The Cave

by Tom Clarke

  “When we get there you better let me do the talking, the old man is a little crazy” Red Foot said motioning to the sign as they drove past.

  As they arrived at the old man’s house Nico parked in a gravel parking area next to a small boat on a trailer and in front of an old one-room log cabin.

  Red Foot got out of the SUV and before he could say a word an old man came rolling out the front door of the cabin seated in an old wheelchair and wielding a double barrel shotgun.

  “Get the hell off my property!” the old man yelled as he started waving the long-barreled shotgun round. Red Foot ducked behind the front passenger side quarter-panel of the SUV, “Grandpa, I brought some folks to see you… put that thing away!”

  From his seated position in the wheelchair the old man fired a shot into the air, the blast echoing across the wooded area around his cabin. “I’m not your God damned grandpa, not get the hell out of here before I blow your stupid ass back to that shit hole of a town you came from!”

  Before Red Foot could say another word, the old man’s mouth fell open and a look of disbelief settled across his face. “Jesus Christ” the old man said as he dropped the shotgun to his side, staring as Nico got out of the driver’s side of the SUV and started walking towards him.

  “It’s you!” the old man said as he slowly stood from the wheelchair. “Your picture, you haven’t aged a day.”

  Nico reached out and placed a hand on the old man’s shoulder, “You look just like your grandfather” Nico said with a smile on his face.

  “Are you seeing this?” Darrel asked as he and Jim got out of the SUV.

  “Yeah” Jim replied. “Listen, once we have this tablet in custody let’s make sure that it’s handled by you and me and that’s it…. Understand?”

  “What about Nico? Jimmy, is there something that I need to know” Darrel replied in a hushed voice.

  “Just you and I,” Jim reiterated as he looked on at Nico and the old man.

  Jim slapped Darrel on the shoulder and the two of them followed Nico, Red Foot, and the old man into the cabin.

  The inside of the cabin did not hold true to the impressions given by the outside. The furnishings were all new and modern, with the glaring exception of a beaten up old recliner. The living room area was well lit with a large painting of Jesus on the cross hanging on the wall and then several old black and white pictures, some obvious reproductions, hanging on the adjoining wall.

  “Wait here, I’ll be right back” the old man said as he hobbled off down a small hallway and into a back room.

  “Jimmy” Darrel said pointing to one of the old pictures on the wall. “Check it out, it’s Nico!” There in the old picture was Nico wearing the robes of a priest, standing next to several other clergymen. “Look at this shit, they're standing in front of this cabin!” Darrel said. “Jesus, he looks exactly the same!”

  Both Jim and Darrel turned and looked at Nico, who had poured himself a cup of coffee. “Been here before have you?” Jim asked.

  Nico nodded as he walked over to where Jim and Nico were standing in front of the picture. “Yes…. yes, I have” Nico said, taking a sip from the coffee. “It was a long time ago; the scenery has all changed. I didn’t realize where we were going until we pulled up in front of the cabin. I’m surprised it’s still standing, they must have sunk a lot of money to keep it in such good condition.”

  “Who would that be?” Darrel asked as he stared at the picture.

  Nico took another sip from his coffee cup, “In 1905 the Catholic Church purchased this property. They own the surrounding 20 acres, to include this cabin. The old man, and several generations of his family before him have been caretakers of this house and the documents that are kept here.”

  Jim turned and looked at his friend Nico, “What documents would those be?”

  Nico smiled, “You see the church has land and real-estate holdings all over the country, the world to be exact. Many of them are used as a secure storage area for some of the more, how shall I say, sensitive documents. Some are used as safe houses, while others are used as jumping off points for operations that the church and its partners are conducting.”

  Jim and Darrel looked at each other, “Jumping off points for operations? What the fuck are you talking about!” Darrel said.

  Jim stepped closer to Nico, “Brother when was the last time that you were actually here?”

  Before Nico could answer the old man came walking back down the hallway. He was carrying a small lock box and a small black covered book.

  He placed the box on the kitchen table, then sat down and opened the small book to a page in the center. “I’m sorry to ask” the old man said with a sigh, “but you know the rules and such. Windy is the lake?”

  Nico looked back at the old man and smiled, “It’s quite alright. I’m sorry, it’s been several confusing and very long days, what day is it today?”

  Smiling back the old man nodded his head and replied, “It’s Tuesday.”

  Nico nodded, thought for a second and then replied, “John.”

  The old man ran his finger down a column in the small book, smiled, closed the book, and placed it in his shirt pocket. “I assume that this is what you’re here for?” he said handing Nico the small box.

  Across the top of the box were several dials. Nico rotated each one entering a specific number, and then, with some effort, opened it.

  From the box Nico removed a small folded up piece of paper which when unfolded revealed a map. He looked at the map for a minute, then refolded it and placed it back into the box. He then gave the box back to the old man, “Thank you.”

  Nico turned to Jim and Darrel, “If we leave now we can be there within the hour.”

