Butterflies (Airborne Trilogy Book 2) Read online

"Maybe they found the phone and are leading us in a circle," Eddie suggested, his face looking pleased as he eyed Jordan, who simply ignored him.

  Liam frowned. "Maybe you should take some geometry make-up class if you think we're going in a circle."

  "I meant it metaphorically," he scoffed. "Don't take everything I say so literally."

  Jordan led them deeper into the woods, leaving the open space behind. The tall grass vanished, replaced by thick underbrush. After navigating the twists and turns for ten minutes, they got off their bikes.

  "Do you really believe the seniors came through here?" Eddie moaned, lifting his bike over a fallen tree.

  "Stop complaining!" Jordan snapped. "There's a road about 20 feet from here to our right, but–"

  "What?" Eddie snapped back. "Then why are we walking through quicksand?"

  Jordan spun around, fixing him with angry eyes. "I'm really tired of your whining!" She stepped up to him and raised her right hand, knocking on his forehead. "Hello, is this thing turned on?" Eddie pushed her arm away, a scowl on his face. "What do you think would happen if the seniors spotted us on that road?" She pointed through the thick underbrush. "Don't you think that'd look suspicious? Maybe it would even tip them off? And then boom," she punched her right fist into her left palm, "you can bury your dreams of going to the secret senior Halloween party for good." As she'd finished her tirade, Jordan turned on her heel and walked on.

  Trudging past Eddie, Jack grinned at him. "And that's why she is second-in-command."

  ***

  After two hours of burrowing their way through the thick of the forest, they were ready to give up and return home. Although Jordan tried to put on a brave face, the others had lost their enthusiasm many tree stumps ago. Eddie continued to whine whenever a branch hit him in the face, a thorny bush raked across his arms or his foot caught on a root. His voice echoed in the dense area, sounding like a never ending customer complaint line.

  "Would you shut it!" Jordan snapped. "After all, this was your dumb idea! Remember?" Her eyes narrowed as she fixed him with an icy stare. "Now suck it up!"

  His face still distorted from incessant fussing, Eddie shrugged. "Do you even know where we are?"

  "Of course, I do," came her quick reply. Lifting a hand, Jordan pointed up ahead. "We are here," she said slowly. Her eyes seemed to scream at him, 'I told you so'.

  "Here?" Eddie looked around, seeing nothing but trees, and more trees. "Where is 'here'? We're in the middle of nowhere. Just like I told you from the beginning. That thing," he pointed at Jordan's phone, "wouldn't even give us an address, only coordinates. And that's because there is nothing here!" His voice grew louder. "Except for trees, of course, and bushes with thorns, and mud and all kind of gook! I want to go home!"

  "You sound like a baby." Jack shook his head, then turned to Jordan. "This is it?" He too started scanning their surroundings, a frown on his face.

  Looking annoyed with everyone's impatience and their inability to just trust her on this, Jordan once again pointed up ahead. "Almost. It's just over there."

  "But there is nothing there!" Eddie insisted.

  Liam shrugged. "Let's just check it out." He grabbed his bike and walked ahead. Rounding another cluster of trees, he was lost from their sight.

  Taking a deep breath, Jack followed. "C'mon guys. We made it this far. Might as well check it out."

  Following Jack, the rest of them pushed their bikes across the somewhat muddy forest floor and up a small slope, past a grove of oak trees.

  "Over here!" Liam called, and everyone walked faster.

  Seeing him wave from up ahead, they dropped their bikes by his and hastened on. "What'd you find?" Eddie called, running over; all whining forgotten as the promise of another adventure urged him on.

  "It's a cave," Liam said, just as the others reached his side. He pointed up ahead and, following his gaze, they saw the mouth of a cave, overgrown with thorny bushes. As they approached, they found broken twigs here and there. Jack grabbed a thick branch from the forest floor and used it to push the thorny arms of the bushes away. They parted easily as though used to this treatment. "There is a path," he said. "If this is the entrance to some underground cave, then the seniors must have come through here repeatedly."

  "And they probably will again," Gabriel observed, looking around. "We shouldn't just stand here for too long."

  The others nodded in agreement.

