Aug 29: write a short story set entirely in a cave or cavern...-ish
....
Abby was trembling.
She sat in the darkness, at a corner of the cave, her back resting on the rough, stony walls. The air was damp and smelt like rottening wood.
She didn't know where to go or what to do. She was stuck in the stupid cave. She had been stuck for hours. She tried to find a way but there was no exit.
The last time she remembered being out of the cave, she was wandering outside the tent. The one that she and her friends were camping in. She heard a sound and so she walked towards it.
She hadn't gone too far when something heavy suddenly fell on her head and she blacked out. And then she woke up to find herself in the cave.
She'd wandered around the cave after she'd figured there was no way out. Maybe it was just because it was late in the evening, she thought. If I could stay here until the morning, maybe the sunlight would help me and I'll find my way out.
She saw drawings on the walls of the cave. Strange symbols that creeped her out. The last thing she saw before the flashlight on her fully charged phone turned off was a straight line suddenly appearing right in front of her. It was a swift stroke in bright red colour. And then he phone sparked and in fright she dropped it and she was left in darkness. She groped for it on the floor and found it eventually. To her horror, it wasn't turning on.
She drew in a sharp breath and took slow steps backwards. Her breathing was uneven and her heart was beating fast.
Her back finally hit a wall and she slid down to the floor. And that's how she ended up at the corner, shaking.
For a long time, there was no sound save for her breathing and the shifting of her legs on the sandy ground.
Until she heard it. A sound like something was being dragged slowly across the floor. Something like a human body or a sac of potatoes.
She used both her hands to cover her mouth to prevent herself from screaming.
She sat shaking violently. Tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
The sound came from the left and another one similar to that one, came from the right. Quiet whimpers came from between her fingers. She pressed the trembling fingers harder against her mouth.
Suddenly the sounds stopped. And she waited a moment before letting our a shaky sigh. She sobbed quietly. She's didn't know what to do. And her fear glued her to the wall she sat against.
But the moment didn't last long. Sounds like water dripping down the roof of the cave was the next thing she heard. She heard it from far away. The sounds were faint but then it became clearer and louder and suddenly the drops were pouring on her.
This time she screamed. And then she opened her eyes and realized that nothing had happened. But she was still in the cave.
"HELP!" she screamed so loud, the cave shook. Sand slithered to the ground from the roof but that was it. Her wails cut through the silence. She shook. And then she froze.
A cold hand was suddenly wrapped around her neck. It felt clammy and she suddenly became dizzy with fright. The hand squeezed tighter around her neck and she choked. Her vision was darkening, although that was hard to tell because it was already pitch dark in the cave. She was struggling to breathe. She gasped for air and kept choking. And when she was about to let go and surrender, her throat loosened up.
She still trembled where she sat as she wrapped her hands around her neck to soothe it and coughed.
"You shouldn't have read it Abby..."
The voice was raspy and quiet. She couldn't tell if it belonged to a male or female but she didn't really care.
"Read what?" she whispered. Her voice was shaking as much as she was.
"I'm sorry." The voice had gotten much deeper now. "You have to stay with us." It had returned to its former state.
She opened her mouth to speak but had suddenly lost the ability to speak. With a huge force, her head was pushed back to the wall and her entire face was covered.
She mumbled and thrust her limbs out wildly and cried.
And then everything disappeared. She started to see a bright light, her body was loosening up, the air didn't feel weird and damp.
"Abby?"
The voice sounded distant and shrill.
"Get her up!"
+_+_+_+
Weeee...