  “We can be where?” Jim asked.

  “That was a map to the cave, we can be there in less than an hour. I just need to talk to the old man for a minute and then we can go” Nico replied.

  As Nico walked off following the old man down the hallway, Jim motioned for Darrel to follow him outside. As the two walked off the front porch and towards the SUV, Jim said, “Somethings not right, Nico’s way too familiar with this entire deal.”

  Darrel stopped and shook his head, “Yeah, I mean it’s almost like he doesn’t even need us. It’s like he’s doing this from a script. Another thing is this Red Foot guy, he went from don’t kill me to I’ll cooperate pretty damn quick. Brother I’m beginning to think that this whole deal is staged!”

  “Yeah, but why?” Jim said. “Why would Nico get down like that?”

  “I don’t know” Darrel replied as he stared back at the front door to the cabin. “But the whole thing is just a little to Hollywood, the old man, this cabin, that stupid challenge phrase and little code book. I’m telling you bro, it’s like something right out of the pages from a bad novel.”

  Jim nodded in agreement, “Okay, look, this is off the shelf odd, but it doesn’t change the fact that these shit heads snatched Shelly. Nor does it explain the two shooters in my kitchen, or Tyler, or Thor, none of it! Let’s play along for now, but remember, you or I have control of that tablet.”

  “And Nico?” Darrel asked with trepidation in his voice.

  “If it comes to that I’ll deal with him” Jim replied. “Come on here he comes.”

  “Where’s Red Foot?” Darrel asked as Nico strode down the front porch stairs and towards the SUV.

  “He’s staying” Nico replied with a sense of intensity. “Come on, let’s get going.”

  Jim jumped into the driver’s seat with Nico sitting in the front passenger and Darrel seated right behind Nico. The drive took them about an hour, most of it driving down horse trails and then off road. After about 45 minutes of driving Nico told Jim to stop. “It’s right over that bluff.”

  “Okay” Jim replied with conviction in his voice, “we walk from here. Let’s get our gear and get moving!”

  As the three got out of the SUV, Jim opened the back and pulled two large duffle bags out, opened
them up, and revealed an assortment of firearms, magazines, and other various equipment.

  “Darrel, you and Nico take a rifle” Jim said as he handed an M-4 rifle to Nico and Darrel. “I’m going to go with the shotgun. If we encounter resistance I will hit them with the scatter gun first, then fall back as you guys put precision fire on target.”

  Darrel and Nico both nodded in agreement as they each took one of the rifles from Jim. Both men removed the 30-round magazines from their rifle and pulled the charging handles back opening the bolts. After a quick inspection, they replaced the magazines and then charged the rifles loading a round into the chamber.

  “What can we expect in there?” Jim asked.

  Nico turned, facing away from the SUV and looked in the direction of the cave. “With any luck we will find an old dank cave with a couple of tablets laying on the ground.”

  As Nico was looking away from the SUV, Jim handed Darrel a small bag containing two flash-bangs, and then motioned for him to be quiet about it by putting his finger to his lips. Darrel nodded and dropped the small bag into a backpack he was carrying.

  Nico turned back to Jim and Darrel, “We better get going. No need for us to be out here when the sun goes down.

  As the three rounded the top of the bluff Jim could see, set back in some trees and against the front of another bluff, an entrance to a cave. Before moving down from their position and towards the cave entrance, Jim took a minute to glass the area with a small set of binoculars he had brought with him.

  He turned and handed the glasses to Nico, “Check out the entrance. Tell me that doesn’t just look darker than it should.”

  Nico took a deep breath and slightly shook his head from side to side as he looked through the glasses, “It could be nothing, just shadow playing tricks in the trees” he said as he handed the binoculars back to Jim.

  “You okay?” Jim asked.

  “Yeah, just a headache building up, come on let’s get this done!” Nico replied.

  “Hold up!” Jim barked before Nico could start moving again. “D, you see that rock outcropping to the left of the cave entrance?”

  “Yeah, I got them” Darrel said as he nodded in the affirmative, looking on at several large standing rock formations jutting up from the ground about 50 yards from the cave entrance.

  “Okay, give me your pack and then make your way through the tree line to that formation” Jim said pointing at the rocks. “Once you’re in position click me on the handheld. Nico and I will start moving towards the entrance, you cover the approach. When we come out you come down and join us on the move.”

  Darrel nodded as he handed Jim his back pack. “Let’s do a quick radio check” Darrel said as he pulled out the small portable camping radio. Darrel keyed the mic button a couple of times which caused Jim and Nico’s radios to squeak.

  Darrel reached a hand out and gripped Jim and Nico, “Good luck boys, see ya soon.”

  Jim watched as Darrel shuffled off through the trees headed towards the rock out copings. “We could have used him inside to help search” Nico said.

  “Yeah” Jim replied, “but he’s claustrophobic. Besides, he was part of the sniper/counter-sniper element when we were working so you know old habits and such.”

