In The Dark Page 4

  Okay, so it is a little dark, okay very dark, but so what? EJ told herself. What’s so bad about that?

  ‘Oh, I can tell you,’ she answered her own question, her heart starting to pound again. ‘How about spiders, snakes, tunnels caving in, crazy SHADOW agents creeping up on you...’

  ‘Stop it,’ said EJ out loud. ‘You’re doing it again. Remember what A1 said. Don’t let your imagination run away with you. “Shine a light on your fears.” I need to see to do that, so let’s just get something else from the light bag on the ground next to me. Here? No, here? No.’ EJ groped around frantically trying to find the black backpack in the darkness. She could feel the dirt, some rock, but no bag. She stretched her hands out and touched a strap. EJ pulled the bag towards her and felt around inside. She knew what she was searching for and when her hand touched a narrow case, she pulled it out. Opening the case, EJ took out the night-vision glasses. She put them on and flicked the switch on the side of the glasses. Immediately she could see about ten metres around her, all through the green glare of the night-vision glasses.

  I may have lost my torch, thought EJ looking on the bright side, but these leave my hands free and I can see better with them. EJ felt a little proud of herself and she was sure her mum would be very proud.

  With her glasses on, EJ immediately found her torch, or what was left of it. She leant down and hit the Eco-Deco button on the base of the handle. Eco-Deco was another SHINE invention that got rid of mission equipment once it was broken or finished with. All SHINE gear was made from materials that could decompose. The agent simply pushed a button and the piece of equipment would break down. No one would ever know that the agent had been there and it was good for the environment. There was one downside however. The process was quite noisy in a farty, burpy kind of way and, as you would expect from those noises, quite smelly as well. With some of the larger equipment it could be explosive. Even with something the size of a torch, EJ knew better than to hang around. She picked up her backpack and walked off down the tunnel. Even a long dark tunnel would be better than the smell that was about to come.

  Now that she could see better, EJ was half-wishing she couldn’t. The first thing she saw was cobwebs and cobwebs meant spiders. The only spiders EJ liked were the ones you made with lemonade and ice-cream. She really, really didn’t like the ones that were hairy and crawly. She was scared of them the way some people were scared of snakes or mice. Even the ones that she knew weren’t dangerous, like daddy-long-legs, scared her. She always imagined them crawling on her. Yuk!

  EJ ran her hands along the rock walls of the tunnel as she walked and they felt hard and cold. Down in the tunnel the air smelled musty and with no wind it was completely still. It was so different from walking in the dark outside in the bush. EJ almost missed the bird and animal noises. The complete silence made her feel really alone. But she wasn’t alone because somewhere in the mine was Adriana or Alexandra hard at work on turning SHINE’s lights out. Hardly a comforting thought.

  The tunnel suddenly split into two paths. Which one to take? EJ wondered. She took the path to the right and had walked some way when she found it blocked by a large slab of fallen rock. Not too large though, thought EJ, as she pushed on the rock, feeling it give a bit under her weight. Another push and she felt it lift a little. With a third really big push, EJ rolled the rock over and off the track. As the rock lifted, spiders rushed out, scattering. It seemed like there were hundreds of them scuttling towards EJ. She jumped back with a scream.

  EJ stood there, frozen, staring at the stream of spiders. There was no way she could get past them. She fiddled with her charm bracelet, as she often did when she was nervous, or thinking. Now, because she was both, she was fiddling a lot, which was when she noticed one of the new charms, the little ladybug. What does that one do? she wondered. Might it help? She took out her phone and was about to check her animal app when she noticed a new app on her phone screen.

  That’s a good idea, thought EJ, as she scrolled down the charms. It takes some of the guesswork out of using them. All of the hundreds of SHINE charms were listed with little pictures and explanations of what they could do. There was a dolphin, a guitar, an ice-cream, and, hmmm, a cupcake ... She wondered if you could order them for future use. Then she came to the one she needed right now.

