"I can't believe I'm here..." I muttered and rapped on my neighbor's door. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, a morning to be spent quietly at home reading or sleeping in late. Unfortunately, the termites didn't care. And neither did the exterminators. My house needed to be fumigated and this was the only opening they had available for a long time. And that meant I had to find somewhere to hand until I can go back home.

From inside, there was a cry of "I'll get it!" followed by thundering footsteps which made me fear if I was going to get trampled by a herd of stampeding elephants. The door opened and a cheerful, dimpled face topped with silky blond hair poked out. I knew this boy as Peter, he had welcomed me when I first moved in next door.

"Hey Peter," I smiled politely and explained my current situation.

"Of course you can stay here for a while!" Peter exclaimed, his grin stretching widely until it threatened to take over his whole face. One cannot resist smiling back when confronted with a sight like that. I chuckled and followed him inside, shutting the door behind me. Inside, there were three other boys sitting around a dining table. Davy Jones I recognized immediately. Who wouldn't? He was short, with shaggy brown hair and an adorable boyish face. I have to admit, I though he was pretty cute. Too bad he was booked up with dates for the next ten years. Mike Nesmith I knew by reputation alone. Peter would always talk about him when he used to visit me. He was tall. Very tall. With thick blackish-brown hair covered by a little green wool hat. I almost laughed out loud to see such a serious- looking person wear that silly thing. He straightened the old, oversized jacket he was wearing and gazed back at me with steel eyes, as if challenging my opinion. I took in a sharp breath as he looked me over. He was making me nervous. I decided right there I didn't like him. The last boy was unfamiliar to me. He had wavy brown hair and a strong chin.

"Hi! Who are you?" he grinned as he bounced over to me and started shaking my hand with vigor. "I'm Micky Dolenz, I play drums. Whacha doin' here?"

"Uh, hi..." I stammered. This one was definitely on something. "I'm Xanira. Most people call my Xen though. My house is being fumigated and Peter said I could stay here for the day."

"That's neat!" Micky gushed on, still pumping my hand. I jerked it away and glared at him, but he was oblivious. He took on a tour guide attitude and proceeded to show me around their "pad", as they called it. It wasn't all that bad a place. All it needed was to have everything thrown out. Random posters and signs covered the walls, but anyone can tell they were hiding the cracked and peeling paint. The furniture was mismatched and looked like it was probably picked up at different garage sales, which they probably were. Old, stained rugs tried to conceal the dirty, gritty floor. I tried to hide my disgust and kept telling myself these boys were kind enough to let me stay, I could at least be appreciative.

"Alright, enough Micky," I heard a low voice laced with a Texan twang chuckle behind me. I assumed it belonged to Mike, as I haven't heard him talk before. "She could probably care less and we don't have that much to show her anyway."

Right on both accounts, I thought. Out loud, I asked, "So what do you guys usually do Saturday mornings?" Maybe they go grocery shopping and I'll get to be alone. Suddenly, the door burst open and out landlord, Mr. Babbitt, stormed in.

"Where's the rent?" he bellowed.

Davy turned to me. "Avoid him," he snickered, answering my question. I grinned back. Boy, was he cute...

"Morning, Mr. Babbitt!" I called to the grumpy man still standing in the doorway. His eyes turned towards me and his glare immediately softened.

"Good morning, Xen," he smiled, switching from nasty landowner to lady-pleasing gentleman. "What are you doing over here? I was just about to evict these rent dodgers."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Peter wince a little, Micky and Davy looking nonchalant, and Mike trying to mold his face into an expression of somewhere between pleading and apologetic. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they've faced this situation numerous times before. You can practically hear the gears grinding in Micky and Davy's heads as they fought to think up an excuse. I decided to do my good deed for the day and help them out.

"Can you let them slide this time?" I asked in the sweetest voice possible. For the third time that morning, I had to explain about the termites. Five pairs of eyes trained on the old man for the verdict.

"Well..." he though, scratching his chin. "Fine. I'll let you boys make it up. I'm adding it to next month's rent. On one condition..."

