Chapter 34
The lack of disturbance made during their progress surprised Emma. A plain wooden surface helped her knees slip along, a sound which could be attributed to the tiresome spring winds outside if anyone downstairs heard. The passage went on for metres in a straight line and she followed the glow ahead of her as Nicky’s head torch lit up the space before him. After five minutes of non-stop crawling, Nicky stopped, squirming so he could face Emma and blinding her with the torch. He mouthed something which Emma missed and pointed at the floor beneath him. “Down?” she mimicked and he nodded.
A panel in front of the child slipped away, revealing a rickety ladder and another dark hole which disappeared vertically downwards. Emma held her breath and ran a hand over her face, feeling gri
