by Billy Wells
Ike ignored this piece of superfluous information and bolted toward the main shaft with Barry running close behind him, yelling, “Wait for me!”
When they approached their entry point, they found the rope to civilization still hanging there.
But, from the shadows, a tall figure in a flowing red cape with horns protruding from both sides of his head stepped in front of their path. Ike stopped short in his tracks, and Barry ran into the back of him. Cowering backwards, Ike said, "I guess were not so lucky after all, Bwana. It’s the devil." He swooned and slumped into a pile on the cave floor. His flashlight plunked on the ground next to him as the red demon approached with its ominous claws poised to strike. A deep mighty growl resonated through the cave.
Barry threw up his hands and shouted, “ I think that's enough, fellas. You almost scared me to death, and I'm in on the gag. I think Ike has earned his membership to the Everest Club, don’t you?”
One by one, four other young men appeared from the darkness around them, turning on their flashlights to illuminate the cave more.
The devil removed his horrific headpiece, revealing his long blond tresses and manicured beard. He looked down at Ike's body in disbelief. “Wow! I can't believe he passed out. But it’s a good thing he did. I could barely breathe under the mask. The air is so thin.”
As Barry moved toward his friend on the ground, he asked, “Who was that guy in the cell, and where did you get the makeup? The eyes and the teeth were awesome.”
“You know Craig, don’t you?” Mark asked, shaking his head.
“Sure, I know Craig, but if that was Craig, I certainly didn’t recognize him with all that makeup. But what I really want to know is how he pulled off the disappearing act and the transformation into a bat? It was fantastic. I almost pissed in my pants when he flew away.”
After receiving no response, Barry looked back at the others with their puzzled faces and saw their bewilderment to his questions.
An uneasy silence followed, and Mark said, "We haven't seen Craig since he left us to get into the cell we constructed just before you arrived. What did you mean by his transformation into a bat?”
“You know. Somehow, it looked like…Craig transformed from a man into a bat and flew out of the cage into the dark. David Copperfield couldn’t have done it any better. We never practiced this at the club. I just wondered how you guys managed it.”
The four men looked confused, and Larry finally said, “Craig just had some teeth to pop into his mouth and a scary laugh he'd been practicing in the dorm. That was it. He never had a disappearing act or a transformation.”
“What about the puddle of blood? That really got Ike’s goat. Even in the dim light, I saw his eyes bugging out.”
Everyone stood stock-still. The howl of a wolf came again and seemed louder and closer than before.
“Those sound effects are awesome and the red glow, wow,” Barry said, grinning from ear to ear.
Mark said, “Sorry, man. We have no idea what you are talking about.”
Barry shook his head in disbelief and said. “Are you guys trying to creep me out? I’ve had enough scary stuff for one day.”
Mark said firmly, “I shit you not. Craig had some vampire teeth and a scary laugh. That’s all. We thought you must have supplied the red light and the sound effects. We didn’t.”
“We need to find Craig,” Barry said. “Something weird is going on here. Let’s bring Ike around and look for him.”
As Barry knelt down next to Ike's body still lying in a pile on the cave floor, John said with a smirk, “Look at him. He's out cold. He fainted, for God sakes. I don't think he deserves to be in our club. He's a wuss.”
Clint agreed, "You heard what he said. He almost didn't make the final descent. I don't think he has enough balls to join the club. We should pass on him.”
“That's not fair," Barry retorted. “He made the right choice. He risked his life to save the man who needed help.”
“Only after your prodding,” Larry added.
“Look. None of us went through an initiation like this,” Barry answered, obviously pissed. “We just did some bullshit in the clubhouse. Would any of you who have come down here to join this fucking club. I don't think so. Get serious.”
They all clammed up and thought about what Barry had said.
John broke the silence. “I guess you’re right. Let’s let him join.”
The others reluctantly agreed.
Barry said, “Give me a canteen.”
Mark handed him one, and Barry turned Ike over on his back and splashed some water on his face. He didn't respond.
