《The World Below》


 Chapter 1: The Descent

    The hole was tiny. Perhaps large enough for crawling, but even that would be tight. Natalie watched as her friends took turns poking into the tight space, using their bodies to measure, with the scrawny Dominic able to move in with a couple inches on either side of his shoulders, while the growing bear of a boy that Corey was, had to squeeze and wriggle to fit.


    To look at them, no one would ever guess that the pair could be friends, given their opposite appearances - nerdy, mouse-brown haired Dominic with square glasses and looking like a gentle summer breeze could tip him over, dwarfed by the big blonde with the buzzcut. Corey looked more like a small human tank than anything. But as Natalie learned, first from observation, then as a friend, the two had more in common than meets the eye.


    A shared love of myth, magic, and mystery that drove them to host weekly tabletop games, compete in online tournaments and spend hours upon hours watching and reading old films and books in the fantasy genre. Natalie could never quite keep up with them on this.


    At least at first. Until she told them about her father¡¯s job, and all the knowledge he¡¯d shared with her as she grew up. Knowledge that had led them here, to the entrance Below. All it took was a fortuitous find by her dad last week, that prompted him to call and tell her that she¡¯d been practically right on top of the entrance the last three years of her enrollment at the boarding school.


    Well, of course she had to share this with the boys. A genuine legend, beneath their feet in the bowels of the school. With almost no chance that they¡¯d be the ones to rediscover it, but as she¡¯d known, it was a chance that Dominic and Corey were more than willing to take. Never once had it occurred to her that the entrance would be there. Even if it wasn¡¯t just legend, it was still absurd to think that three thirteen-year-olds would be found ¡°worthy¡± to delve into the dark tunnels that had destroyed the lives and minds of so many adults.


    A chill ran down Natalie¡¯s spine as a soft gust of air sent her bright red hair fluttering against her cheek, like a quiet sigh, straight from the blackness. Spotting goosebumps on her friends¡¯ arms, Natalie knew that she wasn¡¯t the only one to feel it, and spoke up from her prolonged silence, after both boys had started to ignore her in their excitement of this legend-turned-reality.


    ¡°You both need to get your heads out of the clouds,¡± she could hear the note of hysteria in her own voice. ¡°This isn¡¯t a pleasant cave out in the woods where the biggest threat could be a bear mauling. The legends of Below are told with monsters. Half of the people who are recorded in my father¡¯s books went mad from the things they saw, some so inhuman that they could find no words to even describe them! If that¡¯s not enough for you, then how about the random environments they described? Tepid one moment, then a step forward and it feels like your blood freezes in your veins, the shock of which could kill you, oh, but one more step forward and your flesh is melting off your bones!¡±


    Their eyes were wide as they stared at Natalie in stunned silence as her voice rose in pitch and volume, but she wasn¡¯t done, not as her heart started to thunder in her ears and adrenaline surged through her veins.


    ¡°Or how about the significant lack of food and water down there? We¡¯re not equipped for any manner of spelunking, we can¡¯t see in the pitch black, there are tales of gas acidic enough to scarify one survivor¡¯s lungs - killing him only days after he crawled to the surface. And all of this for what? Tell me, what is worth any of that?¡± she didn¡¯t give either of them a chance to answer before spitting out in disgust, ¡°Magic! A lure, a tease, a bribe for the thousands more who never made it out, whose last days were probably spent in agony and despair, desperate for one last glimpse of their loved ones, one last breath of fresh air.¡±


    Dominic, a relatively slight figure, mousy and shy spoke up then, timid in the face of her wrath. ¡°You¡¯re assuming that out of thousands, not even one found what they were looking for¡­¡±  Natalie threw a pityingly disgusted look at him, snapping the truth that they¡¯d all been taught in their science-based education, ¡°Magic doesn¡¯t exist, Dominic.¡±


    Corey spoke up now, sticking up for his childhood best friend, as he had since the day he¡¯d stopped a bully from stealing his glasses as little kids on their first day of education. ¡°By your own logic, Natalie, none of what you¡¯ve just told us should exist. Monsters? Randomly changing temperatures and an underground labyrinth that no one can find by digging, but we just happened to stumble upon an entry that ¡®only shows itself to those who are worthy¡¯? Come on! Either you believe the legends, or you don¡¯t, in which case this is just a harmless cave whose biggest danger is a bear mauling our faces off.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Corey grinned as Natalie¡¯s face turned a bright pink, and to soften her embarrassment, he lightly reached out to tap a fist against her shoulder, nudging her. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t want a little adventure? C¡¯mon, we¡¯ll go fifty feet - max. If it even goes down that far. Then we turn right around and go back to school. We¡¯ll be back before dinner.¡±


    Dominic chimed in again, quipping with a cheery smile, ¡°And if there are monsters down there, we¡¯ll stand a better chance of surviving with your knowledge of the lore.¡±


    Natalie threw him a dirty look while Corey smacked him on the back of the head, knocking his glasses askew. ¡°Don¡¯t help,¡± and he just smiled sheepishly, adjusting his glasses on his nose. Natalie looked between the two of them, their eyes eager and excited, her lips pursing tightly when her eyes fell on the dark hole behind them.


    ¡°Fifty feet. Then we turn around and let it close.¡± after all, legend also dictated that once the worthy left sight of the entrance, it would not open for them again.


    The boys exchanged a triumphant glance, before turning back and Corey stepped forward with Dominic on his heels, leaving Natalie to bring up the rear. The narrow opening dictated that they squeeze through on their hands and knees, and even then, the cave pressed in tight on Corey¡¯s shoulders, broader than his companions, scraping on Natalie¡¯s with the smaller Dominic moving a little more comfortably. The tunnel was dark, blinding all of them and sloped downwards, forcing Corey to move slowly, making their progress in those fifty feet slow and uncomfortable.


    To fill the silence, Dominic mused aloud, ¡°I hope somewhere up here there¡¯s a place to turn around. I¡¯d hate to back up too fast and put my butt in Natalie¡¯s face. Of course if you pass gas before we get out of here, Corey, we¡¯re both doomed.¡±  Even Natalie had to laugh at this, a tense and stressed sound, but Dominic smiled in the darkness, satisfied with his achievement. Forward and down, down, down, and Corey started to realize that Dominic was right, that they wouldn¡¯t be able to turn around like this, and backing up¡­ well, that was looking more impossible as the passage became steeper.


    Unease started to build in the pit of his stomach, a feeling shared by Dominic though neither was willing to say something aloud and add to the anxiety of their friend who they could both hear starting to breathe loudly behind them as her own panic increased. With little other option, they continued forward, the silence growing thicker.


    Then nothingness. Corey felt his heart and his toes merge as his next shuffle forward had him fumbling at the wall at his sides with a panicked shriek as he started to fall head first.


    Dominic lunged forward on pure reflex at the sound of his friend¡¯s cry, groping about blindly, barely managing to wrap both hands around Corey¡¯s ankle before he slipped entirely from reach, but Corey¡¯s weight and his own diminutive stature put him off balance immediately, landing him on his stomach, already half over the drop. Natalie screamed incoherently behind them as her absolute worst fear was becoming realized, and everything was going wrong in a sudden burst of horror. All she could think, was her friends were dying ahead of her, and she¡¯d soon be next. It took a few seconds before Dominic¡¯s voice penetrated her panic, screaming over and over, ¡°Grab my legs! Grab my legs! NATALIE, GRAB MY LEGS!¡±


    Snapping out of it with a sudden jerk, Natalie lunged forward blindly, her arms flailing before finding Dominic¡¯s legs, bent at the knee to anchor himself, and hugged them, collapsing onto her own stomach and wriggling, struggling to pull them back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t drop me!¡± Corey screamed, ¡°Don¡¯t drop me!¡± and Dominic could only shout wordlessly back at him, pouring all of his adrenaline fueled strength into holding on to the best friend who¡¯d always protected him. Failure in this would be simply unacceptable.


    But gravity was winning. All of Corey¡¯s weight pulled on that one ankle, and no matter how deeply Dominic¡¯s fingers dug, they started to inevitably slip. Feeling this, Dominic started to scream in denial, ¡°No! No, no, no!¡±


    There¡¯s nothing more horrible than feeling completely helpless as people you care about are slipping through your very fingers. This understanding was revealed to Natalie as Dominic, refusing to relinquish his hold on Corey, kicked forward, freeing himself from Natalie¡¯s grip for a moment, trying to use that moment to enhance his grip on Corey. Natalie¡¯s shriek reverberated through the tunnel as she groped blindly for her friend, reasserting hold on one leg, and sealing her own fate as the forward momentum from Dominic¡¯s lunge pulled her over the ledge along with him, sending them all tumbling into darkness.

 Chapter 2: Onward!

    Natalie¡¯s return to consciousness was slow and confused. She lay on a hard and uncomfortable surface, not at all like the bed she¡¯s accustomed to, and her pillow¡­ her nose wrinkled. Her pillow smelled just awful. ¡°Natalie!¡± she recognized Corey¡¯s voice, high as it was in his fear. What¡­? Her eyes fluttered open, sliding in and out of focus a couple of times, before landing on Corey¡¯s face, lit in a pale turquoise light by something she couldn¡¯t see. Natalie could see that he¡¯d been crying while trying to wake her up and now that her eyes were opening, fresh, relieved tears spilled wetly from his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re alive!¡± he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into an embrace.


    The sudden motion sent a sharp pain through Natalie¡¯s head and she moaned, ¡°Oww¡­ What are you talking about? Where¡­¡± she looked over his shoulder, and saw Dominic on his hands and knees shuffling around, searching for something while Corey looked after her. When he looked in their direction, his eyes squinted, it came clear to her that he was missing his glasses.


    Then her heart stopped. The area around them was dimly lit by a glowing¡­ what could only be fungus. Natalie pulled back from Corey with a soft grunt as her body, bruised by their fall, protested to even the smallest movement, but she needed to move freely, to be able to look around and take in their surroundings for herself. What she saw made her stomach clench, made her heart start to race. They had landed in what could only be described as a small alcove with a passage leading out, wide enough for them to walk comfortably one by one. The ground beneath them was smooth, almost polished, stone while the walls possessed a more natural look, with a rough surface and jagged edges here and there. The fungus that Natalie could now see had been serving as her pillow while she was unconscious looked like overgrown moss, bioluminescent clearly, and a relief to see if not for the light, then because fungus doesn¡¯t grow in dry environments. At least they won¡¯t die of dehydration, Natalie thought miserably.


    ¡°We¡¯re Below,¡± she breathed, speaking the words neither of her friends had come to think in their own panic, ¡°We¡¯re going to die down here.¡±


    Corey looked at her with alarmed eyes. Natalie¡¯s shoulders curled in, already surrendering to the inevitable, already giving up any hope. Looking at Dominic, he found his friend had retrieved his glasses and was looking at her with devastated guilt, his own part in convincing her to take the risk¡­ the fifty feet¡­ weighing down on him.


    ¡°No,¡± Corey said, told them both. ¡°No, you can¡¯t think like that, Nat. You said people have got out of here, we can do the same. You can¡¯t just give up!¡± he finished angrily.


    ¡°How?¡± Dominic asked, his own voice heavy as he gestured upward, ¡°We must have fallen at least twenty feet, and there¡¯s no climbing that wall.¡±


    The others followed his gaze, and indeed, the soft glow of the fungus didn¡¯t even touch a ceiling over their heads, showing only blackness, and the wall going back up was as smooth as the ground beneath their feet.


    Corey swallowed. ¡°So we can¡¯t go back. Okay. There¡¯s more than one entrance. We can find another and get out that way,¡± he looked at his dejected companions, struggling to not fall into their despair, ¡°But one thing¡¯s for sure. We can¡¯t just sit here and hope that some other random person will manage to find the same entrance we did. We¡¯re not the only ones in our grade who tried, and no doubt the older kids have already been there, done that. We¡¯re on our own. We can¡¯t go back. We stay, we starve. That means there¡¯s only one way to go.¡±


    ¡°Forward.¡± Natalie looked past him, into the corridor beyond.


    Corey nodded, his mouth dry with fear after his speech, forcing him to swallow before he spoke again. ¡°I¡¯ll go up front. Then Dominic, then you Nat.¡±


    Natalie got to her feet, brushing the dust from her body, working to focus, to drag her mind from the pit of despair she¡¯d been caught in. ¡°We follow any passage that slopes upward,¡± she took a shaky breath, clenching and unclenching her hands, ¡°We have a week. That¡¯s the longest any of the survivors has spent down here. Dominic, did you bring your grand-dad¡¯s watch?¡±


    They both turned to Dominic where he still sat against the wall, staring at them in a daze. After a few moments of expectant silence, he seemed to realize that they were waiting for him to say something and blinked rapidly as though shaking himself from a stupor. ¡°What?¡±


    Natalie frowned and stepped over to him, holding out a hand to pull him to his feet. Dominic took the offered hand, and was nearly limp as Natalie firmly pulled him to his feet, making eye contact as she asked sternly, ¡°Do you have your grand-dad¡¯s watch with you, Dominic?¡±


    The dazed boy pat down his pockets, before pulling the antique from one, and focusing on it, examining the old wind-up contraption for cracks. He noted with relief that it still ticked softly, and watched the dial move for a few counts, before looking back up at Natalie, and reporting quietly, ¡°It¡¯s eight forty-seven.¡±


    Natalie smiled faintly, more relieved more that Dominic was coming back to his senses. ¡°Okay. Then we know that fourteen passes of eight forty-seven are our week. Can you keep track of that, Dom?¡±


    The smaller boy groped around in his pockets again, before producing a small notepad and well-whittled pencil. ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get moving.¡± Corey said, standing at the edge of the alcove. Dominic nodded and put the items safely back into their pockets, moving to take his place behind Corey. Natalie couldn¡¯t help but throw one last, wistful glance above her head towards the easy way, the way they¡¯d come in, before she stepped into place.


    Hiding his fear, Corey left the safety of the alcove, leading his friends down the passageway beyond at a cautious pace, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings. The glowing fungus was as plentiful outside of the alcove as it had been inside, lighting their way and giving them dim forward visibility, though after the absolute blindness of the first tunnel even the slightest amount of light was more than welcome.