  Perfect! Well nearly. The instructions said you had to use the charm close to the spiders. EJ took a deep breath and, making sure she was leaning over the centre of the swarm, twisted the charm.

  A cloud of smelly smoke came out of the ladybug and EJ watched the spiders rush away, moving back into the rocks at the side of the path. After a few moments, with almost all of the spiders gone, EJ could continue. Now the path kept turning and EJ kept walking. As she did, she got the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Then she thought she could smell the ladybug smoke again. She could. EJ’s heart sank when she saw the rock she had moved and a few last spiders scrambling into rock crevices. She had gone in a complete circle.

  What a waste of time, thought EJ.

  She looked down at her sun charm, which had turned from a light orange to a deeper, redder colour. Adriana or Alexandra and Operation Lights Out were somewhere in this mine but would she ever find it if she kept walking in circles?

  EJ needed a plan, and quickly.

  EJ needed something to mark her path so she would know if she was doubling back, but what would work in darkness? Could she leave a trail of rocks behind her? Even with night-vision glasses it would be hard to see them and one rock looked pretty much like another. That wouldn’t work. But what would? wondered EJ. EJ looked down at her charm bracelet. Would one of the new charms be able to help her make some kind of marking? Then EJ remembered her mission briefing. She had been given a charm that looked like a piece of string. That could be something. Again, she opened the charm app on her phone and flicked through the charm listings.

  EJ twisted the charm and, as she did, string poked out from it. The string was thin but extremely tough and better still, it glowed. The more EJ pulled the glow string, the more it came out. EJ looked around and found a large rock, tied the string around it and then walked away, feeding the string out and leaving a thin but bright glowing trail behind her. She headed down the tunnel and this time, when she came to the fork in the path, she went to the left. As she turned, she checked the string. It was still feeding out. EJ felt better knowing that not only would she not double back on herself but she would also be able to go back if she needed to. That was comforting as she travelled deeper into the mine.

  Suddenly, as EJ turned another corner, she thought she could hear music. EJ checked her phone, thinking she may have accidentally turned on her music app but it was off. She continued walking and the tunnel began to turn again, and there it was again, the music, this time getting louder. If there was music, surely there was someone listening to it. Adriana? Alexandra? It had to be. And if EJ could hear it she must be getting close.

  And then there was another noise.

  EJ spun around. What is that? As she spun, she was still feeding the string out. She twisted it around herself and fell to the ground. Her glasses were knocked off and, except for the thin line that was her glow string, EJ could see nothing. Once again she groped around. She couldn’t feel anything but dirt. Slowly, feeling the tunnel wall, she stood up and took a step forward. As she did, she heard a cracking, crunching sound. The cracking, crunching sound of glass.

  Please don’t tell me I’ve stepped on my night-vision glasses, thought EJ. She crouched down again and felt around on the ground. As soon as she touched the glasses she could tell they were ruined. She felt for the button on the side, flicked it, and Eco-Deco swung into smelly action. In just a few minutes there would be nothing left of the night-vision glasses.

  At least there was still the mini torch in her light bag. EJ pulled the bag off her back, rifled around inside and found the slim torch. She shone it around the tunnel but she could barely see a step ahead of her. EJ
moved slowly, one hand out in front of her and the other running along the tunnel wall, listening, trying to follow the music.

  That wasn’t music.

  EJ gulped and stopped. What could that noise be? A ghost? EJ shuddered. Ghosts aren’t real, she thought. It’s just your imagination. Stop thinking about it.

  But she couldn’t, and then there it was again.

  ‘It can’t be something that doesn’t exist, it can’t be a ghost, it just can’t,’ said EJ out loud to herself, and then she heard the music again. For a moment she was distracted. She could hear the music clearly now and, unless EJ was mistaken, it was ‘Getting Dark’, the latest song from one of the most popular bands, the Pink Shadows.

  But there was that other noise again. The scary it-can’t-be-a-ghost noise.

