The Return Read Online Free

what Rusty had said. Was it possible that he was involved in the disappearances? But how could that be? His own son was missing. No, Tim must have misheard or misunderstood something. It simply didn’t make any sense for Rusty to be involved.
    He was so lost in his thoughts, he almost tripped again on a branch. No . . . wait. Not a branch, what was it? He bent down to take a closer look; it was a piece of metal or something. Hold on, it was more like a cover or a lid, and it was off center so it was sticking up a bit.
    What was it covering?
    Curiosity took hold and he grabbed the thing, pulling it as hard as he could, finally managing to move it to one side, revealing a large hole underneath.
    But it wasn’t just a hole; it was an opening—an entrance. He leaned down further, peering into the darkness. There was light coming from somewhere down below. It was barely detectable, but it was there. He remembered his phone, and turning it on flashlight mode, lowered it down as far as he could reach. It illuminated the gloom enough to see that it was a long tube that seemed to lead to a landing at the bottom. He swiped the phone along the walls of the tube and could see a set of rungs obviously meant for using to climb up and down. There was something lying at the bottom, but what was it?
    He extended his arm further, holding the phone in his fingertips to see if he could make it out and then—the phone fell—
down
—
down
—
down
.
    Tim let out a cry of frustration as the phone’s light grew smaller and smaller until it landed with a whoosh. Leaning his head down into the hole, he could see that the light was still on, and the phone appeared to be in one piece. He had to go get it. After carefully studying the placement of the rungs, he grabbed the first and began a slow descent.
    It didn’t take long to reach the bottom. His phone had fallen into a pile of soft dirt and he quickly dusted it off and checked to see if it was still working—it was. Next to it was a small box. This was what he had seen from above. He reached down, picked it up, and opened it.
    Inside was a large key ring with about ten keys on it.
    Looking around, Tim could now see that this wasn’t just a hole, it was a lighted tunnel. A tunnel someone had built with great care.
    He peered back up at the entrance and knew he couldn’t just leave. He wanted to see where this passageway led. He
needed
to see.
    Tim began walking, slowly at first, and then with longer, faster strides.
    After several minutes, the light was getting stronger and better illuminating the tunnel.
    He finally arrived at what appeared to be another set of rungs that led to another entrance. Placing his phone in his pocket, he climbed up and pushed at the cover. It wouldn’t budge. He climbed back down and kept walking. Every so often, he would come to another set of rungs, leading to another entrance, but all were shut tight. He kept walking.
    The tunnel twisted and turned, but it was easy to navigate and there was plenty of air to breathe. Despite his circumstances, Tim was more curious than nervous.
    Another set of rungs appeared. He almost skipped it. He assumed it was locked like the rest and he wanted to keep going.
    Did this thing ever end? Or did it just go on and on forever? What was the reason someone had made it?
    He had so many questions, but he knew it must be getting late and his parents would be concerned. So would his friends. He had told them he would catch up with them; they must all be worried by this point.
    Tim reached another set of rungs leading up to a cover. Maybe he’d try just one more before heading back, just to see if it was unlocked.
    He climbed up and this time the cover moved open easily. He carefully popped his head out from the catacombs and recognized where he was immediately.
    The Reef Institute.

Chapter 6
What Lies Above
    It had been more than an hour since Tim had taken off back to the cabin to