He had done what he went underground to do.
And he had died beside the man he refused to leave alone.
Noah continued reading.
The following entries described Eli’s attempt to escape.
The eastern passage remained partly open.
He crawled through alone.
He emerged nearly three miles from Cedar Hollow.
But instead of returning home immediately, he discovered that search crews had already been redirected toward Black Ridge.
Then came the entry that explained everything.
I saw Dad’s truck at the highway.
Could not make myself go down.
If I tell them Thomas found me, everyone will know Caleb brought him back.
If Thomas died because of me, how do I look Ruth Mercer in the face?
Noah stopped.
Anna whispered, “He blamed himself.”
Noah nodded.
“He was twenty-two.”
“Probably terrified.”
“He should have come home.”
“Yes.”
“But I understand being ashamed of surviving.”
Anna looked toward the mine entrance.
“I think all of them were ashamed of surviving something.”
Caleb.
Ruth.
Eli.
Each had carried a different version of the same burden.
Noah read onward.
Eli left Kentucky.
He worked seasonal construction jobs.
He avoided using his real name whenever possible.
He returned to Cedar Hollow in 2001 because he wanted to recover Thomas’s belongings.
The tunnel had shifted.
He could not reach the chamber.
So he carved his name and date onto the metal strip near the eastern entrance.
His final entry said:
I keep thinking courage means going back underground.
Maybe courage means going home.
Noah turned the page.
It was blank.
“Did he?”
Anna asked.
“Go home?”
Harriet handed him something else.
A recent printout.
“We searched the name variations and dates from the notebook.”
Noah stared at her.
“You found him?”
“We found a man named Elias Reed who used the name Eli Carter for nearly eighteen years.”
“Where?”
“Tennessee.”
“Alive?”
Harriet nodded.
“As of this morning.”
Nobody moved.
Noah whispered, “My uncle is alive.”
Anna covered her mouth.
Lily looked between the adults.