  As EJ twisted around to face the direction of the sound, she stumbled and dropped her torch. Her last torch. There was no light now except the thin glow of the string. She felt for the string but this time as she moved it, something pulled back. Something was pulling the string. Or someone.

  Then, as EJ stood still, she saw them in the darkness.

  A pair of eyes.

  A pair of green, glowing eyes.

  A pair of green, glowing eyes coming towards EJ. And as EJ pulled the string, whatever the eyes belonged to seemed to pull it back.

  EJ’s heart pounded so hard she was sure it was going to jump right out of her chest. And then there was that noise again, louder and coming from the direction of the green, glowing eyes.

  EJ was frozen. ‘I don’t believe in ghosts, I don’t believe in ghosts,’ she muttered to herself breathlessly and completely unconvincingly. As the green eyes came closer and the sound became even louder, EJ felt sick.

  EJ had to do something besides feeling sick. Green Eyes was coming closer, tugging on the string. EJ wriggled against the wall of the tunnel, knocking some rocks loose as she did.

  Green Eyes didn’t like that, thought EJ.

  Now EJ thought she felt something push ever so lightly against her leg. She couldn’t see the eyes anymore. Where had they gone? And what was that new noise?

  Uuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

  It was like a machine. What was this thing? A mechanical ghost? And what was it doing, whatever it was?

  EJ was terrified. She felt for her pack, unzipped it and stretched her hand down to the bottom, feeling for the matchbox and candle. She pulled the box out, slowly took out a match and struck it. Holding the match, EJ took out the candle and lit it. The flame flickered and cast a small glow. As she blew out the match, she noticed the heart charm with the candle. Would that give her some more light? She hoped so. EJ twisted it and as she did, an inscription appeared.

  It was the motto A1 had told her.

  That’s easy for you to say, A1, thought EJ, but she decided to give it a go. Shine a light on my fears. EJ held the candle out towards the noise and gasped. She couldn’t believe what she was looking at.

  Two green eyes.

  Two green eyes and black fur.

  If it hadn’t been dark and if she hadn’t been wearing face concealer, you would’ve been able to see EJ go red. She had just been spooked by a kitten, jet-black but for its white paws. A kitten with a long piece of EJ’s glow string in its claws. That was the tugging EJ had felt on her string. She could see the kitten must have clawed right through the string tied around the rock and was now playing with it.

  Eooooowwwwwww said the kitten.

  ‘How embarrassing,’ said EJ. ‘But you are pretty cute even if you did scare the life out of me,’ she said to the kitten, who kept rubbing against her leg, purring. Now the urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr didn’t seem like a machine at all. It sounded like a fluffy, happy kitten. How could she have thought it was anything else?

  ‘Why do you have to have such scary eyes?’ she asked the little cat. ‘Where are you from and what have you done to my string?’ The kitten purred as EJ stroked its back. EJ rolled up what was left of her string. There would be no retracing her steps now. EJ started walking in the direction of the music again. ‘Are you coming with me?’ she asked. The kitten purred and padded behind her. The music was really loud now and EJ could also hear someone singing along, although not very well.

  The tunnel turned again and suddenly seemed to lighten. The further along EJ walked, the louder the music got and the lighter the tunnel became. Had EJ found the light at the end of the tunnel? Was it Operation Lights Out?

  EJ blew out her candle. She didn’t want to be seen as she edged closer to the light. Creeping along close to the ground, she tried to make herself as small and as flat as she could. She saw some large pieces of rock close to where the tunnel widened. Hoping there wouldn’t be any more spiders there, EJ hid behind it and watched. In her black gear and with her black face concealer she was impossible to see. She hoped.

  The tunnel had widened out to become what looked like a room. It was one of the landings she had seen in the drawing of the mine’s tunnel system. At the far end of the landing was a large cage attached to heavy wires that went straight up into the darkness. That must be the mineshaft elevator, thought EJ.

