Driving down the forested road playing with my necklace I could feel the excitement building up in my veins. Music blaring and going faster than the speed limit in hopes to reach my destination faster. The waiting was finally over, and all my friends were on their way as well. This caving exploration has been in the works for what feels like ages. In reality it has only been a few months but still, we were all excited about it. The reason it took so long was trying to find a time to fit for all of us. We’re all experienced cavers and a couple of them I met through work.
Josh, Emily, and I have known eachother since we were little kids. We grew up together in the same town and explored the shallow caves in the mountains when we were just thirteen years old. The other three, Mark, Max, and Jane, are who we met through our search and rescue job, which only four of us still work at. Sure there were slips, falls and injuries but that just makes you more careful the deeper you go. Also that’s the reason Jane and Max left SaR. Well, pregnancy, and some cases were rougher than others causing them to go to therapy. But all’s good now, babysitters are in place, time is off and we’re ready to finally explore.
The cave we get to go through has only been traversed a handful of times and the whole trip will take a few days. We’re adding in some camping to it as well. The reason why, is because the first cave leads us under and around back to a clearing in the mountains. Where we will be camping out for a day. Then it’s just a short hike to where the actual cave we want to explore begins.
As I pulled my car into the clearing in front of the cave mouth I saw only two other cars waiting for me. Putting it in park and getting out, I saw Mark begin to make his way towards me. Mark was the so-called leader of the group. With having the most experience and hours in caving he was appointed lead, then it was me, then finally third was Emily. Once Mark reached me I saw an annoyed look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked closing my driver’s side door.
“Max, Emily and Jane got a little held up. So, they won’t be here for another couple of hours. Something about Jane forgetting her sleeping bag, but who knows. Looks like it’s just going to be me, you, and Josh for a while.”
“God damn it. I wanted to get straight to it. This excitement has been eating away at me. Where’s Josh?” I replied pointing at his car.
A smirk went across Mark’s face and then he finally spoke up, “Sleeping of course.” We both shared a laugh before he spoke again, “Why don’t we just go in? They have the coordinates, and we can just leave a note on one of the cars. They can catch up. It’s their fault they’re late.”
As I was about to reply two honks sounded from behind me, turning around I saw that it was Emily’s car pulling up next to mine. I looked back at Mark, a confused look across his face, and asked, “I thought she was going to be late?”
“I assumed she was riding with Max and Jane. She always does. I guess not today.”
“What’re you guys yapping about?” Emily said as she got out of her car and began to grab her things from the trunk.
“We thought you were riding with Max and Jane.” Mark replied while walking back to his car.
“I thought I should drive myself in case anything stupid happened and look at that. I was right. You all know how late they usually are. Plus, we haven’t done something like this in so long, I didn’t want to miss it. So, what’s the plan?”
Mark turned back around, smiled and nodded at me saying, “Group vote excluding Josh, are we going in or not?”
“I guess we’re going in, wake up sleeping beauty” I replied, opening up my hatchback to grab my gear.
“That’s the spirit slugger.” Emily replied with a laugh and smile at me.
“Let’s get to it then.” I retorted with a wink and laugh.
Standing at the mouth of the cave Josh, Mark, Emily and I took in a few deep breaths of the outside air. Savoring the smell and the feel of the breeze as we wouldn’t be feeling it for a while. All of us looked at each other smiling before finally taking our first steps in and beginning the journey.
Looking back on it now we should’ve ended the expedition within the first hour of going down. The maps we were given didn’t match up to what we were going through, and there were no markers or signs on the walls to tell us others have been here before. Josh was getting very aggravated and annoyed that once he took his fourth slip and scraped up his arm, he said “Fuck this and fuck you guys. I didn’t want to come here anyways. The maps are not right, nothing looks normal, and we’ve been heading straight down. It was supposed to be going up by this point.”
“Calm down, you just need to sit down and rest.” Emily said with a bit of a chuckle.
Josh looked at her with a rage I’ve rarely seen in his eyes. The only other time I’ve seen that look was on a search and rescue mission. Where a father forced his son through a cave crack causing him to get stuck. I thought he was going to rip the dads head off for doing that to his kid.
