Zen's War: Captivity
Chapter 21: The Catacombs

Hector and Derek led the way, both holding the kerosene lanterns that Colonel Krakowski had provided for them. The Colonel followed next in line, while Zen and Aurora took up the rear. As they continued onward further into the tunnel, Zen was reminded of one of the Christian catacombs of Rome that he had once visited as a youth, while studying abroad for a semester in Rome, during which time he pursued a bachelors in anthropology.

The tunnel was rather narrow, only three or four feet in width. Above their heads there was only around one or two feet of clearance. It was a struggle for Aurora, due to her claustrophobia. She began to tremble slightly as they proceeded further into the first tunnel that would lead them to the four other passageways.

“I don’t know if I can handle this,” Aurora commented, as she struggled to keep her voice calm.

“Well you’re going to have to try, we have no other choice,” Zen responded.

After walking for about a minute or so they reached the end of the first tunnel. Hector and Derek who were in the lead stopped suddenly not knowing which way to go. They had reached the small chamber that the Colonel had told them about. In front of the group were four entrances that led to the adjoining tunnels. It was rather difficult to see in the yellow glow of the kerosene lanterns.

“Now, if only I could remember which way to go. We need to go south, right. I’m almost certain that the tunnel furthest to the right will take us south,” the Colonel commented to himself, but loud enough for all to hear.

“I thought you’ve been through these passageways before?” Hector said, beginning to lose his patience.

“I have, it’s just been a while. Don’t worry. I have an amazing sense of direction,” the Colonel boasted.

“I can tell,” Hector said, sarcastically.

“Listen, I don’t need your attitude. I’m only trying to help. You should be a little more grateful.”

Hector who was known to easily lose his temper, suddenly lost his nerve and shoved Colonel Krakowski up against one of the walls of the chamber, accidentally dropping the kerosene lantern he was carrying on the ground. The glass of the lantern shattered on the ground, causing its light to be extinguished. The Colonel did not attempt to resist, instead he stood there with a smirk on his face. “What the hell are you smiling about? If you try to fuck us over, I swear I’ll kill you,” Hector yelled, shoving the Colonel harder against the wall which appeared to be made of large concrete blocks.

Zen came up behind Hector and grabbed him under both of his arms, pinning them behind his back. Zen usually was the best at calming Hector’s temper. He was usually the one who could stay cool under pressure. Zen had a way of rationalizing situations that kept people calm. “Back off, it’s not worth the effort,” he said, slightly loosening his grip.

“Listen to your dad kid, I’m definitely not worth it,” the Colonel said sarcastically.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Hector commented, starting to regain his composure.

Zen released his grasp of Hector, who stood there seething.

“Are we going to figure out which way to go, or are we going to stay here and throw tantrums?”Aurora asked with her hands placed firmly on her hips.

Colonel Krakowski did not seem to hear Aurora’s words, he instead was more concerned with the broken kerosene lantern that Hector had dropped during his sudden outburst. “Why did you have to break my lantern? It’s an antique for Christ’s sake,” he complained.

“You’ll have to live with it. Besides, one lantern is enough,” Hector responded, trying to calm down.

“You need to learn how to control your temper. If I had wanted to, I could have snapped your neck like a twig. You better be careful in the future. The next person you attack may not be as forgiving.”

“He’s right. You really do have an anger management problem,” Derek added.

Pablo just stood there watching the scene unfold. He himself was very much a pacifist. He was not the type to get into meaningless disputes.

Colonel Krakowski’s face lit up as if he had had a sudden revelation. “Now I remember. The tunnel that’s furthest to the right is the tunnel that will take us south.”

As they left the small room, they had to be careful not to step in the broken glass of the lantern Hector had destroyed. Derek was the first to venture down the tunnel, due to the fact that he had the remaining lantern. The rest of the group blindly followed in the same direction.

Following the phosphorescent glow of the lantern, Zen began to wonder if they had made a mistake by following the Colonel. Zen was uncertain of anything. He didn’t know who to trust, or whose advice to follow. He didn’t know the Colonel well enough to make any accurate judgment of his character. They all were in a desperate situation, and in times of despair sometimes you have to depend on people you don’t really know, for lack of a better option.

“What’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve just seen the devil himself,” Aurora asked Zen, obviously concerned.

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m just tired and hungry,” he answered, in denial of how he truly felt. He did not want to infect the rest of them with his uncertainty. He was the one that would have to stay strong for the rest of them.

“I think we all are. Why don’t we eat some of that beef jerky we brought?”Aurora suggested.

“I forgot to tell you guys. That’s not beef jerky, its coyote jerky,” the Colonel commented.

“I don’t care. As long as it’s not javelina,” Zen responded.

Stopping in midstride, Derek set the lantern he was carrying on the floor of the tunnel. He took one strap of his backpack off of his shoulder in order to access the side pocket of it. He untied the pocket and removed a substantial piece of meat and handed it to Zen.

Zen immediately bit off a chunk of coyote meat and began to chew voraciously. “That’s a lot better than I expected,” he said, with his mouth full.

“Would you mind chewing with your mouth closed?”Aurora commented with a sneer. “It’s disgusting.”

“Yes mother,” he answered, then rolled his eyes.

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