They found an open valley of dim light, a corridor across the machine floor. They got up and sprinted to the back door. Paul arrived with a thud, throwing his shoulder against the door. Topsoil half buried it on the far side, but the dirt had some give. “If I can jam it far enough into the dirt,” he said as he slammed his shoulder into it again, “we can crawl out.”
More metal fell over them. One chunk rang off the door, barely missing Paul. The whispers turned to screams. “Mine! Get out! Get out!”
Paul threw himself harder into the door. The space around it grew wider and brighter. Backing up, he took a hard run and bashed the door deep into the dirt, stuck open. Light gushed in. Paul threw his backpack out first. Then he climbed out after it, pushing the door open more as he squeezed th