Barry said "Put some more light on him.”
When the beam of the flashlight illuminated his face, they all saw his open, vacant eyes staring into space. Barry knew CPR, but he knew it was too late for that. He felt for a pulse and found none, as he expected.
“What happened to him?” Larry asked bewildered. “Did he hit his head on a rock or something?”
After further inspection, they saw no sign of the head injury or any trace of blood on his body.
Mark said sternly, ”I hate to think it, but we may have scared him to death.”
“Scared him to death?” Clint asked, trying to get his mind around it.
“I’d say he had a heart attack from seeing Larry in his devil costume.”
They all stood looking from one to another at the utter absurdity of such a conclusion. Each one of them wondered what they would say to Ike’s family and the other members of the club when they got back.
“This was your stupid idea, Barry. It’s your fault Ike is dead,” John barked.
Barry delivered a right cross that sent John to the cave floor. John rushed to his feet to retaliate, but the others grabbed both of them to stop them from killing each other.
“It's no one's fault,” Mark said, trying to stop the insanity. “Ike must have had a weak heart or some other medical problem we didn't know about. That’s all.”
Barry remembered Craig was missing and said, “We can’t do anything for Ike, but what about Craig? We need to find him. Why would he not be here with us? Where could he go? And what about the blood?”
The four of them separated and went in different directions, calling Craig's name. As they went farther away, the echo of his name resonated eerily about the cave.
After a time, Clint called out, “He's over here, fellas. At least, I think it’s him.”
The others came running in Clint’s direction and arrived almost at the same time. Clint was kneeling next to something on the ground behind a boulder with his flashlight. They all stood with their mouths agape as they assembled in a circle around a stew of bloody body parts and broken bones. A circle of dried blood lay beneath the mostly devoured corpse.
“This grisly mess couldn't be Craig,” Clint said unable to imagine what they were seeing could be his friend. John lifted an Omega watch from the horrific remains obviously devoured by some kind of animal. “His father gave it to him for his birthday last year. It's Craig’s all right.”
“How could an animal have done this? I haven't seen a trace of a living thing down here. And believe me, I've been watching my back,” Larry replied.
“I noticed that, too. You'd think there would be a pile of animal shit somewhere in this cave. You think we would see a bat at least, but there's nothing.”
Clint noticed the weird look on Barry’s face. “What are you thinking?” Clint asked nervously.
“I think something in this cave is eating up all the varmints.”
“If that's true, why didn't this thing gobble up Curtis when he came down here last month,” Mark asked.
“Has anyone seen Curtis since he got back?” Larry asked.
“Remember, Ike and I had drinks with him at the Purple Puma. That’s when he told us about the cave,” Barry explained. “But Ike was right. Something weird is going on down here. This corpse isn't fresh. The blood has already dried; yet, you say you saw Craig
leave for the cell about a half hour ago. How could that have been Craig if this is his body?” Barry looked to the others for an explanation.
“I know Craig, and we were with him not more than a half hour ago I tell you,” John said. “I was his roommate for a year, for Christ’s sake. I should know.”
“Craig doesn’t’ have wings. He couldn’t turn into a bat and fly away, but someone or some thing did” Barry countered. “The weird guy in the cell didn’t look like Craig to me even if he was wearing makeup. I think something ate him several hours ago and took his place in the cell.”
“Come on, Barry, that's the craziest thing I've ever heard. You've been watching too many horror movies,” Mark said, shaking his head in disbelief. “You think there's a shape-shifting cannibal down here that wants to eat us?”
They all laughed nervously, but after Barry’s expression remained heart attack serious, they stopped laughing. He said, “As Sherlock Holmes once said, or someone like him, when you have exhausted all the plausible facts and can't explain the conclusion, then the improbable, no matter how far-fetched, must be the solution. Well, it was something like that.”
“I’ve heard enough; let's get the fuck out of here, now.” Larry shouted.