"Anything!" all four of them yelped thankfully.

"You boys have to come over and do a little yard work for me. Those weeds have me outnumbered 65 to 1."

"Yard work?!!" Davy exclaimed, looking sadly at him smooth hands and perfect nails.

"We'll do it!" Mike cut in. We all followed Babbitt to his backyard, though I'd rather stay back at the pad. But those pleading puppy eyes of Peter convinced me otherwise. Like I said, who can resist him? I reluctantly wandered around the big yard as the guys got straight to work. That didn't last long, though. After a few minutes, they were throwing the weeds at each other and horsing around. Then again, what do you expect of the men? They're nothing but a bunch of macho clowns. Wrapped up in dissing the male species, I didn't realize how far I had walked. I was clear on the other side of Babbitt's property. I about faced and started to stroll back when something caught my eye. In a spot where the dirt thinned out. There was something under there. Curiosity got the best of me and I crept over for a closer look. My head snapped up as a creaking sound reached my ears. A horrible creaking that exploded into loud cracks.

Suddenly, the world gave out from under me and I was falling. I screamed as the phrase "I'm gonna die!" flashed into my mind. All I could see was darkness. Then red exploded into my vision as I hit bottom and then darkness once more.

Slowly, I regained consciousness. At first, my body was numb all over. Then as the dullness throbbed away, intense pain ripped at me from my ankle and my arm, which was twisted and pinned under me. My sense of smell was the second thing I regained. Putrid odors of age and decay invaded my nostrils, choking the breath out of me. Trying to keep from gagging, I noticed something else. Tiny squeaks and soft scampering of claws across stone reached my ears. Rats! I opened my eyes, which was a mistake, for darkness still surrounded me. At first, I feared I might have blinded myself somehow, but then my vision started to clear and a jagged patch of light above me appeared. I must have fallen ten, twenty, maybe even thirty feet! No, thirty feet would've killed me. Twenty would be a good estimate. Not wanting to stay lying down and allowing the rats easy access to my body, I stood up.

Fiery pain exploded up my leg as my ankle gave out. I bit my lip and grabbed it. It had swollen up so much, I could hardly feel the bone. But agonizing as it was, I could still move it, which meant it wasn't broken. Thank goodness. The only good thing to happen so far this morning, which should give you some insight of my attitude. I tend to be very pessimistic. My friends and what few friends I have always said so. Clearing all thoughts of being trapped and dying down here, I looked up and started yelling for help.

"I think she's down here!" a voice called, and a moment later, Davy's head appeared, blocking the sunlight above. Good old Davy, you can always count on him for a rescue. Micky joined him and whistled in amazement.

"What'd you do, jump up and down on it?" he laughed.

I was about to snap at him when Mike replied, "No, it rotted through, see?" There was a pause. "It's a trap door!" he exclaimed. I glowered as Mike didn't seem very concerned for my health.

"Are you hurt?" Peter called down in a worried voice. Well, one person cares.

"I hurt my ankle!" I yelled, trying not to show any panic.

"Can you climb up the ladder?"

I looked to my right and blushed as I noticed a dusty old ladder leading up to the hole.

"She said she hurt her ankle," Mike was explaining to Peter. "That means she can't climb."

I breathed a sign of relief. Saved from embarrassment! The ladder creaked and groaned as Mike started down. Speckles of rust rained down on me. That thing must be older than Babbitt! Soon, all four boys were with me. Mike reached down and helped me up, putting his arm around my waist to keep me steady.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I fell," I answered dryly.

"No kidding."

I leaned on him heavily and tried putting some weight on my ankle again. The pain wasn't as intense this time and I figured I could stand on my own. Quickly, I shoved Mike away, earning a look of surprise from him.

"Hey, cool!" Micky breathed, breaking the silence. In the dim light, we could see on a drab gray wall was painted "Let's party!" in bright red letters. Behind me, Mike took out a lighter and flicked on a tiny flame. We could see we were in a small room. Trash was scattered everywhere, and rats scampered over the junk. There was old clothes, candy wrappers, soda cans, and pieces of firewood. It looked like someone had a gigantic party, which would make sense, given the invitation on the wall. Branching out from the room were four tunnels, each leading a different direction.

