn’t thinkstraight. My head hurt. Everything hurt.” She glanced to theside as she said this, embarrassed, and Albert knew what she meantby that. His genitals hurt after the furious sex they’d shared. Herwomanly parts probably hadn’t fared much better. “I didn’t thinkabout the reasons,” she went on. “I just knew that somethingstrange happened and I was naked and alone.”

“I meant to be back before you woke up.”

Brandy said nothing.

“You can have the flashlight. I meant that.Yours broke when you dropped it. If it makes you feel better, keepit.” He placed it on the floor and slid it over to where she sat.She grabbed it and clutched it against her. “If nothing else Iguess you can club me with it if you feel like you have to.”

Brandy gave him a humorless smile. “Maybe Iwill.”

“Good.”

“I’m scared.”

“Me too. But remember, just because we’renot alone doesn’t mean we’re in danger. Whoever it was had theopportunity to kill us both in there, but didn’t.”

“Maybe he’s playing with us.”

“Maybe.”

“I’m not a virgin.”

Albert looked up at her suddenly, shocked atthis sudden confession. She was staring at the flashlight. He couldstill see the wet trails her tears had left upon her cheeks.

“I mean I wasn’t before, you know.” Shelooked at him now, her blue eyes shimmering. “Please don’t thinkyou took that from me. I gave that away when I was fifteen. Iregret it, but I can live with it. Just like I can live with whatwe did in there just now.”

For a moment Albert could only stare at her.She didn’t hate him. That was what she was telling him. She did nothate him and, at least for the moment, she did not blame him.Whatever happened in there was no different than rape, but at leastit hadn’t robbed her of her first time. It was one small shred ofcomfort that she was allowed.

“I’m not a virgin,” she said again, as muchto herself as to him.

Albert looked down at his hands, not wantingto look into her eyes. “I was.”

Brandy forgot the chill she felt. All of thetension that filled her body rolled off of her in an instant. Sheforgot about trying to hide herself. She stared at him as he satthere, his muscular legs bent only slightly, his belly softlyfolded by his posture, his shoulders slack. He looked very pale inthe shadows. She suddenly felt very selfish. “I’m sorry.”

But he shook his head. “Don’t be. Strange ornot—intentional or not—it was kind of nice. I mean, weird.But you know. Nice. I guess I’m glad it was someone like you. Ihonestly can’t think of a nicer person to... You know… Randomlyfuck.” He could feel himself blushing now.

She forced a smile through her fear andanger. “You’re nice.” He was too nice. Suddenly she feltlike such a bitch.

“I think the flashlight might have beenpointing the way we’re supposed to go up ahead,” Albert said aftera moment. “I think our clothes might have gone that way.”

“And if not?”

“Then we’re screwed. Whoever it was took mybackpack and the box.”

A sudden realization struck Brandy like aslap to the face. “Shit! And my purse!”

“Yeah. And my wallet.” He stood up andturned to the passage on the left. “How about I lead and you followwith the light?”

Brandy stood up and wiped her face with theback of her hand. “Okay.”

Chapter 11

Beyond the point where Albert found theflashlight, the corridor did not branch off. It went straight abouta hundred yards into the darkness and then made a sudden left turnand went on for another forty yards before turning back to theright again. Albert walked several paces ahead of Brandy, squintingto see into the darkness. He wished he was still carrying thelight, if only so that he didn’t have to follow his own shadowthrough the gloom, but he’d promised Brandy she could have it andhe meant it. He needed her to trust him. She’d said that withouthim she’d be alone and it was no different for him. But the limitsof his courage were being tested. At every turn of the tunnel, heexpected something to be there, something dark and sinister,something monstrous, something with teeth and claws and appetiteand hate, but turn after turn there was nothing. Their progressremained unhindered, but their anxiety grew. He felt as though theywere walking through a carnival funhouse and waiting for the nextmonster to leap out and startle them. He had to keep remindinghimself to breathe.

After perhaps ten minutes, although it feltlike hours, the tunnel made a sharp right and brought them face toface with a waiting figure.

Brandy screamed and stumbled backward, evenas she recognized it as another of those faceless statues.

Albert too was startled, but more byBrandy’s scream than by the sight of the sentinel. He gazed at it,taking in every detail. This statue was on its knees, the smoothsurface that was its face turned up to the ceiling, its handsupturned and lifted as if in offering. From its long fingers hunghis backpack and Brandy’s purse.

“I’m sorry,” said Brandy, meaning for thescream.

“It’s okay,” Albert assured her.

“What does it mean?”

Albert shook his head. “Good question.”Behind the statue, the tunnel continued on, but its floor began toslope downward, ever deeper into the earth at a shallow, butdiscernible angle.

“A peace offering, maybe?”

“Or a trap.”

Albert stared at it. “I don’t know. Seemstoo easy. After all, I’d call that last room a trap.” Hestepped toward it, beginning to reach for them.

“Be careful.”

He was touched by her concern, even if itwas only because she would be alone down here if something happenedto him. “Stand back, okay?”

Stand back she did. When Albert lookedagain, she was standing all the way against the wall, her eyes widewith worry. She was clutching the flashlight nervously in front ofher. She’d entirely stopped trying to hide herself by now, and hecould see her breasts and the lovely tuft of soft, blonde hairwhere her torso vanished between her thighs. In the darksurroundings, her skin was like the moon in a dark sky, radiant,flawless, glowing gently in the gloom like a beacon. He could seegooseflesh on her arms, thighs and breasts from the coolness of theroom, and her small nipples stood fully erect.

He saw that her expression had melted intoone of puzzlement, and then realized that it was because he wasstaring.

He turned away from her and reached fortheir belongings.

“Be careful. Please.”

Albert took the strap of the purse and onestrap of the backpack and lifted. Nothing blew up. No lethal dartsflew from concealed slots in the walls. No giantboulder—breast-shaped or otherwise—came rolling toward him. Therewas no poisonous gas, no flames, no spikes anywhere in sight. Hewas not crushed, maimed or decapitated. This wasn’t Indiana Jones.This was something far different, far more real, and if he wasgoing to die, it wasn’t going to be now. He took the bags down andheld the purse out to Brandy, who came toward him, her hand heldout to take it and an expression of great relief adorning herface.