“We’ve had enough spelunking for one trip. We'll send a crew for Ike's body and for Craig's, if that’s him.” John agreed, gathering his stuff.
When they reached the shaft where they'd entered the cave, the cable car was gone. They looked for their backpacks and their pickaxes where they’d left them, but they were gone as well.
A rock from above careened off a boulder close to where Larry stood barely missing his head. They aimed their flashlights upward. On a ledge about fifty feet above them, they recognized someone they had not expected to see in this cave in a million years. Marshall Dwiggins, the freak who wanted to join their club last year. Laughing, he kicked a few more rocks down on them. One sliced through Larry’s cheek, and blood started to run down his face.
“Hey assholes,” he yelled like a god sitting on top of the world. “I wasn’t sure you guys would take the bait, so I bribed Curtis to tell you how great this cave is. He’s not much of a friend; he sold you out for two-hundred bucks.”
Marshall kicked a few more rocks off the ledge and the group scattered. “Of course, he didn’t know what I really planned for you lowlifes. I told him I only wanted to get even for what you did to me when I asked to join the club. I don’t know if he believed that bullshit or not, but he took the money.”
“Wait till I get my hands on Curtis. I’ll rip him a new asshole, the son of a bitch,” John shot back.
“Pipe down, moron. I took care of him for you,” Marshall said, smiling broadly.
“You what?” Barry asked dumbfounded by the remark.
“Hey, I couldn’t take a chance on him feeling guilty about taking the money when you don’t make it back.”
“You actually killed Curtis, because of the prank we played on you. Are you out of your fucking mind?” Barry asked.
If I am fucked up, you assholes are to blame, and pretty soon, you’ll be begging me for a swallow of water. You’re gonna be sorry you put that video on You Tube.”
“Marshall heard several snickers from below, but couldn’t see who was lame enough to think this was funny at this point.
“I may come back and video you jerk offs when you’ve lost about thirty pounds each. It’ll be fun hearing you beg. I won’t be able to put it on You Tube, but I can get some laughs out of it once in a while.”
“You sick fucker. You’re insane,” Mark screamed, shaking his fist in rage. “It was a joke. Nothing worth killing someone over, you freak.”
Ignoring this remark, Marshall said, “Did you guys see the movie, Alive, about the soccer team that went down in a plane in South America. They ate the passengers who died in the crash to survive.”
Clint picked a rock to hurl at Marshall, but decided against it since the creepy nerd was too far away, and he couldn’t throw that far uphill.
“I guess since you don’t have any dead bodies to eat,” Marshall chuckled. “You’ll be more like the poor dweeb in that song Timothy that came out in the seventies. Three miners were trapped in a cave for a month after a landslide. All of them survived except poor Timothy, who was never seen again. They didn't say it in the song, but there was no doubt they ate his ass.”
This remark told Barry that Marshall didn’t know Craig and Ike were dead so he couldn’t have been snooping around down here very long. More importantly, he must not be responsible for Craig’s demise.
“Who did you bring with you to help you get down here.? Are you going to kill him, too?” Barry asked, thinking Marshall had to have an accomplice to get so far below ground.
“I guess you douche bags didn't even look at my application. If you did, you’d know I’ve been climbing since I was a little boy. I'll bet I’m a better climber than any of you clowns. Well, Duck Dynasty is coming on tonight so I need to be moving along. I don't think anyone will ever find you guys down here. After all, who in their right mind would risk their lives to explore this godforsaken black hole?”
“I hate to throw a wrench into your perfect plan, but I left complete details where we are and what to do if we don’t return by a certain time.” Barry said. I guess you’re gonna get the needle after all, you rat bastard.”
“Not to rain on your parade, but I overheard Noah blabbering about you coming down here at the student union building the other day. He bragged he held your lives in his hands since he was the only one you left instructions with if you didn’t make it back. So, I had a few beers with him just before I came here. I picked his brain some more, and even bought him a beer… before I killed him.”