    The friends moved in silence, too tense to find the will to make conversation, each dwelling on their own fears. Natalie¡¯s mind continually dredged up images, sketchings she¡¯d seen of the wide variety of monstrosities described by survivors. Creatures out of nightmare, some with only two legs and two arms but mouths on head and hands that split and gaped with maws filled with needle-like teeth. Others utterly inhuman, warped and twisted, with flailing tentacles and oozing pustules, no mouth in sight but having watched his companion fall prey to the thing, the survivor made it clear that it still left nothing behind. She and her friends had no weapons, nothing to hold the creatures at bay, their only option would be to run.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Corey¡¯s mind could only focus on the path ahead of them. He couldn¡¯t afford to think too hard on the darkness, the shadows cast by the fungus up to the uneven surface of the walls that made it too easy for him to see shapes where there was nothing. Perhaps that¡¯s all the monsters from Natalie¡¯s stories were, hallucinations produced by claustrophobic people who¡¯d been trapped alone in the dark for too long. He desperately hoped so.


    Safe between his friends, Dominic¡¯s mind was freer to wander outside of the caves, to the surface they¡¯d left behind. The lake that the cathedral rested on was well traveled by the students at their school, Redwood Academy. The students in attendance were all children of well-off individuals, all destined to follow in their parents¡¯ greatness. Dominic¡¯s family were researchers, key members in the development of artificial organ tissue that had cut down the number of deaths by organ failure by massive amounts. Natalie¡¯s father was a renowned historian who taught at a prestigious college. In addition to his well known fascination with the Below he was the leading expert in knowledge of past resource wars that had lead to the world as a whole coming to a historical mutual agreement that resulted in massive advancements in science and alternative energies, all over a hundred years ago. Corey¡¯s mother led a team of deep sea explorers who¡¯d come to discover an underwater resource that had aided in the development of new fuels to use in breaking the planet¡¯s gravity, bringing the flying vehicles that the people of the past would envision into a reality.


    Given their parents¡¯ positions in the world, Dominic had no doubt that there would be authorities looking for them by the time dawn came. They¡¯d come to find that the last place that the trio had visited was the cathedral and then they¡¯d search the island, the cathedral¡­ and they¡¯d find nothing. Corey was right, the chances of the opening appearing to anyone else in time to save them were beyond astronomical. Especially since no one knew exactly how the Below chose who was ¡°worthy¡± and who wasn¡¯t. If they could identify the traits of the all the people who¡¯d had the openings revealed to them, perhaps they¡¯d find a common element - but then, he considered himself and his friends, perhaps there was nothing in common about them at all. Perhaps all of the talk of worthy was just talk and it was only random chance for someone to come along who could see the openings.


    So, once they found nothing, Dominic mused as they walked on, there would be two results. One, the general population would come to the conclusion that they¡¯d either drowned - though dragging the lake would prove that to be false. Then they¡¯d start investigating the possibility that they¡¯d been abducted and the wait for ransom would begin. The second result is one that gave Dominic a trace of optimism - Natalie¡¯s dad would hear from the students at the school that the cathedral was one of the entrances Below. While he may not be able to see them himself - Natalie had told them he once tried, while they were on the boat out to the island - surely he would stop at nothing to find a way to help them.


    So lost in thought was he, that Dominic didn¡¯t notice when Corey came to an abrupt halt and collided into the larger boy.


    Natalie¡¯s hand on his shoulder helped stabilize Dominic as he recovered himself, looking curiously up at Corey. ¡°There¡¯s a crossroad up ahead,¡± Corey explained, shifting to the side to look at them with uncertainty, ¡°Which way should we go?¡±


    Natalie and Dominic looked at him, just as lost. After a moment, Natalie answered hesitantly, almost apologetically, ¡°Corey, if you¡¯re on point¡­ you should decide. Any direction is good as another since we have no idea where we¡¯re going to begin with.¡±


    Corey¡¯s shoulders slumped a little as the weight of responsibility settled squarely on them. Not liking to see his friend so suddenly despaired, Dominic pointed out light-heartedly, ¡°It would be a little silly for us to stop at every twist and turn to have a debate on which direction we think is best,¡± he altered his voice to mimic Natalie, ¡°¡®I think we should go right, because clockwise is always better!¡¯¡± then, to Corey¡¯s, ¡°¡®But we¡¯ve been going straight for forever, why should we change that now?¡¯¡±


    Corey coughed out a dry chuckle while Natalie rolled her eyes, defending herself with dignity, ¡°I do not sound like that.¡±


    The moment of levity helped Corey to turn back to face forward, squaring his shoulders as he resumed moving forward and turned right at the cross section. The friends resumed their march in silence, each returning to their musings. The next cross section was encountered much quicker than before, with another on its heels. Corey¡¯s stomach clenched as he realized that it would be all but impossible to find their way back to the alcove they¡¯d started their walk in, even if they had wanted to. The tunnels were identical, each lined with the softly glowing fungus, each with smooth floors and rough walls. Even as he took a moment at each cross section, trying to identify an upwards slope, or some variation in the tunnels, there there were none to be found.


    So when something changed in the faint glow up ahead, it was difficult to fully identify exactly what was odd. Corey slowed, caution in every further step forward, the change in pace drawing Dominic and Natalie¡¯s attention and their eyes focused ahead, though Corey obscured a good part of their view in the narrow tunnel, making it harder for them to notice what had changed, and they were too afraid to question him, thinking perhaps he saw one of those horrible monstrosities up ahead and to make a sound would draw its attention.


    With all of his attention on the walls where the oddness was most pronounced, when Corey abruptly came upon the shift, he nearly tripped. ¡°Gah!¡± he gasped, stumbling several feet forward while raising his hands to brace on the wall, the narrowness of the passage helping him not to fall. Now the change was obvious - the walls had taken on the smoothed quality that had belonged to the ground, while the ground adopted the rough, jagged surface of the walls. The switch was so abrupt that, looking back, he could see the exact line where one texture ended and the other began.


    Dominic was taking in the same thing as him, a couple steps away from the switch, muttering quietly, ¡°That is so not normal.¡± while Natalie breathed a soft sigh of relief. Changes in terrain weren¡¯t nearly as horrible as what her spiking imagination continually conjured up.


    With his heart pounding from the near fall, Corey took a deep breath, before telling the other two with a shaky smile, ¡°Watch your step here.¡± then turning to resume walking, keeping his fingers tracing along the smoothed wall to help steady himself. Natalie and Dominic follow suit, their pace slowed even more now, for fear of falling on the sharp floor. An injury in the first few hours of their seven days would be the closest thing to a bad omen any of them would acknowledge.


    With another couple turns, Corey eventually led them from the inverted terrain, and they all breathed easier. In a moment of curiosity brought on by growing fatigue and hunger, Dominic brought out his pocket watch, squinting in the dim light to make out the numbers and hands. ¡°What time¡­?¡± Natalie asked him quietly, seeing him take the timepiece out.


    ¡°Getting close to eleven,¡± he answered quietly, ¡°I don¡¯t know how much longer I¡¯ll be able to go.¡±


    Natalie reached forward, lightly touching his arm, ¡°I know,¡± her voice was faint and choked, as she held back sudden tears, ¡°Corey?¡±     Corey came to a stop, a few paces ahead of them, his eyes dull and weary. ¡°I heard you,¡± he told them, ¡°We can stop if you want to.¡±


    Without further discussion, Dominic collapsed with a sigh, his legs folding beneath him as though incapable of holding him up a moment longer. Corey glanced down the corridor that they¡¯d been walking down, estimating twenty feet from the last cross section, and no others in sight. With the narrowness of the passage, they¡¯ll have to stretch out one-by-one to be comfortable. With a weary sigh, he followed Dominic¡¯s example, laying down with his head pointing in the direction they were heading, making sure that he¡¯ll remember this when they wake. Dominic stretched out, his feet to Corey¡¯s while Natalie sat with her back to the wall, shifting a couple feet before finding a spot where she wasn¡¯t jabbed uncomfortably then stretching her legs out in front of her. None of them spoke again, all falling into a deep sleep in another breath.

 Chapter 3: Fear the Dark

    Natalie woke with a start, wincing when her head tilted just a little out of the nook it had rested in through the night to jab into a sharper edge of the wall she still rested against. Her heart was pounding, and she had no idea why. Glancing up and down the corridor they slept in, she could see nothing in the soft glow of the fungus. Still, the sick feeling of raw panic only sharpened when she glanced again in the direction they¡¯d come from and without another thought, Natalie started to shake Dominic, urging softly, ¡°Wake up, we have to go. Get up!¡± before stepping over him to do the same to Corey, ¡°Corey, come on. We¡¯ve slept long enough, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Her voice raised in pitch, though she was careful to continue speaking quietly. Corey sat up, immediately alert to the growing awareness that Natalie was absolutely terrified. Dominic, however, rolled onto his side to bring his pocket watch up to the soft light. Squinting at it, he groaned, mumbling, ¡°Nat, it¡¯s 6 AM. Go back to sleep.¡±


    This earned him a firm kick to the feet, which got him sitting up with an angry shout, ¡°Hey, come on!¡±


    Natalie froze. Reacting to her, Corey hissed, ¡°Shut up!¡± to Dominic, staring in the direction they came from, trying, as Natalie was, to discern in the darkness what was causing her so much panic.


    Finally coming to the realization that something wasn¡¯t quite right, Dominic sat up, twisting to stare behind him, squinting behind his glasses and asking, quietly now, ¡°What is it, what are you looking at?¡±


    Neither answered him as finally, something stirred in the darkness. An oval shape, perfectly fitted to fit in the narrow passageway, it didn¡¯t walk on legs, or even make contact with the ground. Multiple appendages allowed it to brace on the walls, moving easily towards the trio. While too dark to see the thing in detail, the sheer inhumanity of the form was enough to send terror spiking down their spines. ¡°Get up,¡± Natalie whispered to Dominic, who rose unsteadily to his feet in front of her, still staring at the thing, ¡°Run.¡± she whispered.


    Adrenaline suddenly crackled through her veins as the thing, having been moving towards them at a steady pace suddenly started to surge forward, ¡°Run!¡± she shrieked, turning and shoving Corey to stumble forward while grabbing for Dominics shirt to yank him in front of her as she started moving, putting herself between the figure and her friends.


    Natalie and Dominic dashed after Corey, blind to all else in their panic, they focused on him as the corridor stretched on and on, horribly straight with no turns to escape through. Worse, Natalie could hear it as it closed the distance between them, the soft hissing of its appendages on the rock walls with each movement and the excited hum she could only assume was coming from its mouth, though she dared not turn back and look to determine the truth of her assumption. She didn¡¯t need to turn back to know that she was rapidly losing ground.


    His vision tunneling forward, Corey had no panic to spare when he saw that ahead, darkness took over, as the glowing fungus seemed to suddenly end. But with no alternatives, between the unknown ahead and the likely death behind, he couldn¡¯t stop, couldn¡¯t ask his friends for their opinions on what to do about the looming black.


    Faster. Faster, faster, fasterfasterfaster! Natalie¡¯s mind was focused on the one word, not even registering the change in atmosphere ahead when she felt something brush her hair as it flew behind her. Then sudden, absolute disorientation when the walls opened and all three of them found themselves not confined in the tunnels they¡¯d come to expect in their short time Below, but in a cavern, stretching beyond their ability to see.


    More immediately important, though, was the shriek that echoed through the cavern after Natalie blew past the opening. Horribly inhuman, it was a sound of pure frustration, somewhere between a tiger¡¯s roar and a turkey¡¯s warble. Shocked, Natalie twisted around while still running to see that the creature had halted at the edge of the tunnel, four appendages holding it in place while the rest¡­ six more, Natalie counted, stretched forward, reaching for her.


    Gasping for breath, Natalie slowed, turning around to look at the thing, which truly seemed incapable of moving from the narrow tunnel. Breathlessly, she called out, ¡°Wait!¡± while taking cautious steps forward to get a better look at the creature. Stopping about five feet away, with some space still between her and its long, grasping appendages, she could see it in detail and stared, both horrified and fascinated by the thing, so unlike any animal in the surface world. Thinly oval in body, it would stand about three feet tall, with its ten spindly-looking arms protruding from its sides, each approximately three feet in length. The ¡°hands¡± at the end of each arm were encircled with seven grasping digits, all tipped by dagger-like claws. Interestingly, Natalie noted that the hands gripping the walls weren¡¯t clawed, perhaps indicating that they¡¯re retractable.


    The body was a void, smooth black flesh covering it for ideal camouflage in the dark tunnels and the reason that they couldn¡¯t see it until it was so close. So close to it, Natalie could only just make out the eyes, glittering, black and lidless, resting close to the center of its body, looking much like spiders eyes. Most noteworthy, though, was the final appendage that Natalie could now see reaching out from the bottom of its body, half the length if the arms, it could only be the creature¡¯s mouth. It looked almost like a separate creature as it flailed around hungrily, gaping open and closed like a fish¡¯s mouth, flashing sharp, barbed teeth.


    ¡°What are you doing!?¡± Corey¡¯s voice behind her made Natalie jump, especially as it echoed through the cavern. Turning, she found he and Dominic had stopped a good ten yards away from her, too far to take in all the detail she had which allowed her to come to a conclusion;


    ¡°It can¡¯t leave the tunnels. Everything about it is designed to face forward, to move directly at its prey. Out here in the open, it¡¯d be crawling either facing straight up or straight down, it¡¯d be almost completely helpless!¡± The boys approached slowly, stopping just behind Natalie, and she pointed, careful to remain out of reach of the still grasping pincers, ¡°See its face? Completely forward, and its body clearly isn¡¯t made for balancing on the ground. I¡¯d bet that it either rests upright in the corridors, something like a cow, or maybe it has a lair to go back to where it¡¯ll be safe enough to lay down.¡±


    They all flinched when the creature released another warbling roar of frustration that echoed clearly around them. ¡°Fascinating,¡± Dominic¡¯s voice trembled slightly and he grabbed her shirt, ¡°You¡¯ll have something new to add to your dad¡¯s books. Now can we leave before that thing attracts something else, maybe?¡±


    The pointed reminder of ever present and unknown danger broke through Natalie¡¯s fascination, and she finally turned away from the creature and looked around at their new environment.


