Gerry didn’t fancy the dark, wet tunnel, but there was nothing he could do: he couldn’t let his brother embarrass him.
“I can’t see a thing. At least in the game, you have a flashlight” he groaned after squeezing through the narrow opening.
“What about your pen with a light? You’re always using it under the desk to cheat, now you can finally use it for something useful.”
“You are right, it’s here in my pocket!” Gerry was relieved. The tunnel didn’t get any warmer or wider, but at least they could see something now. Jack climbed relatively easily on all fours in the front, but Gerry was bigger and could barely fit in the narrow passage.
“Oh no, a fork! Which way to go now?” Jack stopped. “Right or left? I wonder which way George went? Give me the pen! Maybe he left some kind of track behind.”
Jack lit up first the left and then the right passage. He couldn’t see anything. But suddenly, in the tunnel on the right, somewhere on the ground a long way off something gave off a faint red light.
“Maybe it’s my keychain. It must have fallen off my bag. Let’s go right.”” ““I don’t see anything there! I think George went left for sure, in the game he goes left more than he goes right too.”
“Maybe, but he always leaves traces there! We are going right and that’s it!” Jack said in an uncompromising tone, and off he went. They had been climbing for at least twenty minutes when they heard a noise that kept getting louder and louder. Suddenly the tunnel shook around them, and the noise soon became deafening. Gerry panicked.
“Let’s turn back! Tell me this is just a bad dream, Jack, I’m really scared!” Gerry said, no longer worried about what his brother thought of him. He couldn’t breathe and wanted to get out.
“Jack, this thing is going to collapse on us! Look, the stones are breaking off the wall! The tunnel is shaking!”
“Relax! That can only mean that we are close to the stop! Do you hear that? That’s the tube train, passing us now!”
And indeed, the noise, as it grew louder, suddenly faded away, and slowly the earthquake subsided as well.
“And at the end of the tunnel, there’s the light, look!” Something was flickering in the distance. Maybe it is the stop.” ““What’s up, buddy, want your bag? Come on then, take it!” laughed the man in the leather jacket, who was sat on top of the ticket machine when the two brothers, dirty and sweaty, finally clambered out of the tunnel. Gerry found his courage again.
“You took my brother’s bag, you bully! I’ll get you!” said Gerry, as he ran to the vending machine and lunged at George’s leg, but the man in the leather jacket was quicker. He leapt to the ground and started running with the bag at high speed towards the escalator.
“Get him! If we don’t catch him on the escalator, he disappears and its Game Over!” Jack started to run after the man in the leather jacket, who was already scoffing at them from the escalator.
He almost caught the edge of the leather jacket, but then George hurled himself over to the other staircase in one bound.
“Jump, Jack! If you don’t jump over too, you won’t catch him! You can do it!” yelled Gerry, who had meanwhile also reached the escalator. But Jack hesitated. The two boys were racing up the escalator, while the man in the leather jacket was stood on the rapidly descending staircase parallel to them sticking his tongue out at them. Gerry grabbed the handrail and jumped over without any hesitation.” ““That’s it! You’re awesome, Gerry!” Jack cheered his brother, who had almost knocked George over with his huge leap. Both of them fell, but Gerry managed to grab one of the straps of Jack’s bag.
“Come on, Jack! Jump too, we’ll just make it to the next underground train and we’ll clear the level!” he shouted to his brother, who was still getting further away.
Jack was scared. This was real, not a joystick. Not a controller. Not a game. How remembered how they had been taught to jump in gym class?
“Gain momentum, take a hold, then swing over,” he could do it!
And with that, he jumped and didn’t even stumble. He charged downstairs to help Gerry gets the bag back.
By the time he reached the scuffling couple, Gerry was already holding the other strap of the bag. Jack suddenly pulled out the pen with the light and flashed it into George’s eyes. This startled the man in the leather jacket so much that the let go of the bag.
“Come on, Gerry! Here comes the train!”
They had just reached the purple train, which was rolling into the station.
“Gerry, there is no driver!”
They had to act quickly.” “Jack took charge.
“Jump!” They leapt onto the last carriage of the train just in time, holding on tightly to pieces of protruding iron.
“Now you have to go to the front of the train and get into the driver’s cabin. Can you do it? You’re better at that sort of thing” said Gerry, encouragingly.
There was no other choice: Jack held on tightly with one hand, and with the other he pushed on the door of the rear carriage to see if it would open. Meanwhile, the underground train was flying along at a dizzying pace.
“I’ve got it! It’s open! I’ll run to the front and stop the train! Climb in too!” he shouted back at Gerry, after he had squeezed himself into the back of the carriage.
After a few moments, Gerry noticed that the train was slowing down and then stopped. We’ve done it!
Jack soon reappeared in the back carriage.
“That was close.”
“But at least you have learned to jump” replied Gerry, relieved.
“Ready for the next level?” said Jack with a grin.
“Sure… But let’s get to school first. Can you drive the underground train there?”
“Only two more stops,” winked Jack, as he strode towards the driver’s cabin.