"Hey, I heard about this place," Davy smiled. "This gal I was dating heard it from her mother. This was some sort of bomb shelter from the fifties or so. The tunnels runs under this neighborhood. I was to protect everyone in case bombs started dropping during the war. But kids from the neighborhood used it as a party place. That is, until something happened..."

"W-what happened?" Peter gulped nervously.

"I don't know." Davy was solemn now and his voice grave. "But a lot of kids died..."

"Died?!!" Peter yelped, and latched on to Mike.

"Aw, don't worry, Pete," Micky laughed. "That was long ago. There's nothing to be afraid of now. Let's explore!"

"Yeah, why not?" Mike agreed, getting a mischievous glint in his eye.

"I dunno," Davy argued. "We should go back up. Babbitt'll wonder if we skipped out again. Besides, Peter's freaked and Xen has a busted ankle."

"Actually, my ankle's feeling a lot better," I said, feeling a bit left out of the conversation.

"Yeah, and Babbitt didn't say when we had to finish pulling those weeds," Micky added. "Besides, we need a break."

"Well, that's three against two!" Mike laughed. "We win."

"When did the band become a democracy?" Davy looked confused. Peter shrugged and started muttering about how they're all gonna die. I rolled my eyes at him. This boy just doesn't have a sense of adventure. As much as I like to go back and be nice and comfortable, the thought of an escapade excited me. Mike grinned and sauntered over to one of the bigger piles of junk. He put the lighter in one pocket and picked up two thin, but sturdy pieces of wood and wrapped a few pieces of cloth around it.

"What are you doing?" Micky asked curiously.

"Makin' torches so we can see better." The Texan reached into a pocket of his big coat and took out a small can of lighter fluid. I gaped at him. What was this guy, a pyromaniac? He caught the look on my face and grinned. "We had a cookout on the beach last night," he explained, holding up the lighter fluid. He quickly drenched the cloths and stuck the can back into the jacket. He took out the lighter again and flicked it on. It took several tried, but the torches caught. We had more light now, but the fire gave off a lot of smoke. I coughed and wrinkled my nose, waving my hand to try and ward off the soot. Mike just grinned and handed one of the torhes to me. "Well, which way shall we go first?"

"That one," Davy replied, pointing to one of the tunnels.

"Why?" I asked.

"Why not?"

Well, that seemed a good enough answer for everyone. We made our way into the tunnel. The walls were just crumbly dirt supported by beams of rotting wood. To me they looked stable enough, but looks can be deceiving. Many weak places in the timber might disintergrate any moment, and we would all be crushed underneath the neighborhood. I shuddered at the thought, but plodded onwards. The tunnel seemed to slope at a downwards angle. Suddenly, Mike, who was leading the way, stopped. The rest of us plowed into him, yelping and crying out i surprise.

"Hey, man, why'd you stop?" Micky complained. Nobody needed to reply, for the answer to his question lay ahead of them. A large puddle of water spread about five feet ahead of us. Actually, it seemed more like a pond. Water dripped from the ceiling in large splashes. I'm guessing it was because we had moved in the direction of the ocean. The water was a muddy brown with more junk floating in it. Insects and rats swam through the gook, shrieking and scrambling over each other.

"Well, dead end," Peter shrugged. "Let's go back now."

"No wait..." I moved closer to the wall of the tunnel and held my torch up. "There's a small ledge over here." A plank of wood had been set up so someone could cross Lake Disgusting.

"Then let's cross!" Micky exclaimed. He headed for the ledge and began inching to the other side. "Come on, Xenny!" Micky grinned. "Nothing to it!" I sighed, handing my torch to Peter and climbed on. There was barely enough room for my feet. Slowly, I made my way over. This five feet seemed even further than the twenty feet I fell. The board was slick and wet from the water and there was nothing to grab onto except the wall. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Mike and Peter following after me.