    The cavern was so wide that she could only vaguely see the faintest blur of the fungus growing at the edges. She could see from the wall closest to them that the surface, unlike within the tunnels, was more smoothly textured, with natural rounded raises like the outside of a geode. Following the wall upwards, she found to her surprise that the ceiling was visible, appearing to be at least fifty feet up, but rather than being illuminated by the fluorescent green fungus that they¡¯d become accustomed to, there were glowing clusters of gemstones dotting the ceiling, throwing a dim glow through the rest of the cavern. With her eyes adjusting to the constant darkness, Natalie found that she could see some distance ahead.


    ¡°We should stick to the wall,¡± Corey commented, while Natalie took all of this in, ¡°That seems better than staying out in the open.¡±


    ¡°Or it¡¯ll leave us vulnerable to more wall-crawlers like this one,¡± Natalie answered quietly, her voice carrying an edge of despair as the fascination from her inspection of the monster faded, ¡°Let¡¯s face it. Down here, we¡¯re prey. Bottom of the food chain, completely unequipped to handle whatever wants to make a meal out of us.¡±


    The boys exchanged looks, and with nothing else to add, Dominic settled for lightly complaining, ¡°Stop talking about eating. I¡¯m hungry enough as it is,¡± then he looked at Corey, ¡°You¡¯re up front, you decide if we¡¯re out in the open or hugging the wall.¡±     The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Corey looked between his friends seriously, feeling the weight of that decision on his shoulders again, and in a moment of inspiration, he looked at Natalie. ¡°You knew the thing was coming!¡± he gestured to the tunnel, disturbed to see that the creature in question had vanished while they talked, but trusted Natalie¡¯s conclusion that it wouldn¡¯t be coming out after them. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡±


    Natalie frowned slightly, not immediately understanding why he was asking as she answered slowly, remembering the feeling that woke her, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just¡­ I knew something was wrong. I knew that there was danger. There was a feeling in my stomach like when you go down a hill too quickly,¡± she looked between the boys, their blank expressions telling her that neither of them felt the same and her voice grew meek with disbelief, ¡°You guys didn¡¯t feel it?¡±


    Corey shook his head while Dominic answered, ¡°Nope! I guess neither of us has a freaky monster-detecting sixth-sense,¡± he frowned, ¡°I always wanted a superpower, though. No fair.¡±


    Natalie met Corey¡¯s eyes and he smiled with a small shrug, suggesting ¡°Maybe you and your superpower should take the lead so I don¡¯t take us down another trap tunnel?¡±


    She started to protest, wanting to deny the ridiculous notion, before realizing that even if it was a fluke, if some survival instinct had just randomly kicked in while they were sleeping and would never show itself again, it was no different than Corey taking the lead - they¡¯d still be walking blind. With a soft sigh, Natalie nodded assent and looked deeper into the shadowy depths of the cave. Just as through the tunnels, it was nearly impossible to see too far in and from what she could see, there were no other exits.


    After a moment of contemplation, Natalie declared, trying to sound sure of herself, ¡°We¡¯ll stick to the wall. It¡¯s a good idea.¡± she smiled at Corey. ¡°Yep,¡± Dominic chirped, ¡°We¡¯ve got a regular genius on our hands. After you, Supergirl!¡±


    Shaking her head at her friend¡¯s attitude, Natalie started off at a slightly swifter pace than Corey had been going through the tunnels, following along the subtle curve of the cave wall. They walked in silence for hours, each of them straining their ears to catch even the slightest hint of anything coming their way again. Dominic, now striding behind his two friends and keeping a wary eye over his shoulder almost didn¡¯t notice and skid slightly on the cavern floor when the other two slowed abruptly. Turning his attention forward, his jaw dropped. Ahead, starting with a gradual low growth that increased dramatically every few yards was a dimly lit, but clearly visible mushroom forest.


    Unlike the lichen-like growth that lit the edges of the rock walls, these mushrooms shed no luminescence, but the glowing growth grew thicker ahead, dispersing from the walls and spreading on the ground between the patches of small inch-high mushrooms and the stalks of some that came up to Dominic¡¯s waist, with everything in between scattered through the space ahead.


    Dominic¡¯s stomach suddenly clenched. Mushrooms! ¡°Do you think any of them are edible?¡± he asked, his voice full of hope and hunger. Natalie swallowed hard as her mouth suddenly filled with saliva at the thought of food, their twenty-four hour fast taking its toll on all of them.


    ¡°Do you guys remember how to tell poisonous mushrooms from the okay ones?¡± Corey asked, venturing forward, past Natalie and into the fungal forest, stooping to look at some of the smaller patches. Dominic and Natalie looked at each other, but neither seemed sure. Not answering Corey, they followed him into the growth, branching out to search through their own sections. After a few minutes of desperate, silent searching, all of them desperately struggling to remember rules taught in passing during a singular biology class, Dominic plucked a singular mushroom. ¡°This looks a little like what the kitchens use, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Closest to him, Natalie came to look at the sprout, taking a moment to inspect it. After a moment, she shook her head, hating to see the disappointed slouch in Dominic¡¯s shoulders, explaining, ¡°The stalk is different. See?¡± she ran a finger up the white stalk where small frills formed a skirt around the middle, then shook her head at her friend, ¡°We can¡¯t chance it. Mushrooms can kill you if they¡¯re the wrong kind.¡±


    Dominic¡¯s face fell, and Natalie turned to return to her position in their line, unable to look at the starving devastation on his face - the same devastation she felt herself. To be surrounded by food, but not knowing what could kill you¡­ she could compare it only to the stories of raft-bound survivors of a shipwreck, surrounded by water, but unable to drink.


    It felt to Dominic that his heart hit the ground as surely as the mushroom as he tipped his hand to drop the mushroom, and he shuffled after Natalie, not bothering to look at the mushrooms anymore, not seeing a point if the risk was so high. Instead, he pulled out his pocket watch. Twelve forty-seven. It felt like so much longer since their flight from the monster, but it was barely past noon.


    Dominic didn¡¯t even have the energy to feel embarrassed as tears started to leak from his eyes, stress finally starting to weigh him down. Soft sniffles reached Natalie where she walked ahead, drawing her to turn around. Dominic sat on one of the taller mushrooms, the stalk barely bending under his weight, his pocket watch cupped in his hands, though he doesn¡¯t look at it, staring down at the glowing ground. With his head hanging between drooping shoulders, the boy was the picture of despair and Natalie¡¯s heart clenched.


    Softly, she called, ¡°Corey, wait.¡± going over to Dominic and sitting on a mushroom beside him to drape an arm over his shoulders.


    Furthest ahead, Corey didn¡¯t quite hear Natalie¡¯s words, though he heard her call and turned to ask what she¡¯d said, but the words caught in his throat when he saw them. Not knowing what happened, he rushed back and the moment he was in hearing distance, he asked, panic clear in his voice, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen? Did you eat a bad mushroom?¡±


    Dominic didn¡¯t even glance up, still sniffling and now leaning into Natalie¡¯s embrace. She looked at Corey and shook her head, with unshed tears in her own eyes as she understood her friend¡¯s hopelessness and fought to stave it off herself. ¡°No. We just need a break, I think.¡±


    Looking closer at his friends, Corey was very suddenly hit by the realization that Dominic was crying. It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d seen the other boy cry, because of the bullies that continued to harass Dominic during the early years of their friendship, resulting in many visits to the school director after he¡¯d gotten into retaliatory fights until the day Corey hit a growth spurt that put him at the front of the line for the school¡¯s sports teams. Since that day, Corey had made it his job, his duty to see to it that Dominic would never be made to cry again and woe to anyone who was caught bullying another student.


    But now there were no bullies to chase off. No ways to use his stature to chase away what caused his slight friend¡¯s pain. Furious frustration filled him and, confident that Natalie would give Dominic more of what he needs in this moment, Corey muttered, ¡°I¡¯m going ahead to try to find a way out of these stupid mushrooms.¡± turning on his heel and stomping away before Natalie could say anything.


    Still her voice followed him as she cautioned, ¡°Be careful.¡± Corey was nearly beyond where Natalie could clearly see him when she finally released the hold she had on her own tears, letting them slip down her cheeks in silent streaks while gently rocking Dominic as he continued to sniffle. They sat in silence for long minutes before Dominic finally spoke, his voice thick and quivering from crying, ¡°We¡¯re not going to make it, are we?¡±


    Natalie¡¯s heart clenched at the vocalization of what had been her personal insidious mantra since the moment she¡¯d woken in that alcove only yesterday. She had to swallow a hard lump that rose in her throat before she could answer her friend, somehow maintaining a steady voice as she gently scolded, ¡°You can¡¯t think like that, Dom. People have made it out before, we can too.¡±


    ¡°But you said yourself,¡± he mumbled, sniffling, ¡°Thousands more were never seen or heard from again. We¡¯re just kids. What kind of chance do we have that the grown-ups didn¡¯t?¡±


    Her arm tightened on his shoulders and she gave him a little shake, forcing levity into her voice as she demanded, ¡°Are you kidding? The three of us are invincible together. Corey¡¯s a giant, you¡¯re the brains, and I have a superpower, remember?¡± Dominic glanced up finally, giving Natalie a grimace in return for her light words, and Natalie held his eyes, gently, but firmly reminding him, ¡°Remember what you said before we came down here, Dominic? You said that I was assuming of those thousands, none found what they were looking for. Don¡¯t give up. We need you.¡±


    Dominic sniffled softly and looked back at the ground, before mumbling, ¡°¡®Kay¡­¡± then glanced up and around self-consciously, asking Natalie, ¡°Should we go after Corey?¡±


    Her lips turned down into a small, worried frown as she, too, glanced up and around to where she¡¯d last seen him in the distance, and she answered slowly, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Would it be better to go after him or wait?¡±


    ¡°He said he was going to try to find a way out of the mushrooms,¡± Dominic stood, clearing his throat of the tears that still choked it, ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to assume that if we find another corridor, that could be where he went.¡±


    He looked at Natalie, and she shrugged before nodding and starting to walk in the direction Corey had wandered. They didn¡¯t have to walk for very long, before Corey¡¯s voice reached them, calling from up ahead, ¡°Hey! Hey, over here! I was just coming to get you, I found something!¡±

 Chapter 4: Sanctuary

    They exchanged a surprised look at the undeniable excitement in their friend¡¯s voice, and started to trot towards his voice. Corey came into view from behind a small bend and waved eagerly at them. As they approached, the pair could see a brighter blue glow than the one they¡¯d become accustomed to, and Natalie asked, somewhat breathlessly as they came up to his side, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Corey was grinning from ear to ear, as he just said, ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll show you!¡±


    Confused and mildly concerned by the brightness of his attitude, Natalie reluctantly followed after him when Corey turned and walked briskly down the narrow and curving tunnel ahead. Dominic was merely confused, and followed closely behind his friend, so when Corey turned an abrupt corner, he nearly skid on the smooth passage floor at the change in direction to follow.


    Turning the corner, Dominic froze and his jaw dropped. When Natalie came up behind the both of them, demanding in borderline fear at the stiffness in Dominic¡¯s shoulders, ¡°What? What is it-?¡± before abruptly cutting off at the sight that captured Dominic¡¯s attention. Corey turned from where he stood a couple yards ahead of them and grinned at his friend¡¯s dumbstruck expressions, gleeful in the discovery that caused such a reaction.


    The chamber was lit, luminescent moss coating the walls all around them, the source of such an abundance reflecting and magnifying the light. A broad, black pebbled beach stretched out before them, leading to a lake and circling it. Easily as large as the one that the island and church had sat on, perhaps even larger, with water clear enough that they could see bright flashes as fish darted around within it. And at the water¡¯s edge - what could only be called a campsite. A tent, a chair, a fire circle with a kettle hanging over it.


    ¡°Do you¡­ think someone¡¯s there?¡± Dominic asked, taking a step forward. Corey shook his head, ¡°I checked, before I came looking for you guys,¡± Natalie shot him a sharp, disapproving look at this, shaking from her shock, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like anyone¡¯s been here in a long time. There aren¡¯t any footprints on the beach or anything. But everything was left here. For people like us, who need it. Come on.¡±


    Corey still grinned as he beckoned them to follow him to the campsite, ¡°There¡¯s a fishing pole - an OLD fishing pole, but I think it¡¯ll still work,¡± their shoes crunched in the pebbles of the beach as the trio walked for the lake, ¡°As far as I can tell, whoever set up the camp used the big mushrooms from the field for the fire, or at least the stalks. A couple of us should go back for some so we can try to get a fire going.¡±


    ¡°With what?¡± Natalie asked, a sarcastic edge in her voice.


