Fifteen minutes later the four boys met behind the gas station and began their trip. The bikes were much faster than walking, and soon they were coasting down the hill into the small valley where they would find their destination.
Mark stopped at the bottom of the hill and the others stopped beside him.
"Let's hide the bikes in the trees over there," said Mark as he pointed to a clump of Poplar trees on the south side of the road, lower down in the valley.
"Good thinking," said Adam. "The bikes will be lower that the road, and that means car lights won't see the reflectors."
Mark didn't realize that the comment was a compliment. "Oh, I didn’t think of that, it's just the closest bush so I won't have to walk so far."
The others laughed as Mark realized what he had said.
They hid the bikes, climbed back out of the deep ditch and made their way to the station. Mark unlocked the door and they were soon inside making their way downstairs. Standing in front of the ugly green door they said nothing as Kevin waved Adam past. Adam opened both doors and they were back inside the 7:30 tunnel.
They walked along at a steady pace through curve after curve, not speaking while trying to step as light as they could, keeping their noise to a minimum. They walked by flashlight because the glowing ceiling was better used as a warning system. It didn't seem as far to the junction from the monitoring station as it did when they travelled the opposite way earlier.
Adam bent down and felt for the marker indicating the 1:30 tunnel. It was five inches from the floor, just as he expected. The marker wasn't visible at all, no matter how he angled the flashlight. After confirming he was at the right tunnel, he nodded to the others and continued walking.
After a short distance they stopped at the familiar 4 way intersection. Adam felt for the symbols then nodded his head and said, "This is the ring that crosses all of the tunnels. The marker feels like a circle, just like on the map."
They continued down the 1:30 tunnel. In the same way as the others, the tunnel was built to look like it ended after a short distance, but as they walked it just kept going.
"This place drives me crazy," said Mark after a while. "Have we walked more or less distance than we did in the tunnel to the monitoring station?"
As he finished speaking, the tunnel straightened out and another sliding door appeared.
"I'd say less," Jimmy answered Mark, straight-faced. Mark shook his head.
"Any guesses where this door leads?" asked Kevin.
"As long as it isn't under an outhouse, I am happy," said Jimmy.
"The way these tunnels are, it could be anywhere. I tried to think of the houses in the general direction it seemed to start, but I’m lost," said Adam.
"As my dad likes to say, 'There's no time like the present'," said Kevin, motioning Adam to the door.
Adam placed the pin and listened to the almost familiar sound of the mechanism again. That one sounded slower than the others he had opened so far. He pulled the handle expecting the door to slide easily, and it didn't budge. It surprised him a little, so he pulled harder. The door moved a little, but not easily. A puff of air rushed through the crack of the door and quickly made its way to all their noses. It smelled like a beer bottle that had been in a ditch on a hot summer day, mixed with a hint of old cheese.
"McTaggart, if you’re going to do that at least wait until I'm not around!" Jimmy teased.
"That smells more like a Jimmy Jones special," replied Adam with a smile. “Kev, give me a hand.”
Kevin stepped up, and the two pushed the door open even though it moaned in protest. The sound made the hair on Adam’s neck stand up. He hoped it didn’t carry far down the tunnels.
Adam pointed the flashlight back at the base of the door. The track was unmaintained; rusty and needing oil. It seemed strange, since all the other ones were so well cared for.
"Nobody's used this door in a while," said Adam. "I don't think we'll find Ellie here unless she died and your dad talks to ghosts." Adam looked at Mark smiling.
"If he catches me in here, you'll be the ones talking to a ghost," replied Mark looking nervous again.
Adam chuckled and turned to see where the door had led them. He shone the light on a narrow stairway with rickety old slats. It climbed at an angle that made it nearly a ladder instead of stairs.
"Glad you're going first." Jimmy's voice startled Adam it was so close.
"How do I get stuck going first every time?"
"You're the key master, so you've inherited the lead position," Jimmy said, "like a king...or dictator."
Adam shook his head and turned to the stairs. I hope they hold, he thought, looking at their poor condition.
The stairs creaked under each footstep. After the silence of the tunnel, each creak was like the crack of a nearby lightning strike. Thankfully the stairs held until he made it to a small landing. Shining his light around, he saw the small room he had climbed up to had no windows and only an old wooden door that looked to be made of worn barn wood. The handle had a bolt mechanism that was manually opened from the inside and probably keyed from the outside. It would allow someone to get out from the inside but not in from the outside without a key.
Adam pulled the bolt and opened the door, then understood what EL stood for. Not Ellie. Elevator. The old grain elevator. That explained the smell, even though it had been closed since before he was born.
Mark followed next, then Jimmy, and finally Kevin.
"Elevator. I should have guessed that one!" said Kevin, "But I was more worried about opening a door into my basement family room while my parents were watching TV."
"We are pretty close to your house," said Adam.
"Well, back we go," said Jimmy, turning back to the stairs.
"Are we really going back down there?" asked Mark as he looked at Adam.
Adam nodded. "We have to get back to the monitoring station for our bikes before it gets too late. It'll be quicker through the tunnels than on the road, right?"
Mark thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right, but I'm going down first. I don't know if those stairs will hold farm boy again." He walked to the door leading to the stairs.
"If they hold you, they’ll hold me!" Kevin retorted.
Mark was already through the door and starting down the stairs. The others followed close behind. Once down and through the sliding door, Adam tried sliding it shut, but it only moved a few inches making a loud squeal as it slid. He pushed it open and closed a little, trying to free the movement.
Mark cringed at the sound. "You're gonna draw too much attention with that noise!"
"You already did," said a low, gruff voice. A bright light from the tunnel blinded them.