Chapter 13

Lyle lead the way down the stairs and through the door at the bottom. When they get there it lead into a small room with 2 doors. He walked to the door to the right and punched in a code on the keypad next to the door, then grabbed the handle and pulled it open. He ushered both women through and then walked through after them. They were in a parking garage. It was under ground and held a lot of cars. Amaris had no idea there were so many people that lived up in this little town. Lyle walked quickly across the aisles filled with cars toward a door that was marked mechanical room. He pulled out a set of keys and selected the right one. Opening the door he let them through. Closing the door behind him, Lyle picked up the pace. The area was hot and loud. Lyle took off the sports jacket that he was wearing and balled it up and hid it in a laundry hamper under a bunch of workman’s jumpsuits.

All this quick paced walking had been a bit much for Gran and she had fallen a bit behind. Lyle and Amaris were walking quickly and taking turns dropping back to hurry her along. The walk was longer than Amaris thought it would be too. They had not said much after they left the passage since Lyle gave them the high sign to be quiet.

The mechanical room turned out to be just as advertised. Row after row of underground generators and boilers to provide heat and power for the village. Amaris was amazed a sleepy little mountain town could have amassed enough wealth to be able to build all of this and to have this type of infrastructure.

They finally reached the end of the mechanical room and walked into what looked like a janitor’s closet.  When they had all squeezed into the cramped space, Lyle closed the door behind him. Amaris had to lean back into a shelf of cleaners and mop replacement heads to let Lyle by her, and he still bumped into Gran who tottered over backward and landed sitting in a mop bucket. Lyle spun around to help her up both with a goofy grin on their faces having relaxed slightly since there had not been any sign of their pursuers.   However, even that little commotion was apparently enough to give them away. Amaris was not aware until that moment that the men who had followed them into the tunnels at Lyle’s house, had followed them this far.

They could here men’s voices and running feet getting closer. “Lyle we are trapped. Please tell me this place has a secret tunnel entrance too.” Amaris said trying to hold Gran up amid the debris in the room.

“No secret tunnel entrance, but still we’ve got a secret entrance.” He walked to the back wall and this time pulled what looked to be a fire alarm on the back wall of the janitor’s closet. The entire back wall swung out revealing a hidden room. A panic room of sorts. Amaris reached over and turned the lock on the knob of the door to the closet. That was not going to hold them for long though. Lyle ushered Amaris through first and then turned to help Gran when he was suddenly flung backward and the door swung shut. The bolts slid home with a final squealing and a thud. Amaris ran forward stepping over the sprawling body of Lyle on the floor. She pounded on the door and yelled for Gran. An intercom buzzed with Gran’s voice “I am sorry my dear but it’s the only way. They already know someone Is in here and if they don’t find anyone they will keep looking. This way they will give up and bring me back with them. Lyle I’m counting on you. Keep her safe.” The intercom buzzed off and that was it.

Amaris covered her face and sank to the floor as she succumbed to tears. Tears for Gran, tears for Grover, tears for Heather, Mr.Clark, and Mrs Bass, tears for all that she had been through today. Lyle sat up and slid across the floor to lean next to her on the door. He put his arm around her and pulled her to him. She fell into him and cried until she fell asleep huddled on the floor with him.