Devil's Attic

Chapter Four

The oppressive silence enveloped Jonathan, accompanied by a piercing whistle that echoed in his ears. He blinked, unsure if his eyes were open or closed, as darkness consumed his vision. In his arms, Eden's heartbeat raced against his chest, her rapid breath brushing against his skin. Concerned, he asked if she was okay, sensing her nod in response, unable to articulate her experience.

Slowly, he stood up, gently guiding his girlfriend to her feet. He brushed her tears away and placed a kiss on her forehead before embracing her tightly. Jonathan whispered that everything would be alright, though deep down, he knew it wouldn't. A moan from the darkness to his right made him turn, calling out into the void for Henry and Kayla.

Henry reassured Jonathan that he was okay, while Kayla's voice trembled as she echoed the sentiment before calling out for Claire. Eden sought solace in Jonathan's embrace, burying her face in his chest, and memories flooded his mind. He vividly recalled witnessing the stones striking Claire and Kyle, followed by the cave ceiling collapsing and burying them beneath it.

Paul's urgent cries for Kyle and Kevin snapped Jonathan back to reality, causing him to hold onto Eden even tighter, desperately trying to keep his panic at bay. After a brief moment, he cautiously felt his way forward in the darkness, guiding Eden along with him. Suddenly, a beam of light pierced through the darkness as Henry had found a flashlight and began scanning the area, repeatedly calling out Claire's name. However, there was no response.

Jonathan asked if everyone could see the beam of light, and the students confirmed they could. He requested his friend to point the flashlight up, and they all made their way towards him. Despite the small light in the distance, the cave was pitch-black, and Jonathan carefully led Eden forward, tripping over stones several times before reaching Henry. In the beam of light, Jonathan noticed a laceration on his friend's head. Kayla joined them, covered in blood. He quickly checked on Eden, but apart from dirt, he found nothing else. Paul and Kevin arrived, both shouting for Kyle, and Kayla joined in, calling for her friend. Kayla's face was smeared with tears as she asked, "Yes, but where's Claire? And Kyle? Did they make it out?"

Jonathan wetted his lips nervously, knowing that what he had to say wouldn't be easy. "No. They didn't," he said softly. "They... They didn't make it out."

Confused, Kayla stared at him, and Henry also seemed to need a moment to understand what was being said. "You... Oh my god. No, no, no, no. NO!"

Kevin was shocked and asked, "What? They... Kyle... they... Are they dead?"

The group fell silent, and the weight of the tragedy hung heavily in the air. The darkness of the cave seemed to mirror the darkness in their hearts as they tried to come to terms with the loss of their friends. Jonathan took a deep breath. "Yes, they are." Jonathan recounted what he had seen, how the stones had buried Claire and Kyle.

Immersed in disbelief, Kayla tried to cling to the one spark of hope. "But maybe they made it out, maybe they managed to crawl away before the rocks came down, right? Maybe, maybe they have... maybe, yes..."

The silence that followed Kayla's question told her more than Jonathan could, and she understood the devastating news. Two members of their expedition were dead. Suddenly, everyone was talking in confusion, and their voices echoed from the cave walls, growing into a cacophony of grief.

As if the loss of their friends wasn't bad enough, Paul suddenly realized they were trapped and fell into an absolute panic. He screamed and screamed as he spun in circles, repeating his mantra over and over again. "We can't get out of here. We're all going to die here."

Jonathan quickly stepped in front of Paul and put his hands on his arms. He spoke to him several times, but when Paul didn't respond, Jonathan began to shake him gently. "We're getting out of here, okay? But we can't panic now, it will only make it worse," he whispered and turned to the others.