  To the left of the elevator was darkness, but to the right there was a large spotlight in the corner, shining on a bench that ran the length of the wall. On the bench were computer screens and panels filled with buttons and flashing lights. Everything seemed connected to what looked like a giant battery sitting under the bench and above it was an enormous screen. It was like the SHINE Light Screen, with lots of images flashing. They were all pictures of some kind of factory. As EJ watched, images of rows and rows of large panels facing up to the sun appeared. It was the SHINE solar power station. This had to be Operation Lights Out.

  Then shuffling out of the shadows, singing badly to herself, came a woman. She looked older than EJ’s mum but not quite as old as her grandma. She was wearing a long black coat with pockets overflowing with pieces of paper. She was also wearing the thickest pair of black-rimmed glasses EJ had ever seen, not that they seemed to be doing much good as she kept bumping into things. Around her neck was a long silver chain with a black pendant and she had shiny, jet-black hair swept up in a rather messy bun. Sticking out of the bun, in a way that reminded EJ of something (or was it someone?), were pens, pencils and a small ruler. EJ knew from the SHINE visuals that this woman was Adriana.

  ‘Sssh!’ whispered EJ, a little too loudly.

  Adriana turned around sharply. ‘What’s that I hear? Is someone near?’

  Adriana turned off the music and shuffled towards the tunnel, squinting through her glasses. EJ put her head down. She didn’t like her chances of not being seen. She could hear the shuffling coming closer. Just as she was sure she was about to be discovered, the kitten ran out of the tunnel and up to Adriana.

  ‘Oh it is only you, Inky-poo, I wondered where you had gotten to. You mustn’t run away from Adriana. It’s bad, it makes me sad,’ she said stroking the kitten. ‘And we have to get ready to go—it’s nearly time for the show.’

  Why does she talk in bad rhymes? wondered EJ. And what is the show?

  ‘What is the show?’ asked Adriana.

  Did I say that out loud? wondered EJ, but then, as she raised her head slightly, she could see that Adriana was talking to the kitten.

  ‘The show—the final part of Operation Lights Out. The part when all in SHADOW shout, “Adriana you are the best!” But first, I must run the test.’

  She’s crazy! thought EJ, watching intently as Adriana put Inky down and shuffled towards the computer monitors. She peered at a screen, furiously typing on the keyboard as she did and talking in her funny rhymes.

  ‘Hurrah, the energy levels are so, so low, there’s not much more to go! In just a sec, in just a mo, it will be time for Eco-Deco!’

  Eco-Deco? thought EJ. That’s a SHINE invention. How would Adriana know about that and what is she using it for? EJ shifted her legs slightly and, as she did, her
feet knocked some rocks, scattering them loudly against the tunnel wall. Adriana heard the noise and this time the kitten couldn’t save EJ. Adriana pointed the giant spotlight into the tunnel and onto EJ.

  ‘Well, that makes my day. I’ve found an EJ,’ laughed Adriana.

  For the first time all mission, EJ12 wished she was still in the dark.

  EJ was now sitting on a chair with her hands tied behind her back with her own string.

  Adriana said, ‘I should have known A1 would send someone like you. Well, now her plan has fallen through.’

  ‘A1, what is A1? I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ said EJ, acting surprised. The identity of all SHINE agents, but particularly A1, was closely guarded. Agents were trained never to reveal another agent’s code name.

  ‘Cut it out, EJ12,’ said Adriana suddenly dropping the poetry and looking very serious and very mean. ‘I know all about SHINE, about A1, your Light Screen and your charms. In fact, I invented a few.’

  ‘You what?’ gasped EJ.

  ‘Didn’t your precious A1 tell you, EJ12? No, I suppose she wouldn’t. “Need-to-know basis” I suppose she said. Well, I used to be a SHINE agent. I was one of the best, almost the best except for her.’

  ‘Her? Who?’ asked EJ.

  ‘A1 of course, do keep up!’ Adriana snapped. ‘I was always second to A1, second in the Shining Stars, second in the sports, my code name was even A2. I got tired of always being in A1’s shadow. She was always hogging the limelight, like a typical older sister. Hmmph! Older by only three minutes.’