  Moving slowly and deliberately, it took Darrel about 20 minutes to make his way over to the rock formation and get into a good position. “I’m set” Darrel’s voice came crackling over the small radio.

  “Copy” Jim replied, “were moving.”

  Jim patted Nico on the shoulder, “Okay brother, let’s go get this thing.” Nico nodded as they helped each other up to a standing position. Then at a slow walk they emerged from the tree line and started walking towards the cave entrance.

  As they approached the entrance to the cave, Jim could feel his heart start to race. He looked at Nico, who looked back at him with a look of conviction. Nico nodded, raised the muzzle of his rifle and clicked on the gun light. The darkness of the cave seemed to swallow up the light from the gun mounted flashlight, but there was still enough for Nico and Jim to see their way.

  Darrel watched through the scope on his rifle as his friends entered the cave and were swallowed by the darkness. Suddenly he started hearing slight clicks on his radio, then squelch, and then what sounded like a low guttural laugh.

  Darrel grabbed his radio and started to adjust the squelch when a cold wind kicked up. Suddenly, as Darrel looked on ravens, scores of them flew out of the wood line and towards the cave entrance. They were circling, squawking and chirping as they chased each other through the air.

  Through the squelch of his radio Darrel heard a low voice. He stared at his radio as he tried to make out what the voice was saying, as he turned the volume up, he heard it again, “Kill them all!”

  All the hairs on his body suddenly stood up. For a man that was not easily scared the voice had hit a nerve with him, it was like a voice from a long-lost nightmare suddenly resurfaced. Again, through the squelch, “Kill them…. I’m waiting!” followed by what sounded like a little girl giggling.

  A scratching sound broke the trance like hold that the voice had on him. Darrel looked up and saw that three of the ravens had landed on the top of the rock formation he was nestled into. The other birds were still flying and chasing each, the three on the rock were just looking at Darrel. Suddenly a fourth bird appeared standing right next to Darrel. The giggling came back over Darrel’s radio as the bird standing next to him opened its beak, flared its wings and screeched.

  As Jim and Nico moved into the cave, Jim stopped, “Did you hear that?”

  Nico looked at him, “No. What was it?”

  Jim stood silent for a second, “Nothing. Come on, this place gives me the creeps.”

  The cave entrance opened into a large chamber with two tunnels leading off, one to the right and one to the left. “Okay bro where is this thing?”

  Nico was looking around with the gun light, “It should be right here. There was a metal pedestal and the tablets were placed on top.”

  “Whoa, what do you mean tablets? I thought that there was only one, where did the second one come from?”

  Nico didn’t bat an eye in his answer, “There have always been two. One to bind the demon here, the second acted like a battery and was supposed to keep people out. Something must have happened to it, it’s not here!”

  “What the fuck do you mean it’s not here! Nico, where is it!” Jim barked.

  “I don’t know!” Nico replied as he continued to shine his light around. “Oh my God, he must have taken it when he was freed.”

  “Okay, wait” Jim said. “I thought that Demons couldn’t handle this thing. I thought that it would burn them, or they would explode or some shit! How could he take it when he strolled out of here?”

  Nico stopped, “You're right, he could not have handled it. Even if the second table was destroyed, he still could not handle the first. He must have acquired the power tablet and used it to sever our hold on him, but how?”

  Jim suddenly raised the muzzle of his shotgun, “Did you hear that. It sounded like a kid down that tunnel.”

  “A kid?” Nico asked, “In here?”

  “That’s what I heard, it sounded like a little girl, come on.” Jim replied as he headed back into the darkness of one of the side tunnels.

  As they moved deeper into the tunnel Jim could start to see a flickering light developing in the darkness in front of him. With Nico moving behind him Jim stopped short of a corner. The light was pronounced now and whatever was producing it was around the corner.

  Jim took a step back from the corner. He adjusted the shotgun, which had had slung with a three-point sling so that it was riding to the rear of his hip. He placed the palm of his left hand flat against the wall just shy of the corner and slowly moved forward until he was right next to the edge.

  Jim quickly rolled his head around the corner, exposing just one eye, and then just as quickly rolled it back. He then took a knee and did the sa
me thing except this time taking his quick peek from the ground level.

  Jim moved back away from the corner. He looked at Nico and held up one finger and then pointed towards the right indicating that there was one person in the right corner of the room. Nico nodded, Jim pointed at himself and then right indicating that when they rounded the corner he would go right, Nico again nodded.

  Jim re-gripped his shotgun as he moved away from the wall of the tunnel. He inched closer to the corner, took a breath, and then dipped at his knees. Nico, who was now standing behind Jim, tapped him on the left shoulder and off they went.

  As they stepped around the corner Jim moved immediately to the right, the muzzle of his shotgun up and pointed in the same direction he was looking, his trigger finger indexed across the gun. Nico moved in to the left presenting the M-4 rifle he was carrying the same manner.