They halt their step under the light.
Tentatively, the Follower of Princess ask :
-Can we take the left path, first?
Those who lead the group doesn't answer her, but take the left path.
Dust is happy enough if they don't speak about splitting in two group.
The air become heavier. Everytime he breath he has the impression that his nose become clogged by grime.
Suddenly, white ray flick above his head. Two has raised his lamp torsch to look at the ceiling for a reason that escape Dust.
The light shine on the glass of another light bulb. The extinct light bulb is connected by cables which are attached to the thick wooden beams supporting the rock. One of the cables has been cut and hangs, its multicolored wires visible to all.
When Two lower his arm, the ray of light
illuminate a diagonal cut in the wall.
As if something scratched it. Feeling his persistent graze, Eyes look at it too.
They see more of them when they advance.
They don't comment about it and after a while Two lose interest in illuminating this strange traces.
They reach another room. One bigger than the room with beds.
Their flashlight glide across the walls exposing metallics shelves with wooden boxes on it. There is also three blue lockers on the right corner. Everything is so dark and dusty.
-Lets search for the key.
This is the voice of Pony.
Boldly, she leaves the group and alone go near the shelves.
Suspicious doesn't follow her and stay in the front.
Dust can hardly see his shoulder arch outlined by light.
The red haired man stand tall, with the help of his flashlight, he lights up the door way who has hidden by the obscurity. It seem to lead to another tunnel.
The old man limps his way over, saying something to Suspicious, but their voices are too low for him to hear.
After a while Old man and Suspicious seem to reach an agreement. He limps back and take position in front of the second entrance .
The one behind the group.
Now that they keep an eye on the two exits the muscle of Dust relax a little.
Eyes pull him toward one of the shelve.
They start to search for the key.
Dust take one of those wooden boxes in his arm.
It's heavy.
With difficulty he points his flashlight to see the interior of it.
Under his eyes, precious stones shine.
The surprise make his eyebrows rise.
He feel someone breathing in his ear.
Eyes came behind him and bent his neck to see past his shoulder without him being aware of it.
He swallows the yelp that failed to pass his lips.
Really, this tall fellow should make more noise when he walks.
Dust ignore the brown eyed boy and look at the shining stones carefully.
They are blue, some clearer than others. Dirt and rock of dull grey still cover most of them. the other boxes next to it are full of thoses blue stones too.
With this and the tunnel he concludes that he must be in some kind of mine.
So What is he doing here?He is a worker in this mine?
Dust take a look at his white sneakers who are stained by dirt.
Nevermind. Come to think of it does he work? If so what kind of job does he do? Is he a student?
He tries to think hard but in the end he remember nothing.
-The gems are so pretty!
Saying this Eyes take one of them in his hand.
Dust think about it and take a handful of precious stones and stuff them in his pants pocket until it 's full.
Anyway, maybe he is rich but he also can be poor, without memory it'is hard to say and it can't hurt to have something to sell after going out.
Thinking a bit more, he decide to be considerate and take more gems .
-Eyes, put those in your pockets.
The blond man give him a questioning gaze.
-Why?
Dust let his gaze fall on the worn down pants of the guy. His jeans clearly has seen better day.
But even while thinking so much, he doesn't dare to say it openly.
-Just take it, it won't hurt you and it's pretty you said it yourself.
The man before him let the matter drop and put the precious stone in his pockets.
Quite carefree.
They rummage through the shelves but found nothing more. While taking a step back to see if the top ledge has something, he trip on an unknown object laying on the ground.
The clang attract several beam of lights on his face, squintting his eyes under the sudden assault Dust can only reassure the others in a low voice.
-It's okay, everything is okay.
He kept his gaze on the ground quite embarassed and see that he stumbled on a pickaxe. The metal of the head shine coldy under his lamptorsch.
They turn their back and keep on rummaging between the boxes and blues lockers.
Princess try to pry open one of those while Follower light up the clinch.
The locker squeak but doesn't budge.
They are soon joined by Two and together they pull it.
The noise who followed was so chilling that a tremor ran down the spine of Dust.
The grunt of the hinges was so loud that it left a echo howl like.
