Devil's Attic

Chapter Seven

"Fuck," Jonathan exclaimed, as Eden's hands clung tightly to his hip. They all stood in silence, staring at the skeleton of the creature with their mouths agape. It measured about 10 feet in height, had a huge, elongated skull, and its mouth wide open. The teeth were lined up in two rows, and the eye sockets were large and empty. Jonathan's gaze wandered along the body, taking in its massive shoulders, four strong legs, and a tail that curved gently around the creature. Its front feet were adorned with five sharp claws.

"Shit, shit, shit," Kevin muttered, taking a step back. "That's the reptile creature, isn't it?"

"Fuck, yes, damn it." Henry stepped closer, and in the flickering light of the fire, they could see the creature's razor-sharp teeth. "And it's huge. Fuck, Fuuuuuuck, what kind of thing is that?"

Jonathan instinctively pulled his girlfriend closer to him, feeling the urge to protect her even though there was only a skeleton. He tore his gaze away from the creature and surveyed the room. The wall behind the skeleton displayed a lifelike drawing that seemed even more eerie now that they had the remains right in front of them. The other three walls were adorned with skulls, and some bones were scattered across the floor.

A passage in the far corner caught Jonathan's eye, and he hesitantly made his way towards it. Beyond lay a smaller room, filled with a putrid stench that made Jonathan cover his mouth and nose. Cages of varying sizes, constructed from bones and stone slabs, lined the walls of the room. Inside the cages were smaller skeletons with the same characteristics as the creature they had just encountered: a large mouth, huge eye sockets, a slightly curved posture, and a long tail.

"They bred them." Eden's voice made Jonathan wince. "Jo, they... they raised or bred these creatures. That... Of course. The big creature was their god, and when it reproduced, they kept the little ones here. Maybe they wanted to... tame them."

Henry joined them, and the group fell silent for a moment. "Can we please come back to the word 'reproduction'?" he asked. "That means there would have to be another creature."

"Not necessarily." Eden's voice was filled with intrigue as she took a step closer to the cages. "There are various species that can reproduce without a partner. One example is the maiden gecko, which reproduces parthenogenetically. In this process, the females lay unfertilized eggs, and from these eggs, clones of the mother hatch. This type of reproduction is also observed in certain insect species." Carefully, she lifted a smaller cage and peered inside. "If this creature truly possesses reptilian genes, it's possible," she mused, examining the small skeleton within the cage.

"Where's the fun?" Henry murmured, shining his light around the room. Against the left wall, hundreds of smaller cages were stacked, each containing a small skeleton. "Why are they all dead?"

Jonathan pondered for a moment, his thoughts drifting to possible scenarios. "Perhaps something catastrophic occurred. The civilization may have perished, perhaps due to a devastating drought that led to starvation. And with the collapse of society, their... pets may have suffered the same fate."

Kevin and Paul had joined the group and were staring in disbelief at the cages. The reality of their discovery was slowly dawning on them - they had not only stumbled upon an unknown civilization but also undiscovered life forms. However, the scale of their discovery was difficult for the young students to comprehend.

While Eden was taking pictures, Jonathan's flashlight illuminated a large box in the left corner of the room. He took down a cage and ran his fingers over the decorations, which depicted the same creature as the paintings on the walls of the caves, along with several smaller ones. Carefully, he opened the heavy lid of the wooden chest, but the stench was unbearable, and he immediately dropped the lid, choking on the foul odor.