The Tunnel

A Story by Red

A group of friends go on one last adventure together before the end of their senior year

Have you ever been to Hell and back again? If you do find yourself in this situation, one can only hope that you bring your best winter coat to protect you from the cold, harsh wind that seems to never stop blowing in the Ninth Circle. My friends and I had only heard stories of the abandoned tunnel. Some say the Goat Man resided in the hallways of the tunnel, the ones that lead to the control room. Others claimed a woman in white would try to hitchhike and if you refused to give her a ride something bad would happen within seven days. But never could we imagine that we would be walking to Hell.

“Sean! Come on! We’re gonna be late!” Amber yelled as she banged on the bathroom door. “Late for what? Meeting the Goat Man?”. I teased, “I don’t recall making an appointment.” Looking up from washing my hands, I gave myself a good long look. The guy in the mirror looked rough. His eyes looked exhausted, he had the whole five o’ clock shadow going on. I looked down at my watch, 2:13 am. At this time, I’m usually in my bed. I raked my fingers through my hair quickly to attempt a clean up the mop. Opening the door quickly, I was met with Amber pounding my chest. “Jeez, it took you long enough! Here.” She tossed the keys at my chest, and they fell to the ground. “Amb, it’s going to be in the mid-forties, that’s all you’re really going to wear?”

She looked down at her crop top and the hole in her jeans. “I mean… it’s on my body right? Would you prefer that I wear less?” She winked at me, lacing up her shoes. I rolled my eyes as I scooped the keys up from the ground. I went to the coat closet and tossed one of my sweatshirts to her, then grabbed myself a jacket. She was going to steal it anyway and I’d rather not be the one left freezing.

“Put that in your backpack, because I know you’re going to ask for mine as soon as you get cold.”

“But isn’t that what a best friend is for! To borrow their clothes?!”

Shaking the keys as I pulled open the door. “Not in this case. No.” I let the screen door slam. My parents had decided that this weekend they were going to be away. I didn’t have to worry about Amber being loud as usual. I unlocked the car and looked down at my watch again. 2:19 am. It shouldn’t take too long to get to the tunnel, we were going to make it on time. We just needed to pick up the other three first.

My friends wanted our senior year of high school to be an experience unlike any other. Starting the day after junior year ended, we went on many trips. I don’t know if it was the freedom they felt from throwing their hard earned money away, or if it was the thrill of being just one year away from total independence. Away from their families and living their life in college, not having to answer to parents. Or maybe they were scared that after high school we were going to grow up and grow away from each other as we started our new lives. Either way, my friends were trying to make this a year of unforgettable memories.

Maude and Elizabeth, my favorite pair of twins, were meeting up at Charlie’s house to save me from driving across town to pick everyone up. We got in the car and started on our way to Charlie’s. “Do you think we’re going to see the woman in white? Or even... the goat man?” Amber wiggled her fingers in my face. I smacked her hand away, “Amb, the road is hard enough to see, can you let me drive?” She rolled her eyes and leaned the passenger chair back, kicking her feet up on the dashboard. I always told her to take her feet off, and yet she still does it. I gave her a side eye; she stuck her tongue out at me. Amber then proceeded to text our group chat that we were on the way. I could hear pings of excitement from the others as my phone blew up with the four of them messaging each other.

Twenty minutes later, Amber is screaming to the three in the back about her day at school and how one of the basketball players had asked her out during fourth period. The Twins squealed, and I swerved the car a little bit in response to my ears being attacked. Charlie put his hand on my shoulder and scooted up, so his head was next to mine. “Everything alright up here buddy?” I gave a crooked smile through the rearview mirror, meeting his eyes. “I’m as good as anyone else can be at,” I glanced at the car clock. “Two forty-five AM.” Charlie gave a couple pats and then a squeeze before retreating to his seat. We’d be at the tunnel soon.

When we got there, we unloaded and grabbed everything we needed. I didn’t notice Amber leaving her backpack. Once all the car doors were shut and we all started walking towards the entrance of the tunnel, I locked the doors with the fob and slid the keys into the pocket of my pants. “Alright so who brought the flashlights?” Elizabeth asked, her hand outstretched already wanting one. Charlie kneeled and grabbed four flashlights, handing them to the girls and one for himself. “Sorry Sean, I thought you were a big boy, so you could handle not getting one. Also, you probably won’t be wandering off by yourself like these ladies here,” he gestured in their direction, and Maude rolled her eyes.