"You can do it!" Micky shouted encouragement. I decided I wanted to strangle him. My mind clouded with thoughts of wringing that skinny neck of his. I didn't watch where I was stepping and slipped, screaming as I went down. There was a loud splash, and murky water invaded my nose and mouth. In my panic, I tried screaming for help, but that was a big mistake. I gagged on the foul tasting liquid and the tiny particles it carried. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around me and pulled up out of the water. I sputtered and tried to shake myself dry. My teeth started chattering as I shivered.

"Here, take this." Mike took off that jacket of his and wrapping it around my shoulders. As much as I hated the guy, I appreciated that. We waited for Davy and Peter to make their way across, and I was silently hoping they'd fall too, but no luck. Why did I have to be the only one to take a swim? We trotted on when Mike stopped again. Once more, everyone plowed into him.

"Would ya stop doing that?!!" Davy groaned and rubbed his nose where he had smashed into Peter's back. Mike didn't answer. He just pointed to a section of wall about three or four feet across that was made of brick.

"What do you suppose this was for?" he wondered outloud. I made a rude noise and said I didn't care. Of course, no one paid attention to me and started inspecting the bricks. Davy pushed one and jumped as it slid back easily.

"Guess whoever did this didn't do such a good job on it..." Mike muttered and poked at another one. The mortar gave away easily. Suddenly, the entire wall came crashing down in front of us, as if someone had crashed into it from the other side. We all screamed and leapt back. Dark red dust wafted around us, and I choked as it took the place of my oxygen. We waited a while, but the dust wouldn't clear. Off to my right, I heard Micky scream. Everyone snapped to see what was wrong. The red fog had gathered thickly around Micky. He screamed again, but didn't move.

"Micky!" Peter cried. "What's wrong?!!"

"It burns!" he screamed back. "And it's... it's holding me!" The cloud had now fully collected around the drummer and right before our eyes, it started to lift him off the ground. Micky cried out in pain as the force folded his arms and legs up and around behind his back, his bones snapping and cracking like brittle twigs. We watched in horror as it carried him down the tunnel and out of sight.

"Micky!" Mike yelled and took of after him. Peter was too afraid to follow and Davy and I were still frozen in shock. Micky's howls could still be heard, along with the sharp, loud cracking of his bones. Suddenly, the screaming stopped, and all three of us knew we would never see him alive again.

"Let's get outta here!" I yelped and grabbed Davy. He started to follow me, but stopped when we noticed Peter hadn't moved from where he was standing. "Come on!" I screamed at him. "We have to get away before that... that thing comes back for us!"

"B-but Mike!" the blond sobbed. "We have to find him!"

"No, he's as good as dead. And we're next if we hang around here any longer!"

Peter stood up straight. "Then you go ahead. I'm looking for Mike." He put on a brave front, but his eyes was were filled with terror. He looked both of us in the face and turned to go after his friend.

"Peter!" Davy called. "Come back! We-we can't divide up! You have the only torch..."

"Well, I'm not leaving Mike down here! You don't know for sure that he's dead!" Peter's voiced cracked with grief and fear. "He could still be out there fighting the smoke! And he'll need our help!"

"I stalked up to the boy. "Peter," I growl through gritted teeth. "Give me the torch now or I'll take it from you!"

"I'll put it out and leave us all in the dark before I let either one of you abandon Mike! Davy, he's our friend! We can't just give up on him!"

Davy bit his lower lip. "You're right. Let's go." I looked at Davy incredulously. "But if we don't find him, we're leaving," he added. Peter nodded in satisfaction and they started off. I was left there gaping after them. Sense told me lingering there isn't such a good thing, so I pursued. My ankle had started throbbing again and I couldn't keep up with them. They wouldn't just leave me behind, would they? As the boys turned a corner, the light faded and I was left in the dark.

"Davy?" My voice sounded shaky and unsure. "Peter? Slow down! I can't keep up!" There was no answer. I quickly hobbled around the corner and breathed a sigh of relief as the torch light shined on my face once more. I even welcomed the smog it gave off. But my sigh wasn't the only sound in the tunnel. Peter and Davy were standing a few feet in front of me, making gasping and sobbing noises. I quickly pushed myself past them and saw a dark lump blocking the tunnel. A dead body!

