White Wall Cave

Discovery

                Red plaid bed sheets, firmly presses, stood out from the dark greed carpet. The walls took on the color of a light sandy tan while the furniture was determined to stay oak brown. Forest theme, the hotel seemed to shout as even the pictures hanging only an old wire were depicted of rivers and mountains. A small round wooden table with two heavy chairs was placed near the only window in the room. The off white curtains above the windows were closed, stained from the multiple use. Enya sat in one of the chairs, feet propped up on the table, and her small silver laptop on her lap. The suit and dress pants she previously had on were swapped for worn out blue jeans and a black long sleeve shirt. The tight bun he had her hair in was quickly undone letting her long ebony hair flow down the back of the chair. Her brown eyes lazily scanned the screen as one website traded places with another. A new screen opened up and as she read the page, Enya’s eyes popped open.

            “Oh, no.” She jumped out of her seat tossing the laptop to the table. Grabbing her car keys, she bolted out the door. The laptop’s screen glowed in the empty room.

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The roar of the yellow Mustang’s engine accelerated to 60 mph as Enya raced through the small town. She flipped out her phone and pressed the speed dial.

             “Eli! I know what it is and where it is  going to strike next. It’s called a Mongolian Death Worm. Five foot long, eyeball eating monster that makes a powerful electrical discharge to kill people. Those kids were in the cave looking for some sort of fungus called White Nose Syndrome. It is actually the remains of the Mongolian Death Worm’s meal. So…”

            “Wait a second,” Eli’s voice came from her phone. “ Some teenagers were in a cave looking for a large worm’s poop? Now that’s funny.”

            “Eli! It is going to feed again… tonight! Those flickering lights in the victims’ houses is the Mongolian Death Worm sapping into their light’s power so it can kill again. I already checked Hannah’s family but I was too late. I don’t want to screw up again, Eli!”

            “Ok, ok. Calm down. How do we kill it?”

            "Only one way to kill it. There is not much information about it in the first place but the website talked about it being weak to a chemical called… Aa-oh-ye-ah…”

            “Don’t you mean ammonia?”

            “Ya that’s it.”

            “All right. I’ll meet you where Andrew lives… or lived. But, um, Enya…”

            “What?”

            “Where is the house at?”

            “Didn’t you looked up the victims or did you just focus on the monster? Oh never mind! The house is one town over from where you are so it shouldn’t be far. They live on the outskirts of town in an old farmhouse. And be quick!”, she clicked off the phone setting it in the cup holder. She stole a quick glance into the leather passenger seat where two corked glass bottles held a clear liquid. The Mustang hit the dirt driveway, jingling the bottles.

            I hope those corks stay in. I don’t want to mess with that stuff till I see that red beast. Way back in my childhood was when I first saw it. How long as it been? Ten, twelve years but I was so young I barely remember.

A farmhouse with a red barn near by was what a hunter's daughter called home. One day I remember so well as if it happened yesterday. Playing tag in the hay bales with my older brother, I had a feeling that something was going to go wrong. The earth suddenly shook, knocking us to the dirt floor. The horses in the stalls jumped and pawed at the ground. Those horses never panicked in fire, floods, or other eathquakes but this experience terrified them. My brother, Jordan, looked in the direction of the house with dismay. Flash of silver flew from my teenage brother's pocket as he flicked out his knife. He only uses that knife when danger is at its highest. His mouth moved yet the noise drowned out his voice. He stood up and darted out of the barn. Staring at the swinging doors, I wanted to follow but I could not get to my feet. It was as if someone was pressing down on my shoulders, forcing me to stay down. As soon as the earthquake had suddenly started, it ended as the earth became still. Using the prickly hay bales, I shakily stood up.

            What was that? My bare feet shuffled against the dirt floor. Sunlight filtered through the cracked doors.

         Mom. Dad. Are they ok? I ran, the fear of what happened choked me as I stepped into the soft grass of the yard.

          Where did Jordan run off to and why did he bring his knife? My feet skipped the old porch steps and my hands pushed open the faded front door. I reeled back in shock of the smell taht intoxicated the living room.  It didn't smell of mother's freshly baked apple pies or of father's dusty leather books that sat neatly on the bookshelf. Covering my nose and mouth with my hand I thought I could block out the smell of burning flesh. I was frantic, looking into every room in the house but I still could not find my family. The kitchen was empty but a line of salt traced the door's threshold. I remember from my lessons my father would teach me about the different monsters. Salt keeps out deamons or ghosts.

         So was it a ghost or deamon that caused the earthquake? My mind thought of all the monsters I knew of but none could have the power to shake the ground. Defeated by the loss of the only people who are close to me, I walked back to the living room and sat down in my dad's rocking chair. Memory mixed with reality as the house I was in had that familiar smell. Similar to the past I explored for any survivors yet the only trace of the family laid at my feet. Burnt steaming corpus with the eyes gone. I can't look at thouse defromed bodies again. Tears threatened to fall as the faint sound of an engine cam from outside the house.

          Eli, thank goodness. The longer this beast stays alive the more people will die. I will not let it happen again. Fresh cool air flowed from the front door as Enya Zander walked to her car. She walked awya from her old childhood home, a shadow of the past looming behind her.