“What’s wrong with you, Tommy? Don’t you know better than to offer something fun to Prissy Missy?” he shouted, just loud enough for her to hear. He was still sore about her comments earlier.
They were far from the house now, walking down a back road to whatever he’d planned for the dare. She hadn’t had much of a choice but to follow after the gang had shown up. They’d surrounded her, practically pushing her all the way here.
The others laughed at his joke, as always. Amy scowled at him, resenting him more every minute. He had an arm draped casually over his girlfriend’s shoulder as they walked, and they hadn’t stopped whispering to each other. It was driving her insane.
“Are you at least going to tell me where we’re going? It’s almost midnight, Finn. If my parents find out I’ve been gone all night, they’ll kill me!”
He didn’t stop, granting her the barest glance to see her reaction as he said,
“To the mines, duh. ‘Sides, it’s not like parents getting mad is the end of the world. Go back if you’re scared.”
She shivered as the others gave their customary chuckles. But she kept going. She’d come this far. Might as well follow through to the end. She’d heard about the mines at school. Everyone avoided them as they were well known as the gang’s favorite hide out. Not that they’d have the guts to go inside. Even in broad daylight the tunnels were pitch dark. She could guess what the dare was. Finn confirmed it as they clambered over a run-down fence with warning signs covered in graffiti.
“You’re gonna go in with a flashlight. Come back out with proof that you didn’t stay just in the entrance, and you’ll have won the dare. It’s simple enough.”
One of the boys protested loudly.
“She shouldn’t have a light! That’s too easy! Send her in the dark. Then it’ll be a real challenge.”
Several others voiced their agreement. Amy shuddered, almost stopping dead in her tracks. She hated dark, enclosed spaces more than anything. She almost turned back then, ready to flee, to run all the way home, dive under her covers and pretend it had all been a bad dream. But Finn’s voice, stronger than the others, cut into the fray.
“Shut up. I don’t want anyone dying. She gets the light or she doesn’t go in.”
They grew quiet, knowing better than to argue. Relief flooded her. For the first time, she thanked God that he had control over the mob. Who knew what might have happened otherwise?
As the group reached the entrance to the tunnel, he handed her the flashlight wordlessly, nodding his head in the direction of the gaping hole. Steeling her nerves, she took it, hesitated a moment, then turned and disappeared inside. They could see the bright glow for a long time after, until she went around a bend and the darkness of night returned. Now came the wait. At first, it was fun. The boys sat around on mounds of dirt, joking rudely, calling things down the entrance of the tunnel. But as the minutes passed and turned into an hour, then two, they grew restless, bored. One by one they left, until Finn was alone. He shivered in the cool night air, uneasy. Amy had been gone too long. She should have been back by now. He checked his watch. It was almost 3:00. The sun would be up in a couple hours, and her disappearance would be noticed. The police would come. They’d send search parties. No doubt he would be blamed if anything happened to her. Sure his parents had good lawyers, the best that money could buy, but what good were lawyers a guilty conscience?
He shifted uncomfortably, uncertain what to do. Finally, he rose and took a few hesitant steps into the mine.
“Amy!” he called. “Come out! You win, ok? Let’s just go home.”
There was no answer. A feeling of panic began to build in his chest. What if she was hurt? Worse, what if … what if she’d hit her head and she was … dead?
“Amy?” he called again, louder. “I’m serious, come out! It’s over, alright? Quit playing around!”
He let out an entirely undignified squeal as she jumped out in front him with a loud, “Boo!”
“That’s not funny! I thought you were dead!” he cried, trying to still the pounding of his heart as she burst out laughing.
“Oh please! I’ve been waiting here for hours. You really think I'd be stupid enough to go in and get lost in there for some dare? No way. Now come on, rich boy. Take me home already.”
Finn was too relieved to argue. He was about to say something when the sound of a truck close by interrupted him. He swore.
“Come on, let’s scram!” he yelled above the noise, grabbing hold of her hand. They ran then, jumping the fence and taking off down the road as fast as they could. Neither wanted to be arrested at the moment. Trespassing was a serious offense, even for minors, and could easily land them a couple days in jail.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, he found Amy’s laughter contagious and couldn’t help giggling insanely as they stumbled over potholes and rocks. She tripped suddenly, sending them both flying. Amy landed on top of him with a grunt of pain. There was moment’s pause as they stared at each other, letting the awkwardness sink in. Before either could scramble away, a bright light illuminated the scene, blinding them both.
“Well, well, well.” Said a soft voice. “Seems I’ve caught myself a pair of lovebirds. Two pays better than one, I suppose. Put ‘em both in the truck, boys.”
Amy’s scream was cut short as rough hands grabbed them, stuffing rags into their mouths. In the blink of an eye, they’d been trussed up like chickens and tossed into the back of a covered pick-up.
Amy was the first to recover from the shock. Moving as quietly as possible, she groped through the darkness until she found Finn’s bound hands. She gripped them tightly, pulling herself close to him. He was shaking uncontrollably. Though she was as scared as he was, she found that sharing the fear made it somehow easier. They would get through this. They would get home.