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Chapter 7

On the opposite side of the deep pit was a steep slope heading up through the wide crack in the rock. We started up that direction, slipping on the loose gravel and helping pull each other up. By the time we finally reached a somewhat flat spot, my right arm was shaking and sore from the exertion.

"You doing okay, Jas?" asked Brooke, seeing my sweaty face.

"Yeah, just kinda tired ... and dizzy."

"You want us to go slower?"

"Naw, I'm all right."

She nodded and then tilted her head, focusing on something I couldn't see.

"What is it?" I asked curiously, trying to spot what she was looking at farther down the road.

"Look, that light ... it's coming towards us. Can you see that?" she pointed one arm up where the tunnel leveled out. "Guys, I think someone's coming! Duck."

We all flattened ourselves to the slope and strained our ears, finally hearing the small sound of gravel being trod on by the four feet of an animal.

The light stopped at the top of the slope - I couldn't see what it was being carried by but whatever it was sniffed the air, and then gave a small bark.

"Aijet?" I whispered, and the animal yipped again, poking it's head over the top of the slope.

I started pulling myself towards him. "Guys, didn't we put him in the shed? How'd he get out?"

I looked down at the others ... they all looked baffled. "What's that around his neck?" asked Claire, and I turned back to my pup to see what she was talking about.

Attached to a thin silver cord that was wrapping around it, was a small glowing orb, sending a cold light through the cavern.

"Aijet, where'd you get this?" He stopped his excited panting and just looked into my brown eyes with his colored ones. "Go on, show us where it came from."

He hopped off my lap and started down the path he came, the light bobbing on its silver chain and sending deformed shadows across the walls.

I looked back where I'd fallen from, seeing the blinding sunlight, and then taking a deep breath. As long as being afraid as heights, I was also claustrophic. I breathed out, attempting to get rid of my fear, trying to push it out of my mind as best I could and then turning to follow Aijet, who was already leading the way deeper into the Earth.

The four of us followed Aijet, making several turns as the underground path grew smaller and smaller. Surprisingly it looked fairly worn, although I didn't think the camp counselors actually knew about it.

"I feel like we shoud've brought jackets," Brooke said, and I heard her shiver.

Claire laughed. "Yeah, just bringing jackets to go swim on a dock. That sounds realistic."

"Yeah, that's true. I wish we could've known we were coming here though. Oh damn, you guys, do you think someone will see our canoe?"

"That's right. Well, if they do ... I don't know. We'll just have to hope no one will."

"Shh! Aijet, no! Stop!" I lunged forward to grab my dog but he continued traveling at the same speed, right around the corner into the flickering golden light.