Tunnels 05 - Spiral

it?” Stephanie said with a mock shivering sound as they reached the very bottom of the stairwell and could descend no farther.
    The start of Level 6 was in stark contrast to the layout of all the other floors because there was no main corridor — just an open space in which the floor, walls, and regularly spaced columns were all of bare concrete, stained in places by streaks of rust water. Will’s luminescent orb created shifting shadows as they passed between the columns.
    “It’s like a goth’s bedroom or something.” Stephanie giggled as she caught sight of a large grinning skull on a cobwebbed warning sign.
    “Yeah,” Will said indecisively, wondering why Stephanie felt compelled to fill any silences between them. “But do you think it’s easier to breathe down here?” he asked as he came to a stop.
    She noisily sucked in a mouthful of air. “Think it might be,” she replied.
    “Drake said carbon dioxide is lighter than oxygen. So maybe there
is
more oxygen down on this level?” Will thought aloud, trying to remember the outcome of the debate between Drake and Parry.
    Stephanie made a contemplative
Mmmm
noise as they came to some shadowy structures that reached almost to the ceiling.
    “These are the water tanks,” Will said, playing his luminescent orb on the storage vats on either side of the floor. “Pretty massive, aren’t they?” he said, going over to the nearest one and thumping its side with his open hand. It reverberated like a sepulchral bell. “Sounds full.”
    “So at least we won’t, like, die of thirst,” Stephanie said.
    As Will investigated the areas between the vats with his light, she was uncharacteristically silent for the moment.
    Then, as they moved deeper into the level, passing between the backup generators Danforth had put out of action, she slipped her hand into Will’s. He must have started slightly because she gave a small laugh.
    “Um,” he said awkwardly, careful not to direct the orb in her direction because he didn’t want her to see how uneasy he was.
    “I really like you, Will,” she said softly. “You know that, don’t you?”
    Will was advancing down the walkway, but not at any great speed because Stephanie was still hanging on to him. He didn’t answer immediately, then replied, “I . . . I like you, too.”
    “You’re just, like, saying that to be nice to me. But that’s OK.” She began to take little trotting steps beside him, her high-heeled leather boots
rat-a-tat-tatting
on the concrete, as if she was about to speed up and wheel around in front of him. Sensing this, Will also sped up slightly.
    “I’d really like to spend more time with you, Will,” Stephanie whispered. “It’s not like Elliott’s around much, is she? She doesn’t have to know anything.”
    When Will didn’t respond, Stephanie lowered her voice even further, almost sounding a little tearful. “And if it all goes badly wrong for us and we never escape from this place, does anything really matter anymore? Except for the time we have left?”
    They came to a series of closed doors, and Stephanie squeezed Will’s hand several times, clearly with no intention of letting go. Although he was pretending to be wrapped up in his exploration of the level, Will’s mind was racing. He couldn’t help but remember how pretty Stephanie had looked back in the stairwell.
    He cleared his throat. “This is the arsenal. It was locked last time I was here,” he said, as light from his orb fell on an open doorway. “Let’s take a look inside.”
    “Sure, let’s,” she said, brightening up. Her other hand was now on his forearm.
    Will was picturing her clear blue eyes and the way her mouth crinkled at the edges when she smiled. His pulse quickened. Maybe she was right — maybe it didn’t matter. Will knew how much Chester liked her, but his friend was hardly in any frame of mind to bother about that now, and probably wouldn’t be for a long time. And Elliott was clearly more interested in looking after Chester than being with him. If they were all going to run out of air in a week or so, then everything was different, and Stephanie was right: Nothing at all mattered anymore.
    Except for whatever time they had left . . .
    Before Will knew what he was doing, he’d increased his grip on Stephanie’s hand and was pulling her into the room with him.
    Once inside, they stopped. Will had dropped the luminescent orb to his side, and Stephanie was in front of him, not much