  "Let's hide the bikes and explore further," Jack whispered as though afraid of being overheard. He dragged his bike to the side of the cave, where the undergrowth looked particularly dense. He dropped his bike, which instantly disappeared from sight, as though swallowed up by a hole in the forest floor. The others followed his example.

  Once again taking point, Jack proceeded to the front of the cave and, parting the thorny branches, walked into the dark that lay beyond. "Let's move out," came his voice, hushed yet commanding. "Follow suit, quietly and slowly. Keep eyes and ears open."

  One after the other they entered the cave, staying close to the wall as much for support in the dim light as to avoid being seen. Step by step they moved onward, carefully placing their feet on the uneven ground, sloping downward into the earth.

  "Where do you think this leads?" Eddie whispered.

  "Shhh!" was Jack's answer, and no one said another word.

  The opening of the cave slowly grew smaller as the tunnel went deeper into the ground, the earth slowly swallowing up the last of the daylight until there was nothing but darkness. "Stop," Jack whispered. "Anyone got a flashlight?" All said no. "All right, then we have no choice but to retreat and come back tomorrow, better equipped."

  Returning to the light of day, Eddie's face glowed with eagerness. "This is some location!"

  ***

  The next day, the five friends once again trod through the leaf-covered forest, their faces glowing as they saw themselves on the verge of a new adventure. Approaching with caution, eyes and ears tuned to any sight and sound that would make it necessary for them to hide, they came at the cave from a slightly different direction. Eying his surroundings, Jack moved over to a group of thick-growing bushes. "Let's stash our bikes here. The cave is right up ahead, so this place will be safer."

  As he turned to move on, Liam placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you hear this?"

  Jack frowned. "Hear what?"

  "Listen!" Liam insisted, turning his head sideways. "I hear some kind of buzzing."

  "Bees?" Eddie's eyes got round and began searching the area. "Gnats?" His face held a hint of disgust.

  Gabriel shook his head. "No, that sounds like electricity. Maybe it's a generator."

  Following Liam, Jack nodded. "That would make sense! How else would they power any party equipment? Like music, lights, and such."

  As they rounded the cave entrance to the north, pushing aside branches and stumbling over roots, their feet more than once got caught in a thick layer of ivy covering the ground in a treacherous net. The buzzing, however, grew louder with each step they took. When they passed by another set of closely grouped pine trees, they found themselves looking at a small fenced-in area holding nothing but a big, gray cube. Signs attached to the 8-foot-high chain link fence read, 'Danger!' and 'Warning!'.

  "Okay, now I believe it!" Jordan said.

  Eddie's eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "Believe what?"

  "That this actually is the party location."

  "You didn't before? Then why did you come?" Eddie shook his head. "Or better yet, why did you slip your phone into Jason's bag to find the location?"

  Jordan grinned. "To win, what did you think? As a principle I take everything you say with caution. There is too much crap coming out of your mouth."

  Before Eddie could turn a darker shade of red and most likely say something that would turn into a heated argument between the two, Jack stepped in. "Let's just head to the cave. You all got your flashlights?"

  As the others nodded their heads, Jack walked off in t
he direction of the cave. In a single file they proceeded quietly to the entrance. Leaning against the back wall, Jack listened intently. They hadn't seen anyone come this way, but one could never know. "I don't hear anyone," he said, eyes shifting to the others. "From now on, only speak if absolutely necessary and move as quietly as possible." For a second his eyes lingered on Eddie, eyebrows slightly arched. "I mean it!"

  Eddie nodded. "Yeah, yeah, don't sweat it!"

  After another warning shot at his friend, Jack once again entered the cave, pointing the beam of his flashlight at the ground in front of him. The others once again followed his example.

  ***

  As the dark slowly engulfed them, the beams of their flashlights were the only guide. With each step the sounds of the forest grew fainter until all they could hear were their labored breaths and the shuffling of their feet on the stony, dirt-covered ground. Gabriel felt goose bumps crawl up his arms and legs, as though ants had decided to make his skin their new home. He fought the urge to rub his arms and get them off.