They caught the falling down door of the locker with precipitation. At the same time, acrosse the room Pony curses.
-Fuck, what are you doing?! Can you be more loud!?
Princess mumble something back but no one can understand what she say.
Dust guess that it isn't something pretty.
The metallic door is put on the ground with precaution.
He take a peek at the interior and he only see the dark shape of clothes hanging on a raill, and boots.
The two other lockers are easier to open but no key is found.
After a while, Princess raise her voice.
-There is no key here.
When Dust look toward her he has a full view on the worried expression of her Follower.
-What do we do?
The old man ask her back sternly, without turning away from his position.
-What else?
his voice resonate in the dark.
-we will look further.
Slowly, they went in the next tunnel. Suspicious and Pony still leading.
The old man staying at the end of the group.
This tunnel is larger but fast they encounter three different pathway, each leading them deeper in earth.
The red-haired man stop walking again. He has an easy-going smile on his lips, but his words doesn't match with it.
-If we go blindly like this we will lose ourselves.
Old man answer him before anyone else can.
-We have nothing to mark the wall and It can only be a small mine, there is no rail nor cart.
-You are suggesting we keep going?
There is a silence, the 10 people is in a stalemate.
Pony intervenes between the two, impatient. Her hair sweeping the darkness in a graceful arc when she turn her head to look at the other.
-Let's go! if it small we can remember the path we took, if it is too big then let's go back and try to smash the door again.
People start to whisper, Follower ask to Princess if she want to go back.
Dust touch his pockets full of shining blue stones.
He doesn't want to step in and attract the attention of everyone.
He consider asking Eyes to speak for him but then the group resume walking and enter the tunnel in the middle.
He purses his lips and decide that he can still say it if they really lost their way later.
Like Hop o' My Thumb, he let a gem slip past his finger to fall on the floor. No one hear it the sound covered by their steps.
As they walk they find more and more intersecting tunnels.
Maybe at first if they took the tunnel on the right and not the one on the left, they will still be on the same position.
Because it seems that every path criss-cross .
Sometimes they are forced to go back due to a dead end.
Two and One behind Eyes and Dust discuss about returning to the room with the closed door.
Eyes seem to listen to it, his brows meeting each other under his anxiety.
Finally he lower his head to ask Dust for his opinion,muttering.
-Do you want to come back ? The two women in front and the two guys behind us may go too.
He doesn't know yet. His tongue wet his lips, feeling them quite dry. He want to drink.
- I…
He take another breath, he can see the head of Princess faintly turning in their direction. Does she listen? He can understand though, the more they are to retreat the more secure they will feel.
His fingers squeeze the precious stones in his hand.
-I don't want to go back for now.
Eyes nod and let the subject drop. Dust was quite worried that he will leave without him but apparently he won't.
Blue gems like the ones in his hand start to appear in the walls.
And empty boxes are stacked along them.
This path lead to another dead end. In front of their eyes, the wall who block them gleam in the dark. The inlaid gems are like blue stars in a moonless night under their torch.
Wooden boxes lay there abandoned and dispersed in the dirt.
He can see two more pickaxes next to a hole in the rock.
Dust think they will turn back to look for another way but suddenly there is an exclamation behind him.
-The key is in the hole!
At the same time the ray of a flashlight stop on the said cavity.
It's only now that he notices the key, and the clothes under it.
Why is there clothes here?Wait,
if the miner was hunted like in the dream where is the corpse?
Did he survives? Did the man in the dream succeeded in going out? Three lockers, three pickaxes… Does that mean they were three miners?Why will they put their pants and shirts here?
His eyes watch in slow motion the people before him. Adrenaline rushing in his vein in a sudden burst.
He has a bad feeling.
Suspicious takes a step back, observing the hole carefully.
The cavety seem to open on another space behind the wall.
Purple belly has a big smile, his hand pass on his suit, apparently verifying if his ouftit has no crease before coming forward. However Pony walk faster and take the key with a satisfied face, her hand on her hips keeping her flashlight.The other hand in the deep hole.
Her slender fingers curl around the metal, the clothes under it rustling because of her move.
Then there is a growling sound.