Four

Where the hell would I go? I thought angrily.

Sure, that black abyss promised a way back to the top.  But, it also led to a place where I wouldn’t be able to see and to a rope I wouldn’t be able to climb.  Even if I could somehow manage to reach the surface, I would be facing infected-central alone and without the vehicle I’d counted on to get me to a safe zone.  In what world would I have any hope of making it out of the city and further north without help?  Definitely not the world I currently lived in.  I was at Drav’s mercy, and it pissed me off.

Bending down, I dug through my bag until I found my water bottle.  Nothing swished inside when I shook it, and I berated myself for forgetting to refill it at the farmhouse.

Glancing at the pool, I wondered how safe the water would be to drink.  Sure, the shadow man had done it, but he came from here.  However, since I knew finding a nearby faucet wasn’t going to happen, I didn’t see that I had much choice but to do the same.

Kneeling beside the pool, I dipped my hand into the cool water and brought it to the back of my neck to bathe away the sweat.  The second handful, I lifted to my mouth and bravely took a drink.  It tasted a little like lake water, but it wasn’t too bad.  I let it settle in my stomach for a moment, debating the chance of it making me sick.  The world was falling apart, and I was in my own underground hell.  Why not throw in some dysentery?  I scooped both hands into the water to take a bigger sip, partially quenching my thirst.

Not knowing when I’d get another chance for a refill, I dipped my bottle into the water.  Ripples raced out over the previously calm dark surface, making the reflection of the green glowing lights from above dance prettily.

Mesmerized, I leaned over the edge of the pool, wondering how deep it descended.  Something moved in its depths.  Before I could see what, the water erupted.

Time slowed as a fish with knitting needle like teeth rose toward my face.  In frozen fear, I stared at its bulbous eyes.

A sharp tug pulled me off my knees just before the thing reached my face.  As I fell backwards, Drav stepped in front of me, his wide shoulders partially blocking my view.  He drew back his arm, spear in hand, and skewered the fish through its gaping mouth before I landed hard on my butt.

My pulse pounded in my ears while I stared at the writhing creature.

Drav tossed it and the spear to the cave floor then turned to me.  The thing gave a final flop, then stilled.  My shaky breaths echoed in the sudden silence, and I looked up at Drav.

His wild, rage-filled eyes swept over me before he squatted next to me and cupped the back of my head.  I readily leaned toward him, pressing my forehead to his, needing the feel of safety that only he could provide.

“Those waters are not safe, Mya.” He threaded his fingers through my hair and rubbed his forehead lightly against mine.

I exhaled shakily.

“Yeah, I see that.”

“You must be careful.” The chiding way he said it rekindled my anger.  I wouldn’t have needed to be careful if he hadn’t dragged me down here.

I pulled away from him and got back to my feet.  The others watched us like we were some daytime soap opera.

Kerr made a comment in their language.  Ignoring them, I capped the half-full bottle I still clutched in my hand.

Drav moved away from me, picked up my bag, and lifted the strap over his head to settle it on his shoulder.

“You can walk for a bit, but we need to move fast, and I will need to carry you.”

I didn’t bother saying anything.  He wouldn’t give me a choice anyway.

Kerr led the group out, and Drav nudged me so that I would follow right after Kerr.  The other men spread out around us.  They carried spears in their hands now, gathered from their supply pocket back in the cavern.  The three before us had bows strapped to their backs and a quiver of arrows attached to their waists.  Drav carried a spear in his hands.  The sudden need for weapons now made me nervous since it just hit me that Drav hadn’t used any up top.  And, the way he had used the spear on the fish with such precision showed he was no novice.

A few of the men drifted closer as we walked through the massive rock formations.  As we threaded our way between the structures, I couldn’t help but notice the difference in shapes.  Some looked like pillars reaching up to the weird lights on the cavern ceiling.  Others looked like clusters of misshaped, upside down ice cream cones.  Bits of glowing moss clung to the tips, making me think of distant snowy mountains.

While we walked, I tried to come up with some reason that might persuade Drav to bring me back to the surface.  The need to find my family motivated me but held no meaning for him.  All he seemed to care about was keeping me safe.

“I don’t understand,” I said angrily. “You thought you could keep me safe before.  Why change your mind now?”

“Your people are bombing the cities.”

“So what?  We could have driven around the stupid cities!”

“No, Mya.  You have many, many cities.  No more talking.  It is too dangerous.”

“If it’s so dangerous, why’d you bring me down here?” I whispered harshly.

Kerr said something softly and Drav grunted but didn’t answer either of us.

I fumed and marched on.