  For what seemed like an eternity, they followed the tunnel leading deeper and deeper into the earth. What little light they had seemed to be swallowed up by the surrounding dark, like a black hole sucking in everything there was, leaving nothing behind. Gabriel directed his flashlight from Eddie's back and the floor ahead of him to the sides and the ceiling, but none held anything worth looking at. As he turned back to the front, he could just stop himself from bumping into Eddie, who had come to a complete stop.

  Fanning out, as much as was possible under these confined circumstances, they grouped around Jack, who knelt on the ground. Not saying a word, he held a finger to his lips and then pointed at the side of the cave tunnel where wall met ground. Packed with dirt and leaves, the floor revealed a small spot where the cover appeared to have been scraped away. Underneath, they saw a thick, black cable.

  Once again holding a finger to his lips to ensure that none would utter a single word, Jack pointed up and down the tunnel. Gabriel felt himself nodding and saw similar expressions of understanding on his friends' faces. This was the cable from the generator; they were on the right path.

  As they stood looking at the cable, snaking its way toward the center of the earth, hushed voices started to echo around them.

  "Shh!" Jack ordered, turning a stern look at his friends.

  Shrugging their shoulders, they all shook their heads.

  Jack frowned, but turned back around to listen. When the hushed voices reached his ear once again, his eyes grew wide. For a second, he seemed indecisive, but quickly recovered. Touching his finger to his lips once again, he proceeded down the tunnel. He stopped every few steps though, and listened. When the voices didn't seem to be traveling in their direction, he moved on.

  After a couple of more feet walking down the tunnel, Jack lifted his hand and stopped. Turning to look at them, he switched off his flashlight and beckoned them to do the same. For a second, Gabriel shuddered at the thought of being stuck in a dark cave with nothing to guide his feet. But when all their lights went out, he realized that they were not left in the dark after all. From up ahead, a dim light shown down the path.

  Again Jack turned around and silently walked down the tunnel, eyes and ears fixed on the opening that led them around another bend and then slightly curved up. With each step the voices grew louder until they could make out what they were saying.

  "Do you really think we'll get done in time?" a girl wondered, open skepticism in her voice.

  "Sure," came the steady reply. "Don't worry so much!"

  "But where are the others? It shouldn't be just the three of us!"

  Inching closer, they found the tunnel opening into a large space as big as the school auditorium. From their position behind a huge boulder, blocking their path, they could see lights and artificial cobwebs already hanging from the dome-like ceiling. Beckoning the others to stay back, Jack moved forward, back pressed to the boulder, and peeked at the hidden scene before him.

  For a long minute, the others remained behind. Gabriel couldn't remember ever having waited that long, or that impatiently. On Eddie's face, he could see the struggle between going after Jack to look at things himself and staying behind to follow a direct order. Before his curiosity could overtake him though, Jack returned.

  Still not saying a word, he took out his phone. The others again waited, until his fingers were done flying over the screen. Turning his phone to face them, they read: THREE SENIORS DOWN THERE. LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE SETTING UP A HAUNTED HOUSE. ANOTHER TUNNEL OPPOSITE US.

  As they all nodded their heads, Eddie's face split into a grin and he rubbed his hands together eagerly. He too got out his phone and typed: TOLD YOU THIS WOULD BE AWESOME!

  Chapter 9 – All Hallows’ Eve

  "I think by the time we get there, the trees will be littered with toilet paper, and you'll be naked!" Eddie said, shaking his head, and gestured wildly at Liam's costume. "Ask yourself, do you really want that? I know, I don't!"

  "It's not toilet paper. It's bandages." Liam pulled on a strap wrapped around his arm. "See? It's not coming off! Believe me, I wouldn't want that either."

  "Hope you're right," Eddie said as he pulled the Spiderman mask off his face. "A naked mummy, wouldn't that be a first?" A big grin spread over his face as he looked Liam up and down. "Was this your idea? Or did someone else make that decision for you?"

  Liam frowned. "What do you mean?"

  "He thinks I put you up to that," Jordan snapped, coming down the stairs. Jack followed only a step behind her. "For some reason he cannot let that go."

