Chapter 2: "A Long-Forgotten Tryst"
#9
. . . chases after the woman.
The man unlocks his legs and rushes into action. He jumps over the body of the latest victim, ignoring the clues he could be holding, and pursues the attacker. His companion--the woman who had every chance to kill him and didn't.
Countless crystals line the entire cavern, creating a surreal luminance. His flashlight reflects brightly off of them, blinding him at times. Frustrated, he shuts it off and relies on the light of the crystals instead. The river runs cleanly through the straight cavern, leaving the woman no where to hide. She runs faster, laughing now. He finds it increasingly harder to keep up with her. His entire body begins to shut down again...
She suddenly disappears from view. The man reaches the spot where she disappeared and finds a branching tunnel, with nobody in sight. He dashes down the new tunnel only to find several more corridors. The straight cavern is now an intricate maze of crystal-lined hallways. Desperate, he picks one at random and hurries down it. No one in sight. More branching tunnels. The crystals shimmer with a strange sense of melancholy, like lost souls trapped in the labyrinth. Exhaustion finally overwhelms him, even harder than before. He drops his heavy backpack and collapses, barely catching himself from hitting the wall.
Her laughter disappears completely. The winding paths start to blur together, all looking oddly similar. His heart is pounding. His mind can no longer keep up with everything. He tries to stand, but his legs refuse. Defeated, he finally passes out...
And in the emptiness of his mind, a dream comes to him...like a distant memory.
"Wake up, dummy," she says, poking the sleeping man. He moves around a bit and then hides his head under the pillow. The woman is visibly frustrated and starts punching his back. Laughter erupts from underneath the pillow.
"Okay! Okay! I give, " he laughs. He rolls out of bed and tackles the woman. They smile at each before kissing, deeply in love.
"I can't believe you're sleeping in on a day like this. It's finally the big day...and you're sleeping. What's wrong you?"
"Well, I figured if I waited long enough you'd come bother me..."
"Oh my God! You are a child!" she laughs and pushes him off onto the floor. "It's time to get ready. The rest of the team is already making the final preparations. If I don't see you outside in thirty minutes, we're seriously leaving you behind!"
"Goodness...it's not like a cave is going anywhere!"
The woman gives him a stern look. "This 'cave' could be the biggest discovery in history... No one else is close. We're the first people to even know it exists. The first! Do you have any idea what this could mean for our careers?"
Realizing quickly that he crossed a line, the man gets serious to calm her down. "Of course I understand. This means as much to me as anyone. I was just teasing you... I already got everything ready last night. You know it won't take me long to get ready. Why not come back over here? Just a bit longer..." He gently pats the ground next to him.
She sighs and stubbornly sits down next to him. "Just five more minutes...or you're dead..."
The man jolts back to life with his companion's beautiful face fresh in his mind. "It can't be... We were lovers?" He holds his head...and cries. Tears he can't explain run down his face.
Several hours have passed since the man passed out, though he has no concept of time. However, his body still feels the effects. Thirsty and starved, his insides ache for nourishment. He empties all of his supplies onto the floor and examines the bars. They're definitely a type of packaged snack bar, but the wrapper is devoid of any information. A loud growl from his stomach is the last push he needs. The man rips open one of the bars and bites into it. Its taste is foreign but delicious. Just like the water, it restores energy to his body in an instant. He finishes the bar and washes it down with some water from his remaining bottle, taking mind this time to conserve it.
His body renewed, the man feels confident enough to begin looking for more answers. He can't shake the image of the woman smiling at him. No matter what he thinks, it haunts his vision. The image of her sleeping in that cabin...her smiling face lying under him in a dream... "Is she really the same person? Who am I..." He whispers his thoughts to the crystals, but they do not possess answers. "If she was lying before, maybe she remembers me... Finding her is all that matters now." Guided by a tormenting vision, the man . . .
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A) Investigates his books for more clues.
B) Tries to find his way back to the beginning of the labyrinth.
C) Tries to search for the woman deeper into the labyrinth.
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[SPOILER=Author's comments]
Did you really think you'd catch her that easily? Ha!
The flashlight could be used as a bludgeon, yeah. It's not like a super heavy duty job, but I clarified that it's metal, so it would work as a weapon in a pinch. As would your backpack, since it's so heavy right now. The books are hard-cover but probably wouldn't be the best weapons. lol You'll have to see how passing up the knife affects you in the long-run. It could go either way.
To five for this one.
