The Return Read Online Free Page B

fence.
    Feeling nervous, he lowered himself back down, gingerly moved the cover back into place, and climbed back down into the tunnel.
    Tim could see that the tunnel went on from here, but for how long? The questions were endless, and he had no answers. Then he remembered the box of keys.
    He decided he was going to find out where the other openings led. He raced back down the path the way he had come. When he reached the beginning, he opened the box and removed the ring of keys. He walked until he came across the first opening. Climbing up, he felt around in the dark until he found the opening. Key after key didn’t fit—and then finally the chamber turned and he heard a loud click.
    It was unlocked.
    It took some effort to move it aside, and as he did, sand poured in on his head.
    It was the beach. As he lifted his head up, he could see it was on an isolated stretch to the right of Paradise Beach. He didn’t waste any more time on that one. He closed it up and continued on.
    When he got to the next opening, he reached for the cover and pushed up, slowly moving it to the side.
    Carefully, he lifted his head out of the opening. He was in some sort of room, a storage area?
    A sharp pang of terror gripped him as he realized what the room was. It was Luke’s basement. He was peering into Luke’s house.
    Tim quickly lowered himself, replaced the cover, and without locking it, went on to the next. It was quite some distance from the first, but following the same procedure, he found the key and moved the cover.
    This time, he was in another room, another basement? But whose was it? he wondered.
    Hearing a noise from somewhere upstairs, he quickly replaced the cover, not taking the time to lock this one either. Tim decided to skip a few of the openings and go past the place where he had seen the Reef.
    As he ran along the path, it seemed to go deeper and deeper underground. Knowing that his friends would be looking for him, he decided to try the next opening he came upon.
    He climbed the rungs and pushed the cover over to the side.
    It was very dark, but he could tell he was once again inside a room—or maybe a closet. Sensing he was alone, he climbed completely out of the hole and pulled a chain, illuminating the small room. A storage closet of some sort, and there was a door.
    As quietly as he could, Tim tiptoed over to the door, grabbed the knob, and gently turned it, cracking the door open ever so slightly. There were people everywhere, bustling back and forth, completely unaware of him. Opening the door just a bit more, he could see there were signs hanging everywhere that read “Secure Area.”
    But it was a sign across the room that caught his attention. It said something different, and he strained his eyes to read it. A gasp escaped his lips as the words came into view:
    â€œShuttle to Nomad”

Chapter 7
Don’t Mess With Texas
    Her collection of knickknacks was extensive: a mug in the shape of a guitar she had picked up in Austin, a small boot made of brown glass with a tiny map of Texas imprinted on it, and of course hanging above her bed, a huge banner that read “Don’t Mess With Texas.”
    Ms. Duvall scanned the room often to remind herself of where she came from and why she was here. Opening a drawer in her nightstand, she took out a T-shirt that was once bright yellow but now faded and worn. She slipped it on over her head and gazed in the mirror above the dresser. Etched on the front was a picture of Willie Nelson, the old country singer who was born in the same small town she was, Abbott, Texas, population 328—but currently 327.
    Then her eyes drifted to her face.
    Yikes what a sight, she thought, and quickly removed the special makeup that made her look much older than she was.
    When she was done, she reached further into the nightstand and removed her most prized possession: the Silver Star she earned as a member of the elite Texas Ranger Reconnaissance Team,