Read Online Escape (Chronicles of Hart) by Kat Murray - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kat Murray
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room .” Grace noted, as she and Ethan took in their new surroundings above the alcove of stone.
“Must be deep storage, the locks only work one way ,” he reminded her, looking around for good measure. He was curious of what would be stored in such an unconventional place, almost like an afterthought.
“Maybe they lived here,” she joked looking around at all the clutter piled against the walls “the cave people ,” she whispered ominously into the dark, chuckling at the thought of someone living in worse conditions than those she had come from.
Ethan chuckled overjoyed to hear her laughing.
They walked together shivering from the dampness of their clothing and dripping onto the piles as they stepped over them. As they wound through a short tunnel Grace noticed that is was lined with boxes, brimming with damp disintegrating parchment. Pages stacked in clumps, blocking the path as they decayed. The smell was stifling, rot and mould mingling in the air. Grace was starting to feel dizzy from all the stale air in the tunnels. It had been hours since she had breathed in fresh air through the tower window, she thought of her own escape route and how she could have been at the police station by now. Grace reached for a leaf of parchment, curious of the hidden quantity of paper stacked so hazardously along the short hallway at the centre of the underground road that only led one direction. Scrawls of names and dates lined the crumbling wet page printed in old ink, large and delicate. It appeared to be lists of those who had passed through the tunnels over the years. Grace looked around in awe at the piles of disintegrating parchment, likely all covered in names and dates marking the passage of time through the dank walls that surrounded them. The page crumbled as her hand shook from the chill that was seeping through her bones as the dampness of her clothing and the slight breeze started her shaking and chattering. Soon she was left holding only a corner and Ethan was calling to her to catch up. She raced ahead staying close as he wrapped his arm around her for warmth. He was shaking from the chill nearly as much as she.
The passage quickly ended with a small room lined with shelves of books. This is going to take a while , Grace thought to herself while looking at the scene before her in shock and shivering to the bones under Ethan’s arm. He held her closer, rubbing his hand over her arm in a sad attempt to bring some warmth back into her skin.
The library towered over them, nearly twelve feet of thickly lined bookshelves emitting an earthly smell of knowledge into its sealed chamber. The floor was littered with discarded pages and book covers sprawled out spread eagle. It gave the impression that someone was in the middle of some sort of research and had to leave abruptly, leaving remnants of notes tossed across the space. The otherwise grand library had a look of clutter and neglect. Brass candleholders clung with cobwebs against the walls and bookshelves intermittently. A rotting ladder rose from the depths of a mound of discarded books towards the cathedral ceiling, now crumbling in patches of black mould and cracked plaster. Three walls of treasures lost to the outside world, the sight was overwhelming to Grace.
***
Back in the tunnels the guards had passed the first checkpoint. Quickening their pace with excitement, they wound steadily through the second section, slowing only briefly so Steve could help Walt over the mounds of debris piled up. The path was strenuous on him in his middle age. His joints creaked at the dampness of the pathway like an expectant storm was coming in. He walked stiffly trying to hold his tongue at the pain in his knees. Steve was bearing no better against the underground elements. His skin was slick with sweat and heat rashes had begun spreading down his back and arms making him itchy in his overheated state. The night was quickly passing, Walt was starving. He stopped and reached
“Must be deep storage, the locks only work one way ,” he reminded her, looking around for good measure. He was curious of what would be stored in such an unconventional place, almost like an afterthought.
“Maybe they lived here,” she joked looking around at all the clutter piled against the walls “the cave people ,” she whispered ominously into the dark, chuckling at the thought of someone living in worse conditions than those she had come from.
Ethan chuckled overjoyed to hear her laughing.
They walked together shivering from the dampness of their clothing and dripping onto the piles as they stepped over them. As they wound through a short tunnel Grace noticed that is was lined with boxes, brimming with damp disintegrating parchment. Pages stacked in clumps, blocking the path as they decayed. The smell was stifling, rot and mould mingling in the air. Grace was starting to feel dizzy from all the stale air in the tunnels. It had been hours since she had breathed in fresh air through the tower window, she thought of her own escape route and how she could have been at the police station by now. Grace reached for a leaf of parchment, curious of the hidden quantity of paper stacked so hazardously along the short hallway at the centre of the underground road that only led one direction. Scrawls of names and dates lined the crumbling wet page printed in old ink, large and delicate. It appeared to be lists of those who had passed through the tunnels over the years. Grace looked around in awe at the piles of disintegrating parchment, likely all covered in names and dates marking the passage of time through the dank walls that surrounded them. The page crumbled as her hand shook from the chill that was seeping through her bones as the dampness of her clothing and the slight breeze started her shaking and chattering. Soon she was left holding only a corner and Ethan was calling to her to catch up. She raced ahead staying close as he wrapped his arm around her for warmth. He was shaking from the chill nearly as much as she.
The passage quickly ended with a small room lined with shelves of books. This is going to take a while , Grace thought to herself while looking at the scene before her in shock and shivering to the bones under Ethan’s arm. He held her closer, rubbing his hand over her arm in a sad attempt to bring some warmth back into her skin.
The library towered over them, nearly twelve feet of thickly lined bookshelves emitting an earthly smell of knowledge into its sealed chamber. The floor was littered with discarded pages and book covers sprawled out spread eagle. It gave the impression that someone was in the middle of some sort of research and had to leave abruptly, leaving remnants of notes tossed across the space. The otherwise grand library had a look of clutter and neglect. Brass candleholders clung with cobwebs against the walls and bookshelves intermittently. A rotting ladder rose from the depths of a mound of discarded books towards the cathedral ceiling, now crumbling in patches of black mould and cracked plaster. Three walls of treasures lost to the outside world, the sight was overwhelming to Grace.
***
Back in the tunnels the guards had passed the first checkpoint. Quickening their pace with excitement, they wound steadily through the second section, slowing only briefly so Steve could help Walt over the mounds of debris piled up. The path was strenuous on him in his middle age. His joints creaked at the dampness of the pathway like an expectant storm was coming in. He walked stiffly trying to hold his tongue at the pain in his knees. Steve was bearing no better against the underground elements. His skin was slick with sweat and heat rashes had begun spreading down his back and arms making him itchy in his overheated state. The night was quickly passing, Walt was starving. He stopped and reached
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