Kiss Me, I'm Contagious

I have to salute Yvette. She’s been really, really patient. All this while, she was trying her best to explain to us the history of this old and enormous mine that we were at. However, Nate, Jeremy, and Trevor weren’t giving her the time of the day.

“Check out my yellow boots.” Nate stomped like a retard on the spot with the plastic boots all of us had on. Sorry Yvette, but I just had to laugh.

“Oh, oh look. I’m going to the Moon, to find my Star Girl!” Jeremy cupped the yellow helmet over his face and the four of us began giggling. I heard Jack chuckling too and I grinned at him.

“Shut up.” Zack mumbled to Jack.

“But that was funny!” Jack whined and Zack groaned.

“You’re not taking this seriously at all, are you?” Yvette gestured at the four of us. She looked pissed. I guess we were ruining her show.

“No.” Nate replied a matter-of-factly. We laughed again, this time, with Rian and Jack.

“Don’t come crying to me later.” She answered us mysteriously and Trevor froze. “Follow me.”

“The dude’s scared!” Alex pointed at Trevor and began giggling while we followed behind Yvette. He accidentally bumped into me while squeezing through the narrow stairs and I felt tingles.

“Get out of the way, Gaskarth.” I ascended down before him.

“You’re the fat one, Taylor.” I ignored him and looked into the video camera I was holding.

“I hate this guy so much.” I talked to the camera and then filmed Alex’s face. He stuck out his tongue at the camera. Finally, all of us were in this room underground. The ground was submerged with water till our ankles and it was literally pitch dark except for the light from our torches and video cameras. By now, the security people have left us alone. It was eerily quiet, except for the sound of water droplets and mysterious creaks. I huddled beside Nate as we followed Yvette deeper down the claustrophobic tunnel.

“What a way to spend my Saturday night.” Zack and I commented in unison. Alex started laughing, but he sounded nervous.

“Yup, all fun and games now. But when I split you guys up, it won’t be so funny anymore.” Yvette whispered.

Suddenly, I realised that I’ve somehow ended up being right at the back.

“Dude, don’t leave me at the back!” I whispered angrily and rushed up beside Nate. He stretched out his arm so I could cling on him.

“What, you’re scared?” Alex taunted and I shone my torch right into his face.

“Then you go behind!” I shot back and he squinted.

“No fucking way.” He blurted immediately and strode up beside Jack who seemed to be enjoying his time.

“Did you hear that?” Trevor suddenly asked. Everyone shone their torches and stared at his face. “I swear to God that I heard something.”

“Dude, you paranoid.” Jeremy waved him off.

“Trevor, what did you hear? Because I heard something too. I just didn’t want to say.” Rian muttered.

“I fucking hellth heardth kids.” Trevor whispered back, voice all shaky. Yvette’s eyes widened.

“It’s said that spirits of children have been seen here.” She announced and I felt chills running down my spine. I gripped Nate’s sleeves and he held me closer.

“Yeah right. Like I’ll belie...” Jeremy stopped halfway. “I heard it.” I turned around to look at the path we’ve walked before. It was blanketed in darkness and I could not even see a thing.

Hehehe.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!” I scrambled all the way in front and beside Yvette. She gestured for me to keep quiet. There was silence as Yvette walked closer to the sounds. I’m sure everyone heard that laughter.

“If there’s any spirit people, or spirit children amongst us, could you please make a sound?” She called out.

Knock knock.

“What the fuck was that?” Alex shrieked and moved back.

“Okay, that wasn’t real. It was totally fake.” Jeremy wasn’t convinced. I knew it could be fake too, but at that moment, being underground, wet, and stuffy, I admit that I was scared shitless.

“That was a knock.” Jack breathed beside me, stating the obvious. By now, the eight of us were huddled together.

“You all alright?” Yvette asked us gently and the eight of us nodded. “Come on, let’s go on. I really hope we see something.”

“This isth shit.” Trevor exclaimed as we continued trudging down the rocky tunnel.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Zack hollered and startled everyone. He fell forward and held onto Nate’s shoulders for support. “Something just touched my fucking legs!” He repeated hysterically and Nate calmed him down. I wriggled my toes in my boots which was slightly filled with water and shivered. I hate this place. And I keep hearing things.

“Your mind’s playing tricks on you.” Jeremy took the front and led us on.

“I’m not kidding!” Zack continued yelling as he stomped through the water.

“Shut up, you’re freaking me out.” Alex mumbled and Rian kept making a whiny sound.

“Do we go in here?” Jeremy began feeling this rough door in front of us. Yvette nodded.

“We’re in the middle of the mine now.” She faced us all. “But this is where we split up. I really want us to find something and we can’t when the nine of us are all concentrated together.”

“Hell no! Get fucked!” Alex cussed and then apologised.

“Are you crazy?” I heard more knocking and instinctively moved closer to the person beside me, of whom happened to be Jack. He squeezed my hand and I let him.

“Maybe I am. But this is how it goes. Two by two. We go in different directions and meet back here later.” Yvette continued in a hushed tone. “I’ve decided. Alex and Summer, Nate and Tom, Trevor and Zack, Jeremy and Jack”

“Summer and Alex, both of you head that way.” She pointed to the left. I didn’t even know if there was a tunnel because it was totally black.

“Not with him. Please, let me go with Nate.” I pleaded seriously but she seemed unfazed.

“Either with Alex or alone.” She gave me a choice.

“Alone.” I replied immediately.

“With her!” Alex shrieked and I glared at him.

“Ugh, fine. Let’s go, get this shit over and done with.” I wiped the cold sweat from my head and slowly groped my way through.

“Stop sticking so close to me!” I heard Zack’s voice. He was probably scolding Trevor. Shining the torch I was holding down in front of me, I saw what seemed like a never ending tunnel.

“Stop breathing down my neck!” I complained as Alex stuck close behind me. “Take the front, please.”

“No.”

“You’re the dude!” I protested. Honestly, I was freaking out too.

“Fine, side by side, okay?” He bargained. We slowly inched our way forward step by step beside each other. We reached another door and went through it.

“Ow!” I heard Alex yelped and then a loud thud. He had tripped and landed onto the door, slamming it shut.

“You okay?” I helped him up and he groaned, rubbing his ass. Then, he tried to pull the door open again but it wouldn’t.

“It’s stuck!” He began heaving the rocky door hysterically. I helped too but realised it was practically glued shut.

“Summer? Alex?” A low voice bellowed from behind the door. It was the security dude.

“Yeah, this shit is stuck!” I hollered across.

“I can’t get this opened.” The man replied and I cursed. Alex kept looking behind us as though there was something there.

“Would you stop doing that?” I intended to scream at him but it only came out as a soft whisper.

“fuck, fuck, fuck, I want to fucking get out of here!” Alex Gaskarth was officially freaking out. Tears of frustration began to form in my eyes.

“Hello? Summer? You two could try making your way down, and then take a left. There would be a stairs to take you both upstairs.” The man instructed from behind the door. “We’ve already sent some people to come get you both from the other side.”

The two of us turned around, stared down the pitch black tunnel and gulped.

Knock, knock, knock.