    Corey glanced back at her in surprise and Dominic quickly interjected, ¡°I think what she¡¯s asking is did the person who made the camp leave¡­ matches? A lighter?¡±


    Corey walked backwards a few paces, his grin fading into a small frown as he took in Natalie¡¯s disapproving scowl before he answered, ¡°I didn¡¯t really look for one. I just checked if there was a person, looked at the fire circle and ran to find you guys.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have checked it out on your own.¡± Natalie told him flatly as she came to a stop, letting him know under no uncertain terms why she glared at him now. Corey¡¯s cheeks flushed in response to the tone, and he halted in his backwalking, immediately growing defensive and his voice raised a couple octaves with his response, ¡°You two were a mess when I left you, why would I go back to bring you into a potentially dangerous situation?¡±


    Natalie¡¯s voice raised to match his, and the hair on Dominic¡¯s arms raised as the sound didn¡¯t echo as one would expect in such a cavern, the moss absorbing the sound eerily, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have left in the first place! It¡¯s too dangerous, what if you had run into something? You could have vanished, and we would have had no idea what happened!¡±


    Panic at the idea was starting to make Natalie¡¯s eyes water again, and she angrily blinked the tears back, swiping a hand over them, and she lowered her voice with her next words, ¡°We need to stay together. No matter what. If we get separated¡­ we might never find eachother again.¡±


    Corey started to deflate, the idea no more pleasant to him than to her, and his eyes went to Dominic as he chimed in quietly, not wanting to take sides in the unpleasant argument, but¡­ ¡°She¡¯s right. We can¡¯t get separated.¡±


    Corey looked down, breathing a sigh and nodding, muttering, ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± before turning to walk to the camp again, with a subdued, ¡°C¡¯mon.¡±


    The camp looked pristine, like it had been used only yesterday, with only the primitive nature of the tools giving away their age. A fire pit was dug into the rocky ground and it did, indeed, appear to already have been filled by dried stalks from the mushrooms in the fungal passage. An empty iron kettle was nestled in the middle of the nest of stalks, old and sturdy cast-iron that somehow picked up no rust in the wet air of the chamber. An old fishing rod and tackle box sat beside a chair facing the lake, and Dominic went over to it first, picking up the rod and starting to fiddle with it, checking the hook, and investigating the inside of the tackle box.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Together, Natalie and Corey cautiously approached the closed tent, secured only by a tie between the two flaps. They flanked the sides of the tent, and all but holding her breath, Natalie pulled the tie loose, and grabbed her side of the tent flap as Corey grabbed his, mouthing silently, ¡°One. Two. Three.¡± They pulled the tent open and looked in together, and exhaled a simultaneous sigh of relief as they found it unoccupied. As Corey slipped into the tent to figure out what it contained, Natalie straightened up and took it upon herself to stand sentry, watching over the dark beach while musing to her companions, ¡°I wonder who left all of this stuff here. And why. It all seems a little too valuable to just leave behind in a place like this.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they were chased off.¡± Dominic suggested from the fishing chair, bent over the fishing pole as he struggled to figure out how to put on new twine from the tackle box, having found the one that had been connected snapped with only light stress. ¡°I mean think about it. This is the first source of water that we¡¯ve found in¡­¡± he paused to check his pocket watch, reporting, ¡°almost twenty-four hours since we started.¡±


    They grew silent at this bit of information, even Corey could no longer be heard shuffling around within the tent as it struck them all that they¡¯d not even been down there a full day, though it felt like so very much longer. Shaking himself out of it, and returning to the fishing pole, Dominic continued, his voice only slightly more strained than it had been, ¡°If even a fraction of the creatures down here still require water to survive, this is no doubt the place to come.¡±


    ¡°So we probably shouldn¡¯t stay for too long.¡± Natalie concluded quietly. ¡°Maybe long enough to get something to eat and drink?¡±


    Dominic shrugged, not knowing what would be best, suggesting, ¡°Maybe we could get a little bit of rest. Your sixth sense should warn us if something¡¯s coming, right?¡±


    He smiled at Natalie¡¯s scowl, and she scolded, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t depend on what could easily have been a fluke or coincidence.¡±


    ¡°We also need some rest,¡± Corey crawled out of the tent, holding matches and tinder in hand and tossing them to Natalie by the firepit, ¡°I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I barely slept at all last night, and the early wake-up call didn¡¯t help with that. Sleep is every bit as important as food and water in a survival situation, and this tent has a good five layers of padding between it and the beach. And who knows if we¡¯ll have an opportunity like this again.¡±


    Natalie frowned, clearly still hesitant. She said nothing, sliding the matches open and looking to see that the box was still nearly full. Looking up, she caught sight of Dominic¡¯s raised eyebrows, quietly reminded them, ¡°We have six days to get out of here. No one¡¯s been seen again who¡¯s been here longer than a week. I feel like the longer it takes us, the less chance we have.¡±


    Dominic and Corey both watched her in silence as Natalie stooped down and stuffed the tinder in the fire pit beneath the readied mushroom logs and struck a match. All three held their breath, waiting in silence in the moment it took for the tinder to catch. Then with a gasp, Natalie had to yank her hand back to avoid being scorched as the logs took the flame with ease.


    Corey was beside her in a moment, pulling the kettle off its mount. He walked swiftly to the water and dunked it to fill it to the brim before returning it to the fire.


    ¡°We might only have a week,¡± Dominic said, turning to the water and casting out the baited and weighted fishing line, ¡°but we won¡¯t make it that long without food and water. And sleep. It¡¯s just as bad to die from exhaustion as it is to die by monster¡­ actually, the monster would probably be quicker.¡±


    Natalie looked helplessly at Corey and only received a small shrug in return. ¡°This might be the only safe place we find, Nat. I don¡¯t think we can afford to pass it up. Not with how scarce food is, not if we can spend some time catching and cooking some fish to take with us.¡±


    Outvoted, Natalie sighed softly, her shoulders slumping. ¡°Then I¡¯m going to go sleep. Dom, do you think you can keep an eye out well enough that Corey can sleep, too? It would be best if we have one of us awake at all times.¡± she looked at him with calm, trusting eyes, even as Dominic himself hesitated with uncertainty.


    Corey sighed and threw a pebble at him, stating, ¡°Of course he can. Wake us up after you¡¯ve caught a few fish, got it? And don¡¯t forget to keep an eye on the fire. Once the water has boiled for a few minutes, take it off and let it cool, then drink.¡±


    With that, the bigger boy ducked into the tent, flopping down with a heavy sigh. Natalie looked at Dominic, who nodded, smiling at his friends unwavering faith. With a sigh of her own, Natalie stepped into the tent, finding the floor of it thickly layered with plush blankets, turned up in a few spots from where Corey had been searching around to find the matches. Sprawling out opposite of where Corey lay, Natalie closed her eyes and fell asleep after mere moments.


    Outside, Dominic settled into his fishing, sitting down on the rocky beach, listening to the sound of the fire crackling behind him, the tension slowly leaving his body as it remained the only sound in the massive cavern.

 Chapter 5: The Challenge

    A few minutes passed and in the calm quiet, Dominic started to doze, his eyes starting to close as his head grew heavy. The illumination of the cavern was comforting after the comparative darkness of the passageways and mushroom grove outside. So he almost didn¡¯t notice a figure on the water, but the moment it registered in his mind, his eyes snapped wide open before blinking hard. There was no mistaking it. Whatever it was, it wasn¡¯t in the water, but truly on top of it. Walking. On two legs. Its form was very much human, but it seemed to almost glow with a red aura that distinctly contrasted from the blue luminescence of the cavern.


    Dominic¡¯s heart started to race as he watched it, sitting still as a statue so to not draw attention as the figure made its way across the water, moving towards the center. The distance was enough that he couldn¡¯t see any features - until suddenly it wasn¡¯t. It was almost as if the world shimmered for a moment before deciding to come into focus for him like he was right beside the male, for whatever it was, was certainly male featured, even if not any human man, as he pulled a bow from where it was strung across his back, shrugging off the accompanying quiver of arrows. Then he looked directly at Dominic.


    The feeling that came over him was one he would never be able to explain as the face came into focus, a powerful mixture of the awe of seeing a herd of wild horses racing across a clear plain and the despair of watching a loved one grow old. A joy that made him feel as if he was light enough to float away and a grief so heavy that he felt as though he suddenly carried a mountain on his shoulders. Ancient and unknowable, the face stared with an intensity that scared Dominic, even though he knew without a doubt that this male wouldn¡¯t harm him. The eyes had no iris or pupil, but were a solid bronze and shone with an unearthly internal light that seemed to pierce through the boy to view his heart, his soul. In those eyes, Dominic read a summoning. A challenge.


    The male dropped the weapon into the water, which didn¡¯t so much as ripple. Dominic blinked, and in the space of that briefest of moments, the figure vanished, and his vision returned to normal with a suddenness that made his head spin.


    For the length of a thought, he wondered if he¡¯d just hallucinated the vision, before his eyes found the bow and quiver again as they fell to the lake floor, visible between the silver flash of scales from the fish that still swam peacefully through the water. Visually measuring the distance out to the center of the lake, but quickly concluded that even if he had double the amount of line he did now, there was no way he¡¯d be able to cast the fishing hook out that far, and even if he somehow managed it, who knows how many times it would take for him to actually hook the bow and quiver. He hesitated a few moments longer, sparing a look back at the tent where his friends lay sleeping. If Natalie knew what he was about to do, she would probably screech at him, he mused in silence. Looking back into the lake, though, he knew¡­


    He knew that the bow was meant for him, and if he didn''t take the risk, he would feel the loss for the rest of his life.


    Quickly stripping to his shorts, Dominic paused for a moment, then reached for the fishing pole where it lay on the rocky shore. Before he could doubt himself, he reeled in the line, hooking it on itself before turning back to the water. With some hesitation, he stepped into the lake, and gasped sharply as he found to his shock that it was cold. Contrast to the comfortable cave, the water held a chill that penetrated deep enough that he swore he could feel it in his bones. At least the beach sloped, he thought to himself as he stepped deeper into the water, starting to shiver as it reached his knees. Maybe¡­ maybe the slow descent into the chill would help to keep the shock of it at bay.     If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The water climbed to his waist and Dominic stopped, his breath coming quick and shallow. He was shivering uncontrollably, a dangerous sign, he knew. Tightly gripping the fishing pole, he inhaled deeply. Once. Twice. Then without giving himself time to hesitate or turn back, he threw himself into the water. The cold bite of it made him feel like his chest was caving in on itself and he only just avoided gasping and inhaling a lung full of water.


    Swim. Start swimming. Start moving. His arms and legs seemed to fight him as he pushed forward through the water, one stroke at a time, each move feeling like it sent needles through his muscles. The bite of the cold drove all thought from his mind, save the mantra he repeated to himself. Don¡¯t stop moving. Don¡¯t stop moving.


    Painful minutes passed as Dominic drove himself through the icy water before he reached the bow. Now he straightened, keeping his head held up, treading water as he released the fishing hook from its hold. His teeth chattered as he extended his arm and pressed the release on the pole. The weighted hook fell quickly through the water towards the bow. After a few seconds, the gasping boy started to sweep his arm back and forth, dragging the hook along the lake floor, until finally he felt weight catch on it. Bringing his other arm around, he held himself afloat with only his kicking legs as he reeled in the line, catching the bow in hand. His head dipped under the water as he pulled the bow over it to hook around his body, and his legs burned with the effort of pulling himself back up, the cavern filling with his desperate gasps. One more time¡­


    He let the line drop back into the water, the hook plunging for the quiver now, and Dominic¡¯s head tilted back as his body strained to keep his lips above the water, flailing the rod beneath him before the hook even touched the floor of the lake. It took longer, this time. He felt the hook skate over the fine leather several times before finally catching. Cold, stiff arms struggled to work the reel, while cramping legs desperately thrashed to keep his head afloat until the quiver was finally within reaching distance. Numb fingers refused to respond to his commands as he reached for it, leaving Dominic to instead hook an elbow through the strap.


    Finally, gasping for breath, he laid back on the water to float, to give himself a chance to recover. But the cold¡­ it continued to bite into his mind, his bones, reminding him that he had to move, he had to get back to shore¡­ before he couldn¡¯t anymore. Taking a moment to point himself in the right direction, still on his back, he started to push for shore, his breath wheezing in his lungs, as he finds it painful to even breathe in the chill.


    Staring up at the distant glow of the cave ceiling with a singular focus, Dominic didn¡¯t notice, at first, that with each stroke, warmth started to fill the lake around him. As he continued to push closer to the shore, the chill withdrew from his body, allowing his lungs to expand fully once again and his movements grew easier when the warmth eased the tension in his screaming muscles.


    By the time his head scraped into the shore, the water was warm as a freshly poured bath, but still Dominic shivered uncontrollably as he turned to crawl back up to the fire pit, pure exhaustion making every movement an effort. It was all he could do, to reach the fire and curl up next to it, his arms locking around his hard won prize as he fell into a deep sleep, his task as sentry forgotten.

 Chapter 6: Restful Contemplations

    Dominic woke to a rough hand on his shoulder, shaking him. Hard. Sitting up with a jolt, he demanded rather deliriously, ¡°Wha¡¯s goin¡¯ on?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell us?"


    He grimaced at Natalie¡¯s sickly sweet tone as she threw his clothes at him, and his arms tightened reflexively around the bundle in his arms¡­ which was when he returned fully to himself, memory rushing back of the figure and the swim¡­ Dominic looked up and around, to find Corey gutting a couple of the silvery fish. His friend gave him a half shrug, as though to say, Your fault.


    Heaving a sigh, Dominic reluctantly recounted his experience while brushing the sand that stuck to his body from it and starting to dress, downplaying the deathly chill and the very real possibility that he may not have made it back to shore, sure that he¡¯s in for enough of a talking-to as it is. The rest, though¡­ the figure, the irresistible draw of the bow and quiver, and the certainty that he had to have it, that it was meant for him¡­ he tried to emphasize those aspects, with the faintest hope that Natalie might cut him some slack because of it.


    While she frowned through the telling, to his surprise, Natalie didn¡¯t get angrier. Something Corey also noticed, prompting his head to turn curiously to look at them, from the focused glare he¡¯d leveled on the fire as the fish cooked over it, and look at her.


    ¡°Have you heard of something like this before?¡± he asked curiously, hoping to tap into the knowledge that her father had given her.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Natalie answered slowly, ¡°There are a few records¡­ Some of the people who had friends, or family end up Below with them have told of visions like this. Visions of ghostly figures who leave¡­ items. Sometimes it¡¯s like yours, a weapon, sometimes it¡¯s¡­ clothing, jewelry, personal items in general¡­¡±


    She trailed off for a moment, before continuing reluctantly, frowning at the bow that Dominic nearly cradled against him.


    ¡°All of them said that the items had¡­ magic. Of course they were also always dismissed as the ramblings of the insane, people who¡¯d gone mad after days lost in the dark, and maybe having seen their loved ones die of starvation. Then dreamed up some fantastical tale to help cope with the loss.¡±


    Dominic looked with awe at the dark wood of the bow in his hands. Magic! Without waiting another moment, he stood, snatching an arrow from the quiver.


    ¡°Dominic!¡± both of his friends cried in protest as he set the arrow to string and pulled, aiming out over the water. Natalie scrambled to her feet, but didn¡¯t approach, not wanting to cause the smaller boy to hurt himself by accident. Not to be deterred, Dominic let the arrow fly out over the lake, watching it disappear into darkness. After watching it for a moment, he turned and looked at his friends with a frown of disappointment.


    ¡°No fire, no sparks, nothing. No magic.¡± he concluded sadly. Natalie smiled softly, and sat back down, patting the rocky beach next to her again.


