Mystery Noir

Down Below Part 10

Darkness. True pitch darkness had layers.

Humans aren't good at seeing in the dark, we're not especially talented at doing much of anything in the realm of physical anymore. Apparently, there was a time when we evolved to outrun animals. Not because we were fast or strong, but merely because we could sweat and keep cool far more efficiently than most other animals in the world. The non-supernatural types, anyways. I've never really asked a shapeshifter if they sweated like us, or if they cooled themselves down through the soles of their feet and panting.

But red light helped us, because it let us see more but did not ruin our night vision. It also would not travel as far in the darkness, so unless the monsters were close, we hopefully weren't wearing giant targets on our heads.

Our footsteps echoed despite our attempts at moving as silently as possible, though we kept our right shoulder against the wall of whatever cavern or large tunnel we were in, perhaps hoping that the rule of thumb for mazes was true. I tried to keep focused on what we were doing, straining to hear human sounds amongst the growls and digging that got louder, though became less frequent.

The sounds echoed oddly as we moved forward and it wasn't very long before we were forced to turn down another tunnel that sloped sharply downwards. When Mo paused only long enough to use a glow-in-the-dark marker to scribble and arrow on the wall, I realized one of our mistakes. We had not done that with the entrance into this giant cavern. I hoped that we had not missed any other entrances on our way, as we could be lost in the maze of this place for a long time if we forgot which way was out.

The air grew cold and damp and a glance at the walls showed moisture seeping out of the stone. Every so often, a droplet would fall from the ceiling not far above us, and it was a testament to all of us when we didn't end up shooting at the ceiling in surprise when we each first noticed it. The tunnel was big enough for a Caddaja to traverse, however, which was not a reassuring thought as we rushed into the dark toward the sounds of the creatures and whatever had sounded like a human child.

I was glancing up above me for the thousandth time when I ran headlong into Penny pulling Mo backwards, sending us all stumbling against the side of the tunnel, behind an outcropping of rock. Just beyond, the tunnel opened up once more, there was a large pool of water and a stream that flowed down one of the walls. Most of the details were lost in the darkness and the hue of red light, but it was a small cave, with a deep, dark pool of water that I could hear flowing. And there, only a few feet from the pool of water, was a Caddaja.

The creature looked to be significantly larger than the one I had tangled with on the cliff, and now that we had the chance to look at the thing, I shuddered all the more. It's mouth dripped with that black slime and took up an eerily large portion of the bulbous head of the creature. The scaled skin looked mottled in the red light, and it was clawing at some small rock out cropping with its horns, tusks and claws with an obsessive fervor. Glancing upwards, we could thankfully make out the roof of the cavern, which was empty of more of the creatures, though there were fissures and holes that were probably large enough for more to join us.

They could come down behind us, or they could come from above, it would seem. And I could only guess what it was trying to reach under that outcropping.

"If we use our guns, the echoes will deafen us, and call however many are in these caves down on us." Mo breathed softly, drawing a nod from Penny.

I frowned and slung my rifle so that it hung across my back, pulling out my large hunting knife and the climbing axe I had been given by someone else. It had a long, hooked and serrated nose on one side of the head, the other was a blunt, flat edge. The bottom of the axe shaft was also hooked and barbed, making it as scary a weapon as it was effective for climbing through ice, snow and rocks.

Penny and Mo both gave me hard looks, but nodded, pulling out their own edged weapons as we all stood silently and crept out into the cavern.

Our lights should have given us away, but the thing was singularly focused on whatever it was digging for, and a weak, frightened whimper echoed through the cavern, renewing its fervor. At the sound, Mo sprinted at the creature, stepping up onto a boulder and launching herself at its back and burying her axe into the creature's back while scrambling to stab or slice the Caddaja open.

The thing let out a snarl and spun, only to have Penny and me charge at it. I ducked a large claw and slashed my knife along its arm as Penny swung her hatchet up under the Caddaja's chin. I brought my axe down at the closest leg, impaling the long hook into what constituted as a knee and resulting in me getting kicked across the cavern, to land in surprisingly frigid water.

My light flickered out as I struggled against the shock of the water and the weight of my gear, finding a current dragging me down and away from where the edge of the pool should have been. For a moment, floating in the darkness and stunned, I could not tell which direction the surface was. I floundered and flipped in the water a couple times, forcing myself to notice which direction I was being pulled down toward. Then I righted myself and kicked myself upwards until my upper body broke through the surface.

Blinking away water, I watched as the Caddaja shuddered and fell to the ground, with Penny hacking at its head while Mo struggled to stand. My limbs felt incredibly heavy as I paddled toward the edge, barely pulling myself up onto the solid ground and rolling away from the water.

I heaved in a breath, forcing my eyes upwards, trying to search through the darkness to see if we had attracted attention. I heard Penny throwing up off to the side and forced myself to roll onto my hands and knees and stand up, turning to where Mo was looking slightly dazed, with a slash down her one arm and blood coming from her hairline.

Then we heard shuffling, and all spun toward the crevice. I pawed for my gun before I belatedly realized that it was a human form squirming out from under the rock. Stumbling over and to my knees I helped the dirty and bruised woman out from under the crevice, only to have her turn back toward it. Mo moved to her side and hugged her before helping to pull a toddler out from the hiding spot as well.

Bonnie glanced between the three of us for a couple long moments, before sighing softly. "We gotta get moving. They can smell their dead."

"We should have turned around five minutes ago. We're going to have to run." Penny nodded, all of us standing even as Mo began quickly wrapping the wound on her arm.

I turned and hauled my axe out of the creature, before nodding to the little girl, who was sitting on the ground beside her mother, looking stunned. "I can carry her, if you need."

"No offence. But I'm not chancing getting separated from my daughter." Bonnie pulled the girl into her arms.

"None taken." I shook my head slowly, though I did hand her the granola bars and meal replacement gels I had stashed in my pockets. "I know it's not much."

Bonnie shook her head as she tore open the package and gave her daughter a bite of the granola bar. "It is a feast. Thanks."

Mo handed the woman an axe, but with Mo injured and Bonnie carrying her daughter, Penny and I would be the real security of the group. I looked at my partner and saw her mouth tighten as she nodded firmly. She pulled her gun back into her hands and let out a slow breath.

"Penny, you're better at tracking I think." I murmured softly. "Are you ok at the front?"

"Are you ok at the back?" Penny spared me a meaningful look.

"Just lead them out. I'll do my best to keep up." I smiled at her and pulled my own gun around into my hands as well.

Without any further words, we started forward, back into the dark tunnel, with only one working red headlamp, Penny's, to light the way.