“There has to be another way in other than the way we came in that first night. That way would take too long and we would end up falling to the light of day before we ever made it to the tunnels entrance.” Jacob kicked a piece of burning ember.

              “It would have to be at the back, right? That swampy stuff is to the right and all the way around that cemetery, unless one of those graves is the door to the tunnel, of course,” Derek rambled.

              “What did you say?” Jacob asked.

              “What? That it has to be in the back?”

              “No, about the grave.”

              “I was just saying that maybe the door to Martin’s secret tunnel is one of those graves. They have huge headstones and look what watches over that weird place. I doubt many that go in there come back out to talk about it.”

              “You have a wonderful mind.” Jacob kissed Derek on the cheek. “Hurry, we must go find where Martin buried his father.”

              Neither Jacob nor I, had told the others what Martin had told us about his real father, the one who raised him. So, I didn’t correct Jacob when he called the man who once owned this place, Martin’s father. My worry lies only on finding those we left below its foundation. ***

              With one hard push, Martin broke through into the first tunnel that would take them to the tunnel that would lead to their safety. He pushed more of the earth out of the way then reached back for Tanda to take his hand. “Come, I think you will fit.”

              “I can’t go without you.”

              “Once you get on the other side you will go until the narrow breaks into a ‘T’ then you will go left…”

              “Stop it, Martin. I won’t do it! But I will go through and start digging from the other side until you can fit. But, do not say another word on my leaving you here. It will not happen.”

              “I have a great deal to learn about this new way of thinking, don’t I?”

              “I’m afraid you do.” Tanda got down on her stomach and pulled herself through the small, oval opening with Martin pushing on her feet once she was halfway through. “Now start pushing some of these loose rocks towards me and I will roll them away.”

              “The earth is weak above the stones that have fallen. We must hurry if we do not wish this to be our final resting place,” Martin smiled through the dirt on his face as he pushed one of the large, square stones toward Tanda. “I, for one, would rather not be a part of this city’s thousands of unknowns in these miserable tunnels.”

              “I think if you shove some of the dirt from here,” Tanda dug her hands into the mound of debris on the left side of the opening, “it will become large enough for you to slide through.”

              “How many stones do you see above your head?”

              Tanda searched the tainted air, trying to see through the dimly lit area that held a fine layer of mist-type dust that had been created from the aftermath. “I can’t tell; it’s too hard to see. Should I try to feel for it?”

              “No, you may cause more to come down on top of you. Stay there, I will be right back.” A few minutes later, Martin returned with a burning torch. “Move back so I can hand this to you.”

              Tanda took the flaming light and made her way down the pile of collapsed ceiling debris and wall ruble, where the two had caved in when the house had given way to its own weight. Shock took the words that she tried to articulate as she looked at the roots of the plants from the earth above. There was no stone above her head where she and Martin were digging, and it was only the side walls and the intertwining of the roots that was keeping all that she saw from coming down.

              “What do you see?”

              “We have to hurry.”

              “That is not what I asked you, but it is answer enough.”

              Tanda stuck the end of the torch into the soft earth and she and Martin began to work in haste. *** 

              Jacob ran past the side iron gate, but I stopped, and then yelled out for him to do the same. “Wouldn’t this be shorter?” I watched as he slowed and lowered his head. He turned and put his hand on his hip as he began walking back toward me. By the time he got to where I was standing, the rest were stopping behind me.

              “We have to go over this when we could simply move the wood stack and go over the shorter cemetery fence and start looking from a corner angle.” I could tell by the description of his plan that he was perturbed at me.

              “Then go, Jacob. Take the ones who have a hard time going over this wall with you and I’ll take the others with me. We will find Martin’s Pa’s grave even faster. But, if you get shitty with me like that one more time, I don’t care what we’re doing, I’m gonna kick your ass so hard you’ll be taking off your pants to get a drink.”

              “Talk about gettin’ it around the ears,” Derek snickered, then covered his mouth. Once he saw Jacob glaring at him, he quickly scaled the wall by way of the gates hinges.

              Cates and Tammy were already moving in the direction of the exit by way of the secret hole in the wall, while Garvin and Sydney followed Derek. Fala stood at my back as I waited for Jacob to reply.

              “When things have settled you will have to explain why kicking ones ass would cause them to remove their pants to partake of fluids. Your words made no sense to me at all. No matter, once you reach the main gate, stay to the right until you have made your way to the far wall, then start working your way to the middle isle, reading the headstones and we will do the same. Fala, it seems, is already doing his job but keep Garvin’s eyes watching the direction that he is not.”

              “Yes, daddy,” I smiled. “Make sure you all watch out for those pig things and those shifter ghosts.”

              “Those words I understand.”

              Jacob reached out and touched my cheek then turned and ran with Monroe at his heels. I looked up at Fala who only shrugged. I was about to say something to Fala when he lifted me into midair so I could grab the top of the gate and wall, pull myself over and jump down to the other side. A few seconds later, he landed beside me. He was as good in human form as he was in his wolf, or what he liked to call, his natural form.

              When Fala’s body went ridged, my worry went from those whom I was praying were safe where we left them, to hoping we all stayed safe until we made it underground. A wave a nauseating stench floated on the night air, much like the odor that comes from a cow carcass that had been bloating in the sun for several days and just burst. That’s when I started searching for my three boys who went over the wall before we had. We were almost to the cemetery entrance when Fala and I both saw something that I hadn’t even thought about it. Fleshers.

              “Are those like the ones that we killed by the church?” I whispered as Fala and I hid behind some overgrown hedges about five feet from the gate that would lead into the cemetery.

              “I believe they are all the same if they are hungry. These have a scent as if they have recently fed on the foul insides of their kill. Not all would do that, my people would not do that,” Fala said, sounding disgusted at the last. “I do not mean to overstep my place, but we must prevent crossing their path at all cost if possible, and should maybe go over the wall at this point.”

              “You do know you’re free to do whatever you want, don’t you? If you have something to say, Fala, you are welcome to say it.” I took his hand. “I’m glad you’re here, for many reasons. We need you Fala.”