Three arms extended off the welcome area and Alex wandered toward the center one. The only light was provided by a ceiling-mounted row of bare lightbulbs. Racks of stacked wooden barrels lined both sides of the tunnel.
A cooled-by-nature place to age wine, she thought. Purely functional. None of the glamour of the welcome area or inside tasting rooms.
She wandered deeper, as if propelled by an unseen force. As she did, a strong sense of déjà vu came over her. She had been here before, she was certain of it.
She headed deeper into the cave, excited by the possibility that she was finally remembering.
A sound behind her caused her to stop and look back. The tunnel behind her was empty. “Hello,” she called.
Her voice echoed back at her. She frowned. How far from the welcome area was she? Not far, she decided. Not so far she wouldn’t hear activity there.
She pressed on, her heart beating heavily. Drumlike, it filled her head. She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder again, torn between the urge to push on and head back.
Pushing forward won out.
The smell of incense, sharp and sweet, stung her nose. Her steps faltered. She glanced around her. Where, she wondered, was it coming from? Up ahead, the tunnel split into two. She reached the fork, then stopped and listened. She heard the faint strain of voices. Laughter.
A tour in progress, she thought. To the right.
She started off that way. The voices grew louder. Men and women, she heard. Laughter. Other sounds, as well. Ones she couldn’t quite identify but that made her feel uncomfortable.
Not a tour. A group had moved the party out here. They were having themselves a really good time. They wouldn’t appreciate her interruption.
Time to head back, Alex.
She hadn’t paid attention to where she was going, she realized. But how hard could it be? A left would take her back toward the entrance. Maybe.
She tried it. But instead of taking her away from the partying group, it seemed to bring her closer. The voices grew louder; the smell more intense.
She turned back the way she’d come, then took the right instead. But again, the sounds grew louder.
She stopped, confused and fuzzy-headed. She took a deep breath, trying to focus, cursing herself the last couple glasses of wine.
“Hello?” she called out. “Is someone there?”
Instead of a response came the rise and fall of laughter. Louder still, she thought. How could that be? Was she walking in circles? Was the cave playing tricks on her?
Panic came upon her suddenly. With it the sense that the cave was closing in on her. She struggled to control her runaway pulse, to breathe deeply and slowly.
Stop it, Alex. There are people nearby; Reed will come looking for you. Someone will find you.
Somewhat calmer, she took stock of her location, then told herself to keep moving. Put one foot in front of the other. She did, counting her steps, acknowledging that the tunnels all looked exactly the same-lined with barrels, the single row of bulbs seeming to stretch on forever.
And then they went out. Total darkness engulfed her. Her knees went weak. The glass slipped from her hand, hitting the floor and shattering. She felt the spilled wine splash her ankles.
The sound of the partiers grew louder, though nearly drowned out by her thundering heart and ragged breathing.
“I’m still in here!” she cried. “Wait!”
More laughter reached her ears. Strange grunting noises. A howl that sounded part human, part animal. She backed away, bumping into a stack of barrels.
“Hello!” she called again, hearing the desperation in her own voice. “Please, someone!”
“Alex! Alex, where are you?”
“Reed!” she cried. “I’m here!”
A beam of light swept crazily over the floor and walls, then pinned her.
It seemed ages until he reached her, until he drew her into his arms and against his chest. “My God, you’re shaking.”
Alex clung to him. “I got turned around. I called out, but no one-” She buried her face in his chest. His shirt was soft against her cheek, the beat of his heart reassuring. He smelled of soap and a subtly spicy aftershave.
Except for their breathing, it was silent. No more clandestine party animals.
“I guess we broke up that party,” she murmured, easing out of his arms, feeling more than a little bit foolish.
“We didn’t have much to do with it. Once the caterer packs up the bar, the fun’s always over.”
She realized he meant the wine launch. “Not that. There was a group out here. Carrying on. Burning incense.”
“Incense?”
She realized how outrageous that sounded. “That’s what I thought at the time, but maybe they were smoking weed.” He frowned and she went on, “Whatever they were up to, it hadn’t been for public viewing.”
The lights snapped on. A moment later, Reed’s younger brother, Ferris, appeared at the far end of the tunnel.
“Bro,” Ferris called, “what’s the deal? I thought I heard someone scream.”
Reed turned toward his brother. “Alex got turned around, then the lights went out. It scared her. No big deal.”
Alex stepped away from Reed, frowning. She hadn’t screamed. She opened her mouth to tell them, then shut it, confused. Or had she? Obviously they’d both heard a scream.
Not good, Alex. Definitely not good.
Ferris grinned. “Okay then. Sorry to interrupt your knight in shining armor thing.”
“Get a life, little brother,” Reed shot back, “that’s everyday for me.”
“Give me a break. And look, flip the lights and lock up when you go.”
“Wait!” Alex called. “There’s a group deeper in the cave. I heard them partying.”
“Are you sure? I did a sweep of the tunnels earlier-”
“I know what I heard. And smelled.”
“She thinks they might’ve been smoking weed,” Reed said.
Ferris swore. “Punks. This has happened before.”
Reed looked back at her. “When the lights went out, could you still hear them?”
“Right before, yes.”
He frowned. “There’s only one way in and out of the cave, Alex. When the lights went out, that’s where I was. I heard you scream, grabbed the flashlight and came looking for you.”
“And I was right behind you, Reed,” Ferris said. “One of us would have run into a group exiting.”
“Then they’re still here. I’m certain of it.”
Reed gazed at her a moment, then back at his brother. “Alex and I will take a look. Ferris, hang out in front, would you? The last thing we want is a group of kids using this as their personal party pad.”
Ferris agreed, and together, Alex and Reed searched the cave. Designed in a fan shape, with dozens of pockets off each arm and a reception area at the far corner, it took better than thirty minutes to complete. And in the end, they found no sign of anyone else or a clandestine party.
“Sorry, Alex,” Reed said.
“I don’t understand. I know what I heard.”
A small group had gathered at the cave entrance. It included Reed’s mother and father, Rachel and Treven.
“Anything?” Ferris asked. Reed shook his head.
Rachel rushed forward. “Are you all right, Alex?” She grabbed her hands and rubbed them. “They’re so cold! Poor thing.”
“This is so embarrassing.”
“Nonsense!” Rachel exclaimed. “Those caves are creepy even when the lights are on. I wandered into one when I was ten, got lost and wasn’t discovered for hours. I still shudder when I go in.”
Lyla joined Rachel. “Ferris said you thought you heard voices?”
Before she could respond, Reed stepped in. “We did a search. Came up empty.”