At times the pillars and other formations crowded so closely, it felt like we were in a large tunnel, rather than a cavern.  The confining space in some places meant we walked close together, making it hard to ignore the not so subtle sounds of sniffing around me.

The further we walked, the better I began to see.  Not that it helped.

The shadow men moved expertly through the tunnels.  Drav reached out constantly, steadying me each time I tripped over rocky areas.  I barely stopped myself from smacking his help away each time.  Yes, I was angry, but was it smart to piss Drav off when I wanted him to take me back to my world?  Probably not.

The tunnel opened wider ahead of us, and a brighter glow came from that space.  I glanced at the men, but neither Drav nor any of the others were squinting.

Suddenly, Kerr rushed forward, two others following after him.  They reached the opening and waved us forward.

“Yeah, yeah.  I’m hurrying,” I grumbled, looking down to watch my feet once more.  If I tripped again and Drav grabbed me, I’d deck him.  Screw the consequences.

A warmer breeze brushed my hair back, and I looked up just as we reached the opening.  For the second time since dropping into hell, I forgot to be angry and stood in awe.

The crowded cones and pillars in the first cavern had nothing on this new one.  Its massive roof rose three times as high, making it at least six stories overhead.  Imbedded in the ceiling, jagged glowing crystals illuminated the area in a soft blue light.  Four giant columns rose up near the far end of the space, the only large rock formations.  Fernlike vegetation, interspersed with white, stunted skeletal trees, filled the rest of the cavern.  From those skeletal trees, small brown globes hung from thin branches, like an eerily beautiful orchard.

“What is this place?”

The sound of my voice startled something in the blue-green fronds a few yards in.  Kerr whipped his bow up and let an arrow fly.  The bolt shot forward and disappeared into the growth.  The rustling didn’t stop but zipped away from us toward the trees.

Kerr gave me a disgruntled look and stalked forward to retrieve his empty arrow.  I didn’t understand why he was upset.  The thing—whatever it had been—had run away from us, not toward us.

“I don’t know the word for this place,” Drav said from beside me, nudging me forward. “It’s an old place where we grew epella.”

I’d forgotten I’d asked something, and it took a moment for the last word he said to sound familiar.

“Apples?  This really is an orchard?” I studied the brownish spheres doubtfully.  A sheen of blue light reflected off the almost opalescent dark skin.

“Yes.  An orchard.  A very old one that still produces a good harvest.”

Drav picked a globe and offered it to me.  I glanced at the fruit then him.  Did he think a kind gesture would remove the sting of his betrayal?  I walked passed him, trying to ignore the squeeze of my heart.

Skirting around the trees, we moved through the ferns.  Their feathery tips brushed my fingers.  I would have reached out to feel them, but the way the men remained alert made me nervous.  Kerr had his bow ready with an arrow notched.

“What was that thing running through the ferns, anyway?”

“Food,” Drav said.

No wonder Kerr had looked annoyed.  I’d scared away dinner.

“So there are a lot of animals down here?  Are they all like the hellhounds?”

“Yes, there are many animals but not like the hellhounds.  The hellhounds are not food.  The other animals are.”

“Oh.” That was good.  No…not really.  It was a little concerning that he didn’t consider the other animals like the hellhounds after that fish had tried to eat my face.  I glanced at his killer fish spear.

“If you all had weapons, why did you leave them down here when you went up top?”

“We didn’t go up top to hunt.”

Kerr said something, sounding impatient.  Whatever Drav said back held a warning tone that shut him up.

“What did Kerr say?” I asked.

“He said he thought you weren’t talking to me.”

“Kerr can bite me.”

Drav growled low at my words and stepped defensively in front of me.  I rolled my eyes and looked around him to Kerr, who had stopped walking and was rattling off a string of unintelligible words at Drav.

“Kerr will not fight you,” Drav said angrily. “Not without a life crystal.”

“Fight?  I said bite me.  You know…like kiss my ass.”

Drav’s head swung around to me, his expression one of shock.  I groaned in frustration.

“You are way too literal.  It’s a saying.” I looked at Kerr. “Bite me isn’t a challenge to actually bite me.  It means shut up and mind your own damn business.”

Kerr grunted and turned away to resume walking.

Drav straightened, still studying me.  I decided to address Kerr’s not talking comment to set Drav straight.

“Just so we’re clear, I haven’t forgiven you, and I don’t trust you anymore.  While I know there’s a very good chance you’ll lie to me again, no one else knows enough English to answer my questions.  So, yeah, I’ll talk to you, but I’m still mad enough to hate you.”

I sidestepped, planning to go around him, but he shadowed my move, blocking me.  I glared up at him.

“I will take your anger gladly,” he said, his gaze holding mine as he reached up to caress my face.  I jerked my head away from his touch.

