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墨書 Inktalez
The tunnel was exceptionally narrow, allowing only one person to bend down and move forward. Granny Li walked at the front, seemingly familiar with the path, her steps surprisingly steady. Zhou Jing held A Xiu in the middle, while I brought up the rear, glancing back occasionally to check if anyone was following us.
"When was this tunnel built?" I whispered.
"Older than I am," Granny Li's voice echoed in the passage. "It was originally constructed to escape from the chaos of war." She paused for a moment before continuing, "Later, it became their secret passage for moving children."
The tunnel sloped downward, and the air grew increasingly damp. There were numerous small handprints on the walls, some darkened, as if reminding people of what had once transpired here.
"Watch your step," Granny Li cautioned.
Using the flashlight, I noticed a section of stone steps ahead, worn smooth from use. Just as I was about to descend, I suddenly heard voices coming from below.
"Turn off the light!" Granny Li urged urgently.
We quickly switched off the flashlight and pressed ourselves against the wall. The voices grew closer, accompanied by the sound of a child's sobbing.
"Stop crying!" a man barked. "If you keep it up, I'll shut your mouth for you!"
But it sounded like a little girl's voice.
"What are you afraid of? You'll be meeting the divine soon; you should be happy," another voice said, laced with sarcasm.
Footsteps approached from a side passage below and then gradually faded away. Once we were sure they had moved on, we dared to continue.
"That was Jin Bao," A Xiu whispered. "She's in my class."
Zhou Jing covered her mouth. "Shh! Don't make a sound."
After turning a few corners, we came upon an iron gate. It was locked and rusted. Granny Li pulled out a key from her pocket. "This is what my son left behind. He discovered this place..."
Her voice choked with emotion. I took the key from her carefully and unlocked the door. The iron gate creaked softly as it opened.
Behind it was a low stone chamber where three children huddled in a corner. When they saw us enter, they shrank back against the wall in fear.
"Zhou!" one of them exclaimed as he rushed forward.
"Sister?" a frail boy said timidly.
The siblings embraced each other tightly. I scanned the stone chamber and noticed several bronze masks hanging on the wall, identical to those on the altar. Toys and clothing were scattered across the floor, along with several boxes that had once contained food.
"They said they would take us to see the divine," a little girl said. "They said once we completed the ritual, we could go home."
"That's not happening," Zhou Jing reassured them. "We're going to get you out of here."
"No!" Granny Li suddenly interjected. "It's too dangerous to leave now. They must be waiting outside."
What should we do?
She pointed to the passage at the other end of the stone chamber, which led to a cave outside the village. Just then, a hurried sound of footsteps echoed from afar, accompanied by A Hu's shout: "Guard the exit! Don’t let them escape!"
There was no time. Granny Li pushed us forward. "You all go ahead; I’ll hold them off."
"But—"
"Enough talk!" She grabbed a mask from the wall and shoved it into my hands. "Put this on. If you run into them, just say you’re carrying out the village chief’s orders."
Before we could say anything else, she closed the iron door behind us and turned back in the direction we had come from.
We continued onward with the three children. This section of the tunnel was even narrower than before, and we could hear dripping water from time to time. After about ten minutes of walking, we reached a fork in the path.
"Which way?" I looked at Zhou Jing.
She was about to answer when a sharp whistle pierced the air, followed by Granny Li’s scream.
"We found them!" someone shouted.
"Run!" I urged everyone towards the side passage. Behind us came the sound of chaotic footsteps and the flickering light of torches.
As we turned a corner, we suddenly encountered a deep pit ahead, with only a few wooden planks forming a makeshift bridge.
"They're coming this way!" The shouts behind us grew closer.
We had no choice but to risk crossing the bridge. The planks wobbled beneath our feet, creaking ominously with each step.
Just as we reached the other side, I heard Zhang Shou's voice behind us: "Stop running! You can't escape!"
I turned back and, illuminated by their torches, was horrified to see that the area beneath the bridge was piled high with stark white bones.
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