Dark Spell Read Online Free PDF Page B

seemed dimmer somehow – must be because they’d been staring at the sun coming through the grating, thought Josh.
    “What happened when the two tunnels met?” he asked.
    “There was a battle, of course… well, a fight at any rate. I don’t suppose there can have been enough people down here for a proper battle. It must have been terrible, though – no room to fight properly, nowhere to run, no escape.”
    Without warning, the lights went off.

4. WHISPERS IN THE DARK
    Callie gasped, heard Josh beside her draw in his breath sharply. Around them was utter darkness.
    “Power cut?” said Josh.
    There was a pause before Callie answered. “Must be.”
    Their voices were swallowed by the dead air.
    “Wait until I get to you,” Josh said.
    Callie had been at the bottom of the steps when they were plunged into darkness, but he was two – or was it three? – steps above her.
    He groped forward with his feet, feeling for the edge of each step, arms outstretched, trying to find Callie.
    The silence was oppressive now, no sound but the drip of water.
    “Josh?” whispered Callie.
    “Here,”
whispered a voice to her left, and then, “Here,” said Josh much more loudly, but on her right.
    Imagination. Stop it.
    “I’ve got my hands out. Stand still so I can find you,” he went on.
    Callie gave a little gasp as something touched her left wrist, and a second later Josh bumped into her from the right.
    “Sorry.”
    “Okay.” She sounded breathless.
    “We can wait until the lights…”
    “No!” exclaimed Callie vehemently, clutching his hand tightly. “Let’s go.”
    They shuffled forward like cartoon zombies, arms out in front of them so they wouldn’t blunder into the rock walls.
    “What?” said Callie suddenly.
    “What?” Josh echoed.
    “You said my name.”
    “No I didn’t,” Josh insisted. Callie clutched more tightly at his hand. “You all right?” he asked.
    “Fine,” she said in a strained voice.
    Callie
.
    You have come to us.
    Callie stopped dead. “Did you hear that?”
    “I didn’t hear anything.” There was a clang as Josh bumped into the ladder.
    You’re imagining things
, Callie tried to tell herself.
Don’t be stupid. There’s only you and Josh down here. No one else. Nothing else
.
    “Do you want to go up first?” Josh asked.
    “Yes!” She couldn’t keep the fear out of her voice.
    Something brushed, moth-soft, against her cheek, and she failed to suppress a scream.
    “Callie, what is it?”
    Callie
.
    You are ours.
    Panic overwhelmed her. She dropped Josh’s hand, flailed for the cold metal of the ladder and scrambled up it, heedless of anything but the need to escapethe darkness, escape the whispering voices that were suddenly all around her.
    You belong with us
…
    We are angry
…
    So frightened
…
    Stay in the black dark with us
…
    Always
…
    We long for the light
…
    So much anger
…
    We long for the air
…
    We belong with you
…
    Callie
…
    “Callie!” Josh yelled. He felt for the ladder and pulled himself up.
    There was a glimmer of grey here, not light, but a lessening of the darkness. He could hear Callie whimpering ahead of him, and make her out as a vague crawling shape on the floor of the passage just ahead of him. He reached forward to touch her and the lights came back on.
    Blinded, he threw up his hands to shield his eyes.
    “Callie, are you okay?” he asked, but there was no sound but his own voice, and when he opened his eyes properly there was no one there.
    Josh hurried up the tunnel. How had Callie got out so fast, so silently? He was relieved when he emerged into air and light and saw her sitting against a wall, knees hugged to her chest, face chalky white.
    “Are you okay?”
    Callie nodded, hugging her knees tighter to disguise the fact that she was shaking uncontrollably. She couldn’t have stood up if her life had depended on it.
    “It was pretty creepy, the lights going out like that.” He gave her a sideways glance, watching