I’ve always been fascinated by caves and the mysteries they hold deep within the earth. So when my friends invited me to go spelunking in a remote cave system in the mountains, I jumped at the chance. We had planned this trip for months and we were all excited to explore the unknown.
The cave was located in a remote area and it was known for being one of the most challenging caves in the region. But that’s what made it so exciting. We arrived at the cave entrance in the early morning and began our descent. The cave was dark and damp, and the only light came from our headlamps. We moved slowly, carefully navigating the twisting tunnels and narrow passageways. We were all experienced cavers but we knew that we were going to be facing some challenges that day.
As we descended deeper into the cave, the air grew colder and the silence was almost deafening. We were the only ones down there and it felt like we were the first ones to set foot in the cave. We were in awe of the beauty of the cave and we were all taking pictures and videos of the cave formations, the stalactites and stalagmites. We made our way through the cave, marveling at the beauty of the underground world.
But as we turned a corner, we saw something that made our blood run cold. Scrawled on the cave wall in what looked like blood was a single word: “LEAVE.” We paused for a moment, trying to make sense of what we were seeing. But before we could even speak, we heard a sound that made our hearts race - the sound of footsteps coming from deep within the cave.
We didn’t waste any time. We turned and ran, our headlamps bouncing wildly as we scrambled through the dark tunnels. But the footsteps were getting closer and closer, and we knew we couldn’t outrun whatever was chasing us. We could hear the sound of heavy breathing, the sound of something dragging behind us.
We stumbled and fell, crawling on our hands and knees to try and get away. But the darkness was all around us, and we were lost in the maze of caves. We could hear the thing behind us, its breath hot on our necks, and we knew we were going to die down there in the darkness. We were running out of options and our only hope was to find a way out of the cave.
As the hours passed, we became more and more disoriented and our nerves were frayed. We were running out of water and food, and the batteries of our headlamps were running low. We were starting to lose hope, and we knew that our chances of survival were slim.
But just when all hope seemed lost, we saw a light. It was the cave entrance, and we had made it out alive. We emerged from the cave, gasping for breath, and we never spoke of what had happened in the cave again. But, as we were leaving the cave, we saw something that gave us chills. The word “LEAVE” was written in blood, not only on the cave wall but also on the cave entrance.
We were all shaken by the experience and we couldn’t shake the feeling that something was down there with us, something that should not have been there. And I can’t shake the feeling that it’s still down there, waiting for its next victims.
After that experience, we never went back to the cave, and we never spoke of it again. But the memory of that cave and the thing we encountered in