Untamed & Uncharted

A way out

A few hours later Kate yelled I think I have found something we all rushed into the path she tore through the entangled roots. I saw a wall of stones that had obviously been placed there by man. Together we labored for over six hours tearing down the wall we then found a tunnel disappeared into the darkness. Brian and Neil went back to the fire and returned with fires sticks to light the way into the tunnel, as we ventured in we could see stone axes on the floor marks on the walls and ceiling from the tunnel's construction. The fire sticks were dying about a half-mile into the tunnel so we returned to the fire and gathered up as many sticks as we could, we then back in the tunnel as one stick burned down it was used to lighting another lightning our way.
We must have come almost two miles into this mysterious tunnel when the walls and ceiling had charcoal drawings of extinct animals. I gasped as I saw exquisite drawings of woolly mammoths Saber tooth tigers, strange birds and fish, these animals had been extinct for thousands of years so who were these people that had lived here in this place in time? A little further along the tunnel again our fire sticks were dying with no more left we headed back, at the entrance of the tunnel, I inspected it closely and found that it had been sealed from the inside.
We sat around the fireplace that evening discussing just what may have happened to these ancient people. Why had they sealed themselves in was it because of dangerous animals or other humans then how did they survive sealed in without water or food? Next morning once again we headed back to the tunnel and stockpiled fire sticks along the way, so that we could explore further at almost four miles in the tunnel opened up into an enormous round chamber measuring more than seventy feet in the centre was a round pool of water with steps leading down into it.
The water was surprisingly warm the pool measured thirty feet across and had stone block seats scattered around it, Neil and I searched around and found evidence of volcanic ash could this be the reason that they sealed themselves up in here.
We ventured further then came across a wall of fungus growing on a wet wall and I assumed that this was their food that the people lived on after entombing themselves so carefully I sampled it. Daisy said we should not try any more until we see if you react to fungus can be deadly, we returned to the fireplace which we kept burning there was no shortage of driftwood washed up onto the pebble beach, hunger was creeping in now I didn't react to the piece of fungus I ate so wanted more.
I suggested that the people who lived in this place may have seen a nearby volcanic eruption, It may have killed many of them with toxic gas so the survivors may have sealed themselves up they may have cultivated the fungus for survival.
The tunnel was carved from soft sandstone there are plenty of stone axes around, I suggest we try opening one of the other exits the ceiling would not be advisable as it could have been covered with many feet of volcanic ash.

On our trip back in next day, we once again stockpiled the fire sticks along the way when we reached the fungus wall Daisy advised as to be careful smell it then lick it and if it smells or tastes bad then don't eat, many different varieties were growing I smelt one and it had the smell of lamp oil. I took it over and placed it on one of the stone seats and placed my fire stick on it and it lit up, that's how the ancient people lived here for who knows how long, they had water warmth as the tunnel around the pool was warm. I suspect that it was heated from a volcanic vent deep in the earth they had a wall of food and fuel for light and fire, we all collected the black oily fungus and placed them around on the stone blocks once they were all on fire the entire room lit up the blocks were not seats but fire platforms.
The fungus burned bright and slowly and didn't emit any smoke we ate cautiously and found that the yellow fungus to be the tastiest. We explored further and found more walls of fungus cracks in the ceiling with water dribbling down bringing rich nutrients from above feeding them, we found more tunnels leading in many different directions so we placed small piles of the black fungus at fifty-foot intervals to light the way. I had no idea of telling the time now deep inside the tunnels so we just returned to the pool area, when we got tired we topped up the fires with fungus and slept as the ancient ones would have on the soft ware dry sand. One by one we searched the many tunnels finding cave-ins and flooded sections so night after night sleeping around the pool chamber I felt quite safe and secure even though I was trapped I was warm, had water food and companionship.

We lay back on the warm sand one night after exploring the tunnels discussing our options; Brian said we have plenty of stone axes here so we just need to find a place to cut our way out. Kate then said yes but where do we start Neil said I saw a blocked ceiling section near the end of one tunnel heading upwards and it would be easy to open as the ceiling was low, I said that was worth trying so with a plan in place the discussion then turned to the next stage.
Once outside this time tunnel what do we do next we can't take this food with us we have no weapons the way back is on the other side of the river. I said that once we find a way out we build a dugout canoe we need to travel back to where we first launched the rafts so we can follow the marked trail back.
The trees here are soft and the stone axes may manage to chop them Neil said we can make bows and arrows and learn how to use them, Kate said we could dig pits to trap animals and I could dry the meat so we have food to take with us.
I felt a sense of relief these people around me were truly amazing defeat was not in their makeup. We headed for the tunnel Neil had suggested the ceiling tapered to seven feet and Neil found the vertical shaft in the ceiling, it travelled up six or seven feet and then was blocked we placed a ring of light around on the floor. Brian and I lifted Neil up into the shaft he scraped away at the blockage with a stone axe then said let me down, I was relieved as he was getting heavy Neil said the shaft had been sealed from above, I will need to chip away at the stone removing it a little bit at a time and hopefully not cause a cave in.
We will need to build up the floor so that I can work up there there's plenty of rubble around so that won't be a problem, with the floor built up, Neil started and after three hours came out coughing and spluttering and wiped his eyes.
Daisy said don't rub your eyes you will cause damage I will flush them out with the warm pool water, Brian and I then took turns hacking away at the shaft blockage until we needed to rest and wash out our eyes as well, we returned to the pool finding Neil Daisy and Kate in the water up to their necks. They said to come in it's just like a luxury Roman bath so Brian and I stripped down to our underwear gave our dusty clothes a good shake then joined them sitting on the submerged steps.
It was heavenly and I lay back looking up at the magnificent drawings on the ceiling as the creators in the distant past would have. We labored away at the shaft for three days until Neil yelled I am through.
Then he worked away on the hole until it was large enough for him to get through once in he yelled for some light, Brian passed up some black fungus and a lit fire stick Neil yelled were in luck there's a tunnel here, it looks to be leading upward we looked at each other and smiled. Eager to see what was lying ahead Brian climbed up with Neil he then said we will need to light the tunnel. Kate, Daisy and I went back to collect as much black fungus as we could carry, I passed it up to Neil then assisted Kate and Daisy into the upper tunnel Brian and Neil had the path lit so with high hopes off we went we had not go far when I saw a partial skull on the floor, I alerted the others and we soon found more. They were indeed ancient bones as there wasn't much left I said that these poor souls must have been the ones that sealed the shaft and were probably killed by toxic gases from the volcano.

Read part  8. Finally free

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