The Ultimate Rescue

Chapter XX

SHANNA

Music: Underground from Gradius III Arcade

Funnily enough, the last place on the map for us to check is right next to where we started: In our little home state of Missouri. Specifically, we park in front of the entrance to a cave. The sky is completely dark by now, and not red like our hometown's sky was. No workers seem to be present here, and it's unknown what this cave is even for.

"Where are we now?" I ask.

Sam clicks on where the location is on the map, and a Wikipedia page pulls up. "Apparently, we're at the Mark Twain Cave in Hannibal, Missouri," Sam answers.

"Well, we sure haven't been in one of these for quite a while," Skylar snorts. Caves and mines are one of the many common locations we find ourselves going to on these trips. It's fun for Sean, because our family likes shows like Duck Dynasty, and exploring these caves make us feel like the guys on those reality TV shows. Except usually we end up coming close to dying for one reason or another. But that's just part of the experience.

We all walk inside, and Sam leaves the hovercraft tucked under some rocks near the entrance. The second flash drive is being worked on, and it's already about 25% done. This one has less data on it than the first one, so it's been going by a lot quicker. Multiple torches and lanterns line the cave's walls for vision, and the rocks are jagged, crooked, and create somewhat narrow tunnels.

"This is gonna be fun to explore," Luke mumbles.

"You want us to split up again?" Avery asks Sam.

"Sure, why not? We're damned whether we do or not," he replies. "How about we do three groups of three this time? I'm sure it's obvious who we'll want to be with."

Indeed it is. Sam, Elle, and Avery form one group; Heath, Luke, and Skylar form a second, and Sean, Mia, and I make up the third. Once we've assembled into our small packs, Sam instructs, "Okay, everyone. Pick a branching path that no one else is taking and move out."

So we march onward. Sam, Elle, and Avery's group takes the first right fork in the road, and Heath, Luke, and Skylar's group take a branching path to the left shortly after. Mia, Sean, and I keep going on the path we're going. There's not much to see other than rocks and strangely structured walls. The path is somewhat narrow, leaving space for only one to two people at best.

Mia keeps a straight face while walking. Ever since we took off for this destination, she's been acting more moody and has continued the trend of distancing herself from us like she has this entire mission, and she seems more distressed than ever now. It's really been bothering Sean and I, and now that the three of us are alone, I really want to know what's up with her. I glance at Sean before asking, and he shakes his head, sighs, and says, "Go for it."

"Hey... Mia?" I ask, tapping her shoulder to get her attention.

She looks at me and replies with, "Yeah?"

"You doing okay?"

"Yes, Shanna. I'm fine." This sounds anything but true.

"Are you sure, Mia? You've been acting... well, NOT fine for most of this trip, and we just want to know what's up," Sean says.

Mia speeds up her pace to get a few steps ahead of us, and Sean and I do the same to catch up with her. "Guys, seriously, don't worry about me," she tells us, sounding frustrated. "I just don't want to talk about it right now, okay?"

"Well, don't keep it bottled up inside of you," I say softly. "We don't want it to consume you and push you to your limit."

"I'm not going to let that happen." She doesn't look at either of us when she says this, so we know she doesn't mean it.