  "Jordan? Is this you?" Eddie asked, eyes scrunched up, straining to see. "I can hear you, but I can't see you! Come out, come out wherever you are!"

  Gabriel couldn't help but grin, feeling his wizard's beard tickle his chin as he did. Although he couldn't see Jordan's face, her voice sounded angry. "Get lost! Or I'll walk right through you!"

  Eddie laughed, holding his tummy. "I'd like to see that! So, are you an evil ghost? Or the cuddly kind you see on TV?"

  "There's nothing cuddly about her!" Jack warned. "In a showdown between Spiderman and this particular poltergeist, my money is on her!"

  Ignoring Jack, Eddie frowned at him. "So? You're not in costume? You look like you always do. Why is that?"

  While Liam and Jordan, mummy and ghost, had decided on the classic undead costumes, Gabriel and Eddie had chosen movie characters, Gandalf and Spiderman. Jack on the other hand stood a little apart. In his soldier's uniform with camouflage paint covering his face, he almost looked like he wasn't wearing a costume at all. The only thing they had all agreed on was the fact that all their costumes ought to have something to cover their faces with. The big question of the night: would they be revealed as middle-graders at a senior party? Considering they were all more or less on the taller end of their age group, they were sure they stood a chance.

  "Do you plan to stand here all night?" Major Sharpe asked, as he walked into the living room, his wife by his side. "Or go out and scare people into relinquishing their candy supplies to you?"

  Eddie rubbed his stomach. "Yeah, let's get going. I need some sugar!"

  "But not too much," Mrs. S. warned. "I'm sure none of your parents care for hyperactive children on some kind of sugar induced frenzy! If you overdo it, you might not get to go back next year." Her eyes shifted from Jordan to Jack. Without saying a word, both nodded their heads. "All right, then out with you!"

  ***

  In the dark, the trees almost swallowed up the entrance to the cave, and it took them a lot longer to find their way. Disheartened, Eddie started complaining only half-way there, and by the time they spotted a familiar looking group of oak trees, casting eerie shadows in the distance, Jordan was ready to jump down his throat. "One more word out of you and I swear–"

  "We're here!" Gabriel said, trying to distract her. "Do you hear that? Is that music?"

  They all strained to listen.

  "Of cour
se, it's music!" Eddie snapped, as the tension slowly left his shoulders. "What did you expect? This is a party after all! Let's get going!"

  "Not so fast!" Jack ordered, stopping Eddie before he could march off. "I'm in charge here! You'll follow my command unless you want to be courtmarshalled!"

  Eddie sighed. "Seriously? It's Halloween. Can't you let it go for one night?"

  Jack only shook his head, then turned to look at the others. "We'll leave our bikes over there by the thick bushes, like before. Then we'll move toward the tunnel and down into the cave in single-file. Step carefully and quietly. And I don't want to hear a single word out of any of you! Understood?"

  "Why are you looking at me?" Eddie whined. "What about them?"

  Giving him a pat on the shoulder, Jack said, "I'm sorry to say this, but you are the weakest link when it comes to following orders!"

  ***

  Gabriel could feel his heart thudding in his chest as they carefully felt their way down the dark tunnel. Thumping music echoed off the walls and made their eardrums vibrate. When the dark slowly receded and light again found their slightly painful eyes, the five friends had to hold back their excitement and not rush forward right into the middle of the dance floor.

  Approaching the boulder they'd hidden behind before, Jack peeked around the corner. When he tiptoed back, he said, speaking up to be heard above the noise, "We go out one by one and split up for the rest of the evening. If we stay together, we look more conspicuous! Understood?"

  They all nodded and then slowly, one by one, left their hiding place and joined the costumed crowd, dancing their heart out. Gabriel couldn't help but curl his hands into fists as he watched his friends fan out and disappear among zombies, vampires, fairies and other spooky or less-spooky creatures. Alone, he eyed the decorated cave walls, cobwebs real or fake-he couldn't tell-framed boulder here and there. Everywhere dark corners lay in waiting as though anyone brave enough who might enter would not return. Only in the center of the cave, in the open space, there hung a quite conventional disco ball off the ceiling, making the air sparkle and the dancers seem out of this world.