Crackerjack II

Chpt. 30: One Thing After Another

After worming her way out of the world's narrowest tunnel, Kristen was covered in scrapes on top of the bruises she'd gotten from the rock pile. She stumbled to her feet, puffing. Her eyes narrowed as she contemplated the path ahead.

Darkness no longer clouded her vision, since some sort of moss grew in spots on the walls, casting the cavern into a dim, gray glow. The ceiling towered out of sight, but the walls rounded out so that the floor was almost a bowl, the bottom of which was covered in a fine, white dust.

As she peered down, Kristen's foot slipped, and she tumbled with a gasp into the basin. The powder settled around her too quickly to be dust as she regained her footing. Coughing, she glanced around. The sides were smooth to the touch and too steeply sloped for a running start to make any difference.

Her gaze was drawn to the center of the bowl, where a puddle provided the source for the earlier dripping. The powder around it was stained purple, and the color spread with each slow drip. Kristen crouched, squinting. Her head jerked up at a groaning. She stood when distant splashing followed. From the darkness overhead, a thick wave of water descended with white caps and foam.

Kristen dove out of direct range, but as the moisture spread, the powder beneath her feet colored and liquefied, sucking up to her ankles. With wide eyes, Kristen yanked, but her feet were firmly restrained. Meanwhile, the water level continued to rise, the crashing of the fall filling her ears as it would soon fill her lungs.

Her eyes hardened. She was not going to drown here. Shielding her eyes against the spray, she plunged a hand into the waves at her feet. Orange erupted, then turned blue. Her brow furrowed at the abundance, the never-ending water. The fire tinted white, slowly pushed back the water. 

Kristen swung one hand around to keep the waves at bay while she dried the powder at her feet. She hoped it didn't just harden. The purple faded, and Kristen stumbled out.

She halted a foot away, both hands withholding the rapidly-growing waters. With a deep breath, Kristen reined in her flames and jumped with all her might. The powder again darkened, then disappeared under the swells.

She churned water for a moment, then shook the dripping strands of hair from her face and paddled for shore. By the time the edge was within reach, her arms were burning with exertion. She crawled out and away but was too tired to search for an escape. Instead, she watched the waters continue to rise. When they sloshed over the edge of the basin, however, she dragged herself to her feet. 

Her desperate search turned up an exit when the water lapped at her shins. She struggled to the opening, which, to her relief, sloped upward.

She stumbled into another cavern, but the moss in this one was much more scant, only enough to make the shadows seem more eerie. Kristen hugged the wall as her eyes slid over the space. Against the far wall, something like a nest for a very, very large bird was scattered along the floor. Kristen considered lighting her hand, but she was already so drained. She scooped up a handful of moss, instead, and approached the nest, wondering if she'd found Scorch's resting place.

A whimper snapped from the darkness, and Kristen froze. 

Blinking, Kristen peered closer. In the darkest shadow, a pair of eyes reflected the dim light. She drew in a breath when she made out the little girl pressing against the wall.

"Hey, there."

The girl trembled and whimpered again.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you."

"Bad."

She startled. "What?"

The little girl pointed, slightly above Kristen's shoulder. "Bad, bad, bad!"

A growl rang through the cavern. Kristen whirled, the moss dropping from her fingers. Her vision swam as a mutante felino stalked out of the passage she'd come from. Her hands clenched around the memory of a stick as the glowing, glaring scales advanced. Her mouth hung open, but she couldn't control her lungs enough to get air. Her body was so numb she barely felt the pounding of her heart.

Sobbing from behind snapped her out of her memory just as the cat charged. Kristen danced out of the way, then hurriedly lit her hands. The cat's attention shifted from the little girl to the dazzling fire. The flames reflected in the black eyes as the monster twisted to follow.

Kristen barely had time to think "veps" before the cat was on top of her. She somersaulted beneath its legs. The jaws snapped shut behind her. She snatched a handful of rocks while lifting the hand on fire above her head.

Okay, a plan. What was her plan? This cat was much smaller than the other one. Its head was only a few feet above her own, and the boulder on its tail was about her size. Which meant the target area would be significantly smaller, too. And she had no weapon to wedge between the scales.

She scrambled away from the charge. Ducking the swipe, she flung the rocks into the cat's face. It shook its head and yowled, backing away. Triumph flushed Kristen's system until the feline turned to less resistant prey. The little girl sobbed harder when the black eyes locked on her.

Kristen gasped. She started to run after the cat, but the tail flicked down, slamming her into the ground. Ringing clogged her ears, slowing her processing and blurring her vision. She blinked hard as she pushed off the floor.

Then, she lifted her head. Her jaw clenched when the girl's screaming broke through the pulsing ring.

The cat growled and turned its head when the rock smashed into its skull. Kristen continued shouting and hurling rocks until the creature changed direction. She maneuvered so that she was between the girl and the creature, yelling all the time. When the cat was in front of the passage, Kristen gritted her teeth.

The heaviness of the girl's gaze weighed on Kristen as she inflamed her hands. The cat's head jerked back. It growled, though uncertainly. Kristen grew the fire, sending it in the mutante felino's direction. It scrambled back, hissing. Kristen advanced, eyes hard. 

The cat initially stood its ground, growling, but when Kristen didn't stop, it backed away. Though her energy drained with each second, Kristen didn't thin the flames until the cat turned tail and disappeared into the passage.

Oh my word! We're almost to the end! Hope this has been an exciting and fun journey. I would really appreciate some feedback :) Hope you have a great day!
~J.