Part 15 (1/2)

”You idiot!” Mr. Crepsley roared. ”Now we will have to go back up and find a replacement. You have cost us time. I told you something like this would happen.”

”Shut up!” I shouted, shoving the vampire in the chest. He fell down hard, and I backed away blindly.

”Darren!” Mr. Crepsley shouted. ”What are you doing?”

”Going to find Evra,” I said.

”You cannot! Not by yourself! Come back and help me up: I have twisted my ankle. We will return with stronger flashlights and work faster. You cannot search without a light.”

”I can hear,” I replied. ”And I can feel. And I can shout. Evra!” I yelled, to prove my point. ”Evra! Where are you? It's me!”

”Stop! Murlough will hear. Come back and keep quiet!”

I heard the vampire scrambling to his feet. Taking a deep breath, I ran. I fled far into the tunnel, then slowed and found a small pipe leading out of the large one.

I slipped into it and crawled. Mr. Crepsley's shouts grew dimmer and dimmer.

Then I came to another pipe and scurried down it. Then another. And another.

Within five minutes, I'd lost the vampire.

I was alone. In the dark. Underground.

I s.h.i.+vered, then reminded myself why I was there and what was at stake. I looked around for a larger tunnel, feeling my way with my fingers.

”Evra,” I called softly. I cleared my throat and this time yelled, ”Evra! It's me!

Darren! Can you hear? I'm coming to find you. Yell if you can hear me. Evra.

Evra? Evra!”

Shouting and calling, I moved forward, hands outstretched, ears straining for any sound, eyes useless - a perfect target for all the demons of the dark.

I'm not sure how long I was down there. There was no way of telling time in the tunnels. I had no sense of direction, either. I might have been going in circles. I just moved forward, calling Evra's name, sc.r.a.ping my hands on the walls, feeling my feet and lower legs turn numb from the damp and cold.

Sometimes a draft of air tickled my nostrils, a reminder of the world above. I moved fast whenever I felt the air, afraid of losing my nerve if I stopped to breathe it in.

I was moving downward, getting deeper into the system of pipes and tunnels. I wondered how many people had been down here over the years. Not many. In some of the older pipes, I might be the first human (half-human) to pa.s.s in decades. If I'd had time, I would have stopped to scrawl my initials on the walls.

”Evra! Can you hear me? Evra!” I repeated.

There'd been no response so far. I wasn't really expecting one. If I did stumble upon Murlough's lair, it was a pretty sure thing he would have taped up Evra's mouth. The vampaneze wasn't the sort to overlook a minor detail like that.

”Evra!” I croaked, my voice beginning to crack from the strain. ”Are you there? Can you -”

All of a sudden, with no warning, a hand jammed hard into my back and sent me cras.h.i.+ng to the floor. I gave a yell of pain and rolled over, gazing blindly into the pitch-black depths.

”Who's there?” I asked shakily. A dry chuckle answered me. ”Who is that?” I gasped. ”Mr. Crepsley? Is that you? Did you follow me down? Is it -”

”No,” Murlough whispered in my ear. ”It's not.” He flicked on a flashlight directly in front of my eyes.

The light was blinding. I gasped and shut my eyes, all thoughts of defending myself forgotten. It was what the vampaneze had been waiting for. Before I could react, he ducked forward, opened his mouth, and breathed on me... the breath of the undead... the gas that knocks people out.

I tried drawing back, but it was too late. The gas was in me. It raced up my nostrils and down my throat, flooding my lungs, forcing me to double over, coughing fitfully.

The last thing I remember was falling forward, Murlough's bare purple feet growing larger as I dropped toward them.

And then... nothing. Just black.

CHAPER TWENTY-ONE.

When I came to, I found myself face to face with a skull. Not any old skull, either - this still had flesh on it, and one of the eyeb.a.l.l.s was floating in its socket.

I screamed and tried pulling away, but I couldn't. Looking up ( up? Why wasn't I looking down?) at my body, I realized I was bound tightly with ropes.

After a few seconds of puzzled panic, I noticed another rope around my ankles, and it dawned on me that I was hanging upside down.

”I bet the world looks different from there, hmmm?” Murlough said. Twisting around - I couldn't move my limbs, but I could swing around - I saw him sitting a little ways from the skull, chewing on a fingernail. He stuck out a foot and began rocking the skull. ”Say h.e.l.lo to Evra,” he chuckled.

”No!” I screamed, swinging forward, baring my teeth, trying to bite deep into his leg. Unfortunately, the rope wouldn't stretch that far. ”You promised you wouldn't kill him before Christmas!” I cried.

”You mean it isn't Christmas?” Murlough asked innocently. ”Whoops! Sorry.

Bit of a boo-boo, hmmm?”

”I'll kill you,” I swore. ”I'm going to -”

A groan stopped me short. Turning, I noticed I wasn't alone. Somebody else was strung upside down, a couple of feet away.

”Who's that?” I asked, certain it was Mr. Crepsley. ”Who's there?”

”D-D-D-Darren?” a tiny voice said.

”Evra?” I gasped with disbelief.

Murlough laughed and flicked on a bright light. It took my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the light. When they did, I was able to make out the familiar shape and features of the snake-boy. He looked hungry, exhausted, and scared - but he was alive.

Evra was alive!

”Fooled you, didn't I?” Murlough giggled, shuffling closer.

”What are you doing here, Darren?” Evra moaned. His face was badly cut and bruised, and I could see a pinkish patch on his right arm and shoulder where scales had been brutally hacked off. ”How did he -”

”That's enough out of you, reptile!” Murlough growled. He kicked out at Evra, sending him snapping back on his rope.