The Cave – Part Five

To quickly recap: Friends Eve and Sara were rock climbing and stumbled across a fissure in the rocks. They checked inside and discovered a large cave with primitive drawings on its walls. As they venture deeper inside there’s a tremor, causing a cave in that traps them inside.

Having little choice, they go further into the cave, hoping to find another way out. They come to another chamber, this one with mosaics embedded in the walls, and then find themselves following a ledge alongside a chasm. But something has stopped Sara in her tracks.

“What is it now?” Eve asked, voice filled with resignation.

“I’m not sure. There’s a … gap.”

“A gap? How big a gap?”

“I—I’m not sure.” Sara played her light over the ledge-like path they were on, and then followed along to the gap, trying to see beyond. “It looks like it’s only a couple of feet. I think we can step across, but it might be easier if we were facing the wall.”

“I’d feel a lot better if we know why there’s a gap,” Eve said as they cautiously turned around. “It’s unique to the path, at least I hope it is. But did the stone just crumble away, or did someone break it deliberately?”

“I kind of hope someone broke it deliberately.”

“I was being facetious,” Eve said. “Why would someone break a chunk out of the path?”

“I don’t know, maybe they were being chased and were trying to slow their pursuer down.”

“I think it doesn’t really matter. The real concern is, are we going to talk it to death or are we going to suck it up and cross over?”

Sara didn’t make a sound, but taking a deep breath stepped across the gap. To her great relief, the ledge was solid under her feet on the other side.

She moved a little further along and then shone her light back to guide Eve.

“Is it just my imagination or is the ledge wider on this side?” Eve asked, joining Sara.

“I think you’re right,” Sara said.

After another few minutes, the ledge was wide enough they no longer had to sidle along, and shortly after that it became wide enough that they were no longer hugging the edge of the chasm.

“How many miles do you think we’ve walked so far?” Sara asked suddenly.

“I can’t begin to imagine.”

There was a whisper of movement and Sara stopped so suddenly that Eve almost ran into her.

“Did you feel that?”

“Feel what?” Eve asked, irritably. She was getting a little sick of Sara hearing things and feeling things and deciding which way to go. She still felt the pull of the mosaic and regretted not turning back when they had the chance.

“There! You can’t deny feeling that. It’s a breeze, a cool breeze. It must mean we’re close to a way out!” Sara said excitedly.

“It could just be the air being stirred up by a really big bat,” Eve said waspishly.

“What’s going on? Why are you being like this? Don’t you want to get out of here?”

“Let’s keep going,” Eve said, ignoring her questions.

Sara didn’t know what was going on with Eve, but considering the chasm edge they were following, she figured it was best not to argue with her or upset her. But she also couldn’t understand why she wasn’t more excited about the possibility they were getting close to an exit.

To her great disappointment, she didn’t feel the breeze again and she worried that the exit was on the other side of the chasm. They continued on in silence. The ledge began to widen and at the same time gently slope downwards.

Twice they paused for a protein bar, washed down by sips of water, but they didn’t dare rest with the abyss so close.

Their feet were dragging when the ledge ended abruptly in a large, arched opening.

“Okay, this arch definitely isn’t natural,” Sara said.

“No shit, Sherlock.”

Sara rounded on Eve. “What is your problem?”

Eve scrubbed a hand over her face. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what it is – being trapped in this place, the oppressive darkness. Maybe I’m just tired.”

Sara played her light around the chamber beyond the arch. It was more like an alcove than a cave, but it was big enough for the two of them to stretch out in.

“We’re both tired. Why don’t we rest here? We can have a bite to eat and maybe get some sleep.”

“Sounds good.”

Eve shrugged off her pack and sat on the ground, Sara joining her. A moment later, Sara made a sound of frustration.

“What is it?”

“I can’t get my pack open. This clasp won’t co-operate.”

“Here, let me try,” Eve said.

Sara passed the pack over and after fiddling with it for a moment Eve was able to get it open.

“Thanks.”

Sara rooted inside it until she found the jerky. They made themselves as comfortable as possible on the ground, passing the bag back and forth until it was gone.

“We probably shouldn’t have done that,” Sara said with a sigh. “We should have saved some for later.”

“It wouldn’t have done us much good without water to wash it down,” Eve said. “We can last a lot longer without food than we can without water.”

Filled with misgivings, Sara checked her water bottles. One was empty, and the other only had a teeny amount in the bottom. They really needed to find a way out of here!