Chase held up a hand for the two women to stay back as he cautiously advanced. He shone the light down the narrow passage.

“What do you see?” Kari asked.

“Little obstacle course. The passage’s about twenty feet long, but there’s poles coming down from the ceiling, so you have to twist between ’em.” He made a face. “Poles with spikes on. Guess they’re not for dancing.”

“What about the wooden thing?” Nina asked, indicating the bench.

“That? There’s stuff like that at my gym!” Chase nodded for them to come in, then straddled the bench, lying on his back under the bar. “I guess you lift it as if you’re doing a bench press, and if you’re strong enough, it opens an exit.” He realized there was an indentation in the ceiling directly above matching the size and shape of the bench, but couldn’t see any reason for it.

Kari took the flashlight, aiming it down the confined passage. It seemed to be a dead end-but there was something on the far wall, a square hole. “Or one person has to hold the weight up while the other goes down there and triggers the release. The elder said two people were needed to perform the challenges.”

“So why not just go down to the other end before anyone lifts the weight?” Nina suggested.

“’Cause that’d be way too easy.” Chase reached up and experimentally raised the bar. It moved easily for a couple of inches before encountering resistance. “So what do we do? Do I lift this and see what happens, or…”

Kari peered down the passage again. “We have to go down here anyway, so it might be a good idea to get to the other end first… What do you think, Nina?”

“Me?” Nina nervously regarded the two-inch barbs protruding from the maze of metal poles. There was enough room between them for even Chase to fit, but they would all find it tricky to avoid the spikes. She looked up, to see that each pole disappeared into a hole in the ceiling about five inches across. Oddly, the holes in the floor fitted them far more precisely. “I have absolutely no idea.”

“Fifty-three minutes, Doc,” said Chase, holding up his watch arm.

Hating being put on the spot, Nina looked to the end of the passage. The recess in the wall was big enough to reach inside; maybe it contained a lever to open a door. “Okay, well then… we’ll go to the other end. Once we get there, you lift the bar and we’ll see what happens.”

“Right. And Nina?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t get scratched. You neither, boss. Tetanus shots are a right pain.”

“We’ll try,” said Nina, almost smiling.

Kari went first, turning sideways and effortlessly slinking between the poles. Nina followed her more awkwardly. Without exchanging words, they fell into a routine: Kari lit the way and advanced a few steps, then switched the light to her other hand so that Nina could see as she followed.

“Keep talking,” Chase said. “Let me know how far you’ve got.”

“There’s about four meters to go,” Kari called out as she stepped forward. “I still don’t see an exit, but I think the recess-”

Clunk.

Something shifted under her foot.

“What was that?” Nina gulped. Dust trickled down through the gaps between the blocks. “Oh crap.”

“Move!” Kari shouted, grabbing Nina’s wrist and pulling her down the passage between the spiked poles as the entire ceiling started to descend with a horrific grinding sound, the individual blocks lowering in unison.

Even in the dim light, Chase saw the ceiling drop towards him too-as a door slammed shut, sealing the entrance. Now he realized the purpose of the indentation above the stone bench-it allowed the entire ceiling to descend all the way to the floor, leaving nowhere for anybody to hide-

No way to escape being crushed!

FOURTEEN

Oh my God!” Nina screamed as Kari pulled her between the poles.

A protruding barb slashed through Nina’s sleeve. She cried out, instinctively pulling away from the source of pain-and slamming into another one, driving a spike into her left shoulder.

Behind them, Chase desperately pushed up the bar, not knowing what else he could do. It was heavy, but not so heavy that he couldn’t support it, like bench-pressing two hundred pounds.

The ceiling slowed, but didn’t stop.

“I’m holding it!” he yelled. “Keep moving!”

Nina squealed in agony as Kari’s attempt to pull her onwards twisted the spike inside her flesh. Kari immediately let go and tried to turn back to help her-but the lowered ceiling forced her into a semicrouch, making it harder to maneuver.

“Keep going!” Nina shouted, pointing at the end of the passage. Tears streamed down her face.

“I’m not leaving you!” Kari grabbed her hand. “Come on! You can do it!”

Holding in an anguished wail, Nina pulled free. Blood spurted down her shirt. “Oh God!”

“Come on!” Kari guided her through the poles. They were halfway down the passage, ten feet to go-but there were still more of the spiked obstacles to negotiate.

The ceiling kept descending, dust and grit cascading from the blocks. It was now almost at Nina’s head height, Kari hunched over ahead of her.

Chase held up the bar, his arms extended to their limits. At least he could support the weight almost in definitely…

Another clunk, the sound of something large and heavy moving behind the slot in the wall. A mechanism-

Bang!

The pressure on Chase’s arms suddenly increased.

“Jesus!” he gasped, caught by surprise. An extra fifty pounds, at least, had been dropped onto the weight he was already supporting. His elbows bent… and the ceiling began to move faster.

“Shit!” Muscles straining, he forced his arms straight again.

The descending stones slowed-slightly. The passage was only five feet high now, and still shrinking.

“Keep going!” Kari cried. Only eight feet to go, seven, but each step she took became smaller as she fought to keep her balance in her unnatural position.

Chase heard the mechanism rattle again. Teeth clenched, he gasped, “Watch out!” just as-bang!-another weight fell, even heavier than the last. He roared as he forced his arms to stay locked under the extra strain. He was now supporting well over three hundred pounds, and the impact alone when the new weight dropped had almost slammed the bar out of his grip.

One more like that, and the challenge would be over.

The ceiling jolted sharply downwards before slowing again. It hit Kari, making her stumble and fall against one of the poles. A jagged barb stabbed deep into her left bicep. She choked back a scream, trying to pull herself free of the spike, but the ceiling pressed relentlessly down on to her, driving the barb deeper into her arm.

“Nina!” she groaned through the pain. “I’m stuck! You’ll have to get to the end!”

Nina looked down the passage. Only six feet to go-but Kari was blocking the easiest route between the poles. “I can’t make it!”

“Yes you can! You have to! Nina, go!” Kari released her hand.

Sweat streaming down his face, Chase heard the mechanism again. Another weight was about to drop. “I can’t hold it!”

Nina moved.

Bent over, head scraping along the shuddering ceiling, she squashed herself as hard as she could against one wall and squeezed through the first gap. A barb ripped her shirt, but she was through.

Four feet.

Chase braced himself for the impact of the next stone, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hold it.

Nina twisted between the next two poles, but the ceiling was now too low for her to walk upright. She dropped to a crawl, another spike slicing one thigh.

The cold stone blocks pressed against Kari’s face and shoulders, forcing the spike deeper into her arm.

Two feet-

Clunk!