Tunnels 03, Freefall

the blistering air. Everything glowed red. Will had a glimpse of the heat haze just before they hit it -- it appeared to be almost solid, as if they were about to crash straight into a mirror, or some kind of transparent layer of mercury. The boys felt as though the flames were licking their faces.
    "It's like a crucible!" Will croaked, hardly daring to draw breath. It reminded him of the inside of the little ceramic pots they heated up with Bunsen burners in their chemistry lessons at school.
    The rock all around them and under their feet seemed to be shot through with veins that glowed with a bright crimson. Will and Chester immediately tried not to step on the veins as they ran -- it was like some hellish child's game of avoiding the cracks in the pavement. Will smelt burning, and immediately wondered if the soles of their boots would withstand these temperatures.
    He also felt his clothes drying out, and saw that the same thing was happening to Chester, who was leaving streams of vapor in his wake. Bartleby had stuck dutifully to Will's side, but as his bootees began to sizzle, he decided he wasn't going to hang around for the humans. He bolted off into the distance like a frightened horse.
    "God! How much further?" Chester cried, as he and Will puffed away, finding it difficult to keep a grip on the stretcher as their palms became slick with sweat.
    Then they were through to a cooler section of tunnel where Martha and Bartleby were waiting, and flopped to the ground.
    "Phew!" Will exhaled. "Talk about taking a sauna. Reckon I've lost a few pounds." He took his rifle off and slid the cutlass from his belt. "Why did I bring all this stuff? I'm carrying too much weight," he panted.
    "Never know when it might come in handy," Chester commented, then took a large swig from his canteen.
    "You sound exactly like my dad. He never threw anything away -- used to drive Rebecca nuts," Will chuckled as Chester passed him the canteen. He began to drink, but then spewed out a mouthful of water, some of which splashed over his friend. "Jesus! Where is Rebecca!" Will sputtered as he realized she hadn't come through yet. "Wasn't she right behind us?"
    "I thought so," Chester confirmed.
    They took a few paces back towards the incline and waited, but still she did not appear.
    "Maybe it was too much for her and she did a U-turn," Chester said.
    Will suddenly upended the canteen over his head.
    "What do you think you're--?" Chester shouted, but didn't finish the sentence as Will lobbed the empty canteen over to him. "Will?" Chester screamed as his friend tore back into the heat.
    Will hadn't gone far when, through the quicksilver air, he made out something huddled in the middle of the tunnel.
    Small wisps of smoke were rising around it. As he skidded to a halt, he saw Rebecca slumped on top of the rucksacks, which were beginning to smolder. He shook her, yelling her name. She lifted her head weakly and tried to reach for him.
    Sweeping her up, her threw her over his back, then hesitated for an instant. "No! Can't leave them!" he gasped, barely able to see what he was doing as he tried to grab hold of the rucksacks by the straps. He swore as his hand came in contact with the glowing floor, but still he managed to gather up both the rucksacks. Then he ran as quickly as his legs could carry him, moving so fast he was almost flying. The heat was merciless -- he was breathing in tiny breaths as the air scorched his lungs.
    Chester had ventured as far forward into the heat as he dared and was waiting for Will. As Will hurtled towards him, he yelled, "To me!", and grabbed the rucksacks from him.
    Reaching Martha, Will quickly put Rebecca down next to Elliott. He seized one of the bladders and poured water over the girl, whose head rolled drunkenly on her shoulders. The he made her sit up and drink a little of it. In no time at all, the water seemed to revive her, although she was still rather groggy.
    "What happened?" he asked.
    "I tripped. Couldn't get up," she answered, clutching her forehead as she had a coughing fit. The she raised her eyes to him. "Thank you, Will," she said.
    "It's nothing," Will replied awkwardly, as he got to his feet. Feeling his hand where he'd burnt it, he turned to see what Chester and Martha were doing. Chester was shaking his head slowly as both he and Martha regarded Will with identical expressions of disapproval. Will looked past them to where Chester had left the rucksacks. "Hey! You idiots! They're on