“There could still be more people alive down here. If there are, it’s only a matter of time before the lizards find them. Maybe we can find them first, keep them safe, and figure out how to climb back up one of the openings?”
“And if we can’t? Then what?”
“Then we make the best of what we have.”
Her eyes light up and it’s obvious what she’s thinking.
Though she’s brash, pushy and conniving, I suppose it’s okay being stuck down here with her. She’s already saved my life.
I just need to keep from doing something hasty and irrational.
She grabs her crystal from the bludgeoned corpse and holds it out, expecting me to lead the way. I motion for her and the tribal girl to follow me. The girl understands this time and quietly we move toward the passages. Two on the right wall, several yards in between them; one straight ahead, on the back wall; one off to the left.
“I think our best bet in finding and saving people would be in a radius from the house, so left or straight are our options,” I whisper just loud enough for Eve to hear.
“Whatever you think is best, babe.” Eve seems happy enough to let me lead.
More growling echoes through the cavern, but it’s distant. The passage on the left seems quiet and I cut across the cavern. Leading us into the unknown makes me nervous. My senses are still recovering, and little noises making me jump. The farther into the branch we move, the quieter it becomes. I draw my sword, readying to cut down any more of the lizard-men which might lurk in the shadows ahead.
“Eve, follow at the back – keep her in between us.”
“Aye sir!” She’s giddy.
We walk in a single file line near to the right side of the passage wall. Every once in a while there’s a speck of light from above where the chasm has ripped open the roof of the cave. There are many bodies scattered lifelessly, torn open not by the monsters down here, but the fall. There’s a glimmer and I see one of the spears underneath a dead warrior. I point it out to Eve and she retrieves it. The tribal girl whimpers, letting out a quiet chant. Eve hugs her head and strokes her pigtails soothingly. I smile at Eve and she nods.
Who’d have thought that the ruthless Eve is actually a little soft on the inside?
The girl calms and we move forward through the curvy corridor. Passing by a few openings, I peer down and listen for movement. There is only shifting dirt and rocks. I keep us on the main path, with the chasm opening above us. We hear something. The cry of a man is faint in the distance. It’s soft, but he sounds like he’s distressed.
Our pace quickens and we nearly meet our demise. I stop suddenly, a foot from falling into a crevasse inside the cave. There are no crystals lining it, there is no light inside.
Holding up my crystal, it provides enough light to see the other side. A moan comes from a pile of bodies and large stones. The opening is only a few feet across, but the child’s legs are too short to give her enough boost to make it. My sword slides into its sheath with ease and I reach to pick her up. Eve grabs my hand and shoves the spear in it.
“I’ve got this,” she winks while scooping up the girl, at the same time managing to keep hold of her crystal.
I nod, step a few feet back and leap across. The fear of falling into another hole in the ground races through my mind midflight, but when I land I’ve cleared it by a few feet. The girls join me, and we find the man crying out in pain.
He lies on his back, one foot crushed by a large rock. Blood drips from the side of his head. Eve and I lift the stone and the tribal girl tends to his wounds with her healing ability. They speak in their native tongue, and I can only guess at what they’re saying. Their conversation is short and so is the healing process. He attempts to stand, but can’t put any weight on the healed leg. When I tap the girl’s shoulder, I question her with an expression and point to his leg. She shakes her head and frowns.
I turn to Eve. “Seems like she’s not be able to fix it all the way.”
“We don’t have anything to splint it.” She points out the obvious.
“You’ll have to support him. I’m not at full strength.”
She sighs, but moves to help him. She throws his arm around her shoulder and supports his side. Moving again, slowly, I notice the opening in the roof seems to be mostly following this passage, disappearing every so often down other corridors, only to return a few yards later. There are plenty more bodies in our path, but no life.
The way the lizard-men were eating the people, they must have had some sort of other meat to eat down here. Perhaps there are fish in that water, or maybe this isn’t the first occurrence of people falling victim to these things.
The quake seemed localized right in the spot where the tribal camp was, and the chasm openings correspond with the tunnel system. Could this have been intentional? It seems a little farfetched for these beasts, but I don’t know enough about them.
We wind around a corner and enter a chamber larger than the first cavern. We’re at the top of a ledge where the ground slopes sharply downward. At the bottom are a few of the lizard-men, and a pile of human corpses. I force everyone down, and we observe their movements. Instead of devouring them, the lizard-men seem to be gathering the dead bodies.
“Curious,” I whisper.
“Are they planning a feast or something?” Eve asks.
“This seems like something else – I have a bad feeling about it.”
My gut proves correct when the creatures point their lengthy snouts into the air and begin a synchronous barking from the back of their throats like I’ve never heard before. They finish their calling and the cavern walls begin to quake heavily in a rhythmic pattern – like something walking.
The lizard-men scatter to the sides of the chamber and hide within corridor offshoots. A loud and deep growl comes from a large opening on the opposite side. I pull everyone back, scooting away from the ledge until we can barely see. An enormous claw swings outward and grips the wall, causing deep indentations in the rock foundation. Then another appears and hangs on the opposite wall.
