Michelle would have taken a deep breath for courage if the stink wouldn't instantly make her vomit. Instead, she flicked her hands to try to extinguish the sparks, leaving her the cover of darkness as she set off to her left.<br/><br/>Her heart raced unevenly in her ribcage as she struggled to be quiet, sliding in dank filth and nearly throwing herself over on her face as her boots provided almost no traction in the slime underfoot. She could hear movement behind her but had no accurate way of knowing if her persuers were even heading in the same direction she was; all she could do as she blindly staggered along was hope she was heading in a sensible path.<br/><br/>The farther she went, the easier she found it to breathe. The sludge was starting to dry up as she covered twenty feet or so into the tunnel. She almost felt optimistic now as she picked up speed, half-running in the dark.