Mastim's Curse

Chapter 24

I need to warn her about the maze. I struggle to pull myself onto my knees and wave but can't get any words out of my frozen throat. I've never felt so useless as she disappears below the surface quickly followed by the man. They need that bamboo tube, but it's nowhere in sight. I stumble closer to the pit they descended into and wait. Each second that passes increases the morbid anxiety of what might happen. How long can they hold their breath? Not much longer, surely. Then it comes... the sound of dull thuds. Like someone in the water hitting their firsts against the plywood covering the pit. A sickness settles in the pit of my stomach. The thuds are coming from about halfway to the center. I pull myself onto the wood and crawl towards the disturbing sound, the pounding of my heart matching the rhythm of the dreadful betting of raw flesh on wood.

Without warning, the man comes splashing out of the pit opening behind me startling me so much I almost crap my pants. He struggles to pull himself out of the icy water, and once out, he lies in the dirt coughing and shivering.

The rhythmic pounding under the wood has become more frantic. The sick feeling inside me turns to full-fledged nausea tinged with hysteria now that it's obviously that sweet girl who's fighting for her life. Her fists are beating the rhythm for her final dance with the life stealer called Panic. She's right under me now. But my clawing on the edges of the plywood is pointless and only rakes the skin from my frost-bitten fingers and drives splinters under my cracked nails. Blood from my hands makes strange patterns on the wood while the rhythm of her dance subsides and then stops. So... Death has cut in for his turn with her. Feeling powerless and emotionally drained, I lay down on the bloody painting I've made, my fingers aflame with terrible, throbbing pain.

More people arrive at the edge of the ice pit and the girl's half-drown partner explains the dangerous maze to them. The way I should have done.

One of the new arrivals in a red shirt waves his arms negatively. "Hell no! I'm not doing that." He dashes off and is soon out of sight.

"Wait up for me Fred," one of them says before running after him.

The others murmur, shake their heads, and then follow him, leaving me and the distraught man to ourselves. It'd be easy enough for me to just lie here and wallow in the pain of my frozen body, but those other people are going after points. There's nothing I can do for the poor girl under me in her dark and icy tomb, but I may still be able to get enough points to save Aleale.

Get up, I tell myself. This isn't over yet. My body protests as I force myself into a sitting position to put my shoes and socks back on. The shoes are tight on my frostbitten and swollen feet. Before I even take a step, my resolve is greeted by the sound of dogs barking in the distance once again. I'm in no condition to fight wild dogs. A spear could make a big difference. I doubt that guy will tell me where he got his, but it's worth a try.

I call out to the girl's partner. "I'm sorry about your friend."

"Me too... I tried to pull her back, but... She's stubborn" He motions out to the bloody stain on the plywood. "Thanks for trying to save her."

I breathe a heavy sigh, "You're welcome. They screwed down the plywood. It's not coming off without tools." He seems nicer now. Maybe I just need to get to know him better. "Did you know her before this?"

"Yeah, we're both in an extreme sports club in Denver." Shadows of remorse cloud his face. "We thought this would be fun." He shakes his head. "It's not."

"No, it's not fun at all." I pause a moment and then ask, "Do you mind if I ask where you got the spear?"

He smiles a sad smile. "We were the first ones across the bridge and it was just lying on the ground on the other side." His smile fades. "But it was the only one, and I need to keep it."