Strings - Camp NaNoWriMo 2017

«What Lurks in Darkness - 2»

My head spun as I lifted myself off the floor, taking a glance at my surroundings.

Well... I'm not dead.

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness I began to make out the faint outline of jagged stone walls. Stalagmites protruded from the ground, making navigation difficult. I stumbled around blindly, groping with shaking fingers.

"J-Jasper?" I called, my voice giving away my fear. My heart was pounding, each heartbeat lurching into my throat. "Jas? Are you there?"

A low hissing sound rose up out of the darkness. I jumped.

"Come out and face me," I growled as dauntingly as I could. I heard the sound of feet, pattering through a puddle of water and over the slick stone floor. I turned in a slow circle, trying to discern where the noise was coming from.

"You heard me!" I called, louder this time. "I said come out!" The sound echoed ominously through the cavern. I reached for the knife I kept in my coat pocket and slipped it out. It was more of a bare blade than anything else, but it would do.

The seconds ticked by. I had just begun to suspect that I had simply been hearing things when finally, two red eyes emerged from the darkness. They blinked out at me, doing nothing, just... observing.

I gripped the handle of my weapon tighter, staring back. Then the sounds of pattering footsteps began to rise out of the darkness, dozens of tiny noises merging into a steady stream. I held my ground, standing deathly still as the eyes surrounded me.

Finally, the sound came to an end. Red flecked the darkness around me. My eyes wandered this way and that, instinctively avoiding eye contact. Their pupil-less stares unnerved me.

"Where's Jasper?" I demanded, making sure my weapon was in plain view.

Nothing happened.

"My friend," I tried to explain. "The one that you brought me here with." I felt embarrassed immediately afterwards for trying to communicate.

Suddenly one of the creatures up front tilted its head. I started, instinctively angling my weapon towards the one that had moved. My action sent a bristle through the crowd, a ripple of distortion. It was like sticking a hand into a still pool.

Their reaction in turn made me uneasy, but I forced myself to remain calm, to lower my hand. "Take me to him," I said, slowly and deliberately.

A few seconds passed. Then suddenly, one of the creatures stepped back. Then the next, followed by the one behind that. Pretty soon they were all clearing a narrow path, letting me pass.

"Thank-" I started quietly, then bit back my tongue, my pride and rage holding me back. I walked the narrow path, placing each foot directly in front of the last. There was barely any space to move. I licked my chapped lips, trying to keep my paranoid mind from imagining me tripping and falling into the mass of bodies.

Finally, I reached a cleaning. The creatures began to silently file in into the rounded room, slinking around rock formations, some climbing up the walls and onto carved perches.

Suddenly I gasped, spying a figure sprawled on the ground. Jasper was lying before me, face down and curled in an unnatural position. His clothes were in tatters, and his usually carefully kept hair was a disheveled mess, caked with what I was praying was something other than blood.

I rushed to him, falling down on my knees. "Jasper..." I hissed. "Jas, can you hear me?" I turned him over. His face lolled up to look at me. His eyes were shut.

"Please be alive," I whispered, trembling hands searching for a pulse. Where was it... wrist? Neck? The thoughts blurred together in my mind. Still, there was no beat to be found.

I began to panic. My mind began to race. "Jasper!" I choked out, a sob escaping my lips. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, then began to stream down my cheeks in filthy torrents, picking up the mud and grime on my face. "Jasper, please..."

Still, no response. I broke down, sinking down onto my hands and knees, oblivious to my surroundings.

"Jas, I-" I started, then turned away. I swallowed my sobs, attempting to dry my eyes, remembering where I was. A sort of heaviness settled into the pit of my stomach, hard as lead, yet at the same time, a gaping, empty hole.

Finally, with one last push of my effort, I stood up onto my feet. My throat felt raw, and my eyes were strained from the dim light and my tears.

"What do you want?" I said in a hoarse whisper. Then, louder, nearly a yell. "What do you want?!" The crowd bristled once more.

"You kill my friend, kidnap me-" I continued, unsteady. Rage began to seep into my brain, finding its way into the tone of my voice. "And yet I'm still here. Alive. You need me for something."

I paused, looking all around.

"What do you want?!" I suddenly shouted, surprised at my own force. "What do you need from me?!"

I forced myself to lower my voice. Where is this coming from? This isn't me. "What was so important that Jasper had to die?"

There was no response.

Then, one creature stepped forward, padding towards me. My breath caught in my throat as I drew my blade again and turned around.

The beast stared back, unflinching. I slowly lowered the knife, still not taking my eyes off it.

It blinked, regarding me with cool collectivity. Then it turned around, walking into the crowd. Once again they parted, forming a walkway. I followed the creature, my hand still resting on my weapon. I felt a twinge of guilt as we moved away from Jasper's body, followed by a rush of sadness. I shook it away immediately after. Better to remain angry, for now. There would be time to grieve later, if I made it out alive.

We walked on and on, through seemingly endless tunnels and impossibly complex twists and turns. A few times I was certain we were going in circles. Other times I considered running, breaking away from the trail and making a dash for it. Despite these creeping thoughts, I remained in place, doing as I was told. One foot in front of the other, passage after passage, turn after turn. Dark corridors, haunting eyes. It was enough to drive someone insane.

Drip.

My ears perked up, and I glanced in the direction of the sound.

Drop.

Water. I snapped to attention. We were getting somewhere, that was for sure. But where?

The lighting began to change, brightening. The air changed from the stuffy humidity of the cave to something more natural. I thought I felt a faint breeze flitter past.

"Where are we?" I asked, not expecting an answer. The walls began to widen out as the ceiling began to rise. I stretched out to my full height, thankful for something for the first time today.

Red light began to show itself through the deep coat of darkness, tinting the air around us. As we walked, the glow only intensified, until finally, the darkness was gone completely.

I gasped as the source of the light gradually came into view. All around me, the creatures lowered their heads, as if in respect. A low hum, almost a purr, emanated from the backs of their throats. Instantly, I knew where we were.

The heart of the forest.