To quickly recap: Friends Eve and Sara were rock climbing and stumbled across a large cave with primitive drawings on its walls. A rock slide traps them inside. Having little choice, they go deeper into the cave, hoping to find another exit. The cave system seems to be a mixture of natural and man-made and the further into it they go, the stranger Eve starts acting. Just as Sara thinks they’re getting close to a way out, Eve shoves her off of a ledge into a chasm.
Sara clawed her way back to consciousness. First came the pain – she hurt all over. Awareness came more slowly. What happened? Where was she?
Bit by bit, it started coming back to her – rock climbing with Eve, finding the cave, becoming trapped inside . . . The last thing she remembered was standing on the edge of a second chasm, feeling the cool breeze on her face. She’d called back to Eve . . .
Eve!
Sara jerked, attempting to bolt upright but a shaft of pain had her crying out and falling back. Her breath was ragged. She remembered more clearly what had happened. Eve pushed her off the ledge! It wasn’t an accident, it was a deliberate act of aggression.
She’d known something strange was going on with Eve, but never would she have believed she’d turn on her so violently.
She tried sitting up again, this time taking it slowly, and succeeded with a minimal amount of pain. Her breathing became more steady as she took stock of herself.
The worst of her pain seemed to come from her leg. Thank God her light hadn’t broken in the fall. She raised it slightly for a better look. Her pants were torn and there was dried blood on her leg from a long scrape, but she didn’t think it was broken. She tried to move it and her breath came out in a hiss of pain. It might be sprained. This was going to be a serious problem.
And what about Eve? Was she going to be an even bigger problem?
There was no question but that something strange was happening to Eve. Not only strange, but dangerous. And it had nothing to do with being trapped underground. She needed to get away from here, before Eve decided to come finish her off. Raising the light again, she determined that she’d landed in an old, dried out riverbed. At least that’s what she thought it was.
The banks sloped inwards, and the ground was hard earth and rock. She was probably covered in bruises from landing on it. Here and there was also patchy layers of decayed leaves and sticks, which must have protected her from getting hurt worse than she was.
As much as the urge to get away filled her, it was apparent she wasn’t going to be able to get very far unaided. Checking out the sticks on either side of her, she found a likely looking walking stick just within reach. Just stretching enough to grasp it had her whimpering. By the time she managed to get to her feet with its help there were tears running down her face.
Sara clung to the stick and swiped the tears away with her free hand. The breeze she’d felt earlier had vanished. She had no idea how long she’d been laying there. No idea which side of the walls towering above her she’d fallen from. Which way should she go?
She moved away from the center of the riverbed. Though the walls of the chasm itself were only a few feet away, she had no idea how high it was. Even if she hadn’t been hurt, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to try and climb back up. She couldn’t afford a more serious injury if she slipped and fell, and she had no idea where Eve was. Had she continued on? Gone back? Was she even now waiting above, watching?
Part of Sara wanted to call out to Eve, but a bigger part of her somehow knew that would be a very bad idea. That left only one option – follow the riverbed. She hobbled a little closer to the center again and studied the debris. Maybe if she could figure out which way the river had run, she could follow it to its source.
After several minutes, she gave it up as a lost cause. Either the river had dried up too long ago to leave a sign of a flow, or it wasn’t a riverbed at all. But she couldn’t just stand here, leg throbbing. She had to pick a direction.
In the end, she closed her eyes and opened herself up to the possibilities, letting her instincts be her guide. It had helped her thus far in choosing her way. After turning in a slow circle, she stopped, feeling a faint tug in one direction. Opening her eyes again, she gripped her staff firmly and started off.
With any luck, and she felt she was due some, her path would lead her to water. And if it didn’t, well, in a couple of days it wouldn’t matter, she couldn’t survive more than a couple of days without water, especially not in the shape she was in.
There was a part of Sara that wished Eve was with her. The old Eve, not whatever Eve she’d been turning into. They’d gotten into this together, they should finish this together.
Doubts began to crowd her thoughts. Why was she even following this riverbed? She was hurt, she was alone, and she was probably going to die here. This was folly. She should just sit down and give up.
Sara actually paused in her tracks before coming to her senses. No. She had to keep going. She had to believe the path she was following would lead to water. Maybe even a way out.
High above, the watcher breathed a sigh of relief as Sara continued forward.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Missed an installment? Catch up here: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven,
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