Chapter 16

As I fumbled my way down the passage, I could barely see Maggie moving ahead of me. Every now and then, the darkness would give way to light as we passed an open area that faced out to sea. Then we’d be back in a tunnel again, the walls would become wet to the touch and a musty smell would permeate the air. I squinted in the semi-darkness, trying to spot Maggie.

“Maggie slow down,” I called, but she had vanished. I wanted to hurry, but the blackness around me was daunting. The last thing I needed was a bloody nose from running into a wall.

“Maggie!” I hissed. Where the hell was she now?

A few terrifying seconds passed as I waited. Then I thought I glimpsed a patch of light up ahead. I gasped as I stared. It was hard to judge just how far ahead the light was, but I was sure it couldn’t be more than a few feet. I called out again. Then waited.

“Bianca! I’m up here. Come on.”

I moved slowly towards Maggie’s voice, carefully feeling my way along the moist wall to my right. Gradually, the light became closer, until I realized it was just on the other side of a tight corner. I moved gingerly around it, letting the light draw me forward like a moth to a flame. Finally I caught a glimpse of Maggie standing in silhouette, her arms and legs in an odd, almost crouching position. She seemed to be holding something in front of her. As I drew closer, I saw what it was.

“What the … what the fuck is going on?” I gasped.

“Shut up,” she replied in a strangely calm voice. I heard the sound of the gun clicking. “Hand it over.”

“What?”

“Your bag, dumbass.”

“Maggie…”

“Now!” she demanded. I could make her out a little better now, and could see her arms extended with the gun pointed straight at me.

Trembling, I pulled the bag from my shoulder and slowly handed it to her. She snatched it from me and began rummaging madly inside it. Finally, she found what she wanted. I heard her grunt in satisfaction as she pulled out the bottle of wine and dropped the bag.

“At last,” she purred.

“All this for a bottle of wine?” I asked, incredulous.

“Yes,” she spat back. “And it never would have gone this far if you’d just given me the damn bottle when I asked for it. But no. you had to hold onto it. You had to take it with you every fucking place you went.”

“It’s just a bottle of wine,” I began to protest.

Maggie laughed wickedly, and the sound of her cackling made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

“No, it’s not. You stupid, stupid, fucking idiot. Oh never mind. I’m not explaining this to you. You’ll never know just what it was you had in your hands. And it’s just as well.”

She pointed the gun at me again.

“Goodbye, Bianca.”

Frozen in fear, I stood stock still. Then, I saw something moving just behind her.

A dark figure appeared, one arm raised. There was a strange sound and a flash, and Maggie’s arm dropped down. I could hear her gun hitting the stone floor, then the sound of glass shattering as she crumpled into a sitting position. For one bizarre second, I thought she might cry out, but instead she just stared dumbly ahead.

That was when I saw the dark spot on her chest, soaking her white blouse, spreading outward in a circle. She seemed to teeter there for a moment before flopping onto her side, her skinny legs sticking up at an odd angle, making the scene even more absurd. There was a brief, gurgling sound, then nothing but the sound of water dripping from the walls.

I waited, afraid to move or even breathe. Whoever had just killed Maggie was mere steps away from me. Would I be next? I heard footsteps nearby, heading toward me. Then everything went dark as I felt the cold, stone floor meet my flesh.