Hell Hole

Chapter Four: Golden Butterfly

Parker stood there shivering as her friend approached her from a distance. She veered back towards the gaping hole of what glowed a faint orange from below what lay before her. So much confusion. So little time, and definitely not enough knowledge to know how to handle what happened next.

Cami's facial expressions didn't read of horror but they certainly read of concern when they saw the look of pure terror in Parker's eyes that made even the toddler take notice and begin to cry. Parker fell to the ground and immediately began to vomit straight stomach acid.

"Parker! Oh my goodness what happened?!" Cami hollered, now only meters away.

She squinted her eyes, missing where she usually wore glasses, trying to see in the dark, completely unaware of the hole that had opened up. She began shushing and rocking the baby.

Parker looked back over towards the hole pushing her body forward, feeling the heat of what felt like a distant fire. She heard cackling of wood or so it had seemed until she realized it appeared to be some sort of small fire pit located multiple stories below the surface.

The walls were covered by stairs that had to descend at least ten stories down. Parker couldn't be sure but it was an odd architectural design, an old mill possibly? Parker saw what appeared to be James's body at the bottom of the square stair case. Parker covered her mouth and closed her eyes, backing away from the hole as tears began to fall.

"Hey I got your text. Where's James?, and what the heck is that." She said pointing at the pit. "Are yall burying dead bodies out here?" Cami sheepishly giggled as she continued to calm her baby.

Parker showed no other emotions than fear and confusion. She placed her hand where her head had hit the tile from James's kitchen floor. She winced with pain as it stung with the slightest touch.

"What's going on Parker, are you ok?" Cami asked as she noticed the amount of clothes Parker was wearing. Odd to be out in your silk pajamas when the weather was closer to freezing outside. This is when she took notice of the dirt and bruises that covered her friend's body as well and her smile faded to concern and worry.

"Oh my god are you ok?" She asked as she sat her wriggling child in her arms down to roam freely as he wanted, his tantrum subsiding.

"We have to get out of here." Parker said looking around at the empty field between them and the back of James's house and the street where her car continued running. Something else had yet to happen. She could feel it. This wasn't over.

"I need to get to the hospital. Grab Xander and stay away from that hole." Parker said firmly to her friend as her vision began to slightly blur and a throbbing pain began in her head again.

"What's going on?" Cami asked quietly.

"I don't know but it's a trap. Some thing took James. We have to get out of here." Parker explained, reaching down to grab her friends toddler as he stammered his way towards her.

"Come here buddy." Parker said as she held her arms out to the baby. He walked straight to her and she swooped him up quickly, returning him to his mother at once, the child began squirming and squealing to be put back down.

"Parker what happened?" Cami asked, still confused.

"I don't know Cami, I don't fucking know..."Parker said, her lip quivering as she began to cry.

"Ok sweetie calm down I'll get you out of here, let me check you out real quick. Sit down and try to relax for a second." Cami said as she placed her child back down to ground.

Parker began watching the child, dedicating her next moments not letting him out of her sight as he sat in the field meters from her playing in the dirt, violently ripping up the grass while giggling to himself, drool falling from his mouth and dirt caught in his boogers.

Parker smiled as the baby cooed, hyper focused on what he was doing, paying no mind to Cami who had pulled out her cell phone when she put her child down. It was only when Parker realized Cami was talking to someone that her attention switched to the light illuminating her friends face from a cellphone pressed against her cheek. Parker stayed sitting on the ground as instructed.

Cami quickly ended the phone conversation and turned the flashlight application from her phone on. She leaned down to Parker, shining the bright light in her friends eyes, observing her pupils, while also examining other cuts, bumps and bruises that Parker had accumulated through out the evening. Her face read with concern but also absolute confusion. Parker wasn't the type to be caught once in a bar but every three years. For her, this was completely out of the ordinary.

"Man you really did bump your head on something, huh." Cami said as she pressed two fingers onto Parker's temple.

Parked grunted quickly and moved her head back from the pressure. She closed her eyes and found herself holding them shut as she took in a deep long breathe, consciously mapping out where she felt pain in her body, what the cold felt like on her skin. She took in another deep breathe, this time to help steady her breathing and to help with the violent shakes and quivering caused by the cold.

Parker stayed there meditating in shock of her current situation as she heard the giggle of her friends two year old child. Parker's eyes flew open and immediately began searching for the toddler. She spotted him only feet from the hole in the earth that had just moments before consumed her friend. Parker immediately jumped to her feet and ran to Xander, adrenaline pumping. He appeared to be trying to follow something...glowing? Something that was...flying?

"Baby no!" Parker shouted at the child.

Xander peered off and looked back at his mother who was also now running to him, then to Parker who was closer and running full speed. He grinned as if it were a game and began waddling as quickly as possible after the glowing creature fluttering in front of him in the most exciting game of chase.

Coming to the edge of the entrance, the baby looked back once more smiling as both women screamed reaching their arms out. In that moment he lost his footing and stumbled down into the hole, flailing as he fell.