"I-it's Mike!" Davy choked.

"I knew it!" I practically screamed. "That red fog killed him and it's coming for us next!"

"What'll we do?!!"

I tried calming down to speak. "First, we need Mike's lighter in case our torch goes out. The lighter fluid's still in the jacket, but he put the lighter in his jeans. One of us is going to have to search him and take it."

Peter and Davy started at me in shock. I could tell neither wanted the job. They were still trying to get it into their heads that two of their best friends were dead. I grabbed the torch from Peter's hand and slowly moved towards the body. If you wanted anything done, you'll have to do it yourself. The rats were already invading his corpse. Trying to keep my lunch and hysteria down, I stepped closer, bent down, and reached for him.Ö

As I got closer, I saw the body more clearly. "Huh?!!" I gasped and jumped back. "That's not Mike! That's just a pile of old clothes!" The other two were at my side right away to see for themselves.

"She's right!" Davy cried happily. "It's not Mike! He might still be alive!" He and Peter hopped over the garments and continued searching with vigor. I groaned and followed them at a slower pace. We could've wandered around for minutes or hours. Timed seemed irrelevant in a situation like ours. We found dead ends, empty rooms, and came across paths we had already tread on more times than we would've liked. No one wanted to admit the obvious truth: we were lost.

Somehow we had found ourselves back with the pile of old clothes. I stared at it sadly, wishing I could just crumple to the ground and not worry about this anymore. Then, a soft glow appeared in the distance. As it got closer, Peter let out a whoop of joy and ran towards it. Mike's form appeared, covered in blood and still holding the torch. The blond reached him and gave his friend a tight hug and started sobbing on his shoulder. Mike just patted his back and whispered comforting words. Davy went over and hugged them both. Watching this scene, I began to realize exactly how close these friends were. And losing one of their kind must taken a bigger toll on them than I could imagine.

"Mike..." Davy sniffled a bit. "How did you get away? Is Micky...?"

Mike nodded solemnly. "He's dead. I was running after him, I grabbed his leg. His skin was boiling hot. That steam cloud wouldn't let him go. It kept... twisting his body, folding him and ripping him apart..." He gestured to his bloody self. "I couldn't hold on any longer. My hand slipped and I had to watch his lifeless body being carried away..." He stopped talking and wiped away a single tear. Peter was sobbing openly and Davy was sniffling even more.

I hadn't known Micky that long, but he was the kind you could never forget. That clownish, teasing face would always be in my memory, annoying me to no end...

"Let's go home," Mike whispered quietly. "I found the way back to the ladder." We all nodded soberly and followed him to the room where it all started. The bright red "Let's Party!" sign shone eerily in the torch light. The red paint started glowing. It was pulsing bright red. I gasped as I realized that it wasn't the words vibrating, it was the red cloud! It drifted towards us, almost seeming to breathe as it stalked us.

"Up the ladder! Now!" Mike screamed. Davy jumped onto it and began pulling himself up. Mike pushed me towards it next.

"No, you go first!" I said quickly shoving him ahead of me. "If I can't make it because of my ankle, you can pull me up!" He nodded and started up. I went after him, going as fast as I could. My ankle pulsed and throbbed worse than the cloud. I could feel Peter close behind me, whimpering. He suddenly screamed as the cloud swarmed upon him. "Peter!" I yelled, and reached back for him. He grabbed onto my hand and held on for dear life.

The red fog inched up my wrist and forearm. I gasped in pain as I felt it. It was burning hot! My skin was being melted off! Above me, I felt Mike take a hold of my other arm. Peter was now enveloped in the dark vapor, and I could actually feel it trying to pull him away from me. I had no choice! The cloud was going to get me too! I looked one last time into those soft brown puppy eyes, now filled with terror.

