The Calling of the Grave (40 page)

    We
didn't have much time.

    There
was always a risk of haematoma after a head trauma. Some developed very
quickly, others could take weeks, slowly swelling blood blisters inside the
skull that put pressure on the brain. Sophie's must have been building up for
days. Either it had been too small to be detected by the hospital scans or
she'd discharged herself before anyone had picked it up.

    Either
way I should have realized. The signs had been staring me in the face, and I'd
missed them. I'd put her slurred speech down to alcohol and fatigue, dismissed
her headache as a hangover.

    Now
she could die because of me.

    Sophie
barely knew where she was. She could walk, but not without support. By the time
Monk had helped me manhandle her from the chamber it was obvious we wouldn't be
able to go back the way we had come, with its narrow tunnels and crawlways.

    'Is
there another way out?' I asked as she slumped against me.

    In
the torchlight Monk looked terrifying, but I was more frightened for Sophie now
than of him. His breathing sounded worse than ever. 'There is, but. . .'

    'What?'

    'Doesn't
matter,' he said, and set off down the passage.

    The
world shrank down to the rough rock above me and on either side, and Monk's
broad shoulders in front. I'd brought the torch from the floor of the chamber.
The beam was weak but at least it threw back the darkness enough to see where
we were going. If I fell now I'd drag Sophie down with me.

    I had
my arm around her, taking as much of her weight as I could. She was weeping
with pain, her voice weak and slurred as she begged me to let her lie down and
sleep. When she started to flag too much I held the smelling salts under her
nose, trying not to think what would happen if she collapsed down here. Or that
both our lives depended on a killer we'd no reason to trust.

    Away
from the airless warmth of the chamber it was freezing. My teeth chattered from
the cold, and Sophie was shivering beneath my arm. Water streamed along the
uneven floor of the passage. I thought about the stories I'd heard of cavers
drowning in flooded tunnels. There had been a lot of rain over the last few
weeks, but I told myself that Monk knew what he was doing.

    The
walls of the passage opened out into a vaulted cavern, where a fine, cold haze
filled the air with a mineral tang. In the confined space the sound of falling
water was deafening. The light from the torch showed it pouring down the rock
walls, shattering into cascades before tumbling into the turmoil of a pool.
Nearly all of the cavern was flooded, but Monk picked his way along a bank of
shale that skirted its edge. At the far side the rock was split by a narrow
vertical fissure, just above the water level. My heart sank when he stopped by
it.

    'Through
there.'

    He had
to raise his voice to be heard above the water. Supporting Sophie, I shone the
torch into the fissure. If anything it narrowed even more the further in it
went.

    'Where
does it go?'

    'Comes
out in a passage that goes to the surface.' I could hear the wet tear of Monk's
breathing even over the splash of the water. In the low torchlight the
misshapen bones of his face made him look like a walking corpse.

    'Are
you sure?'

    'You
wanted another way out. That's it.'

    With that
he turned and started back along the shale bank, sloshing through the edge of
the water. 'You're not just going to leave us?' I yelled after him.

    There
was no response. The torch beam bobbed as he made his way back across the
flooded cavern. The level had risen while we'd been standing there.

    'David
. . . wha's. . .'

    Sophie
was leaning heavily against me. I swallowed the fear that had risen in my
throat. 'It's OK. Not much further.'

    I'd
no idea if that was true or not. But we'd no choice. Shining the torch ahead of
us, I hugged her to me and edged sideways into the narrow gap. It disappeared
into darkness above our heads, but there wasn't much more than eighteen inches
clearance between the rock faces. I fought down a wave of claustrophobia as
they seemed to squeeze tighter with each shuffling step.

    My
breath steamed in the weak light from the torch. Its pale beam showed where the
fissure twisted out of sight further along. After a few yards I looked back but
the flooded cavern was already lost from view. Not that we could have gone back
now anyway. There was no room to turn round, and I couldn't back up with Sophie
tucked under my arm. I was almost dragging her now, struggling to support her
as I took one crablike step after another.

    
How
much further?
I told myself it couldn't be far. The fissure was growing
narrower, the sides pressing in closer the deeper we went. I could feel it,
solid and unyielding against my chest, restricting my breathing.
Don't think
about it. Just keep moving.
But even that was becoming more difficult. The
irregular rock underfoot threatened to trip me and the gap continued to narrow.
There wasn't enough room for us both to get through, not while I was holding
Sophie.

    I
willed myself to stay calm. 'Sophie, I've got to free my arm. I need you to
stand by yourself for a few seconds.'

    My
voice echoed oddly, flattened by the rock. She didn't respond.

    'Sophie?
Come on, wake up!'

    But
Sophie didn't move. Now I'd stopped she was a dead weight against me, and it
was growing harder to hold her upright. If not for the walls of the fissure
holding her in place I doubt I could have. I groped one-handed for the bottle
of smelling salts in my pocket, desperate not to drop either them or the torch.
I opened the bottle with my teeth, my eyes watering from the reek of ammonia
even though I held my breath, then struggled to reach around to hold it under
Sophie's nose.
Come on. Please.

    There
was no reaction. I tried for a little longer, then gave up.
OK, don't panic.
Think .The
only option was for me to squeeze through the narrow section
first and somehow pull her through after me. But if I let go of her and she
collapsed . . .