    ¡°They are just stories. Who knows, though, maybe wherever it landed, it sunk in really, really deep.¡±


    Corey turned back to the cooking fish with a small smirk, shaking his head, before announcing, ¡°The fish¡¯s done. We can eat now.¡±


    Such a small announcement, but one that successfully grabbed the attention of both of his friends. As Natalie rushed to the fire at his side, Dominic put the bow and quiver aside before joining them. Corey passed them both a bit of fish, still hot from the fire. In a shared silence, the three of them started to eat, heedless of the heat that burned their tongues and the roof of their mouths. Even the bland fishy taste of their food couldn¡¯t stop the relief in their bellies as they devoured the meal. The food gone, Corey next passed around a mug, full to the brim with water he¡¯d taken from the kettle before boiling the fish in it. They each took a long, deep drink, their satisfaction clear as their bellies finally felt full.


    The rest of the day passed quickly, and at eight-forty-seven, Dominic told them. Two passes gone, twelve to go until Natalie said they would never find their way back to the surface.


    Corey yawned, taking his watch while Natalie and Dominic slept in the tent behind him. The rod in front of him was still and the water calm, although fish continued to flash about, going along their simple lives. One would occasionally take a slight nibble from the hook, but none of them caught. Still, he was a patient sort, and they needed food. Especially if they were going to leave this place and continue on in the darkness.


    Water, too. He glanced at the kettle, cooling with another batch of boiled water to drink. How they would tranport it, he had no idea, but they had to figure something out, or else they¡¯d quickly find themselves in the same sort of situation as before. Taking the kettle with them would be nigh impossible, especially if they had any need to take off running. Besides¡­. He had a feeling that they might not be the only people who could come across this place and make use of it. It would be selfish to destroy such a ray of hope for someone else. But how? How could they take what they needed?This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    He sighed softly, the rocks beneath him shifting with a soft grinding sound as he adjusted his position. He glanced behind him towards the tent, reassured by the sight of Dominic¡¯s feet popping out from the tent. His bow rested against the wall of the tent outside, waiting for him. Corey rose to his feet, trying to walk as quietly as he could on the small rocks so to not disturb his friends as he approached the tent and the bow. For having been underwater, it showed no wear, no damage to bow or string. Even the leather quiver was pristine, the feathers at the end of the arrows sharp and straight.


    In fact¡­ he frowned slightly, counting the arrows. Before Natalie had woken earlier, and so rudely woken Dominic, Corey had got the chance to look the weapons over while Dominic cradled them. And if he didn¡¯t know better, he¡¯d swear that there were the same amount of arrows now as there had been before, even after Dominic shot the one over the water. Curious, he reached forward to pull an arrow from the quiver, wondering if maybe he miscounted earlier.


    His finger got an inch away, then¡­ stopped. Corey frowned and pressed forward, but there seemed to be a barrier between the quiver and his fingers. With some exploration, he found that he couldn¡¯t close that final inch over the entire quiver. Or, he found a moment later, the bow itself.


    ¡°Magic.¡± he whispered. There was no other explanation for why Dominic could handle it with ease and he couldn¡¯t even touch it. He¡¯d bet that Natalie wouldn¡¯t be able to, either. And he was nearly positive that the quiver still held as many arrows as it had earlier. It looked full, and there should have been some sign of a missing spot. His heart started to pound with excitement. Dominic was right! There was magic down here, no matter how much Natalie denied the possibility. And the evidence was right here in front of him!


    In his excitement, he almost called out to the sleeping pair, to wake them up, to share the discovery¡­ but no. He exhaled the breath meant to shout for them. They need their rest. All of them do. He can show them later, when they wake up on their own. As quiet as before, he strode back to the fishing rod, sitting back down beside it. After glancing at the rod, to see that it¡¯s just as still as ever, he turned his eyes upward. The moss didn¡¯t climb to the cavern ceiling, but if he squinted hard enough, he could see the top. At least he thought he did. In darkness, it was just so difficult to tell. Still, there was something almost comforting about the darkness. He never minded enclosed spaces too much, although even he would have to admit that even he found the crawl down the tunnel that led them here had been alarming to a degree.


    Here, though, with the light of the fungus reflecting in the water and crawling up the walls, the soft breathing of his friends behind him and the open cavern ahead, he felt¡­ almost at peace. Almost. If not for the nagging reminder in the back of his head that continually warned him that the three of them may never make it out of here alive. Every time the thought touched him, though, he would dismiss it. He WOULD bring his friends home, all of them would get out of here. There was no other option. To lose either would be unbearable, and he couldn¡¯t face the horror of such an outcome. If his own life was lost to ensure that they could get out, though¡­ he could live with that.


    If not literally.


    From the moment he took up protective watch over Dominic, Corey knew that one day, he¡¯d get in more trouble than he could handle for the sake of his friend. Of course, he¡¯d always thought the trouble would be suspension from school, or at worst, expulsion. Maybe, if their friendship persisted beyond school, a bar fight here and there. When Natalie had turned their duo into a trio, though, he¡¯d known that he wouldn¡¯t fight alone, and down here, in the endless depths, the thought worried him. While Corey would, himself, throw a punch when if the situation called for it, he would warn off dangers, first. Nat¡¯s first instinct, though, it had always been to get in the face of the problem, before anything else.


    Obviously, that hadn¡¯t been her first reaction, when the monstrosity had woken them¡­ that day? The day before? Without Dominic¡¯s watch, he couldn¡¯t be sure of how long it had been - honestly, it felt like so much more than only a day had passed¡­


    But while she might have got them all up and running away from the creature, he would never forget the terror of knowing that while he ran up front, leading their flight, she ran in back. The terror that if he tripped or led them wrong, it was Natalie who would have been first to meet whatever agony it would have brought upon her with that fiendish mouth and the shredding claws...


    A chill ran down Corey¡¯s spine, and he glanced around the cavern for a moment, just to reassure himself that they were as alone as they appeared to be. Noticing nothing in the gloom beyond the campfire, Corey focused his attention back on the fishing line with a shiver to shake off the feeling. But¡­ a tickle of sound touched his ear, a moment before he heard a sharp gasp from inside the tent, and his stomach dropped. Glancing back at the tent, with its flaps open, he could see Natalie sitting bolt up, her face drained of color, and appearing absolutely petrified.


    Fear turned to terror just like that, and Corey looked around the chamber again, this time in a panic. Nothing around. Nothing in the water. Then his gaze turned up, over the water and he could feel the blood drain from his own face in a rush that left his head spinning. For the second time since entering the Below, he found himself looking at the grotesque body and multitude of arms of the wall crawler, all clinging to the ceiling¡­ but this body was enormous, the size of this fiend being enough to flood the chamber if were to fall into the water. In that moment, it became frighteningly clear that the one they¡¯d encountered in the tunnels was nothing more than a baby, as the elongated mouth lowered and stretched¡­ reaching for Corey.


    The cavern echoed with his scream, and quickly filled with Natalie¡¯s panicked shrieks that had Dominic awake and scrambling from the tent. Only Dominic spared a glance back, just long enough to grab his hard won prizes before the trio dashed away, without hesitating or waiting, an irritated and hungry whining following them as the slower adult crawler found itself easily outpaced by its prey, as they dove back into the fungus chamber, not stopping for a long time.

 Chapter 7: New Scenery

    After finally recovering from the fear of the encounter, and slowing to a walk out of necessity and desire, the trio move in silence, but for the sounds of their feet brushing through and stomping on the smaller fungi at their feet. While the small tunnels they¡¯d started out in had many twists and turns for them to maneuver through, the mushroom cavern seemed to stretch on forever, with no end in sight, and none of them had thought to keep an eye out for side passages like the one that led to the lake in their flight.


    As they slowed, they fell into back into position, with Natalie willingly taking point after the second occurence of her ¡°supernatural¡± sense kicking in, Dominic behind her and Corey taking the rear. They walked in a shared silence again, the heavy panting that followed their dash quieting until only their footsteps were audible. In the silence, Natalie found no comfort. So far, with both the creatures they¡¯d encountered, there had been no sound to warn them of the approach, no hint of what monstrosity was about to consume them.


    Sound was no use. Sight was their best warning, and whatever was going on with her¡­ in her that alerted her to the danger. If only she could describe what it was, what the feeling was to her friends. Even to herself, for that matter. A deep frown furrowed her brows as she tried to come up with the proper way to describe the feeling, the sense of knowing that came over her in those moments. It was as if there was a separate person inside of her¡­ no, that wasn¡¯t right. More like there was someone watching over her shoulder, an unseen but ever vigilant something that had squeezed her in warning with each danger, right around her middle. Her stomach would sink, her lungs freeze and her throat clenched¡­ and she would know. Just like that.


    Natalie sighed with frustration, as it made no sense to her, even in her own mind. Sure, there was a simpler explanation in pure instinct - prey usually knows when a predator is watching. Which might explain why Corey had been on alert without knowing why, but not why she had twice been awakened from her sleep with a feeling of pure terror. She knows what the boys would say, of course. They¡¯d attribute it to some sort of magic sixth sense, which, given the myths of the Below would¡­ almost make sense, but those same myths also dictated that the people who found magic in this strange world never left. The stories were always brought by the often broken, maddened shells of men and women who made it to the surface. And Natalie had absolutely no intention of remaining in these dark depths. She would find a way out for them, no matter the cost.


    As these thoughts chased each other through her head, Natalie watched the cavern ahead. So much¡­ nothing. Mushrooms and fungus, that was the world they walked through. Although¡­ A white glimmer in the distance? Her steps slowed as she squinted, trying to see further ahead, the change in pace prompting a quiet, ¡°What is it?¡± from Dominic.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± she answered softly, but¡­ well, she didn¡¯t feel anything that made her think it was a creature. Raising a hand, she pointed towards the glimmer, hoping that one of the boys could make it out as they approached. It was off to the side, along the wall, so perhaps some sort of new fungus? None of them could say, until at last, their approach brought them close enough to see it was another passage. Natalie peered ahead with caution that was swiftly to be overwhelmed by a growing sense of wonder.


    The passage beyond was jarring in its brightness, forcing Natalie to squint as she gazed into it, her eyes so accustomed to darkness after the two days of darkness. As they adjusted, though, she could see that the passage was wider than those  that the trio had started out in, and they could likely all move through it shoulder-to-shoulder and dull have plenty of room to move around in, and twice as tall. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    What made the passage shine, Natalie couldn''t determine as she peered inside, but she couldn''t make herself care about that. Not when they could, at last, be out of the dark.


    Stepping forward, she flinched as her for sank in an inch or so. Looking down, she found herself standing in a layer of very fine, glittering dust. Reaching down, she grabbed a handful and frowned with confusion at the gritty feel of it, like exceptionally fine sand. But it wasn''t hurting them, and as far as she could tell, there was nothing dangerous ahead, so she pressed forward, letting the dust trickle between her fingers


    Behind her, Natalie heard Corey and Dominic enter the passage, the latter breathing a soft, "Wow.." at the sight of the crystal clear walls and radiating light, both boys pausing for a minute to let their eyes adjust, while Natalie waited, keeping an eye out for trouble, quietly commenting, "I can''t see any source for the light. It''s almost like it''s radiating from nothing at all. Almost like¡­"


    She trailed off, unable to complete the thought out loud, but Corey finished it for her as he finally for a good look around, "Like magic."


    This time, when Natalie met his eyes, instead of disbelief bordering on contempt for the idea of magic, he saw a glimmer of hope¡­ a desire to believe in an impossible existence and he smiled, proud to see the stubborn girl easing her rigid beliefs.


    Shaking herself out of it, Nat smirked and nodded, "Sure. Like magic¡­"


    Seeing his opportunity to press the matter, when they started walking again, Corey told his friends about what he''d observed with the arrows in Dominic''s quiver, much to the mousey boys delight. Natalie sighed as the news prompted him to halt to take a look for himself, with Corey at his side, enthusiastically discussing the possibilities presented by an endless supply of ammunition. Only when it seemed that they were going to progress from talking to firing down the long corridor did she finally feel the need to intervene, insisting that they move forward.


    With heavy sighs and grudging movements, the boys followed her down the passage, huddled together still, trading stories from books or games they¡¯d read that featured a bow-wielding hero, who always had to make sure that they had enough ammunition. Besides the expected issue of running out of arrows, finding a fletcher here would probably be more than a challenge¡­


    Then Natalie noticed a change, as she listened from her position a few feet from her friends. As they reminded themselves that they were stuck underground, in a place that could very well kill them all¡­ there wasn¡¯t the same air of despair, a sudden silence as the knowledge returned. Now, as the tone shifted, she heard a note of hope in their voices¡­ especially Dominic¡¯s as they acknowledged what the bow meant. It meant that he could protect them, for the first time in his life, he could provide protection, instead of being eternally the victim.


    Hearing that painful hope, and knowing the root of the desire, Natalie¡¯s heart clenched as a sick feeling stirred in the pit of her stomach. Not quite like what she felt in the presence of one of the monsters, but more an instinct to keep a close eye on him, a feeling that in his need to prove himself¡­ he might make a terrible mistake.


    It was not a feeling she enjoyed having, much less dwelling on, and she quickly shook it off with a hard shudder, returning to the conversation. Truth be told, no matter how much of a show she had put on for her friends, she was convinced. Magic¡­ somehow, incredibly, existed.


    However, unlike her friends, she was not thrilled. Magic was dangerous. Power in the wrong hands could be devastating, and could create monsters simply by existing.


    Magic had gotten them trapped in a potentially inescapable maze, it had pulled them into a world that had monsters that could crawl on cave ceilings and grow to unbelievable sizes. It had nearly killed Dominic as he swam for his precious bow. And now that awful feeling¡­ she glanced back at the now quiet boys, noting the way Dominic kept playing with the wood of the bow and visibly shuddered now as it became more like a solid lump in her gut. Something she could ignore, but was always there, always reminding her of its presence and purpose; Dominic was in danger.

 Chapter 8: His Own Worst Enemy

    Time passed in peace as they continued, an occasional comment exchanged, but it wasn¡¯t long until they were all curled up in the dust, trying to fall asleep, hoping, for all their luck, that they might get an uninterrupted rest period and wake up without having to run away for the third time.


    Dominic was the first to wake, his fingers stretched out, clenching tightly around the wood of his bow, assuring himself that he still could, that the magic responded, and responded to him. It wasn¡¯t a conscious thought, it wasn¡¯t a deliberate move. It seemed the most natural thing in the world when he opened his eyes and saw the bow and quiver safely resting beside him. The grain of the wood, the warm brown hue and perfect curvature didn¡¯t even seem to blur before he put on his glasses, as if his mind simply conjured the image and placed it there.


