"You can tell us all about it when we're safe in the truck," Coal replied.
"Ladies first," Alicia smiled before grabbing hold of the rope and using it to climb up and out of the hatch, her muscles straining with the effort.
"I don't think I can do that," I breathed, looking at the vines. They were about three metres long and ran almost completely straight up through the hatch. "I'm not strong enough." I held Coal's jacket out for him and his fingers brushed mine as he took it and shrugged it back on.
A clatter drew our attention back down the hallway but there was nothing to be seen. The corridor disappeared into darkness and it was hard to say how far it went or what might be lurking in the shadows.
"I'll pull you up after me, just tie it around your waist when I'm up."
Coal touched my cheek briefly before jumping out into the elevator shaft, hanging onto the rope tightly. I watched as the muscles in his shoulders and arms bunched and flexed and he pulled himself up the rope and out of the hatch. It swung wildly without anyone to support it but he made it look easy.
I leant out over the edge and grabbed the swinging vine. Another noise behind me made me jump and I nearly lost my balance. I snatched at the rope and scrabbled back into the safety of the corridor, my heart pounding from the glimpse of the fall waiting for me if I lost my footing. I quickly secured the rope around my waist with trembling hands. I couldn't get out of that bunker quickly enough.
I shuffled forward until my toes were over the edge of the doorway and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. I couldn't bring myself to jump. I took another breath and opened my eyes, glancing over my shoulder to get one last glimpse of the bunker.
A filthy face loomed at me from the darkness, it had a scar running from the corner of its mouth and up through its ruined right eye.
"Gotcha," the Creeper snarled as he jumped forwards.
His soiled hands, lined with long, yellowed fingernails snatched out towards me and I screamed.
I did the only thing available to me and fell backwards into the elevator shaft.
I swung out into the wide, open space and felt my stomach swoop. Before I c
ould scream again I felt the vines tighten and catch me, crushing my stomach and knocking the air from my lungs.
I wheezed to get my breath back and started to hoist myself up the rope as best I could. As I'd thought, I didn't have the strength in my arms and I slipped. The rope burned my hands as I tried in vain to stop myself from falling but I jerked back down to the end of the vines regardless.
The Creeper was standing in the doorway, reaching out towards me as I swung in a slow circle and tried not to look down. He was getting more and more agitated.
"Get you, get you, GET YOU!" he screeched as he snatched wildly towards me, nearly falling over the edge several times. It was only a matter of time before he attracted the attention of more of them.
I heaved my weight backwards. The rope swung me a little and I shifted to continue the momentum, kicking my legs forward and then back. On the third swing I managed to move a foot or so towards the Creeper and I felt his filthy fingernails scrape the length of my boot. I heaved backwards again and my soles connected with the wall behind me. I kicked against it as hard as I could and swung my legs up in front of me as I barrelled towards the repulsive creature. His eyes widened with surprise.
My feet connected with his midriff with a sickening thump and he was lifted off of the ground and thrown backwards down the corridor where he landed in a heap.
I swung wildly back and forth, listening to the protesting creaking made by the vines as they rubbed against the edge of the hatch above me. I looked up to see Coal, Laurie and Alicia peering down at me.
"Are you finished?" Alicia called, looking like she was trying not to laugh.
"If you feel like helping me out, now would be a good time," I sniped back.
After a few moments I felt myself inching up towards the hatch.
"Maybe we should just leave her down there, I bet she'd be able to climb it with enough motivation," I heard Laurie huff from above.
"Oi!" I shouted back.
"Well if you aren't going to work on your strength training maybe you can go on a diet before our next mission," Alicia joined in.
"I'll be up there in a minute and I bet you won't say that to my face," I called.
"I would. I doubt that you can run as fast as me with those little legs," she called back.
I looked back towards the corridor as the Creeper got to his feet and shook his head, staring in my direction. He let out a feral scream and ran straight for me, not pausing as he reached the doorway but leaping out into the shaft, his arms reaching and fingers grasping.
I gasped and tucked my legs up. His fingers brushed the buckle on the side of my boot and then he was falling, falling and - bang! He didn't even scream on the way down.