    
There's
no room for her to fall, and you can't stay here. Just do it!
My arm was
growing numb. I began trying to ease it from beneath her shoulders.
You can
do it. Nice and easy.
My coat sleeve rasped on the rough rock but Sophie's
weight pinned me in place. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't prise myself
loose. I twisted round to get more leverage and felt the rock faces clamp
around my upper body like a vice. For a second I couldn't move, then I wrenched
myself back to my original position, skinning my knuckles in the process.

    
Oh,
God!
I closed my eyes, fighting for breath. There didn't seem to be enough
air. Stars sparked in my vision. I tried to steady my breathing, realizing I
was starting to hyperventilate.
For Christ's sake don't pass out!
Gradually, my heart slowed. I opened my eyes. Lit by the torch from below, the
rock wall was inches from my face. I could see its granular texture, smell its
damp, salty hardness. I moistened my dry lips.
Come on, think!
But I
didn't have any options left. My arm felt completely dead. Sophie was
unconscious, wedged against me more tightly than ever. I couldn't go any
further, nor could I back out, not with her blocking the way.

    We
were trapped.

    There
was a glow off to one side. I looked over Sophie's head and saw a torch beam
lighting the fissure behind us, throwing the irregularities of the rock into
sharp relief. There was a slow scraping, accompanied by the rasp of laboured
breathing.

    Then
Monk edged into view. He was jammed sideways into the narrow gap, mouth
contorted as he forced himself towards us. It had been tight enough for me: I
couldn't imagine what it must be like for him.

    He
didn't speak until he'd reached Sophie. Still holding the torch, a massive hand
snaked out and gripped her shoulder.

    'Got
her . . .'

    His
voice was a strained gasp, but I felt most of her weight lift from me. I slid
my arm from behind her, smearing more skin from my knuckles on the rock, and
then I was free. I flexed my fingers, gritting my teeth as my arm blazed with
returning circulation.

    'Go,'
Monk wheezed.

    He
kept Sophie upright while I squeezed between the rock faces. My coat snagged as
they gripped tighter than ever, then I'd scraped through and the fissure
widened. I sucked in air, giddy with relief as I shone the torch back on to
Monk and Sophie.

    His
mouth was open in a rictus, his breathing agonized as the rock constricted his
massive chest. But he said nothing as I reached back through the narrow
section, grabbing a handful of Sophie's coat in one hand and protecting her
head with the other.

    The
close walls of the fissure helped us now, holding her in place as Monk propped
her up on one side while I pulled her through the narrow section from the
other. Heaving her arm around my shoulders so her head was cradled against me,
I took her weight and straightened. Then I shone the torch back on to Monk.

    He'd
worked his way even further in to help me with Sophie. Now he was wedged
impossibly tightly into the gap, squashed between the rock. His mouth worked
like a grounded fish as he fought for breath.

    'Can you
get back?' I panted. There was no way he could make it through any further.

    It
was hard to tell but I thought he grinned. 'Bulked out . . . since last time .
. .'

    It
sounded painful for him to even talk.
Christ, he's not going to be able to get
out of there.
'Listen, I can—'

    'Fuck
off. . . Get her out.'

    I
hesitated, but only for a second. He'd survived down here well enough without
my help, and Sophie was my priority. I began half carrying, half dragging her
away. I glanced back once, but could see only darkness. There was no sign of
Monk or his torch.

    He
must have gone back, but I couldn't spare any thoughts for him. It was a little
wider here but Sophie was a dead weight. It was all I could do to support her.
Water was streaming down the uneven base of the fissure now, flowing over my
boots and making it impossible to see where I was treading. I stumbled
repeatedly, our coats scraping and snagging on the rock that still pressed in
on us. I kept on, knowing that if we became trapped now we were on our own.

    Then
the walls suddenly opened out. Gasping for breath, I shone the torch around a
low passage. It was only a little higher than my head but wide enough for us to
stand side by side. If Monk was right, then this must be the way to the
surface.

    It
sloped uphill at a steep angle. I started up but I was stooped under Sophie's
weight, my legs leaden and shaking. I couldn't go any further, not without a
rest. Lowering her to the floor, I knelt beside her and stroked the tangle of
hair from her face.

    'Sophie?
Can you hear me?'

    There
was no response. I checked her pulse. It was too fast. When I checked her eyes
the right one was more dilated than ever. It didn't change when I shone the
torch into it.

    I
struggled to lift her again, but there was no strength in my limbs. I took a
few faltering steps and almost fell. I lowered Sophie back to the ground.
This is hopeless.
I bowed my head, almost weeping. I'd no idea how far
there was to go, but I couldn't carry her any further. If she was going to have
any chance of surviving, there was only one thing I could do.

    I had
to leave her behind.

    
Don't
waste time. Do it.
I stripped off my coat, gently wadding the sleeves under
her head and wrapping the rest around her body. The cold bit into me straight
away, but I didn't care. I looked down at her, feeling my resolve weaken.
God, I can't do this.
But I didn't have a choice.

    'I'm
coming back, I promise,' I said, my voice shaking from the chill.

    Then
I turned away and left her in the darkness.

    The
passage began to climb more steeply. Before long I was having to use my hands
to clamber upwards. The walls and roof closed in, until it was little more than
a tunnel. The torch revealed nothing except a black hole surrounded by rock. It
seemed endless. Exhaustion made me dizzy. My senses began playing tricks on me,
so that I began to think I was heading downwards, crawling deeper underground
instead of towards the surface.