Next morning...

Nora was troubled with strange dreams that night. Strange noises and images spun in circles in her mind, things she couldn't exactly explain. There were... eyes. Lots of eyes; staring, watching, observing. Not normal eyes of a human, but blank, milky white discs that did not blink. They unnerved her greatly. Thankfully, an arm shook her on the shoulder and woke her up. Brock squatted by her sleeping bag, and with a slow grunt, talked.

"Hey wake up, sis' wants you." He stood up and walked towards the tent flap. "Also, breakfast is ready."

Breakfast is a magical thing when sleeping away from home. It's the only thing that seems to get people out of their sleeping bags in the morning.

She sipped black coffee from a tin mug, fried strips of local lamb sharing a plate with imported sausages and bacon. Milk tea steamed from a large pot on the fire. While the overall mood of the place wasn't cheerful, people walked with a certain refreshed enthusiasm, eager to get started on todays work. Roxxie was discussing something by the rubble with what seemed to be the foreman, their hushed voices inaudible over the general hubub. Brock was silently playing cards with another man, both of them deep in thought. No one seemed to look at the tunnel though, not even to glance at it, as if it were to be ignored. She couldn't blame them, whenever she looked at this entrance, a sense of dread washed over her, reminding her of the dream she had that night, and she would quickly turn her gaze away from it.

Roxxie finished talking, and walked over to Nora, black bags faintly visible under her eyes. "Alright," she said, puttin one hand on her hip, "we're gonna' take the workers more willing to come with us, and the rest will stay up here and continue working. We don't know how long this tunnel is and how long we'll be down there, so just in case if we don't come back by tommorow morning, they'll gonna' send for someone to get us out. Nothing you or I haven't dealt with before." She sat down next to Nora, pouring herself a cup of black coffee. "You got all your gear ready and packed?"

Nora nodded in respose. "All the basics at least."

"Good, then we'll be off in about an hour or so."

After finishing breakfast, Nora looked over her backpack, packed with all the essentials any explorer wouldn't leave home without; a first aid kit, a long coil of high grade orange rope, a durable swiss army knife, a change of socks, several nutri-bars, enough water for a day or two, a compact trowel, a flashlight with enough batteries to drown a walrus, and last but not least, a humble walking stick. She did bring one more thing.

"Where is that dang old thi-aha! There it is!"