about him?' Hank asked.
'Well, it's just that Tom's the one that showed it to me. We were on this dirt road over across from it. So I couldn't see it too well.'
'But you know where to find it?'
'I think so.'
Hank opened the passenger door of his rental car. 'How about climbing in. I'll drive us over there.'
'Gee, I don't know. I'm sort of like on duty, you know, and I really don't know…'
'Is something more important,' Chris asked, 'than getting those people out of the cave?'
'Well, I guess not. But you can't get in. Like I was saying, it's all walled up.'
'We'd better take some tools along,' Chris said. 'A pick or something.'
'You'd need lights, too,' Lynn told them. 'Really, you oughta just wait for the fire department. They'll get everybody out.'
'Eventually,' Chris said. She looked at Hank. 'What do you think?'
Hank gazed past her at the blazing hotel. The entire east wing was now engulfed, so the area housing the elevators was already being consumed.
'The fire department isn't even here yet,' he said. 'By the time they get this thing out, there might be a ton of rubble covering the elevator shafts. They'll have to bring in heavy equipment to clear all that away.' He turned to Lynn. 'How far is it through the closed part of the cave to that other wall?'
'About half a mile. But it's dark and there aren't any walkways or anything. I mean, it'd be the pits, you know? And there's that chasm somebody might fall into like Elizabeth Mordock. I don't think…'
'We could probably get to them in a couple of hours,' Chris said.
'Depending on the walls,' said Hank.
'Really, you two, I don't see what the big hurry is. The fire department can take care of it. They'll get 'em out.'
it's our daughters down there,' Hank said.
'But they're safer staying where they are until the fire department can…'
'How do you know that?' Chris asked her.
'Well-'
'What if something's gone wrong down there?'
Hank felt a sudden tug of fear. 'What do you mean?' Frowning, Chris shook her head. 'Maybe somebody's been hurt. If they don't already know they're trapped, they'll find out pretty soon. People might panic. There might be arguments, fights. God only knows. I just think, the faster they're out of there, the better.'
'Same here,' Hank said. 'Let's go for it.'
***
'On the bright side,' Greg said, 'we've got light and heat.'
After the initial confusion, nearly everyone had stood up and approached the blazing remains of the elevators. Darcy stood with the others in a semi-circle, Greg at her side. Some held out their hands as if to warm them at a bonfire.
A man said, 'Who's got the marshmallows?'
His little girl frowned up at him. 'You're not funny, Daddy.'
'How in God's name do we get out of here, now?' a woman asked.
Darcy didn't care about that. Not at the moment. Staring into the flames, she could only think about her mother.
Something awful had happened up top. A fire, maybe an explosion. Maybe a nuclear blast like the man had suggested so long ago.
Mom's all right, she told herself. Please. She has to be.
Greg put his arm around her. 'Don't worry,' he said.
'My mother.'
'I'm sure she's fine. She probably had plenty of time to get away.'
'What do you mean?'
'It wasn't anything sudden,' he said. 'Whatever happened, it must have started when the lights went off. It took all this time before the elevators dropped, so the whole place didn't go up at once.'
Darcy thought about that. Greg was right. Obviously, the entire complex hadn't been destroyed in some terrible cataclysm. The fire must have started a distance away and spread until it consumed the elevator housings. So people had time to get away. Maybe
'Well, it's just that Tom's the one that showed it to me. We were on this dirt road over across from it. So I couldn't see it too well.'
'But you know where to find it?'
'I think so.'
Hank opened the passenger door of his rental car. 'How about climbing in. I'll drive us over there.'
'Gee, I don't know. I'm sort of like on duty, you know, and I really don't know…'
'Is something more important,' Chris asked, 'than getting those people out of the cave?'
'Well, I guess not. But you can't get in. Like I was saying, it's all walled up.'
'We'd better take some tools along,' Chris said. 'A pick or something.'
'You'd need lights, too,' Lynn told them. 'Really, you oughta just wait for the fire department. They'll get everybody out.'
'Eventually,' Chris said. She looked at Hank. 'What do you think?'
Hank gazed past her at the blazing hotel. The entire east wing was now engulfed, so the area housing the elevators was already being consumed.
'The fire department isn't even here yet,' he said. 'By the time they get this thing out, there might be a ton of rubble covering the elevator shafts. They'll have to bring in heavy equipment to clear all that away.' He turned to Lynn. 'How far is it through the closed part of the cave to that other wall?'
'About half a mile. But it's dark and there aren't any walkways or anything. I mean, it'd be the pits, you know? And there's that chasm somebody might fall into like Elizabeth Mordock. I don't think…'
'We could probably get to them in a couple of hours,' Chris said.
'Depending on the walls,' said Hank.
'Really, you two, I don't see what the big hurry is. The fire department can take care of it. They'll get 'em out.'
it's our daughters down there,' Hank said.
'But they're safer staying where they are until the fire department can…'
'How do you know that?' Chris asked her.
'Well-'
'What if something's gone wrong down there?'
Hank felt a sudden tug of fear. 'What do you mean?' Frowning, Chris shook her head. 'Maybe somebody's been hurt. If they don't already know they're trapped, they'll find out pretty soon. People might panic. There might be arguments, fights. God only knows. I just think, the faster they're out of there, the better.'
'Same here,' Hank said. 'Let's go for it.'
***
'On the bright side,' Greg said, 'we've got light and heat.'
After the initial confusion, nearly everyone had stood up and approached the blazing remains of the elevators. Darcy stood with the others in a semi-circle, Greg at her side. Some held out their hands as if to warm them at a bonfire.
A man said, 'Who's got the marshmallows?'
His little girl frowned up at him. 'You're not funny, Daddy.'
'How in God's name do we get out of here, now?' a woman asked.
Darcy didn't care about that. Not at the moment. Staring into the flames, she could only think about her mother.
Something awful had happened up top. A fire, maybe an explosion. Maybe a nuclear blast like the man had suggested so long ago.
Mom's all right, she told herself. Please. She has to be.
Greg put his arm around her. 'Don't worry,' he said.
'My mother.'
'I'm sure she's fine. She probably had plenty of time to get away.'
'What do you mean?'
'It wasn't anything sudden,' he said. 'Whatever happened, it must have started when the lights went off. It took all this time before the elevators dropped, so the whole place didn't go up at once.'
Darcy thought about that. Greg was right. Obviously, the entire complex hadn't been destroyed in some terrible cataclysm. The fire must have started a distance away and spread until it consumed the elevator housings. So people had time to get away. Maybe
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