the air inside of the tunnel was thick and smelt like worms, worms from black dirt.

"i don't like this, not at all," i declare, i wanted to go home and watch tapes of cartoons and eat goldfish crackers, not to walk through dirty tunnels that could collapse at any given time.

"where's chunk?" i ask when no one answers me. again, the group of teenagers went off into their own verbal battles and i was left alone.

"helloooo? where. is. chunk?" i repeat. mikey's talking to brand, mouth is near data looking around, while the other two girls are talking back and forth.

"mikey..." i whisper and point upwards, it's surprising that he's heard me this time but he shush's the crowd and i can't help to not notice how he's got almost complete control over all of us, almost.

two people discuss the broken glass and leave in moments later, chunk then quietly shouts for us.

"down here," brand calls out.

"what are you guys doing down there?!"

"listen chunk. listen. you have to go and get the police, this is really important that you get them," mikey informs.

"the window, go out of the window,"

chunk looks behind him and jumps onto a chair, slowly trying to get out of the window.

"okay, go on," i tell mikey, pushing him further into the tunnel. he looks at me through the dim lighting for seconds before turning and walking on.

behind me mouth watches my every move, the way i watch the rocks below my feet move and the way i stick too close to mikey. mouth knows i lied to him now.

"nicole,"

"yeah?"

"stay close, the rocks are slippery and it'd be bad to fall and bust your forehead open," mikey whispers, tugging on my arm.

i nod but before he could see he's turned around. to say that it isn't scary down here would be a lie, it's beyond terrifying knowing that murderers are above us and we might never get out of here. if a bunch of bad pirates couldn't get out what made our group so special?

"mikey..."

"yes?" he asks. both of us are a little farther than the rest of the group by only a few feet. everyone silently agreed to continue walking forward.

"this is scary," i admit. mikey turns to look me in the eye before patting my shoulder. i suppose he isn't used to me saying i'm not brave enough, i'm always the silly "well this could always happen" girl.

"yeah, but it'll be okay. chunk's up there getting us help,"

"still. our lives are depending on chunk's actions. i knew i should have gone with him," i shake my head. the lighting down here isn't as bad as it should be, but it's still dim.

"it'll be okay," he repeats, pulling my arm closer and navigating me towards the group.

i'm still holding tightly on his arm as he is mine when we all stop around a large rock, halfway under the rock sits a skeleton.

"my, my..."

"look at him," brand says.

"how could i not?" i ask.

"don't touch it guys," data warns us all.

mikey releases my arm from his grip and retreats to holding my hand instead. at any other given time mikey and me holding hands would be an awkward exchange despite us being best friends, but this was not any other given time. we were locked away in rock tunnels staring at a dead man.

"is this another one of your tricks one-eyed willy?" mikey asks, pulling out his inhaler and using it, "you wouldn't have gone through all of this trouble if you weren't hiding something, would you?"

i give his hand a squeeze and turn to look towards the rest of the gang. andi seems to be freaked out by the skeleton while mouth is oddly quiet and staring.

"i think it's chester copperpot," data announces loudly after his mumbling.

"chester copperpot," i mumble to myself, "you really think that pirate dude exists?"

"-the guy from the attic.... don't you guys remember," data exclaims, excited that he's figured something out by himself.

i remembered who chester copperpot was but the fact didn't comfort me.

mikey bends down, still not letting go of me, reaching for a card on the ground. it displays lou gehrig on it which is astonishing.

"no way, this guys been down here since gehrig's been batting?!" i ask in amazement.

"mouth, get his wallet," brand calls.

"brand, i'm pretty sure the money is quite outdated at this point,"

"no way, data you get it,"

"mikey?"

mikey, being the courageous one of the group, drops my hand and walks over to the body. my hand feels cold and out of place without his warm one against it. he stares at it before looking back up at all of us.

"it's chester copperpot,"

"oh god. oh," brand mutters, holding a hand to his forehead.

"we're gonna get killed, too," mouth shouts in hysteria. i look to mikey again with worried eyes but he's watching everyone else.

"no....no, look. great, some candles," mikey says bending down and picking some out of chester's satchel. data claims them and puts them in his own bag.

data explains how he could set booby traps up in case anyone is following us but my mind is away. i stare at the man that's lying still on the ground, everything but his bones gone. his family must have worried a great deal about him.

before i know it some sort of commotion is set into place and one-eyed willy's skull hits my foot, making me jump backwards into data.

"make it stop, make it stop," i cry out. i don't want to kick the head away but i don't want it to touch me again.

brand picks it up and returns it to the skeleton while mouth shudders at the sight.

mikey continues forward with me right behind him while most of the group stays behind, distracted. a wire is right before us, causing mikey to tug at it.

a huge blade comes falling from above, scaring both me and mikey.

"guys, don't move. don't move!" mikey calls behind us, standing with me in his arms against the wall and far as he could press us.

next, boulders drop and roll, causing stef to tell us to run.

"go, go!"

"run!"

we all run further until data sees a rock right above his head.

"holy s-h-i-t-," he whispers as he stares at it with wide eyes.

"mikey, i think i hear the fratelli's," i whisper.