“Okay so, can we start? I know we’re looking for the Goat man or a Woman in White, but I also heard something else that could happen, but only at 3:33 am.”. “Why specifically 3:33 am?” Amber clicked her light on, aiming it at Maude’s shoes.

“So not to get really spooky, but I read something that if you get to the bottom of the tunnel at 3:33 am, you disappear.” Charlie and Elizabeth burst out laughing, Amber stood there, eyes squinting. “Is that the reason why we’re here at zero-dark-thirty in the morning, to test out your spooky theory?” Amber aimed the light at Maude’s face. I quickly stretched my hand out and pointed the flashlight back to the ground, the tension was starting to build with having so many girls and I did not want to be in the middle of girl drama. Glancing down again at my watch, I saw it was 3:00 am.

I began to start us off with a plan, “Okay so how bout we start walking and �"”

“Sean can I have your sweatshirt please?” I quickly met Amber’s eyes.

“You’re... kidding me right now.” Amber bit her bottom lip, trying to suppress a smile.

“No you can’t be, where’s the ba- �"” She cuts me off, giving me puppy dog eyes, “It’s at home, I didn’t bring it.”

I stared at her for a good long second before giving in and taking my sweatshirt off. I gave her a look of poison as I handed it to her. After she put it on she stuck her tongue out and winked, and I rolled my eyes, she never listens.

Maude and Charlie were chatting about where in the tunnel they needed to cross at. “Maude, do you know why it has to be at 3:33?’ I asked as I kept an eye on Elizabeth as she crept into the tunnel, her flashlight a beacon to the moths, like a boat following a lighthouse on a stormy night.

“Demons like to make fun of the holy trinity, so they do things in 3’s to mock them.” Maude replied, turning her head to find her sister. Charlie whispered something under his breath. “Anyways,” I clap my hands together in a dad fashion to get this show on the road, “We should probably start heading down that way if we want to see what this portal is.” I wiggled my eyebrows, starting to walk into the tunnel, which Elizabeth had gone into. “Elizabeth, you better not go too far! If the Goat man gets you, I’m leaving you for goat meat.” Maude yelled.

After a few screams from the girls, and admiring some of the graffiti on the walls, we were getting towards the bottom. “How much longer until we get there Maude?” Elizabeth whined, not liking to have to do all this walking. “Well it should just be a couple more minutes down the tunnel.” Maude pointed her flashlight down the tunnel, it’s beam piercing the darkness that stared back. “They say someone’s marked a line to where the portal is. And you have to cross at exactly 3:33. Sean, what time is it?” I looked down, “It’s 3:28, we better start running.” I heard Elizabeth and Amber groan collectively, Charlie shot me a look, one that was asking to race.

“I would but I don’t want to leave the girls in our dust. Maybe on the way back though?”

He nodded, “I’ll take lead, Sean takes caboose. But we gotta speed walk like we’re moms going around the block, you know what I mean?” Maude laughed.

Sean took off and right behind him was the rest of us. I was trying to use their lights to help guide me as I didn’t have one, I was using their light to notice and remember where obstacles were. The air felt still. Like someone was holding their breath, waiting for something to happen. “There! I see it!” Maude yelled; I could see a bright yellow line from one wall to the other. I checked the time, 3:32 “Just keep going!” I yelled from the back. Amber, all of a sudden tripped, right before the yellow line, I slowed down to help her up. The second she was up, she bolted for the line, the flashlight slipping out of her hand as she crossed it. As I went to follow suit, a strong gust of freezing air pushed me to the ground. I could hear screaming, as if I was in the center of the Superbowl, it was coming from all sides.

For just a moment I saw my friends huddled together, their faces contorted as they screamed. Charlie was looking at his hands as we watched them turn into a sickening blue-black. Amber turned to look at me. She started to walk back. And then all was silent. Other than the flashlight rolling to the wall, it’s beam aiming into where my friends just were, there was complete silence.

I was alone.