Barry’s face turned scarlet as he glared up at nerdy psychopath.
“You'll never get away with this,” Mark screamed.
“I think I will,” Marshall replied coldly, entering the cable car hanging just off the ledge about sixty feet above them and pushing the button on the remote to ascend to the top. But to everyone’s surprise, including Marshall’s most of all, the cable broke, and the cable car and Marshall plummeted to the cave floor.
The fall broke Marshall’s neck instantly. When they dragged him out of the car and turned him over, they found his nerdy, wire rimmed glasses embedded in his face around his flattened, broken nose.
“Well, at least the crazy bastard won't be having the last laugh,” John snickered.
The rest looked at him in disbelief at his inane comment when their very lives were on the line.
Barry looked at the broken shell of the cable car and the strand of black cable attached to it. “Do you guys think we can get to the ledge up there using this pitiful short length of cable without a pickax?”
“I don't know,” Clint said, shaking his head. “It's doubtful.”
Even if anyone comes along up top, they won’t hear our screams down here. Remember when we threw a rock off the top ledge, we never heard it hit bottom?”
No one said anything. They kept looking dejectedly up at the unreachable ledge.
“Do any of you have anything to eat in your pockets?” Barry asked.
After a brief inspection, they shook their heads. “All the goodies are in our backpacks. We're fucked,” Larry replied.
Barry shined his flashlight on Marshall’s broken body. Blood had pooled around it, and several severed bones protruded from his shirt and jeans. “Does anyone have a knife?” he asked.
The others looked at him and then from one to another. Clint finally replied, “Are you out of your fucking mind? Have we become cannibals in the last five minutes?”
“If you have a better idea, tell me what it is. What else can we do? We may be here a long time. Did anyone tell anyone else where this cave is?”
After a time, they shook their heads. Their faces were etched with the realization they might actually die down here.
Larry said, looking at Marshall’s broken body,
“We have to make the best of what we have until somebody finds us, if they ever do.”
“I don't think we can reach the ledge, John said, “and if we don't, who knows how desperate we'll become.”
Barry's right,” Clint said. “It’s better to start carving up Marshall before we draw straws to eat one another.”
“What about Ike and Craig?” John asked.
“Something already ate most of Craig, and it may have eaten Ike by now. Does anyone know how long you can store meat without refrigeration and still eat it without it killing you?” Larry asked, looking like he was about to throw up.”
“Before we start carving up anybody, I think we’ve forgotten one important thing in all this excitement,” Barry said, “If that wasn’t Craig in the cell, who was it? Or should I say what was it?”
Mark picked up the piece of rope lying next to Marshall’s bloody remains, and looking at the end, he said grimly to the others, “this rope didn’t break; it’s been cut.”
Suddenly, they all heard a deep, bone-chilling shriek resonate in the pitch-blackness just beyond the light. It almost sounded like a high-pitched laugh, and yet, it didn’t sound quite human….
GOR
Bart Jenkins saw movement from the right and stood frozen. He didn't move a hair for fear his prey would detect his presence and scurry away. He turned his head toward the movement almost imperceptibly.
Then he saw a patch of brownish fur protruding from behind a tree about fifty yards away.
A young doe nibbled on a leaf, unaware that danger lurked nearby. Bart moved slowly behind a pine tree a few feet in front of him to hide the lifting of his rifle into a shooting position. He rested the end of the barrel on a small knot protruding from the tree at eye level and placed his eye to the scope. Lining up the animal’s heart, which was just below the shoulder in the crosshairs, he took a deep breath, let it out, and held it as he slowly pulled the trigger.
A red puff of blood colored the air around the creature's shoulder just before the deer’s legs gave out, and it toppled to the ground.
When the hunter approached the doe, he saw its frightened eyes were open, and it's body quivering with fear and the pain of its lethal injury. Blood pooled under its belly. With each beat of its heart, a small spurt of blood added to the pool forming on the ground.