He tried not to look down, but the view above didn’t help much either. The top of the makeshift rope simply disappeared into the churning purple clouds. “I’m almost there,” he called. Unseen in the hole above, Resus was slowly feeding out the rope, controlling his friend’s descent. Finally Luke’s feet met the blackened earth below and he allowed himself to breathe. He turned to Tee as the rope was whisked back up into the air once again. “Where’s Cleo?” “Over here,” shouted the mummy from behind a nearby dead tree. “And I’m not coming out until I get my bandages back.” Resus landed beside Luke and tugged at the rope, which detached itself from the tunnel above and fell to the ground. “Simple slip-knot,” beamed the vampire as he tossed the bundle of bandages behind Cleo’s tree. Luke surveyed the landscape around them. A desert of rough black sand spread out for miles in every direction beneath the blood-red sky. The air felt as though a thunderstorm was approaching.