"I'm sorry, Peter," I whispered, and let go of his hand. He held onto me for a few more seconds before the cloud dragged him away. He screeched in agony as the red mist lifted him above the ground and worked on him. I tried to turn away, but couldn't. There was a wet plopping sound as his arm was ripped away from his shoulder. His ribs rippled beneath his shirt and cracked inward one by one. His legs broke at the knees and were flopping around as the fog whirled around him like a tornado. He gave one last moan as his head was twisted around all the way. His eyes were now rolled down in their sockets, and grayish-white emptiness stared back at me. The cloud now started scrunching in his body as it carried him out of the room.

I started climbing again, and was about to yell at the other two to hurry so we can get out of here when I heard a low creaking noise. The ladder shook once, twice, then crumbled under our hands. The piercing creaking noise filled our ears as the daylight above grew further away as we fell once more into the darkness.

I clutched the ladder the whole way down. My breath forced it's way out of my lungs and refused to return. I struggled to inhale, and finally my body allowed it. Taking deep, loud breaths, I looked around for the others. Mike was sitting up and shaking his head painfully. Broken pieces of the ladder scattered around us. Davy was no where in sight.

"Help!" I looked up and saw him, hanging by a rung still attached to the trap door. He was desperately trying to pull himself to reach the opening. What he didn't notice was the ladder was slowly pulling loose.

"Davy!" Mike yelled up at him. "Let go! You have to let go!"

"I can't!" was the frantic reply. "I'll fall and get killed!"

"Xen fell twice and she's perfectly fine! Now do it! I'll catch you!" Mike stood directly under his friend and held out his arms. Davy looked down and gulped. He closed his eyes and opened his hands. I winced as they collided. Mike half caught, half broke his fall. I quickly ran over and untangled them.

"What are we gonna do, guys?" I asked. "We're gonna die. We're all gonna die. This can't be happening!"

"Well it is," Mike snapped, but immediately looked apologetic. "Look, we have to find another way out of here. We can't hope that cloud is going to avoid us now." He picked up the torch, which thankfully was still lit.

"Well, I... I have an idea," I said hesitantly. They won't like it. "We have to go back to that brick wall where the cloud came from in the first place."

"That's crazy!" Davy sputtered.

"It's the only way! You were wandering down here as long as I have. You know these tunnels just lead around in circles! Maybe behind that wall is another route. Maybe it leads to a different opening! Or it could at least show us what exactly is this cloud and how we can stop it!"

"No way! There is no way I'm going in there!"

"Hold on," Mike interrupted. "She's got a point. What have we got to lose?" Davy reluctantly agreed. Mike used the last of the lighter fluid and make two more torches, one for each of us, and we made our way back into the tunnel. Over the puddle we went, this time with me being extra careful. Soon, we stood facing the opening in the wall. Mike kicked some of the debris. "Well, here goes..." he stuck his head into the hole and disappeared inside. I hesitated only a few seconds before following him, with Davy at my tail.

Once inside, I looked around and groaned. We were in another empty room, only one wall was made up of a pile of dirt that reached the ceiling. Dead end. But Mike's eagle eyes spotted a hole in the dirt, near the top corner.

"It's a tunnel! We can go through it and see what's on the other side!" he exclaimed. The Texan trotted over to the foot of the dirt hill and started climbing. He reached the burrow and vanished inside.

"Mike?" I called after him. "What's on the other side?" I waited nervously for an answer. None came. My heart set out for the record of most pumps a second when Mike's head popped back out. "Mike!" I shrieked, startling him. "What's on the other side?"

"I dunno," he sneezed a bit from the dust. "My torch went out before I reached the other side. Come on, you guys." He went back into the hole, going backwards. I looked at Davy and he shook his head fearfully.

"I-I can't do this first," he stammered. "You go ahead and I'll be right behind you." I nodded and made my way up the mound. Climbing dirt isn't as easy as it looks. It was very slippery and every two feet I climbed, I slid back one. Eventually, I reached the hole and made my way in. It was a tight squeeze, very suffocating. I inched my way forward, going agonizingly slow. My torched flickered and dimmed as soil sprinkled down upon me. I could feel it in my mouth. The dirt turned to mud when mixed with my saliva. I let it drip out from between my lips as I moved on.

