“This is going to be AMAZING! Think of all the things we could find! New plants, new animals. Just straight up new earth for us to explore! Do you think anyone has ever set foot there before? Or…” He gasps dramatically, the excitement still evident in his voice and on his face,
“Do you there will be natives who have never seen anyone from the outside world?”
His friend ignores him for a second, concentrating on how he can fit an extra canteen into his already overpacked backpack. Giving up for a second he turns to his friend and all but growls at him.
“Tim. There’s not gonna be any natives running us off with spears and arrows. That was one time--and a place you had convinced me was uninhabited! No matter how much you enjoy running amok and trying to make first contact--poorly I might add--there’s zero chance to do it now. So,” The friend gave one final shove on the canteen, finally getting it to squish into his pack. He hoisted it over his shoulder and continued, “If you want to bring the dogs, you better go get them into the car. We need to leave in five minutes if we’re gonna make the flight.”
Tim laughed and jumped off Leo’s bed. He bounced on to his feet and started calling the two dogs. He met the dogs with excited pats for them and wagging tails and sloppy licks for him. Leo followed out, excited as well, but more reserved. He couldn’t help but feel something was going to go wrong on this expedition.
THUD
“Tim...what did you do?!”
Tim, Leo, and the two dogs were in a square shaped chamber. They had found a temple that looked centuries old and Tim insisted on going inside, after Leo made sure it wasn’t going to collapse on them instantly. After going several winding passageways and narrow staircases, the group find themselves in a damp, but large and mostly empty cavern. Sunlight flittered in only from a few holes in the roof of the cave. Moss and other swampy foliage littered the cave floor, only giving way to stalagmites and small pools of muddy water. In the very center of the expansive cave was a square room with only three walls. Tim, with the dogs chasing his heels, bounded over to the small chamber. Tim excitedly started examining and attempting to decipher them. The dogs sniffed around the inner edges.
Leo followed over, cautiously looking around, the earlier feeling of dread squashing all excitement he might have felt. He felt a prickle on the back of his neck and got the feeling they were being watched. As he passed an invisible boundary of the fourth missing wall, Tim brushed his hand over a dusty marking on the wall and the fourth wall erupted from the ground and crashed into the ceiling, causing a loud thud and trapping the group inside.
Leo stared wide eyed at his friend, “Tim...What did you do?! We’re trapped!!!”
Tim looked at his friend, astonishment and fear giving him pause. One of the dogs whimpered. Tim absentmindedly gave him a pat. He whispered, “I have absolutely no idea…” and held up his flashlight to get a closer look at what his hand brushed.
Leo threw his backpack down and let anger consume his fear.
“You’re an idiot! A bad luck magnet! We are gonna die here, because you can’t keep your damn hands to yourself.”
Tim turned to Leo to yell back at him, but as he did light caught his eye, and he turned to the wall opposite him and spotted an opening the size of a doorway at the corner.
“Dude look! We’re not trapped after all! Everything is fine.”
The dogs started growling and backing up into the corner…
Leo picked up his bag and sighed, grumbling out words.
“ Well thank God let’s get the fuck out of here.”
As they approached the opening, the dogs started growling and whimpering and wouldn’t follow them any closer.
Suddenly a large yellow eye and a huge, snarling set of teeth appeared in the doorway.
The two friends were shocked still and the humongous beast narrowed its eyes at them before turning the corner, its sharp claws and powerful body parading just beyond the doorway.
Tim was the first one to speak, uttering out “I was afraid of that.”
“What do you mean afraid of that? Tim, what’s going on?”
“Well, the markings on the walls kind of imply there’s a giant monster, and every half hour the opening will open just a bit further, until it's wide enough to get in and…eat us. But the markings looked so old,” he continued quickly, “I thought the monster would be dead!”
“You thought wrong, you dumbass. Did it say anything about how to get out?”
“You’re not gonna like this but, the only way to get out is to make a break for it right as the monster turns the corner. If we make it to the passageway, we’ll be safe since it can’t fit its giant monster body through.”
Leo stared at Tim blankly for a few seconds, before glaring at him.
“Fucking wonderful. Why do you always get us into these situations?!”
Tim gave him a sheepish smile and offered, “You can pick the place we visit next time?”
“Fuck off and let’s get ready to run like hell.”
They stood close to the corner, but not close enough to smell the disgusting breath of the monster as it peered in as it went past the doorway. As soon as its tail disappeared around the corner, the two ran out the opening, the dogs following unhappily. Halfway through the cavern to the passageway, they heard a thunderous roar and felt the pounding footsteps as the beast broke out into a sprint after them. Speeding through and narrowly avoiding tripping on plants and rocks, the dogs make it to the passageway seconds before the duo passes through. The beast is still charging after them, determined to catch its dinner. Tim and Leo run through the passageway towards the first flight of stairs, when Leo pauses to catch his breath.
Tim turns around and watches in horror as a giant clawed paw reaches into the hall, swiping at Leo, who is still bent over and out of breath, and narrowly misses the man. Leo feels the brush of wind the swipe caused and flinches away, starting to running further without out stopping, and crashing into Tim. They fall onto the floor and both watch in shock as the beast glares at them from the cavern. It growls at them and stalks off.
The two friends turn to each other, and after a seconds pause, Tim bursts out laughing.
“The fuck are you laughing for? I almost just became monster food!!” Leo swats at him, and Tim just falls over, giggling uncontrollably now.
“Goddammit Tim,” Leo grumbles out and then grabs his backpack from over his shoulder, digging around for the extra canteen.
Tim sobered up and smiled at his friend.
“We made it out alive and that’s all that matters, right?”
Leo stopped rummaging and glared at his friend.
“I dropped my fucking extra canteen back there.”
Tim laughed and asked, “Do you wanna go back and get it?”
“Fuck no. Let’s get out of this awful place.”
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