    And wasn¡¯t that just the perfect joke? An archer with glasses.


    Dominic sighed as he rose, brushing the coarse dust from his hair. The magic may have chosen him, but now he had to earn it, now he had to become worthy of being chosen to wield it. It was a thought that made his stomach do backflips and his palms start to sweat.


    What if he wasn¡¯t worthy? What if he messed up too much, and it rejected him? If one day he woke up and he could no longer touch it, like Corey had described?


    He had to earn it, which meant he had to be able to use it.


    With that thought guiding him, Dominic rose to his feet, grabbing the quiver and strapping it over his shoulder, with quivering fingers. He needed to practice! He needed to become the best archer that had ever been and he couldn¡¯t do that if he¡¯d only fired one shot, and over a lake no less! He needed¡­


    He needed a target. Dominic frowned as he looked around at the crystalline walls that surrounded  them, pristine and without so much as a divot for him to use as a bullseye. Maybe he could go down the tunnels a little further? It''s not like he wouldn''t still be in line of sight out his friends, since everything was so light around here. Not to mention that if there was something dangerous nearby, Natalie would have woken up by now.


    With this in mind, he moved with quiet steps down the passage, going in the direction they''d come from, further reassuring himself that they know it''s safe down this way. He could always just shoot down a side passage, one of the ones they passed earlier. Yeah. That''s what he''ll do.


    Excited to see the magic of his quiver in action, Dominic picked up his pace until he was nearly jogging. A couple minutes was all he needed at this pace before he thought he''d gained enough distance to not disturb his friends. He then shrugged off the quiver, laying it on the ground beside his feet before pulling an arrow from it, feeling a thrill in the pit of his stomach, an intense satisfaction at the way it felt when he drew the string back to his ear.


    It was almost too easy. He hadn''t noticed last time in his excitement, but it was the strangest thing. Like there was no draw weight at all, yet he could feel the power in the weapon, ready to be released. A power and decision that belonged only to him. Breathing quickly, he let the arrow fly.


    Down the corridor, it went about ten feet before skipping off of the crystal wall. He scowled after it, and fired another down the passage, growling when the second also went wild. Embittered by his inability to fire straight, Dominic didn''t even look to see the empty spaces in the quiver shiver and warp as the arrows reappeared in them.


    A couple more shots yielded similar results as his frustration only grew, and with no training, no one to tell him that his excited state is what was causing his aim to be so dramatically off. In a show of temper, after the final shot, he threw the bow down the passage, where it landed with a puff of dust.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Dominic¡¯s scowl faded as he stared at it for a few moments, shame starting to take the place of anger, and his cheeks flushed. Grabbing the quiver and slinging it over his shoulder, he retrieved the weapon, now covered in a fine layer of dust, and with slumped shoulders, started back to his friends. As he walked, he dwelled in black thoughts.


    He was stupid. He should never have tried to fire the bow.


    He was weak. That¡¯s why it didn¡¯t work.


    He was never going to be good enough, and if he didn¡¯t accept that now, his friends would die if they were foolish enough to trust him for protection.


    In his misery, he didn¡¯t notice the low fog ahead of him, barely knee high, but dense and impossible to see through, now solidly between himself and where his friends were, presumably, still sleeping. Five feet away, an unknown voice called out from behind him, ¡°Stop!¡±


    Whirling, Dominic nearly tripped over his feet in his shock. A woman was there, a nice, normal human woman, perhaps in her mid twenties. Well, normal was a matter of speaking, as she wore a chainmail shirt over over her long sleeved shirt, and soft, loose leather pants. Not to mention the sword strapped at her hip, its hilt and scabbard decorated with glowing veins of some sort of vibrant teal gemstone inlaid into a silvery metal.


    Gawking openly, the bemused boy flinched as she cried, ¡°Move! Come to me, get away from the mist!¡±


    Dominic¡¯s heart sounded in his ears, the obvious fear in her voice sending him skittering towards the woman and she nodded with approval, her calming as she got closer and turning her attention to the unknown threat behind him, raising hands, which Dominic could now see were covered in tattoos that had the same sort of glow that came from her sword.


    The glow in her palms flashed, making Dominic shout in pain as he found himself blinded by the glow, bright even in such a well lit area, he reeled off to the side and into a wall, covering his watering eyes and left to sit and wonder what was going as he heard a hiss from the direction he¡¯d been walking in, like water coming into contact with fire, and lots of it.


    A solid minute later, the pain in his eyes lessened enough that he was able to move his hands from his eyes, blinking and squinting to try and see a little clearer as the female moved past him and towards the fog, where she knelt down and seemed to be drawing something in the dust, but he couldn¡¯t see anything more than that.


    Whatever it was, she finished it quickly before looking back at Dominic, smiling apologetically when she saw him looking at her. ¡°I am sorry, little one.¡± her inflection and accent were completely foreign to his ears, as her words pitched low and seemed to put emphasis on the wrong syllables.


    ¡°I did not think to warn you to close your eyes. When I saw you were going to walk into the rift, I panicked.¡±


    Still in shock, but at least mostly recovered from the brilliant flash of light, Dominic could only ask, ¡°What was that?¡±


    The question was met with a small frown and she cocked her head to the side, remaining where she drew in the dust, as if to reassure him with her distance, ¡°Has no one told you yet?¡±


    ¡°Told me what?¡±


    ¡°About the rifts, the rips between this world and¡­¡± she trailed off at the look of total bewilderment on Dominic¡¯s face and shook her head, asking in disbelief, ¡°How long have you been here?¡±


    Dominic¡¯s brow furrowed, as he thought about it. Like Natalie, he¡¯d lost track of time, between the short bursts of rest, and forgetting to check his pocketwatch as regularly in his excitement with his bow, the boy had no idea of how much time had gone by anymore, and he could only shrug, ¡°A few days, I think.¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes widened, flicking from his face to his bow, then back, prompting Dominic to ask, ¡°Why? What does it matter? Natalie said we have a week to get back to the surface, do you know any way up?¡±


    ¡°You are not alone?¡± she asked, a cautious relief in her voice, and Dominic shook his head, now getting a true look of immense relief, ¡°Good. Good! May I meet them? I have information that you must know. Survival down here is difficult at the best of times, and the best of times are not when one first begins their journey! Please, I swear by my sword, I will bring you and your friends no harm.¡±


    Dominic, still staring at her in growing fascination, noticed that the glowing veins on the weapon flashed as she spoke the oath, sending his curiosity into overdrive. Natalie would kill him, but the stranger had just saved his life...

 Chapter 9: The Dunvirin

    Corey had never seen Natalie so angry before. Sure, some would say that because she was a redhead, she had a short temper, but before they''d come here, he had only ever seen her lose it a couple times, and both for a good reason.


    Not that this was an unreasonable reaction after waking up to find Dominic gone, panicking, and trying to figure out where he''d gone, only to spot him a ways down the passage, walking with a strange woman.


    It was definitely not an unreasonable reaction, Corey told himself, as anger resonated within him, as well.


    The woman in question was frowning at the three of them as they met up, and without preamble, said,  "You''re all children. I had thought, when you said you weren''t alone¡­ I''m sorry, I''m going about this all wrong. My name is Victoria."


    Dominic, looking increasingly guilty as he took in the fury on Natalie¡¯s face, and the angry disappointment on Coreys as they looked between him and Victoria. A long silence stretched between them, before Natalie finally asked, her voice clipped and unfriendly, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Nat,¡± Dominic pleaded softly, ¡°don¡¯t be rude.¡±


    Victoria shook her head, telling him, ¡°She is right to be suspicious, boy. Not everyone you meet down here will mean you well, although most of us tend to want to help, if able. You should always question whom it is you are speaking with, though. There are many you would do best to avoid, those who would not have come to your aid, but instead have allowed you to step into the rift.¡±


    The comment caught the angry duo¡¯s attention, and while Corey now looked at Dominic with concern, Natalie was still angry as she demanded of the woman, ¡°What is a rift? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°It is hidden in a low mist. Never higher than your knees, able to move in search of those like you. Some are strong enough to let those on the other side pass through, but they are fewer in number.¡±


    Corey stepped in now, telling Natalie, "I think we need some context," then looking at Dominic for an explanation.


    More than a little uncomfortable, Dominic told them of how he''d decided after waking, to go get some practice with his bow. He skipped over the details of how angry he got, a dark blush of shame coloring his cheeks, before he got to the part about him heading back to them and not really paying attention to where he was going.


    He then looked at Victoria to fill in the blanks of how she had gotten rid of the mist.


    The woman pursed her lips together, seeming to contemplate what to say for a few moments, before beginning, "Get comfortable. This may take some time, but I believe we are safe for now."


    Taking her own advice, Victoria settled into the dust, laying her sword in her lap as she leaned against the crystal. Only Dominic followed suit, using the opportunity to avoid looking at his angry friends.


    Nodding her understanding to the standing pair, Victoria began.


    "There is much to know, much to learn about this place. I could speak for days on end, and not even scratch the surface of the information needed to survive, much less thrive. You must learn to read the situation and decide if it is a time to speak, run, or fight.


    There are some things that can tell you however, that will be true, no matter how deep you go. The first and most important information you need is about the mist, as it so happens. What it conceals, as I have said before, is a rift between this world and another, similar to the portal that brought you here."


    "We didn''t go through any portal, though," Dominic protested in confusion, "It was a hole in the ground.¡±


    Victoria nodded, ¡°Its appearance may not have been what you expect a portal to be, but nevertheless, it was a portal, a doorway between the world you know, and the Below. Likewise, those that are covered in the heavy mist are doorways into an adjacent world,¡± seeing the blank looks on the youngling¡¯s faces, she paused, before adding, ¡°Think of it as a jelly sandwich. We are between the two worlds, in a realm that holds them close together, but never quite touching.¡±


    ¡°So where does the mist go?¡± Corey asked quietly, turning the conversation back on track.


    Victoria closed her eyes with a sigh, slowly shaking her head as she answered, ¡°It leads to a dying world. The inhabitants are cruel beyond imagining, slavers one and all, and the more slaves in their possession, the higher their status in the world. They are called the Dunvirin (Dun-ver-een). It was through their technology that the first portal to the first world was opened, and the apocalypse of many worlds was the result, entire species doomed to slavery.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°The bondage is nearly absolute. Once you wear the brand of a Dunvirin, the slavemaster gains control over you, through their commands. It is not mind control, so much as it is compulsion. If you are commanded to do harm to those you love, you will obey, but you will be watching yourself do it as a captive in your body.¡±


    The three friends were silent as they listened, and Corey felt himself sinking to his knees in the dust, a fear he¡¯d never known before making his legs feel like jello and his stomach twist into a sick knot. A couple feet away, Natalie leaned against the wall for support, feeling similarly. Dominic sat, slack jawed in horrified awe, and not one of them could think of a thing to say in response.


    Victoria watched them in solemn silence for a few moments, before continuing in the solemn voice, ¡°Because it is a compulsion, an incomplete control, their slaves began to fight back. Small loopholes grew resistance, small victories became great triumphs after one slavemaster left too much room for interpretation in his commands, and was assassinated by one of his own thralls, freeing all under his control.¡±


    ¡°With access to the Dunvirin¡¯s knowledge through their former master¡¯s information center, they began to fight back, guerrilla fighters passing through the enemies doors to new worlds, to save who they could from the fate that had befallen them.¡±


    ¡°It was not enough. Their numbers were too few to compare to the swift and violent wars that the Dunvirin would wage to achieve their goal; total enslavement of the world¡¯s dominant species.


    The rebels had to change tactics. Many still worked in the field, saving as many as they could, with suicide runes carved into their bones should they ever be captured, for none would accept the possibility of being captured again. Those who stayed back, though, had their own work to do, and enough that it took over a hundred bright minds nearly a thousand days and nights of research to find a way to access the most jealously guarded Dunvirin technology.¡±


    ¡°The portals.¡± Natalie whispered, the first words spoken by one of the youngsters since Victoria began.


    She nodded confirming Natalie''s suspicion before continuing, ¡°The portals. Their first move after that was to open their own portals, saving many lives through this alone, but it was still not enough. For every ten they helped to escape, ten times more were enslaved, ever adding to the Dunvirin¡¯s disposable numbers.¡±


    ¡°The research continued in the background, until a small team of scientists made a tremendous discovery. Before they had perfected their technology, the Dunvirin could only open portals to the realms between worlds, and had to navigate to the doorways to the next world. They had long since fixed the issue, of course, but this was the seed of an idea, and the idea was one that would control the fate of the next world that the Dunvirin set their eyes upon. Our world.¡±


    ¡°The plan was complex, many minds working to cover every flaw, to think of every possible failure to convince all that it would work, because the power required to fuel the plan was immense, and would consume all of them, making this into their last stand.¡±


    ¡°The Dunvirin did not understand, when the guerrilla attacks ceased. It had been generations since they had faced true adversity and they simply told one another that the rebels had lost heart and given up, seeing the truth of their superiority. When the portals opened to this between realm, they assumed it was a simple malfunction. Only when they discovered that this one was openly hostile to them and their branded slaves did it occur to them that something was wrong.¡±


    ¡°The ritual that the rebels had performed worked in three ways. First, any of Dunvirin blood or brand would find themselves weakened upon setting foot in this realm. The weakness would progress and intensify, until eventually their hearts would simply stop. Secondly, they could neither close the portals, nor open new ones to a new world.¡±


    ¡°The third and most complex function of their ritual was to preserve themselves, the knowledge and the power to continue the fight against the Dunvirin. It is through their influence that the Below creates the portals to appear before certain people.¡±


    Victoria paused for a moment, then looked at Dominic and his bow specifically, ¡°It is their gifts that we wield in the fight against them,¡± she gripped her sword, ¡°These are items grant immense power when wielded properly. But they are nothing¡­ absolutely nothing compared to what can be found after reaching the root of their work, the being that has come from all they once were.¡±


    ¡°We call it the Soul, but that is merely a human interpretation of all they have become. In appearance, it is a great crystal, as tall as a full grown man, but no wider than a sapling tree. It is rooted in the darkest parts of the Below, too far for any of the Dunvirin or their branded to travel, but that makes it no safer for us to journey to. Most perish along the way, but those who make it¡­¡±


    Pausing, Victoria smiled faintly at her captivated audience, then lifted a hand with a pile of dust upon it. ¡°Watch.¡± she whispered, and they did, while the dust liquified in her palm, until all that remained was a clear water, which she let trickle between her fingers.