Pulling itself from the darkness, a monster emerges, its body nearly becoming stuck in the opening. But it wiggles through and enters the chamber. It stands upright and it’s at least three times the size of any of the other lizard-men. It lets loose a deafening roar, arcing its head from one side of the chamber to the other. The lizard-men hide from sight, no doubt cowering in the presence of this beast.
The girl begins to scream and I have clasp my hand over her mouth again in order to avoid detection. She looks at me, scared, but I can see in her eyes she isn’t going to try and scream again. I release her.
We watch. I’m mortified by what the creature does next, and I presume the others are too. It bends down and begins gorging itself on human flesh, devouring entire limbs in single bites. It picks up a woman and puts half of her in its mouth. The girl buries her face in my chest and I wrap my arm around her.
With my arms tied up, I’m powerless to stop the man when he steals the spear and begins to crawl forward. Not wanting to alert the lizard-beast, I’m forced to stay silent. Eve tries to grab him, but he’s quick to pull away.
On the ledge, he cries out, weeping and yelling in their language, possibly distraught over the woman being devoured. I break away from the girl and try to grab him also, but he pulls away and tumbles down the steep slope, tearing his body up further.
The giant lizard stops feeding, disturbed by the commotion. The man brandishes the spear against the monster, trying to make strikes. He’s like an ant against a human. With a swift stride forward, the lizard-beast sweeps the man up. He flails. It crushes his spine.
It looks up to where he came from. Its eyes lock with mine. It roars at me, bounding up the rock incline toward us. I jump up, pulling the girl with me. We dodge just before its claw comes down on where we had just been.
It pulls itself up and I shove them toward the opening we came from. Buying time for Eve to lead the girl to saf
ety, I put a hand up and blast it in the face with a shockwave. It is unfazed. It roars again. I can smell its decaying breath and I’m sprayed with its spittle. It swipes at me. I leap back and head for the opening. It pursues. Once I’m inside I turn around, aim my hand at the roof, and unleash my power.
Rock and dirt begin to collapse but the beast continues to reach through. I drop my crystal and hit the ceiling again, this time with a shockwave from both hands. It buries the giant in rubble and sets off a chain reaction. The ceiling begins to collapse toward me.
I turn around and run toward Eve and the girl. They are already far ahead of me. I push to catch up and avoid being buried. While rocks and dirt collapse into the passage, I manage to stay just ahead of it. My legs and lungs begin to burn but the consequences of stopping greatly outweigh the increasing pain.
Eve and the girl reach one of the openings we passed and I yell, “Left! Left!”
They duck in and I follow shortly after. Though we continue to run, the destructive sounds fade away behind us. We are out of danger of being crushed, but our path back is blocked. No longer is the chasm above us and I’m sure we’re moving away from the house.
I stop. “Hold on.”
Using the wall as a prop, I heave and cough. Eve and the girl try to catch their breath as well, but the dust in the air makes it difficult.
When we’ve recovered, we move in the only direction we can. This tunnel’s crystals are farther apart making it harder to see. Eve takes it upon herself to scout ahead to avoid obstacles or pitfalls. Not far down this path the girl perks up and grabs onto Eve’s arm causing her to stop. We listen.
Voices can be heard echoing from ahead and the girl is excited because they are in her language. She pulls on our arms, leading us hastily along. We reach a small room in which two men and a woman from the encampment above are huddled in a corner. A dead body lies propped to their side. One of the tribals has a spear and he is quick to assert it, until he sees we aren’t lizard-men.
The girl begins having a conversation while healing their light wounds with her glowing hands. As she tends to them I take a moment to recuperate, leaning against the wall and closing my eyes.
“Why would he do that?” Eve asks. “He just leapt right into the thing’s grasp!”
“I don’t know. Hysteria? Maybe he recognized the person being eaten.” I shake my head and frown. “Or maybe he thought he stood a chance.”
My eyes open a little when the girl’s voice becomes a little more animated. She runs back over to me and explains something to them. They look at me and I see hope appear in their eyes. They band together near me and I now have a group to look after. The girl has healed them, but they look like death.
Though we might be able to escape these creatures for now, there will no doubt be more. How can I keep them safe?
“If we’re going to gather survivors, we need a base camp and this looks good enough for now.” I look directly at Eve. “I’m going to need you to stay here and protect them while I search.”
“Okay.” She complies too easily and leans forward.
I back up as she moves a little too close. It’s awkward enough when she tries to kiss me under normal circumstances, but I feel embarrassed with the tribal people watching.
“Come with me,” I tell her and move to one of the corridors.
The tribals try to follow but I turn the child around and move her back to where we just were. I point my finger at her, and then to the ground in hopes to indicate I want her to stay there. I back up while facing her and they stay while Eve follows me to the left tunnel. When we’re out of sight I grab Eve’s hand.
“I’m entrusting their lives to you.” My tone is serious.
“I understand, Rain. I won’t let you down.” She smiles and I believe she understands me.
“Thank you.” I lean in to kiss her on the cheek.
She doesn’t attempt to turn it in her favor by kissing me back, or taking advantage of the situation. Instead she accepts it and I hope she sees it for what I mean it to be, an act of friendship and trust. I nod to show my appreciation.
