The
Tunnel
By Chris B.
Lee Crane, stalwart and fearless captain of the NIMR
great submarine Seaview looked
apprehensively down the long and poorly lit tunnel trying to steel his nerves to
make the perilous journey that lay before him.
He looked back behind him towards his companions, his eyes almost
pleading that they try and talk him out of this trip. His hesitant and somewhat fearful gaze was
returned by those around him. Finally coming to the realization that no one was
going to step forward to take on this hazardous task he sucked in a deep breath
and slowly entered the tunnel.
The thing that hit him first was the feel of the
tunnel floor and walls; it was simultaneously sticky and slimy with some
unnamable ooze slowly making its way down one of the walls as he inched his way
into the opening. The next sensation to
assail him was the smell; it was a mélange of odors that had no business mixing
together. It was sickly sweet and sour
with an overtone of decaying flesh and vegetable matter and he fought mightily
to beat down the gag reflex that threatened to overwhelm him and undo his
resolve.
Lee inched his way slowly forward not at all anxious
to find what would greet him at the other end.
This was all Chip’s fault he thought sourly, if
he hadn’t been so inattentive even derelict in his duties, he wouldn’t be in
this situation. Many times his superiors
and even his men had pleaded with him to forgo taking risks and leading missions
such as the one. In the past he had always
felt that he should not send anyone to do something he was unwilling to do
himself, but now given his current situation he was giving serious
consideration to backing off and enjoying the privileges that rank and position
allowed. Even as he had that thought he
chided himself for taking the easy way out and that just wasn’t within him to
do.
As he made his way further down the tunnel he found
himself thinking back to the movie The Shawshank Redemption and the scene where the hero made
his bid for freedom crawling through a sewage pipe leading from the
prison. He thought surely that pipe had
to smell better than the festering hole he now found himself crawling through.
It was getting lighter now as he neared the end of
the tunnel. He was greeted by screams
and howls that grated on his nerves and eardrums. A shiver of fear skittered quickly up his
spine and he fought with all his will to drive it back into the box from which
it had escaped. No one would ever accuse
Lee Crane of being a coward but the multiple assaults on his senses and the
growing sense of dread that crept slowly from the pit of his stomach almost
made him turn tail and return to the entrance.
Through sheer willpower alone he held his position as he realized there
would be no return if he didn’t recover the item he was after.
Finally he reached the end which let out over a
roiling mass of colors and odors that once again had him fighting back the
nausea and vertigo. He starred at the pit
below; the multicolored surface rippled and undulated as unseen creatures moved
beneath. Perched precariously on the
edge, trying to decide how best to gain entry without tipping off the things
underneath, he was unprepared when a hand reached up and grabbed his tie. In an instant he had a full appreciation for
why police officers wore clip-on ties as he was pulled unceremoniously into the
roiling, surging mass below him. As he
felt himself go, Lee curled into a defensive ball to avoid hitting what had
snagged his tie and to avoid its sticky grasp.
Once he hit the surface he sank quickly towards the
bottom. He had never been one to suffer
from claustrophobia but in that one instant as he plunged into the seething
cloying mass in the pit he felt as though he’d been buried alive. Fighting the rising panic, Lee realized his
prize was most likely lying somewhere on the bottom of this pit and he rolled
onto his stomach and forced himself lower.
He scanned the area as best he could but between the things surging
around him and the limited light he had a difficult time seeing beyond his
nose. When he finally hit bottom he
scurried and scrabbled across the pit floor feeling desperately for the thing
that would grant them their freedom from this place.
His lungs were beginning to burn from the lack of oxygen,
but the last thing he wanted to do was draw in a breath of that revolting
air. He focused on calming his nerves
and quelling his panic as he methodically scoured the pit floor. He employed all the techniques he had learned
through the years as a master diver to conserve his air and make his movements
as efficient as possible. Suddenly his hands brushed over his goal; he spun
quickly back and snatched up his prize.
Now it was time to get out.
The way he came in was not really an option and the
other tunnel leading in the opposite direction held minimal appeal as
well. There had to be another way. He once again began running his hands over
the floor and walls of the pit looking for the back way out. His lungs screamed to him to take a breath
but his rational mind fought the urge to draw in the fetid air that smothered
the pit.
Deciding to try one more sweep of the pit walls he
rapidly moved his hands over them and was finally rewarded with the discovery
of a recessed handle. He pried up the
D-ring handle and twisted it viciously to the right. He heard and felt the click as the latch
released and suddenly he was awash, spilling out onto the floor beside the
pit. As he hit the ground he pushed himself
upwards with all his might and surfaced like a drowning man gasping for the air
his body so hungrily needed.
He shoved himself to his feet with all the dignity
he could muster and triumphantly thrust his trophy into the air. He was greeted immediately with cheers of
relief, joy and admiration for having withstood the horrors of the pit; they
would be able to get out of here now and head for home.
Standing there in the center of the room working
hard to control his breathing he felt someone clap him heartily on the
back. “Way to go Lee,” Chip said
cheerfully. “I knew you would get us
out.”
Lee turned slowly and glared at Chip, letting him
know just how unhappy he was at having had to venture through the tunnel and
into the pit to recover what Chip had so carelessly lost. Retribution and payback would be severe and
well deserved. Chip flushed bright red
and averted his gaze. “I’m really
sorry. I know, it was all
my fault I should have been watching him more closely.” Chip offered
contritely.
“You’re damn right it was!” Lee fired back as he
wiped the sticky detritus from his face and clothing. “Next time you let your nephew grab your car
keys and take off for the Burgerland ball pit you get
to go in after them.”
The End.