“I heard it here!” Li shouted.
“Me, too!” Lu said excitedly.
“I did, too!” I said quickly. “But it came through my tunnel,” I said.
“No, it came through mine,” Li answered back.
“No,” Lu said defensively, “it came through mine.”
We all were silent. In the shadowy darkness we all looked at each other.
“Pepper is in three pieces!” whispered Lu and looked at us sad and worried, but still kidding.
I slid as quickly and quietly as I could, and I caught up with Lu around the first bend. I tried to slow myself...
“Lu!” I screamed. “Lu!” Li screamed and looked at me. But there wasn’t a sound. Pepper looked up at me as if to tell...
“Pepper!” we cried one by one. “Pepper! Treat! Treat!” But there was nothing, no one and eerily not a sound around.