    ¡°I was given the ability to transmute natural matter into other forms of natural matter. I must touch what it is I wish to transmute, but it is usually an easy thing to do,¡± her smile became grim, ¡°And turning flesh into stone is usually an effective way to finish a combat.¡±


    ¡°The gift given is always to suit the traits of the person to reach the Soul. If you are a protector, a fighter, a thinker, a healer¡­ I have never seen two who share the same powers, not even twins. The only thing that is consistent is the knowledge they share. The history I have shared with you has been implanted in all of our minds to warn newcomers of the dangers they face, as has the understanding of the portals and how they work, allowing us to shift the rifts to another place in the realm.¡±


    ¡°Still, the Dunvirin are relentless and determined. For the first time in their recorded history, they are at a standstill, unable to continue their advance and break through to our world¡¯s surface and they have become increasingly infuriated by this. They still send their slaves, who they see as disposable fodder, to search for new slaves to drag through a nearby rift. I have also been told of some who were given orders to search for the Soul, or a way to destroy it from afar.¡±


    ¡°If they succeed, the rebels¡¯ work will be undone, and this realm known as Below will collapse upon itself due to the bond created by the rebels and strengthened by time, and this time there would be no stopping them, for they all learned from that one mistake and now ensure that their slaves will destroy themselves before betraying their masters.¡±

 Chapter 10: Bad News

    Still caught in the horror of the story, Corey couldn¡¯t tell how long they all sat in silence before Natalie spoke up, her voice low, but hard, ¡°That¡¯s all simply fascinating, but you haven¡¯t told us what we need to know yet.¡±


    He looked at Victoria, who blinked at the younger girl, caught off guard by her tone as well as her words. Natalie didn¡¯t give her a chance to recover, going on to demand, ¡°Where is the nearest exit to our world? That¡¯s all we want. We¡¯re not soldiers, we don¡¯t want to fight! Tell us how to get back!¡±


    Her tone would have had Corey backing down, if her words had been directed at him. He supposed, though, looking at Victoria¡¯s softening expression, when you¡¯re up against such adversity as what she just described, Nat probably seemed like just an angry little girl throwing a fit. What he saw in that expression made his heart sink faster than ever before, as he saw their last hope come crashing down around them before she said a word.


    ¡°It is too late for you to return,¡± she spoke the words that sealed the sense of doom that Corey felt building in his gut, ¡°If your sanity alone was not enough of an indicator, that weapon is. The Soul has a plan for all of you, and won¡¯t lightly let you leave. It does not want needless death, and those who simply cannot handle the reality of this new life are expelled to rebuild themselves on the surface. It is apparent to me, however, that the three of you do not fall into that category.¡±


    More silence followed. Corey didn¡¯t notice as small shivers started to work their way through his body as the hope they¡¯d all lived on for the past few days was burned to ash, just like that. Never before had he regretted a decision more than he did at that moment, wishing that he and Dominic had listened to Natalie and never come down here. Dominic''s distraught expression mirrored his thoughts as the smaller boy looked at Victoria with his mouth agape.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    They blew it. The words repeated in his mind over and over, ringing like bells as Corey struggled to contest the proclamation, whispering, "But¡­ we had a week, we were supposed to have a week to get out."


    Natalie looked at him with blank eyes, her thoughts on her dad, now alone, left to wonder if his daughter was as dead as his wife, to spend the rest of his life without answers.


    Victoria shook her head sadly, with a gentle, "There is no time limit. Unless you are of no use to the Soul and its purpose, it will not release you."


    ¡°That¡¯s why everyone just assumes that the Below is the ranting and raving of madmen,¡± Natalie whispered, ¡°Because the sane ones stay down here to¡­ to be pulled into a fight that they never asked to be a part of.¡±


    Victoria shifted uncomfortably, before softly correcting her, ¡°Not all human beings who dwell Below are on one side or the other. Some try to stay out of it, and never try to find the Soul. Others gain their powers and simply use them to survive.¡±


    The woman trailed off, and Corey¡¯s eyes sharpened as he watched her inhale as if to continue along that train of thought, before letting the breath go in a simple sigh, and moving on, ¡°I cannot help you to leave, but I can help you to find safety.¡±


    This caught the trio¡¯s attention, and they all looked at her, Dominic with hope and Natalie with resignation. Corey continued to watch her mannerisms, looking for any signs that she was being dishonest or hiding anything, but in this, at least, she seemed to be genuine.


    Still, he had to ask, ¡°What sort of safe place? Because we found a little fishing spot in the fungus cavern a while back, and that wasn¡¯t as safe as we¡¯d thought and we were almost eaten.¡±


    Victoria smiled at him as she rose gracefully to her feet, ¡°I can take you to a place where no enemies can get to you. Will you come with me?¡±


    Tired and desperate for something good to come out of this day, after so much bad news, the trio exchanged looks, and seeing no dissent in the boys¡¯ expressions, Natalie answered for them all, ¡°We¡¯ll come.¡±

 Chapter 11: Blinded

    ¡°Where are you taking us?¡± Natalie asked as they started down the crystalline passage, back towards where they¡¯d come from and down one of the turns they¡¯d passed.


    Victoria walked in front of all of them, facing forward, but sounding relaxed as she answered, ¡°There is a cottage a few hours walk from here. It is likely unoccupied, but if there is anyone there, you can trust that they are an ally.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Corey asked, frowning at the woman¡¯s back, ¡°You just said that anyone could be enslaved by the Dunvirin, so how do we know for certain?¡±


    ¡°It is true, anyone you meet while out in the open is suspect, and should be treated with caution until you are certain they are not an enemy, but the cottage, and those like it, are very special. They are created and maintained by a man named Thomas, whose Soul gifted power is to not only bring them into being, but choose who is able to gain entry. If you are not branded by the Dunvirin, or expelled by Thomas personally, then you will always find them open to you.¡±


    Dominic frowned, sounding unhappy as he commented, ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like a very powerful gift to be given.¡±


    The woman shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s not as flashy as some would prefer, perhaps, but Thomas has saved many lives through its use. You will never find a safer place to stay. Furthermore, they are not as basic as you might be thinking.¡±


    Still frowning, the mousy boy asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You will see. While we walk, however, I think it is my turn to ask some questions of the world above.¡±


    The trio of friends spent the next hour answering Victoria¡¯s questions, of which there seemed to be no end, the woman seeming starved for information on the state of things. One after another, her questions seemed to be endless, but it was the reactions to even the simplest things from their daily lives that interested Corey as he lagged a few feet behind the others, a contemplative frown  still furrowing his brows. Something about this woman still didn''t add up, and he was starting to think that it was in those little things, the way she didn''t understand things that had been normal in even poorer regions for decades, and Victoria didn''t look older than his mother, maybe even a few years younger.


    Yet things she should know about and understand, she¡­ simply didn''t, and that made Corey uncomfortable, for reasons he couldn''t quite put his finger on.


    Even Natalie seemed uncomfortable, he noted, as the younger female twitched and flicked her hair over her shoulder, glancing back at him with irritation. Not for the first time, either, she''d been fidgeting for the last few minutes, letting Dominic answer most of Victoria''s endless questions. A chill of prophecy ran up his spine, making Corey glance back over his shoulder. The empty corridor and silence behind him did nothing to comfort the growing sense of unease building in his gut, especially as his eyes turned forward again to see Nat smoothing a hand over her neck again.


    With a quick double step forward, Corey caught up to his friend, lightly grabbing her hand and giving it a short squeeze before falling back again, with the red head giving him a look of irritation again as she lagged behind, allowing Victoria and Damien to pull out of range as she hissed, "What do you want?"


    "Why do you keep messing with your hair?" Corey asked quietly, leaning in close, "Are you getting one of your¡­ feelings? Like there''s someone dangerous around?"


    His eyes flicked towards Victoria as he asked the question, something that Nat missed as she rolled hers. "No, the only dangerous person around here is you and your immaturity. Pulling my hair, really? What are you, ten?"


    Corey''s frown deepened, rivets creasing his forehead as he told her softly but firmly, "I haven''t been messing with your hair, Nat. I swear."


    Natalie came to a quick stop, looking at him as she insisted, "That''s a lie, I''ve felt you touching me for the last few minutes. Tugging at my hair and shirt, I mean if you were bored you could have just changed the subject."


    "Natalie, listen to me, I haven''t been doing anything to you! But maybe you''re feeling the same thing I''m thinking, there''s something that isn''t adding up about this Victoria lady. It''s all too convenient, isn''t it? We''ve been down here for days, not another person in sight then suddenly she comes along, saves Dominic from something that may or may not have actually been a threat and then tells all of us that there''s some great war going on and finally that were all doomed to spend the rest of our lives trapped by¡­ ghosts! Ghosts that decide when and where does open up doorways!"You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Natalie gaped at him in shocked disbelief at the tirade, the likes of which she''d never heard from him. She inhaled, ready to ask if he thought they should part ways with Victoria when her stomach did a backflip. Then a somersault that ended with Natalie hunched and retching, only an empty stomach keeping her from vomiting all over the fine dust at her feet.


    "Natalie!" Corey shouted, grabbing her shoulders, "What-"


    His question was cut off as the world exploded around them.


    White dust was flying everywhere, and Corey couldn''t breathe. Every time he tried, he choked, the dust flying into his nose and mouth, down into his lungs. He could hear Natalie beside him, in the same boat, and some distance down the tunnel, Dominic was shouting their names¡­


    Hacking and wheezing, Corey realized that he still had a death grip on Natalie''s shirt and pulled her close before stumbling backwards until his back hit the hard crystal, sliding down, trying to get below the flying dust, though it didn''t work as well as he''d hoped, but at least he wasn''t suffocating anymore, even if he still felt like he was dying, he could at least feel that with each coughing fit, he could breathe in a little more.


    Natalie was shaking in Corey''s grip as she, too, gasped, growing increasingly desperate for a full breath of air, twisting and writhing, weakening his grip and making him panic. She must have got a bad inhale, if he was recovering, even through the thick haze of dust still in the air.


    "Natalie! Corey!" Dominic''s voice was nearby, with Victoria''s following, though it wasn''t as clear as Dominic''s, fainter.


    "You need to follow my voice!" Dominic continued to call to them, "Victoria said the dust is used as a weapon by creatures! She''s fighting a couple now, but there may be more! Get out!"


    Corey couldn''t call back, even just to say that he heard and would try to get them both out, afraid that if he took more than the short, shallow breaths he was surviving on, he would start to choke again. To his relief, though, Natalie was starting to calm down, her breathing regulating. As soon as she was ready, he could start pulling her towards Dominic, who continued to yell for them.


    Dust still filled the air, forcing Corey to keep his eyes squeezed shut while he waited impatiently for Nat to come to her senses, when he felt her tug. For a moment, he was relieved, thinking that she was ready to move, tugging back, towards Dominic''s ever higher voice. Another tug in the opposite direction, though, had him tightening his grip around her shoulders, especially as the tug became a pull, constant and growing stronger. Worse was the realization that Natalie hadn''t calmed down, but had, in fact, gone totally limp.


    Something had a grip on her, and it was trying to drag her right out of his arms, and he couldn''t do anything but hold on and try not to let whatever it was drag them both forward. The problem was that he had no leverage, the dust under his feet giving way like fresh snow, and inch by horrifying inch, they were being dragged toward some unseen monstrosity.


    Helplessness turned to fury. He was blind, couldn''t breathe, and for all he knew, one of his best friends was dead in his arms, and it was his fault. There was only one thing that he could think to do, as crazy as it seemed. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, a familiar sensation to him, as he''d had many an adrenaline rush while playing sports.


    His body knew how to move, every motion drilled into him during practice, again and again, every movement to be made without thought. That was what happened after he lurched backward, twisting to tackle her to the ground before leaping up again and opening his eyes. They burned as the dust got into them, a burning that increased in intensity with every passing moment, but he needed to see, he needed to look¡­


    There! Wrapped around Natalie''s ankle, an appendage, ghastly green against the white dust on her clothing. Corey''s  eyes watered as they began to burn, but he refused to shut them again as he advanced, still breathing shallowly as he entered the thickest part of their personal storm. He couldn''t make out anything anymore, and closed his eyes, because he no longer needed his sight. He could hear it, the thing that had a hold on his friend. It was so loud, he was amazed that he hadn''t detected its presence sooner, sounding like it was breathing through an old gas mask. The sound came from somewhere around his  knee, so that was where Corey aimed as he pulled his leg back, then launched it forward.


    He felt his foot connect with something solid, heard that breathing sputter, in shock or pain, he had no way of knowing, but he wasn''t about to stop, not now that he''d found a target upon which to vent all of the frustration that had built up over the last few days. Over and over, he kicked and stomped, until with a hissing growl, the creature decided that a new target had to take priority, and long, spindly fingers wrapped around Corey''s leg with his next strike, and pulled, throwing off his balance and forcing a reflexive gasp from his lips as he tumbled to the ground. Just like that, he was coughing again, struggling to breathe, and this time, it was him who was being dragged to some unseen fate.


    Corey''s head was still reeling from the tumble, when he heard a harsh grunt, followed by metal on something solid. A moment later, there was a high, inhuman shriek and his leg was released, allowing him to scramble back until he felt Natalie''s leg. Though he still wheezed and hacked, trying to clear his lungs of the dust that felt like it was drowning him, he threw himself over her, shielding the still form from further attack.

 Chapter 12: Aftermath

    Dominic had never felt so helpless before. Neither he, nor Victoria had really noticed that Natalie and Corey had fallen so far behind while they were talking. Not until a sudden explosion of violent coughing had made him jump, the both of them whirling around to find the source.


    At first Dominic was simply confused. Sure it was obvious that something had disturbed the dust that was scattered beneath their feet, but what could his friends have possibly done to cause it? The next thing he knew, he was being thrown aside as Victoria drew her blade, hissing in a low voice, "Stay back!"


