Chapter 3 Trapped in the basement

Danny's breath hitched as he stared at the solid stone wall where the door had been. "This...this has to be a mistake. The door can't just disappear!"

Hazel scrambled to her feet, flashlight shaking in her hand. "It didn't disappear. Something-something must've triggered it."

"Like that thing," Tommy said, pointing at the stone disc in the middle of the room.

The disc looked innocent enough now, its symbols dim and lifeless. But Danny could still feel a strange energy lingering in the air, like static before a lightning storm.

Sarah clutched her bag of Skittles tighter, her face pale. "We shouldn't have come down here. I told you this place was bad!"

"Calm down," Hazel snapped, though she didn't look calm herself. "There has to be a way out. We just need to...I don't know, think."

Danny ran his hand along the wall where the door used to be. The stone was cold and rough, with no seams or cracks. It was like the wall had always been there. "I don't think we're getting out the way we came in."

"Great," Tommy muttered. "So what now? We just sit here and wait for your dad to find us?"

Hazel hesitated. "My dad's not home. He went into town to run errands."

"How long is that gonna take?" Sarah asked, her voice trembling.

"Couple hours. Maybe more."

Danny felt a lump form in his throat. A couple of hours in a creepy basement with no way out? This was officially the worst day of his life.

"Hey, what about that?" Tommy said suddenly, pointing toward the back of the room.

Danny turned and saw a small opening in the stone wall, partially hidden by a pile of old crates. It was just big enough for a person to crawl through.

"Was that there before?" Sarah asked.

Hazel shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Well, it's our only option," Tommy said, already moving toward the opening.

"Wait!" Danny said, grabbing his arm. "What if it's dangerous? We don't even know where it leads."

"Do you have a better idea?" Tommy shot back.

Danny didn't.

Hazel moved the crates aside, revealing the full opening. "I'll go first," she said, crouching down.

Tommy frowned. "Why you?"

"Because it's my house," Hazel said.

Before anyone could argue, she crawled into the tunnel, the beam of her flashlight bobbing as she moved.

Tommy went next, grumbling the whole way. Danny helped Sarah in, then took a deep breath and followed.

The tunnel was dark and cramped, the air damp and heavy. Danny's knees scraped against the rough stone floor as he crawled, and the faint scent of earth filled his nose. He tried not to think about spiders-or worse-lurking in the shadows.

"Where do you think this leads?" Sarah asked from up ahead.

"Probably another part of the basement," Hazel said. "Or maybe outside."

"Or maybe to the center of the earth," Tommy muttered.

"Not helping," Danny said.

After what felt like forever, the tunnel opened up into a small chamber