The Human Hunter

Chapter 2

The descent was quiet. Emma knew they were being lowered downward slowly by the man since she could feel that one of his arms was raised over his head. His body shifted every few moments, too, his muscles bunching and flexing beneath her own body. Faint brushing sounds made her believe that he was likely walking them down something at an angle, but it was clearly taking a decent amount of effort on his part. Probably a wall of some sort. It was getting humid and the smell of damp soil quickly overwhelmed her senses. Even though she was terrified of her current situation, she couldn't help but hesitantly reach out with her fingers to see what they would find in the darkness. What her fingertips ended up brushing against wasn't too surprising, considering the scent that surrounded them.

Rocks and moist dirt.

She pressed her fingers farther into the soil and got a decent sense of how quickly they were descending. It was a slow pace with little intermittent, yet smooth drops of a few feet.

Almost like belaying down a rock climbing wall.

"Do not touch the walls."

Her body jumped slightly at the sound of his strained warning in the darkness. She pulled her hand back to return her arm to its previous spot around his neck, but then began to wonder. "Why? It's just soil."

"Do not touch the walls," he repeated, his tone showing his growing frustration.

You sound like a broken record. She bit back a verbal retort and rested her chin on his shoulder, waiting a minute or so before reaching back out and dragging her pointer finger through the soft, cold dirt. She wasn't sure why she was trying to get under his skin, but her own frustration might have played a small part in it. I need to go get Salem, yet I'm here being lowered into darkness with a complete stranger that has already threatened my life. Unfortunately, she knew that getting Salem was highly unlikely to happen anytime soon, considering her current predicament. Thank God we walked the short way home several times and he knows how to call the police with the house phone, but I'm still worried. I need to get home.

"I told you not to touch the wall," the man growled.

Emma noticed that they'd stopped descending when her finger paused in the dirt. With a huff, she ignored him and scratched at the wall, knocking away some chunks of moist dirt. She knew that it wasn't a good idea to get on his bad side, especially when he had the upper hand and an army of spiders somehow under his control, but it was also hard to be truly afraid of something when she was mad and worried about other things.

"And I asked you why, but you didn't answer. So I believe we are at an impasse," she said. His body vibrated and the sound of a real growl built up just behind his closed lips. It quieted after a few seconds, ending in an annoyed sigh.

"Because, human, it can collapse in on us if tampered with," he finally said.

Oh. I guess I should have known that and not messed with it, but on the other hand...

"Take me back up," Emma said, putting as much determination as she could muster into her words.

"What?" the man asked, his scratchy voice holding a hint of incredulity as they began to descend again.

"I said, take me back up. Now," Emma repeated with what she hoped was a firm tone.

"You do not get to make the decisions, girl," the man replied, clearly not impressed.

Emma growled back quickly. "I do if you want to live."

Their descent halted abruptly before she felt the man's head turn toward her, his shaggy hair brushing against her cheek. She tried to look at his face but couldn't see a single thing in the darkness, even though his nose was probably mere inches from her own.