Lazarus's Tomb

1

Please Read Before Continuing

Author's Note: Readers discretion is advised! - This story contains graphic material of torture, nudity, sadism and Nazism. I do not endorse anything the story depicts. This story is a work of fiction. I do not express the same opinions as the characters I created. There may be some outdated phrases or certain words in the story that are there because of the time period I was writing it in. I am against any kind of hate however we cannot change the past and pretend it was something it was not. We can only learn from it and hope it never repeats itself.

The cave isn't as big or as well hidden as Esteban expected and he can't believe what he is seeing in front of him. He had been travelling through the hot tropical jungle of Colima for the last few hours, searching for this evil cave the locals nicknamed La Tumba del Diablo. Of course, a man like Esteban doesn't believe in evil or devils, or ghosts. He remembers a woman from a nearby town he grew up in who told people she was being attacked by a spirit. She would walk the streets in her nightgown spattered in crimson stains, screaming insanities about how she couldn't sleep or eat as she was being beaten by the evil spirit. She wanted someone to come and batter her over the head. She offered a local butcher her 'meat' as she claimed something was inside her. But he refused. It got so bad the police got involved and investigated. There was no media, no paranormal experts either. The Catholic Church never got involved too, as it only took one whole day to understand what was really happening with the woman. It wasn't evil spirits but her husband. Her husband beat her and starved her, cut off parts of her skin and fed it to his dogs. No monsters - just sick people.

Standing before a small opening in the rocks, he feels uneasy. He can't explain why. The opening in the rock is small, very narrow, and vertical; like it had been struck by a lightning strike. But still, a feeling of unsettledness causes him to hesitate. He peers into the darkness, if he turns his head just a bit sideways; he notices the opening looks just like a grimacing mouth, luring him in. Before entering, he checks his pockets and his notebook. Strapped around his neck is a camera. Whatever he finds in that case he is going to document it and share it with the world.

The cave is cold; colder than Esteban expected. The light from his camera illuminated little of his surroundings, but he can see very clearly what is in front of him as the narrow tunnel keeps closes tighter and tighter, until he could barely breathe. It gets so tight that both his hands touch the either side of the wet, rocky surface of the walls. He tries to look back, but he can't quite turn his shoulder far enough around for him to see properly. He wonders if he has made a grave mistake. But no, the locals told him that children have been inside and out, daring each other to go in. Yesterday while doing research, he noticed a little boy, no older than his daughter, who had a bloody nose that he got from his father for entering the cave on a dare. Of course it has to be the children that are braver than the adults. The older you become the more frail you, however kids are less frail due to their lack of experiences; innocence.

Did he hear something? Now the wind is messing with him. He could have sworn that he hears something. He brushes it off and continues. He really hopes there are no bats. He cannot stand the little virus ridden, winged beasts. He continues walking or as moving forward as he can, looking back over his shoulder to see how much progress he has made.

There it is again. The wind, no- not the wind, it is something ominous. Goosebumps creep all over his body; he hears something. His body reacts to it, telling him to flee, that it's not safe for him to continue. But he keeps moving.

He stops dead as he hears a low threatening, growl. Sweat beading on his brow, his breath heavy. It is so hard to breathe, every time he inhales; it feels like a lifetime until his lungs with air. He hears it again, more clearly this time. It is a growl. It sounds like an animal, could it be a wolf? But that would be impossible as they are not native to Colima. Perhaps someone has smuggled one in illegally?