Figments of my Brain

Deadline

Part 1

"Now what?" Seb asked an empty cave, feeling particularly stupid. After ten hours of running around in vain, facing numerous creepy-crawlies, fainting twice, reminiscing advice from his parents, and now, finally, facing a stupid cave, with its stupid phosphorescent walls casting a stupid phosphorescent glow on him and on the stupid map, Seb started feeling the panic seeping back into his veins. The stupid map didn't have instructions either, and even if it did, they would be of no use. The stupid compass didn't work because of the numerous lodestones underground.

Oh joy.

So now what? He didn't want to turn back into the tunnel. He didn't want to stay there either. The glowing walls seemed to mock him. "Look at us," they seemed to say. "While your life seems so bleak, we are filled with light. But oh wait, our glow is of no use to you. You're just a moron whose conscience and love overpowered his survival instinct. Not to mention the fact that your quest is bound to fail, and you're going to die, and you're going to take your friend down with you."

Yes. He was a moron. The cost of his quest could outweigh the benefit, simply because he panicked and made the wrong decision.

Seb looked at his watch. He'd spent eight minutes just mulling over his own pig-headedness. With only 5 hours 52 minutes left, he set on. The tunnel at the other end of the Glow Cave seemed his best bet, despite its ghastly smell.

"But then, I've never been particularly good at bets."

The tunnel sloped downwards, gradually at first, then steeply. At one point of time, Seb was half sliding down and half trying to regain his foothold. The putrid smell only increased. It smelt dank and rotten. "Dead. It smells dead," Seb realised. His torch cast a narrow yet powerful beam of light on the floor of the tunnel. Fortunately, it showed him where to step. Unfortunately, it also showed him the carcasses and skeletons of more creepy-crawlies.

A while later, Seb was faced with a choice. The tunnel forked in two. The left path went straight on, while the right path had rough steps hewn out of it, going further downwards. It was also considerably narrower. Now he had to decide which way he would go.

When faced with a choice, pick the option that scares you the most. That gives you the most experience.

"Yes Father, the experience might just be my death." With that, Seb turned left.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, Seb started to 'feel' something. It felt like little unpleasant tickles across his arms. He thought little of it and walked on. Now he could 'hear'. A wailing. It was in his head, pounding against his brain. His eyes burnt and tears started streaming freely down his face. His ears were ringing as the wails increased, and the smell of death intensified. His knees buckled. He could taste bile at the back of his throat. He remembered his sister. I felt terrible. I could smell my burnt fingers even through my agonising pain. I will never play with fire again. I will heed Dad's words next time.

Of course, he should have done the same. But surely, this situation would have happened even if he had? Surely he was hallucinating? But God, the pain was so real. It was agony to 'feel'. To even breathe. The pain was smothering him. He could feel blackness creeping asking the edges of his vision. That was when he saw it. The skull. The human skull. Followed by more bones. In front of him.

It was a reflex. Seb screamed.

With a psychological pain much stronger than his physical, Seb got up. It took inhuman effort, but it had to be done. Mustering all his strength, he turned around and walked back the way he came. His pain receded. Only marginally, but still receded. The hallucinations were there, but milder. They accompanied him back to the start of the tunnel.

Seb stopped, looking at his watch. He had 4 hours 47 minutes more. He willed himself to not cry, as shedding more tears would not help his predicament, and with the pain still in his head, turned to the other tunnel, to his left.