She speaks up, her voice soft. “Be careful.”
“I will.” I begin to walk away, but I stop and point my finger at her. “By some miracle we live through this and see the others again, not a word about that to them.”
“Of course not.” She innocently bats her eyes at me. I suspect she will do otherwise and exaggerate it greatly in her favor.
I kick at one of the crystals to loosen it from its dirt and rock home. I pull it free and use it to light the way while heading down into the passage alone. Continuing down the winding path, I keep my ears open for potential survivors or threats. Ahead I can see an opening in the roof where another chasm, or perhaps the same one, cracked all the way down into the tunnel network. A few dead bodies litter the ground and I step carefully over them. Thoughts flood my mind, keeping me alert.
Dying on the way down versus dying down here. After everything that has happened, I’m going to be conquered by a hole in the ground and monsters.
The way these tunnels are carved out, it seems like these things have been down here for a long time so maybe we’ll find a way to survive until the end of the month. There has to be something edible in here.
But even then, Eve and I will die and the survivors will be stuck. Their existence will be short without us here to fend off the beasts.
Cautiously, I enter a new tunnel branching off from the current one and find another cavern. Water drops into puddles all around, but with the risk of potential parasites, I hesitate to drink any.
Looking up it seems the rip in the earth flows up the wall, and then shoots across the ceiling. Doing so causes me to become dizzy, and fatigue hits me hard. I rest against the wall near my tunnel back to Eve. I want to rest for only a few moments, but I become too comfortable.
With my knees to my chest I hold the crystal across them and rest my face on it. Not having had anything to eat, my stomach grumbles. I try to focus on that, but it too fades. The water creates a soft ambiance and I drift in and out. I try to stay alert, but I can’t. My eyes close and they’re too heavy to open again.
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Something skitters across my skin and I startle awake. Looking around, afraid I might be in danger, there’s a lone beetle crawling across my arm. Smacking it away angrily, I focus on my surroundings. I’m still alone, and alive.
Weary still, I pull myself up and hold my crystal in front of me to light my way. I wiggle another crystal loose and set it next to the opening I came from to direct me back.
The cavern is large with many puddles which make me thirsty, and a number of offshoots which could be taken to locate survivors. Not wanting to become lost, I locate the branch closest to straight in front of where I came from and head the direction I hope leads back toward the house.
In the new tunnel I put extra effort into listening. There are branches off from this corridor, and down one I hear noises, but it sounds like scratching. It gives me pause for a moment.
It could be another person. But there are no voices or human-like sounds.
I pass it by, not sure I have the energy to fight right now. Farther along, the tunnel arcs sharply to the left. I hug the wall and peer around the corner. Nothing but more tunnel and crystals, but I continue to follow it. I reach yet another cavern, smaller than the last. This one however has a distinct difference. In the middle of it there is a large, reflective metal cylinder stretching from the ground to the roof. It’s unnatural.
Examining this ‘room’, the entrance is the only exit in here. I feel safe enough to focus my attention on the strange object. It appears to be made from a light colored metal. Imprinted are symbols and patterns I don’t recognize. Swirls, sharp edges, and shapes appear to form a language. Putting my hand on it, it’s cold. While my fingers move across these strange markings I lose myself trying to understand something clearly beyond my level of comprehensio
n. After touching several of these runes it shocks me with a small blue arc, and I retract my arm with haste. Numbness sets into my hand and I shake it frantically.
What was that?! Is this technology? How does this exist right now? This is a primitive time isn’t it, both for the people and lizard-men?
If I had to make a bet, I’d say this had something to do with the quake. What other explanation would there be for such a large quake leading directly into this network?
My thoughts are somewhat erratic, while I continue to observe it from a distance for any further reaction. None comes as it sits idle once more.
I better not mess with this. If it did have any involvement in opening the chasms I don’t want to start the reaction again.
It feels like I’ve been gone from the group for too long.
I return to the tunnel and head back to the cavern. Coming upon the opening into the cave, I am met with an obstacle. Noises bounce off of the walls and resound throughout. Before I enter, I stop and peer around the edge. There are a few lizard-men wandering around, crouching on all fours to drink from the small pools of water at the far side of the cavern. They move lethargically.
Can I sneak by them?
Looking directly across from me, I see the crystal I had placed as a marker, pointing my direction back to Eve. When I look again at the lizard-men, they are focused on drinking: my opportunity is now if I want to evade them. With a few hundred feet in front of me, I am anxious.
Hunching over and stooping in order to make myself as inconspicuous as possible, I jog across. My heart pumps and beats as if it is about to burst from my chest. About mid-way across I feel discovery is imminent – they could look over at any time. My jog turns to a run.
I’ve made it across and duck into the pathway. My sword slips from its sheath easily and I hold it up to my chest, lying in wait to ambush any of them that follow. My breathing steadies the longer I wait. Nothing comes for me. A quiet sigh of relief escapes my lips, but I dare not move. I stand still for another few minutes, just to make sure it’s safe.
R.E.solve (Rain Experience Book 2) Page 24