It was 8:43 at night when Max's phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
Max almost ignored it.
Then another message appeared.
DON'T GO TO THE OLD TUNNEL.
Max stared at it.
“What tunnel?”
A second message popped up.
THE ONE UNDER YOUR TOWN.
Max sat up.
There was an old tunnel under the town?
He had lived there his whole life and had never heard about it.
Then his phone buzzed again.
This time, there was a picture.
It showed a rusty metal door covered in dirt.
Max knew that door.
It was behind the old train station.
He had seen it before.
But there was something strange about the picture.
Someone had written four words on the door.
MAX WAS HERE FIRST.
Max's stomach dropped.
“How do they know my name?”
He grabbed his jacket and ran downstairs.
His best friend Jake was already waiting outside.
“You got the message too?” Jake asked.
Max stopped.
“What message?”
Jake pulled out his phone.
The same number had sent him a picture.
But Jake's picture was different.
It showed the tunnel.
And in the middle of the picture was a clock.
The clock said:
9:00
Jake looked at Max.
“It’s 8:56.”
They both went silent.
Then they heard a loud sound from across the street.
CLANG.
The old train station door had opened.
Max looked at Jake.
Jake looked at Max.
“Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking.”
Max smiled.
“Let's go.”