“We’ll see.”

I stomped my way through the ferns, following after Kerr and trying to ignore the rest of the men.  Something small ran right in front of me.  I squealed and backpedaled at the flash of fur, red eyes, and horns.

Drav was right there, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder.  In no mood for comfort, I swatted him away and soldiered on, mumbling the entire time about grey skinned assholes who thought they knew everything, face-eating fish, and jackalopes.

“Fucking jackalopes aren’t supposed to be real.  Obviously, this place didn’t get that damn memo.”

Something bumped into the backs of my legs.  I flung my arms out as I fell backwards…into Drav’s arms.

“You make too much noise,” he said, softly.“Not all the hellhounds found the way out.”

“I wouldn’t be making any noise down here at all if we’d stayed up top like I’d wanted.  We can still turn around.” Although I’d said it quietly, I’d still managed to convey a satisfying amount of anger.  I wasn’t going to just give in to the abduction.

He exhaled heavily and leaned forward.  I turned my head away, rejecting his version of a hug, and crossed my arms, refusing to make this any more pleasant for him than it was for me.  He had the nerve to nudge my neck with his nose and inhale deeply.  A shiver chased through me, and his hold tightened before he straightened and started walking.  My reaction gave me an uncomfortable idea that I immediately rejected.  I would not stoop to using my body to negotiate my way back home.  Nope.  Not happening.

“I’ll carry you until we reach the source,” Drav said, softly.

“What’s the source?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“The place we recharge our life crystals.”

“Life crystals?”

“Shh,” he said a moment before the light began to fade.

I looked around and saw we’d stepped behind the giant columns.  There were no trees in their shadows, only a sparse growth of stunted ferns that dwindled with each step that Drav took toward the dark void ahead.

A cool draft of air brushed my face.  I uncrossed my arms to hold onto Drav more securely.  He shifted me higher, and I looked over his shoulder at the light we were leaving behind.  Too late, I remembered the flashlight in my bag.  The threat of hellhounds was enough for me to swallow any request for it.  If they weren’t already in the dark, I didn’t want to call them.

Drav moved forward steadily, a soft glow coming from his wrist as well as the wrists of the other men around us.  Being so close together created a small bubble of visibility, allowing me to see.  The cavern we were now entering had craggy rock formations, but they were broken up by occasional pools of still, dark water.  I leaned into Drav, grateful he carried me.  I did not want to fall into one of those pools while stumbling around in the dark.

Thankfully, the dark was short lived, and the creepy cavern merged into one that had numerous, small green-tinted crystals poking from the ceiling.  Once again, I noticed a change in temperature when we crossed from dark to semi-light and wondered what it meant.

The group picked up its pace until Drav was sprinting.  Each cavern we passed through appeared slightly different than the last, and I always felt some subtle change in temperature or moisture.  The caves didn’t stretch in a linear grouping but in a webbed network of interconnecting spaces.

Finally, Kerr stopped in a cavern with a small waterfall.  The water churned near the fall but smoothed out into a sizable pool further away.  The dim blue light from the crystals above reflected prettily on the surface, which I was not going near.

“We’ll rest here,” Drav said, setting me on my feet.

“By the water?”

“No, over here.”

He attempted to thread his fingers through mine, but I pulled away.

“I can follow without being tugged or nudged.”

He frowned but led the way to an area of ferns and rocks.  I followed hesitantly, remembering the jackalope.  When nothing jumped out and the ferns remained quiet, I took the last few steps to where he stood on a mossy patch of level ground.

He stomped on a bunch of surrounding ferns, tamping them down to create a Drav-sized area in which he lowered himself and stretched out.

“You mean we’re sleeping here?” I said, eyeing the ferns once more.

“Yes, Mya.  We both need sleep.”

I’d managed a nap in the truck—how long ago had that been?—but he hadn’t slept since the first night in our cabin.

With an expectant look, he motioned for me to join him.

“Not happening.”

“Mya, it’s safer sleeping with me.”

“Pft.  Snuggling up next to you was fine when we were on the surface and you were actually helping me.”

He frowned at me, but I ignored him and checked out what everyone else was doing.  A few men stood in nearby positions, creating a loose outward-looking circle around us.  The rest had done the same thing Drav had and were already laying down in their own little nests.  I moved a yard away from Drav, stomped down my own spot, and settled in.

The blue crystals scattered above almost looked like stars.  Big ones.  Instead of closing my eyes to sleep, I stared at them and wondered about my family.  Were they worrying?  Had Dad convinced someone to help him look for me by now?  Were they still safe?  I sighed and tried to think of nothing… especially not creepy horned rabbits hiding in the tall grass.

Eventually, I slept.