I came out the other side filthy with earth. Spitting the rest of the mud out of my mouth, I held up the torch and saw Mike's grim face. He wasn't looking at me. I turned to follow his gaze and gasped. Four old, yellow skeletons propped up against the wall still dressed in ragged clothes grinned back at me.

I let out a muffled shriek and almost dropped the torch as I was confronted by the four grinning skeletons. The bones were a disgusting pasty yellow, and bits of cloth still clung to them. Keeping my hand over my mouth, I sputtered a few curses as I tried to get my heart to slow down. Davy's head popped out of the burrow just in time to hear me.

"What?!!" he exclaimed, fearfully looking around. His gaze landed on the skeletons and he too screamed. In his panic, he lost his balance and came tumbling down to the bottom of the dirt pile, next to me. We clung onto each other and huddled, trying to calm ourselves down. Mike, on the other hand, was composed as he took in the scene.

"Relax," he drawled. "These guys aren't gonna attack anytime soon."

"I bet that red cloud killed them!" I whimpered.

Mike just looked thoughtful. He went in for a closer look at them. A small pile of food wrappers and plastic that laid in the corner attracted his attention. He pointed it out to us. "See that? Put away there nice and neat, unlike the other junk in the rest of the labyrinth." He shook his head. "The cave in must have trapped them here. These people knew they were gonna die..."

"Just like us..." Davy moaned sadly. "Let's face it, guys. There's no more tunnels here. Another dead end. We're never getting out."

"Y-you're right!" I almost broke down into a sob. Normally, such a show of emotion would've appalled and sickened me, but right now I couldn't care less about what other people might think. Beside me, Davy burst into tears and hugged me tightly. I've always liked isolation from others, but right now it's good to have two friends who care.

"Hey you two, come look at this!" Mike had been going over every inch of the room, which I realized wasn't dirt like the rest of the tunnels, but reinforced stone. He was trying to find a secret passageway or so, I supposed. Davy and I composed ourselves and joined him. The Texan pointed out a tiny and empty paint can, with dried red paint in a thin coat around the inside. We looked up, and gasped as we saw writing on the wall in red paint:

Matt Carr
Lindsay DuPont
Zina Gray
Joe Moone
1943

Underneath the writing, carved into the stone, were two additional words:

Babbitt knows

"Mr. Babbitt?" Davy squeaked. "What does he have to do with all this? What does he know?"

"Maybe he knows what the red fog is!" I suggested.

"Maybe..." Mike muttered, his face solemn. "Or maybe not..." We didn't have time to ponder over it any more, for the cloud had found us! It poured from the tiny tunnel and floated straight for us! I saw Mike and Davy pale next to me, and I assumed my face wasn't too full of color either. We were trapped in here with the mist blocking our only escape!

All of a sudden, Mike snapped out of his stupor. He quickly ran to the farthest corner of the room and started jumping around, calling to the fog. He waved to us and pointed towards the hole.

"Quick!" I pulled at Davy. "While he's distracting it! Let's get out of here!"

"B-but Mike!" Davy stuttered back. I tugged him one last time and ran towards the escape hole like I had a jet attached to me. I could sense the Englishman was right behind me. Throwing myself at the tunnel, I slowly made my way to the other side, certain the cloud would catch me any minute. But nothing happened. I reached the other side safely, and rolled all the way down to the bottom of the hill, almost extinguishing my torch. Davy should be coming out soon. I waited and waited with dread settling heavier in my stomach as the seconds flew by. Suddenly, a hand poked out. I let out my breath in relief and climbed back up to pull it's owner out. He came loose and we both fell, tumbling over each other until we hit the bottom. The tunnel crumbled and the ceiling dirt broke loose, filling up the void and sealing it shut forever. I looked at my companion. It was Mike!

"No! Davy!" I cried, and tried to dig my way back. But Mike grabbed me in a gentle hold.

