Tunnels 04, Closer Read Free Page A

evil Topsoilers," Martha added in a disparaging tone. Chester watched as she wound a grimy scarf around her head, leaving only a slit for her eyes. As she tried to peer at him, Chester realized that it was going to take her a good while to get used to the light.
    An idea sprang into his head.
    I could ditch her!
    She he run away? While her vision was still impaired, she'd find it difficult to catch up with him. Now's your chance , he told himself, as she gave a full-bodied sniff. The snot in her nostrils rattled, and she lifted a section of her scarf and began to squeeze each of them in turn, exactly as if she was attempting to coax the last bit of toothpaste from the tube.
    Chester recalled the moment when he, Will and Cal had first arrived at the Miners' Station in the Deeps, and he had done something similarly disgusting. Well, it had disgusted Will, anyway. It made him think again of his friend and all the times they'd had together -- good and bad -- and Chester realized he couldn't be angry with him any more. He had no idea if Will had survived the leap into the pore called Smoking Jean as he'd followed his father down it. Or indeed if Elliott had survived, as she'd chosen to go the same way.
    Chester shuddered.
    They'd all gone and perhaps they were dead and that was the last he would ever see of them.
    Or perhaps they were continuing the great adventure that he and Will had embarked on that day in the basement of the Burrows' house, when they'd set off down a tunnel. Chester realized that he'd described it in his mind as an adventure , and felt a pang that he could be missing out right now.
    He thought of the three of them doing extraordinary things... Will, Dr. Burrows and Elliott... Elliott... Elliott ... He visualized her with such clarity she could have been standing right in front of him... just as she'd been at the moment she'd drunk the fluid from the wolf's eyeball... he saw her mischievous, teasing smile as she'd turned to him and suggested he try it too. Chester had nothing but admiration for her -- she'd kept them alive with her incredible skills. But, above all else, it was that smile which persisted in his mind's eye, filling him with such a feeling of loss and exclusion.
    Chester sighed, reminding himself he head to be better off up here on the surface. He'd had more than enough brushes with death to last anyone for several lifetimes... it had to be safer up here.
    At least that was what he tried to tell himself as Martha managed to coax a grey skein of snot from her nostril, wiping it on her already filthy coat.
    Please , Chester thought.
    Did it all boil down to this -- had he made his choice between Elliott... and this revolting old woman?
    "Yes, here we are," he finally answered Martha, looking quickly away from her. "We're Topsoil, all right."
    The light was failing rapidly as evening set in, making it easier for Martha to see. From where they were hiding, they could glimpse various buildings, very square and functional in appearance.
    So, after several hours and now under cover of darkness, they decided to emerge from behind the brambles. They carefully picked their way between the disused buildings of the former airfield. Will had told Chester it was in Norfolk, a good hundred miles from London.
    They crossed what appeared to be the former parade ground, an eerie, echoing place with weeds growing through cracks in the asphalt surface. As he passed behind it, Chester inspected an open-backed lorry which, from its appearance, he guessed must belong to builders or some type of tradesman. He knew he was right about this when he noticed scaffolding around one of the buildings -- events had obviously moved on since Will and Dr. Burrows had last been here, and construction work was already well underway. Then, in the distance, he spotted a Portakabin. Its windows were illuminated and a Land Rover was parked beside it. Will had warned him about the security guards patrolling the airfield, and this had to be