    A moment later, the dust exploded in front of her, a creature launching itself  forward with enough force to stir up a white trail behind it. Dominic''s first confused impression was if a hermit crab had given its shell over to a manta ray. It had the day''s flat wings and a short, spiraling outer shell, but as he took in the creature, he realized that was as far as the similarities went.


    The first thing he noticed, as the beast started to viciously attack Victoria, was the bladed front limbs. Hooked like a scythe, they slashed in quick succession, making Dominic''s jaw drop as each strike was met with a clash as Victoria parried them with inhuman speed, backing up rapidly, until there was a few feet between the combatants and the cowering boy.


    The lower limbs on the creature were closer to what one might expect to see on a millipede, if it were the size of a large dog. Dominic couldn''t see teeth or eyes, but his imagination was filling in the blanks well enough. In his terror, it took a few seconds for him to register that Victoria was yelling instructions to him, ordering him to try and guide his friends out of the dust storm, with growing urgency.


    A sharp stab of fear down his spine sent the boy running to the edge of the dust cloud, shouting, begging for one of his friends to answer him, but as the coughing subsided, and still neither of them responded to his pleas, he became more and more afraid. On a whim, he shrugged his bow from its place on his shoulder, talking it in hand and nocking an arrow.


    The weapon warmed in his touch as he drew the string back, aiming forward and beginning to breathe quickly. He needed to help them, he needed to take the shot. His friends were in danger, they could be dying. They could be dead.


    The thought froze his mind for a few moments, and his grip loosened on the bow string, ready to send the arrow flying.


    What if they weren''t, though?


    Doubt had him hesitating as his fingers began to cramp and his arms shook from holding the draw. A figure dashing by him in his peripheral had Dominic recoiling, sending the arrow flying haphazardly into the cloud of dust, miraculously opposite of where Victoria vanished.


    A few seconds later, he heard a crunch, and just like that, it was over. The wildly flying dust started to settle, and white figures emerged as Corey stumbled out, wheezing heavily, and Victoria followed, though Dominic couldn''t make sense of her appearance. She was misshapen, too many limbs  flopping about, with no distinction between any of them. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    As she bent over, though, Dominic''s stomach sank as Natalie''s prone form fell to the ground, and his body went numb, the cold bow falling from his fingers. He could only stare as Victoria pulled a scarf from where it covered her nose and mouth and leaned over Natalie, working to revive her with quick and precise actions.


    Both boys were still and silent as the woman started to mutter under her breath as a minute passed. The angry words grew louder and more distinct, and Dominic realized that he couldn''t understand a word she was saying, although some of the words were familiar, resonating with some similarities to the language  they used today. He was even able to understand that the woman was cursing, and doing so furiously.


    His fear grew with each passing moment, making him tense until he felt like a light touch could snap his bones, so Dominic jumped clear from the ground when an explosion of coughing burst from Natalie with enough force that she started retching. Corey rushed forward to help Victoria flip her onto her side, his face paler than Dominic had ever thought possible as he tried to get his limbs to work, to rush to his friend''s side, but it was as if his brain and body had disconnected from each other, and he was simply frozen in place, watching while Victoria supported Natalie, holding her up with soothing assurances and Corey held her hand.


    Dominic''s legs finally unlocked after it occurred to him that he should be holding her other hand, she should know that they were both there for her, that as miserable as she seemed, she wasn''t alone. He stumbled forward, taking her free hand and clasping it in both of his. The coughing fit lasted what seemed like forever, before Natalie finally stilled, her eyes closed and her breathing just a little too fast and too shallow to be normal.


    "Is she¡­?" Dominic''s voice cracked with fear as he broke the tense silence.


    "She''ll live," Victoria answered quietly, "But we need to get her to the cottage as quickly as possible, she needs a safe place to rest and recover. You, as well."


    Corey barely blinked when the woman turned her eyes on him, the dust covering him giving him a ghostly appearance, his attention fixated on Nat, but when Victoria slipped her hands under her to pick the girl up, he blinked and his eyes refocused to look first at Victoria, then at Dominic.


    "Are you okay?" his voice came out in a croak, his throat raw from choking on the dust. Dominic stared at his friend in disbelief, as Corey stood and looked him over after getting no answer. How could he possibly be concerned about anyone other than himself and Natalie, who actually deserved it?


    "I''m fine." The smaller boy finally muttered, unable to stand the overwhelming concern on Corey''s face, turning away to follow after Victoria, the woman having started moving with Natalie in her arms.


    Natalie didn''t so much as twitch while they walked, and Corey broke the silence only a few times to ask after her state of mind. Otherwise, they traveled in silence, the passage remaining clear and crystal, yet not once did Victoria falter in her stride or hesitate at a crossroad. Corey''s eyes remained on Natalie, reassuring himself with the occasional moments when she would take a deep and shuddering breath. Dominic stayed back a couple feet, only watching the ground beneath his feet while he continued to dwell on his self-inflicted failings, with his bow held in a loose grip at his side. By luck or fate they discovered no more of the creatures in the dust, and when Victoria finally broke the silence, it was enough of a surprise to the younger boys that they both flinched at the sound of her voice.


    "We''re here."

 Chapter 13: The Cottage

    Natalie didn''t remember much from the encounter in the dust. She knew that she had felt like she was dying, unable to breathe, much less speak¡­ or scream, as she felt herself being dragged away by her ankle. It was almost a relief when the blackness dancing at the edge of her mind consumed her entirely, and she fell into unconsciousness with a fragment of thought telling her that at least she wouldn''t be awake when she''s eaten.


    From the darkness, an image appeared to her, one of Dominic and Corey standing side-by-side. While Natalie watched, they slid apart, until long bus could have stood between them. As one, they reached out to her, their expressions growing into ones of fear and dread. She heard them screaming, their words an incoherent jumble, with one word standing out among the rest.


    Help.


    The word was repeated over and over, until the background noise faded and it was as if with each heartbeat, her friends screamed for her help, and she was paralyzed with fear.


    The next thing she knew, her lungs, throat and eyes were on fire, as life giving air pushed its way through her system. When she once more feel unconscious, she rested in pace, undisturbed by nightmares.


    Natalie awoke wrapped in softness. It wasn''t like the stories always described, there was no moment of confusion, she didn''t think that she was back home or that the last few days had been a dream. She knew she was Below, and that she was safe, hearing the low times of Corey speaking to someone and trying not to disturb her rest. It was difficult to raise, and her lungs protested every breath she took, but the fact alone that she could still breathe was a wonder to the girl.


    Somehow her friends had pulled her out of the disaster, and she owed them everything for it.


    Cracking her eyes open, Natalie could see that she was in a bed, the covers a deep emerald, softer than anything she had felt before. And the pillow! It made the pile of odd clothing in the tent seem as bad as the stone floor, when in the moment, it hadn''t seemed so bad. The bed itself was an older style, made of wood, with head and foot posts.


    Turning her attention from the bed, Natalie saw that she was in a house of the same sort of wood the bed was made out of, and there were three more beds besides her own, all full sized, and two doorways on either side of the room, with Corey''s voice coming from the right. Sitting up, Natalie realized that someone had taken her shoes and socks off, and she couldn''t see them anywhere in a casual glance around.


    Her bare feet were silent on the warm wood floor as she stood, wincing when a glance at the bed let her know that she was still covered in bright white dust. Wobbling slightly, she stood and made her way towards the open doorway where Dominic''s voice replaced Corey''s, his louder tone making it easy for her to hear him.


    "She wouldn''t have left us if it wasn''t safe. Don''t be so paranoid, weren''t you listening? The creatures and the Dunvirin can''t get into these cottages. We could stay here forever if we wanted!"


    "Well we don''t want to stay here forever!" Corey retorted.


    "Then where are we going?" Natalie asked, startled by the sound of her voice, raw and scratchy as she joined them in what could only be the dining room, a table big enough for eight dominating the space, although at the moment there were only four chairs, and her friends occupied two of them.


    Corey leaped up, hurrying to her side to provide some support as Natalie shuffled to one of the free chairs, before sitting down again. At some point, he had washed up, with no trace of the dust that still coated Natalie in patches, and had new clothes on that looked like they were a couple generations out of fashion. Both looked at her with concern that neither had the guts to voice.


    "I''m not dead, so stop looking at me like I am," she glared at them both until they broke the contact, unaware of the redness in her eyes that was the main reason they looked away, "Really, Corey. Where do we go from here, if leaving isn''t an option?"


    "We don''t know that for sure," Corey argued stubbornly, "Just because Victoria said it doesn''t mean it''s true."


    "Oh, so we don''t listen to the person who has been here longer than us, knows how to kill monsters, and saved our lives?" Dominic shot back with an irritated glare at his best friend, "That''s a good way to get killed. Or caught!"


    "He''s right," Natalie cut in before Corey could respond, idly running her fingertips along the polished arms of her chair, "I didn''t like her either, Corey, but I''m betting we wouldn''t have made it out of that mess if it weren''t for Victoria, and we owe it to her to not call her a liar, at the very least."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Even if she''s not a liar, she''s hiding something from us, and whatever it is, it''s important enough that she wants to keep us in the dark!"


    "Whatever it is, it can''t be worse than the things she''s already told us, so I don''t know what you''re so upset about!" Dominic''s voice was getting louder, making Natalie''s head pound unpleasantly, "You have secrets, Corey, why are you being so dumb to the fact that other people do, too?"


    "Because her secret could be the difference between life and death!" Corey roared back, standing with enough force to send his chair toppling over with a crash. "Her secret could mean that we''re not ready for the next monster that pops out of the ground, or falls from the ceiling! Her secret could mean watching each other die, until there''s only one of us left, and if I can get it out of her before that happens, I''m going to!"


    Both Natalie and Dominic stared at Corey in silence, shocked by the outburst from their normally soft spoken friend, and neither knew what to say in response. Corey seemed to realize just how aggressive he looked as his cheeks flushed with shame, and he turned away, fixing his chair and sitting down with a slouch, rubbing his face before muttering, "You almost died, Nat. That thing almost pulled you right out of my hands, and there was nothing I could do. Any one of us could die down here. We''re just kids¡­"


    "So we learn," Natalie finally found her voice again, rough and incoherent as it was, "Victoria''s coming back, right?" she glanced at Dominic for confirmation, continuing after he nodded, "So when she gets back, we get as much information from her as possible. But we''ll respect her privacy, too, Corey."


    The boy could only nod acceptance, his shoulders still slumped with guilt. "That still leaves the question, though. Where do we go from here?" Natalie looked between her friends as she asked the question, "We can learn everything Victoria had to offer, and still be trapped here, unless we risk leaving. But do we keep wandering, trying to find a way out? Or do we go deeper, and hope that we can beat the odds and make it to the soul thing?"


    Pausing for a moment, Natalie brushed a hand over her hair and grimaced when it knocked lose a puff of dust. "I''m going to find something to wash up with. I know what my answer is. You guys can talk about it if you need to."


    Dominic pointed back to the bedroom, "There''s a bathroom on the other side of the bedroom. It has a wardrobe with towels and new clothes. They''re a little¡­" he glanced at Corey, before smirking slightly, "outdated. But it''s better than putting on dirty clothes."


    Natalie answered with a small smile of her own, before raising and shuffling for the shower. Whoever had designed the bathroom was genius in the art of extravagance, she decided upon entering. Not only was the tub the size of a hot tub, it looked like the shower was actually a section of the room on its own, with a couple dozen tiny nozzles on the ceiling to provide the water. Fluffy red rugs sat at each "entrance" to the shower and tub, and there was a bench beside the wardrobe that Dominic had told her would be there. Most exciting, though, there was an honest to goodness toilet, something that Natalie had never in her life anticipated making her so very happy.


    An hour later, Natalie was dressed in a pair of brown pants and an off-white button-up shirt in a style that the girl had seen in her grandmother''s childhood pictures. Even if it was outdated, the outfit was still comfortable, and better than her dusty old clothes that had been worn since the day their¡­ "adventure" began. Leaving the bathroom, Natalie''s nostrils flared as the smell of cooking food reached her, and her mouth started watering. Real food!


    With hurried steps, Natalie left the bedroom, and only stayed in the dining room long enough to see that there were two doors from this room, besides the one to the bedroom, and the smell was coming from the door to her right, leaving the one directly ahead unexplored, as she followed her nose with single-minded purpose. Entering the kitchen, Natalie found Corey passing Dominic spices, the smaller of the two standing over a stove with a skillet and pot atop it, the source of the incredible smell growing stronger so close to the source, being some sort of red meat in the skillet.


    Dominic grinned, seeing Natalie lock eyes with the steak. "Victoria said we should help ourselves. I guess the owner can restock pretty easily."


    "How?" Natalie asked, envisioning a herd of cattle stampeding through the narrow passageways they''ve seen.


    Corey shrugged, "How does magic work? On this, I don''t feel much need to ask questions, if is real food, then that''s good enough for me."


    Fair, Natalie thought, inclined to agree on that point, after days without a quality meal, something that Dominic seemed determined to provide. It wasn''t long before the smaller boy was telling them to set the dining room table, his glare daring them to try and say no after all the work he put into cooking. Wisely, the pair scampered, and Dominic brought out the meal. For all the fanfare of cooking and preparation, the trio of friends wasted no time on manners or conversation after their plates were filled, devouring the meal with ravenous enthusiasm.


    It was the best meal Natalie had ever eaten, and when she''d done everything except lick the plate clean, she leaned back in her chair with a sigh of contentment. Yawning, she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the back of her chair, murmuring, "We can''t leave. Not right now. We''ll die if we do. When Victoria gets back, we need to learn as much from her as we can. Then we go from there. Just because no one''s ever heard of it happening, doesn''t mean no one''s ever escaped after a week. Maybe they''re the people who were smart and sane enough to not talk about it so people wouldn''t call them crazy."


    "I don''t know about all that," the deep voice came from behind Natalie, soft and soothing, "but I can certainly assist in your education, without you needing to keep Victoria prisoner with your questions."


    Somehow, Natalie wasn''t at all alarmed by the appearance of a complete stranger, as her eyes popped open and she turned, looking at the well muscled, dark skinned man, who smiled at the wide-eyed trio. "My name is Thomas. It''s a delight to meet you."