Having borrowed the lantern from Walt, Joe has tried, without success to scale the walls of the cavern they find themselves in, all while trying to ignore the whispers he hears from the dark. The walls are covered in silt and and slime and water; the climb is far too slippery. Not able to gain any traction, standing on a pile of rubble near Beatrice’s rear shovel’s elbow, he turns toward Walt below him, “I don’t think there’s any getting up these walls without rope…” he looks up into the endless darkness, “or something.” Walt stands and brushes his rear off. “Nope.”

Joe squats and holds the lantern so that it shines down on where Walt is standing and sees puddles of water all around the floor. “We’re way below the water table. This place could flood at any moment—or crash down around us.”

“There’s better places to be out thataway,” and Walt again points off into some dark corner of the cavern.

“Well, they’ll be looking for me, and I came from that way,” Joe says and points upward.

“Gimme ma’ lamp back. I’m goin’.”

Joe climbs down the rubble, using what is exposed of Beatrice for a handhold. “I’m telling you, they’ll be coming for me.”

“No they won’t.”

Joe jumps to the floor of the cavern and points at Walt, “You’re crazy.”

Walt shrugs. “I wuz here first.” He holds his hand out for the lantern, which Joe reluctantly gives to him. “Stay if you like.” Walt digs into a pocket and extracts a zippo lighter from out of a mash of wads of paper. He holds it out to Joe.

Taking the lighter Joe says, “All right, all right. Just hold one one second.” He looks around the small room, turns over some rocks and picks up a broken piece of steel rhubarb. Climbing back up the rubble, he reaches into the cab of the backhoe, pulls the cotton seat cover off the seat, and wraps it around the steel rod. Moving his way up to the front of the tractor, he pushes away more silt and rock until he can get to the gas tank. He jams the rod and cloth into the tank, soaks it, removes it and sets it on fire. Stepping down to the floor where Walt is waiting, he takes a last long look at his backhoe. “You weren’t Beatrice after all, were you?”

No I am not.

Walt shakes his head. “You says I’m crazy.”

Joe cocks his head—Carlin had heard it—“Did you hear her?”

“She didn’t say nothin’ ta’ me, man.”

Not an answer exactly, Joe thinks. “Well… the two of us. I guess we’re both crazy.” After a minute, Joe pushes his torch forward. “C’mon, lead us out of here.”

Walt stares. “I told you. We can go someplace better this way, but they ain’t no way out.”

“Whatever.”

“Huh.” Walt shakes his head and begins moving off deeper into the cavern.

Read the whole thread: The Hunger Engine

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