Mystery Noir

Down Below Part 13

Gradually I became aware that the roaring and shrieking had finished. My body ached and I was mostly numb from the cold. On my right side, I could hear the shuffling, digging and clicking of the Caddaja in the cave, though I couldn't make my mind focus enough to discern how many.

But on my left, toward freedom, I heard nothing at all.

So, I forced myself to stand, hissing in a breath at the agony of my injured foot and leg. The sound from me drew more noises from the Caddaja, snuffling and trying to dig toward me, their claws screeching in the stone.

I forced my mind to settle, shifting my body and moving until I could slip through the tight squeeze, I had caught myself on. Panic was at the back of my mind, but I was too numb and exhausted to freak out again. I needed to get out and could only hope that it was daytime now.

As I approached the end of the entrance tunnel I was in, sunlight finally reached me, drawing a whimper of relief that I could not hold back. The Caddaja shrieked in response, driving me forward in my attempt to get away from the creatures. Still, I stopped a few feet back from the entrance, craning my neck and eyesight around to see if anything waited for me outside.

There were no shadows, only bright, dazzling sunshine that lit up the entire area. I couldn't hear or see a single form moving outside and had a suspicion that it was still relatively early. It was disappointing to realize that no one was out there waiting for me. I didn't know if I could manage the entire hike back, physically or mentally, but I tried to reassure myself.

The team would have waited until it was light out to even start for the vehicles. They would take a little while to get here, if it was sunrise. I wouldn't have to stumble my way back on my own.

The sounds of the Caddaja were driving me mad with terror and I couldn't wait all day, especially if I needed to try and walk all the way back to safety before nightfall. I didn't want to think about how impossible it would be, having lost my pack of food and water. Not to mention the fact that I was injured and had been injured for a considerable amount of time now.

I squirmed and scraped my way through the last few feet, then stumbled out into the daylight. I struggled to stay standing, unsure if I would be able to get myself back up if I hit the ground, glancing around at the cliff faces around me.

Everything was hit by sunlight and the air was already beginning to warm up. A glance at my watch told me that it was past seven am, though it had been a long time since I paid attention to what time the sun rose. Knowing that trying to calculate where the others could be would do me no good, I shouldered my rifle, the only thing I really had left on me and scrambled up the decline to the path.

Every step was painful, and I was still half dragging my foot as I walked, so I paused long enough to pull my ruined shirt off, turn it inside out and gently wipe down my leg to expose the deep punctures in my calf and three long gashes along my shin. They were red and angry looking, but only seeped blood slowly, so I decided against wrapping them in the shirt that was just caked in the shit I was coated in.

I was just forcing myself to start limping forward again when I felt my leg vibrating. It was then that I remembered I had Penny's phone and fumbled it out of my pocket to answer a call from an unknown number. Luckily, it's rather rugged case appeared to have prevented any damage to the thing.

"Hello?"

"Oh my god, Nina! I didn't think... I mean, I just called on a whim, are you ok? Where are you? We're coming back, we're on the way now with the four-wheelers." Penny continued rambling and half crying into the phone, though it seemed like she was talking to someone else half the time.