Chapter Four

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Quentin looked around, shaking from fear. The creatures would be back soon, and he wanted more than anything to escape. He glanced down at his wrists, bleeding from the tight rope used to hold them together. By now the rope was a dark, crimson red, and it was hard to distinguish flesh from twain. This made his current task of rubbing the rope against a sharp rock in an attempt shred it very difficult, and his arms were covered in crude cuts. Eventually, the rope snapped, and he stood up slowly. It took a good five minutes for him to regain his balance, for he had been sitting for quite a long time. How long exactly, he had no clue. When there was no sunlight, it became hard to tell hours from weeks. He estimated he had been trapped in the damp cave for around two weeks.

Quentin realized he needed to hurry. They could be back any second, and he had no clue how to escape the maze-like cavern. He glanced down at his watch and was surprised to discover it was gone. He figured it must have fallen off in his struggle with the creatures, and wandered over to a cave wall. There were barbarous markings covering the dark grey stone wall. It seemed like whoever made these primal scratches couldn't seem to make up their mind, for there were pictures of various humans that had been scraped off. However, there were a few untouched pictures. Despite his hurry, he drifted over to them and looked eagerly at the wall. Quentin had always been very curious, and this was no exception. He gasped in surprise as he realized that the two markings were of him and Sawyer.

Quentin leaped up, surprised and very disturbed at what he had just seen. Sawyer was a quiet girl in his class of whom he had no relation, yet he grew very worried when he realized she was next. He had to find a way out of the cave quickly, or else it might be to late to warn her. He stood up and stumbled to a spot in which he thought he saw light. Up above him, in the roof of the cave was a hole, which allowed light to flow freely through the small cubic centimeter.

Quentin was tall for an eighth grader, but he still could not reach the small gap. With great strain, he lifted up a nearby rock that was about three times the size of his head, placing it down underneath the hole. He was now able to reach the fissure while jumping. He slowly made the hole bigger and bigger by jumping up and grabbing dirt from around it until it was large enough for him to fit through. Now, the only problem was lifting himself up to it.

Quentin wasn't weak in his upper body, but mainly prioritized the condition of his legs, since he was on the track team at school. He quickly realized he needed to jump up, grab the outer rim of the newly-formed tunnel, and pull himself up and out. He moved the rock he had used to create the hole to give him space to get a running start, then sprinted across the cave. He leapt up and grabbed the rim, pulling himself up to blinding moonlight. Luckily for him, it was around midnight, so he only had to deal with the bright, luminous moon and stars. After being stuck underground in an unlit cavern for two weeks, any light was blinding.

Quentin was now stuck in an awkward position, his legs submerged underground, while his upper torso was now even with the terrain. He looked around at the huge forest surrounding him, and was surprised that he still could not see the opening of the cave. He figured the cavern must stretch on for quite a while.

Quentin prepared to pull himself the remaining feet when suddenly he froze. A giant hand had clamped around his left ankle with an iron grip. In a deep, booming voice, the creature the hand belonged to said, "Where do you think you're going?" Pure terror filled Quentin, and he started violently shaking. Images of what they had don't to him before flashed through his mind. The creatures were back, and they were not happy.

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⏰ Last updated: Oct 07, 2016 ⏰

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