"He's dead," he whispered, his voice filled with unshed tears, and my heart almost broke, for him and for me. "It grabbed him right after you escaped. I barely got out myself. But the fog is trapped now too." We embraced each other and started sobbing, over our experience, our lost friends, and our own pathetic selves.

Suddenly, a flashlight shined in our eyes, blinding us. "Alright!" a very familiar voice boomed. "What's all this? You shouldn't be here, this place is dangerous!"

"Don't we know..." I muttered, turning to face Babbitt.

"What's that?" he frowned. "And where are Dolenz, Tork, and Jones? You guys still have a job to finish!"

"They're dead..." Mike growled, his voice a soft whisper of anger and sadness. "Seven people are dead because of you!" I gasped and stared at him. Babbitt's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about?" the older man stammered. "Dead?"

"Yes! Peter, Micky, Davy, and those four skeletons in there!" He rattled off the names on the wall. "You knew they were in there, don't you? You're the one who killed them!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing! Had Mike lost his mind? Babbitt's face showed confusion for a few more seconds, then he crumbled to the ground. "I-it was an accident! A cave in! I-I didn't know what to do!"

"What happened?" I asked gently, still trying to figure everything out.

"My friends and I, we always came down here to get a break from life and to party. We were only in our mid-twenties. We got drunk. I went to get more beer, but as soon as I reached the doorway, the entire ceiling collapsed! We weren't supposed to be down here! If someone discovered the cave in, they would clear it and eventually find the bodies. I panicked. I ran out and bought some bricks. No one must find them! I'd be in so much trouble..."

"And so you sealed off this room," Mike finished in a tone which suggested Babbitt confirmed his suspicions. "But your friends weren't dead." Babbitt stared at him. Mike went on. "They weren't dead, just trapped behind the dirt wall. They managed to dig their way out, only to be met with a brick wall. Imagine their horror and frustration, their hope of escape being shattered. By you. You killed them!"

Babbitt opened his mouth to protest, but he knew it was no use. Mike was right. He stared dully for a few minutes, but then his eyes widened and he pointed behind us. We whirled around and saw, to our dismay, red mist slowly leaking through the dirt.

"Oh no!" Babbitt screeched, his voice cutting through my mind. "It's them! They're back!"

"Them?" I looked at the cloud. Not just a passing glance as I was running for my life, but a good hard look. To my astonishment, I saw faces in the fog. Faces of four young people, but with expressions of pain and anguish. All of a sudden, it clicked. The cloud was the spirits of the four that died in there! Their anger, their hopelessness, their hate must have lived on long past them, swirling together to form the cloud!

"My friends..." Babbitt went on. "I... I didn't realize you could've still been alive! I was afraid... I know it doesn't mean anything to you now, but I'm sorry..." Mike and I backed up as the red cloud pulsed and throbbed closer to Babbitt. The old man nodded as if he knew what it wanted. He turned to us, his face stained with tears. "After all these years, it's time for me to join my friends. Go now. Take three consecutive rights, that will lead you to some stairs. You'll come out near Purdy's place." He smiled a bit. "You were all good kids..."

Mike and I watched as he turned back to the cloud. It came upon him now, swirling like a tornado around him, faster and faster. He screamed in pain as it bent his legs forcefully behind him, popping his kneecaps. Then it bent him over again backwards. I winced as I heard his spine crack and his feet smack the back of his head. He had stopped screaming now. Over and over, the fog folded him up, until he disappeared inside the swirling mist. Then the cloud itself dispersed and faded. We were left standing there, staring in shock at nothing. The red cloud was gone forever.

Mike snapped out of it first. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out into the main tunnels again. He followed Babbitt's instructions and soon we found ourselves back out in the daylight. We laughed and hugged and kissed each other, letting the warm sunshine seep into our skin. How we missed it! I thought I'd never see the sky again! It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The kind to spend with friends, with people, no matter who they are. I gazed into Mike eyes. Both of us knew we would miss our friends and landlord dearly. But life goes on. We're alive and we have each other. And that is the most important thing in the world.