The Chamber

"Samantha? Are we dead?"

"I don't think so. We're underground somewhere," Samantha said. She helped Prudence to her feet. They wrung the water from their hair and clothes as much as possible.

"What if there isn't a way of here? We'll be buried alive!" Prudence shouted, her last words echoing ominously.

"There has to be some way out. We just have to find it. If we follow the river it might lead us to the sea." They held hands as they walked through the darkness, going slow to avoid tripping over any hidden obstacles.

"I'm sorry about what happened in that cell," Prudence said. "You saved us."

"I couldn't have done it without you."

Prudence laughed. "This extra weight was finally good for something after all."

"It sure was," Samantha said. They continued laughing until Samantha kicked a piece of wood. She heard it skitter across the ground and managed to track it down to a cluster of rocks by the shore.

"What is it?" Prudence asked.

"It's a torch. Maybe we can light it and see where we're going." Samantha felt around until she found two rocks, each as big as her hands. She brought them together, but no sparks flew. She tried again and again with no results. With a last desperate scream she smashed the rocks into each other. Sparks flew in all directions, some falling onto the torch. A flame sputtered for a moment and then grew into a steady light.