Ideal Host: Catacombs

The Trapped

PWAFILMS presents
IDEAL HOST: EXCAVATION
PART III: THE TRAPPED

Micah paces around the room and shivers and shakes. "I love rocks. I fucking love rocks. They're lifeless and inorganic."

"Shut it, Micah." Derrick snaps. He turns to Seka and shakes his head. "How could something alive be down here? Especially with limited light."

"The universe is a strange place," Seka says. "Somethings just don't make sense."

"I don't believe it." Derrick grunts. "We have to see what it is and maybe it's a way out!"

Micah shakes his head and points at Derrick. "No!"

Seka is split between Micah and Derrick. But her curiosity and determination to find a way out causes her to side with Derrick. "Yes." She turns to Micah. "If you want to stay here, we can come back for you if there's a way out. If you're right, and something alive is down here, then hide and wait until Heather and the dig team help you out. But I'm thinking we'll be fine!"

Seka turns and starts the journey into the catacombs. Derrick tosses Micah an extra beacon and salutes to him, "See you on the other side, Micah." Then turns and joins Seka.

Micah stands alone until darkness overwhelms the room. Then he turns on the beacon and becomes increasingly paranoid. "I'm also scared of the dark. Why the hell would I become a miner if I hate the dark? I should have become a musician like my fucking father..." The fear gets the better of Micah as he runs out after Derrick and Seka. "Wait for me!"

Derrick leads the way with Seka following in from behind. They hear the sounds of running behind them as they turn and see Micah running up. Seka punches Micah in the gut, "Quiet!"

Micah falls over and holds his gut. "Seriously?"

Derrick gets between Micah and Seka. "Look! Now's not the time! Just get your shit together and let's figure out what the hell this thing is!"

Derrick gets moving with Seka and Micah following from behind. Seka keeps an eye on her panel device and finds that up ahead is a room where some of the organic readings are coming from. Micah looks around and sees the walls. He stops and cocks his head to the side as he sees cave drawings.

"Hey, guys! Look at this!" Micah points out the paintings. "Have you seen anything like this?"

Derrick walks over and touches the painting. He looks closely and smiles. "Looks like the old Earth cave paintings."

Seka and Micah turn to Derrick. "What?" Says Seka.

"You are all aware all humans originated from Earth? Before the great migration? And you realize that we used to be primitive. Well before we could communicate with words, we communicated with drawings." Gestures to the cave drawings. "We upgraded over the years, but it all used to be dyed water and smooth rocky walls."

Seka looks closely at the paintings before finding large beings that are worshipping objects in the sky. Seka watches closely as it shows the beings being attacked and enslaved by the objects in the sky. The beings are used in arena fights before rising and attacking their oppressors. The beings take their flying objects and then black monsters are born from the objects.

"It's a story." Seka notices. "A long brutal story. But who are they?"

"Maybe they're still living down here." Micah thinks aloud.

Seka turns to Micah and points out the screen. "I've been keeping a close eye on them and they're stationary. Meaning, it's probably something like flora. Plants."

"I still don't like it." Micah reminds them.

Derrick keeps moving forward until finding an entrance to a nearby room. Derrick disappears inside as Seka and Micah run to catch up. They run and stop as they look into the room. They throw their beacons as they hover freely. The room is carved but has been overtaken by flora and fungi. The room has its own source of light omitting from some bubbling pools of fluid.

"What the hell is this," Micah asks.

"Fungi," Seka reveals as she walks around, looking at the bulbous-shaped mushroom. "Pretty cool, huh, Micah?"

Micah lets his guard down. "So, this is what the scanners picked up?"

Derrick nods before laughing out in amazement. "It's beautiful."

Micah walks up to Derrick and looks closely at it. "It is pretty calming, I guess." Then he pokes the mushroom.

Seka shakes her head. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. We don't know if they are poisonous or not."

"Don't we eat mushrooms?" Micah points out, poking it again. Watching it wobble suddenly. "Huh?"

"Yes, but there are poisonous mushrooms. It's a defense mechanism."

Suddenly, the fungi burst open as an arachnid creature leaps and tries to attach itself to Micah. "Oh fuck!"

Derrick grabs hold of the arachnid and wrestles with it as it tries to latch itself to Micah.

Seka finds a rock and rushes after it. Smashing the top of the arachnid with it. The arachnid keeps coming, so Seka beats it over and over.

Derrick drops the arachnid as they all kill it. Micah brushes his body off and becomes disgusted by what attacked him. Derrick and Seka stay close and back away from the fungi.

But then the other fungi begin to burst and reveal many arachnids within the chamber. Derrick and Seka break into a sprint out of the room, turning right, and disappearing into the darkness.

Micah follows after him, but an arachnid leap and barely misses Micah, causing him to run to the left towards the dead end. The dozens of arachnids rush out of the room. Most of them followed Micah, but a few trailed after Derrick and Seka.

Derrick runs and throws his beacon, so it lights their way. Seka looks back and sees a few arachnids leaping after them. But they don't have anything to defend themselves. So, Derrick throws Seka ahead of him so they don't get her. "Go! Keep going!"

Seka runs faster. He disappears down a corner and finds another room. There she finds a door, so she leaps and gets behind it while waiting for Derrick. Derrick catches up and jumps and rolls just as Seka closes the door. Derrick goes back and keeps it shut while the arachnid leaps and tries to get in. After a moment, the fighting dies off and they finally rest.

Micah on the other side of the catacombs, finds himself at the dead end. He runs and tries to hide behind a rock, but the arachnid leaps over it and attaches itself to his abdomen. It pushes its ovipositor and unleashes fluid into its body. He screams and feels an uncomfortable warmth in his body. He panics before becoming overwhelmed by the tension within him. He begins to black out as the arachnid holds on tightly for the journey.

Heather sits and watches as her team works on the elevator shaft that they're building to get to the MOLE team. Heather walks back to the cargo truck and sits with Karina who is panicking more than everyone there. Heather slaps Karina's shoulder and shakes her head to her, "My first time running a dig operation was the worst day of my life." She laughs. "We had just about every problem a dig team could have. Plus, we were all underwater." She bobs her head unsure of her response. "Well, I was safe on the boat, but I was as close as I could to my team. We had suit malfunctions, drill malfunctions, and a storm that nearly tore our boat in half.

"We were also pretty far for most digs. Astra-747Br if I remember it properly. Well, I nearly quit after that, but I didn't. I had contact with my boss above and he gave me insight on how to not lose my shit. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here. We lost a couple of people that week, but that's part of this job. You have to know the risks." Heather stops and looks at Karina. "You'll be just fine."

"But not the MOLE team. Not if we hurry." Karina thinks aloud. "Is there any way we can speed this up?"

Heather shakes her head, "Unfortunately, not... Patience is something you'll learn pretty quickly on this job. Patience to not act irrationally or worry too much. Things take time. Just like digging takes time." Heather slaps Karina's shoulder. "It'll be fine, trust me."

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