Chapter 3

A weird silence filled the air.

Katie let out a nervous laugh. "Maybe it just got blown in by the wind or something? I mean, cans are pretty light, right?"

Sean paused for a moment. "Maybe you're just remembering it wrong. Let's try to find another way out. Don't freak yourself out."

I spaced out for a second. Maybe I really did remember it wrong?

After all, I got carsick. I kept drifting in and out of sleep the whole ride. Maybe I was just groggy and confused.

I followed them, feeling lost and dazed.

But the more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. Something was seriously off.

No, I remembered it perfectly. I tossed that soda can exactly at the tunnel entrance.

I even took a quick picture of it.

My eyes suddenly lit up.

Wait, I had a photo.

I quickly opened my phone's photo gallery, and sure enough, there it was, a shot of me tossing a soda can out the window. Right at the tunnel entrance!

I felt a rush of excitement. I was about to hand my phone over to show them.

Just then, Katie suddenly called out, her voice full of excitement, "Guys, look! Is that a phone on the wall?"

I looked closer.

Sure enough, there was a green phone mounted on the wall, one of those emergency phones we always see in tunnels.

Sean let out a breath, visibly relieved.

"Thank God, we should be able to reach someone now," he said.

He grabbed my hand and hurried over to make the call.

After two rings, someone picked up.

Whoa, it actually went through?

Sean stammered into the phone, his words jumbled. "We're trapped in a tunnel. We can't find the exit!"

The voice on the other end said, "Okay, please turn on your flashlight and keep it on. Stay where you are and don't move. Our staff will be there soon."

"Please, do not wander off. Our staff will be there soon," the voice repeated.

At that, Katie's tense expression finally relaxed.

She complained, clearly annoyed, "Come on, hurry up! What kind of crappy tunnel is this? A total mess, and now we're lost. If you don't get here soon, I'm filing a complaint the second I get out."

"Sorry, ma'am. This tunnel has been abandoned. We'll send someone over right away," the voice replied.

After the call ended, both Sean and Katie broke into relieved smiles.

Sean pulled a piece of chocolate from his pocket and brought it to my lips.

"Hungry? Here, have some," he said.

Katie gave me a playful wink. "Wow, you two just can't help yourselves, huh? Seriously, Kaylee, with a boyfriend like that, you're living the dream."

I laughed, but the staff's words kept echoing in my mind.

A strange unease settled in the pit of my stomach.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

But where exactly was wrong?

I said, "Do you think the person on the phone was scamming us?"

Sean looked genuinely surprised. "Why would they scam us? Don't overthink it. Come on, let's just figure out what we're gonna eat when we get out—BBQ or pizza, huh?"

Katie was hopping around, swinging her flashlight everywhere. "Come on, Kaylee, don't be paranoid. Who'd want to scam us anyway? It's not like we've got any money."

But for some reason, I still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

About 15 minutes later, a man in an orange work jumpsuit appeared not far away.

He waved his flashlight at us to get our attention.

He said, "Sorry for the trouble. This tunnel's been abandoned for a while, so problems keep popping up. Just follow me."

Beside him stood a tow truck, ready to go.

Everything seemed perfectly normal.

But as his flashlight swept across my face, something clicked in my mind.

That was it. That was what'd been bothering me this whole time.

If this tunnel were abandoned, how could there be any staff there?

"Run!" I screamed.