“He’s not wrong about this feeling off. The maps don’t show what we’re seeing, and the cave walls look a lot darker than what people have photographed or described. They’re almost onyx-like. I’ve never seen cave walls this dark before.” I said placing my hand on the wall closest to me, dragging my fingers down it. They were also so smooth. Almost unnaturally smooth. I know water erosion can make stone this soft, but it just felt off. What if we got the coordinates wrong and went into the wrong cave… maybe even an unexplored cave. What if-
Josh’s voice cut off my thoughts as it echoed through the cave. “I’m going back up. I ripped my pants; this place is giving me the creeps and I’m all cut up. Shoot me a message when you get out.”
With that Josh sat up and began the ascent towards the entrance, Emily on his heels trying to convince him to stay, “Come on Josh, don’t do this, we’ve waited so long for this. Just- “
Her voice faded away as they rounded a corner and Marks replaced hers, “Do you think he’s right? Are we in the wrong cave? Should we just turn back?”
“I don’t know, part of me wants to but the other part wants to see where this leads. What if it’s unexplored? If we do choose to continue, we should take out our chalk and mark our path along the way.”
“That’s not a bad idea, and I’m with you on the seeing where this leads. What if no one has explored this before. We could be the first.”
A cool breeze rushed past us coming from the cave depths, sending a tiny shiver down my spine. Mark and I both looked at each other puzzled before the former spoke, “Where did that breeze come from? You think an exit is coming up somewhere?”
“Maybe, but it would’ve had to travel pretty far. I mean look, it’s still just going straight down.” I replied, crouching down and shining my flashlight down the descent.
“Well, it’s safe to say Josh is officially out. Should we head back with him or keep going?” Emily yelled out rounding the corner towards Mark and I.
All of us looked between each other sharing glances here and there silently debating whether or not to continue the journey. Mark and Emily began discussing something that I couldn’t hear, even though they were right in front of me. Something else was in their voices place. It sounded almost like when you turn off an old box tv and the high-pitched ring whispers out of it. Focusing so much on that sound I didn’t notice they were talking to me till Emily put her hand on my shoulder. “Are you ok? Were you listening to anything?”
“Yes, sorry. I just zoned out for a second thinking of what to do.” I replied that sound still slightly whispering in my ear. As if it was beckoning me to find its source.
“So, you’re the deciding vote on if we keep going. If one of us doesn’t want to, we all leave. I know that we should’ve had Josh in on this, but what he said to Emily wasn’t acceptable. We’ll have to have a talk with him when we’re all done.”
What did he say to Emily? Why would his vote count if he left? Thoughts flooded my mind until I noticed Mark and Emily still awaited my reply. “I think we should keep going just a little bit and see if the map ends up matching or not. It doesn’t hurt, and as long as we mark the way with chalk, we should be good.” Finally replying while pulling out a piece of chalk and drawing an arrow towards the exit.
Emily and Mark shared a glance and smiled at me before the ladder said, “We knew you’d always be up for an adventure.”
“Just like when we were kids.” Emily said slightly blushing while rubbing her hand on my shoulder.
“What’re we waiting for? Let’s go then.” I replied, placing the chalk in my pocket and smiling at the two.
As we continued through the cave, I noticed that it was not at all what we thought it was. The further it went down, the more we all knew it wasn’t. We gave up on using the map after about hour three and just stuck with chalk on the walls. There were a few split tunnels that led to dead ends, and it took a lot of walking back and forth before finding a crack in the wall to squeeze through. Mark went first to ensure it went somewhere and when he gave us the signal that it did, Emily and I took off our packs and followed suit.
Once through the crack and down another short little tunnel we made it to a large and expansive open chamber filled with foxfire fungi and other bioluminescent plants that I wasn’t able to distinguish. It was astonishing and beautiful, almost like we were in another world. Emily’s laugh echoed from my right and as I looked towards her, I saw her arm was outstretched in front of her. Fingers wiggling at what appeared to be a glowing butterfly dancing in effervescent scenery of the cave. Her smile was intoxicating, and her laugh made my legs feel like jelly. So many times, I messed up with her and sharing how I felt never went well… I just didn’t want to make things awkward.
“Are you ever going to tell her how you feel?” Mark’s voice jolted me back to reality as I looked over my shoulder to him. A somber look laid in his eyes as he waited for a response.
“We tried one time and things were going well, but… then things got weird after the whole Colorado incident.”
“That wasn’t your fault. Jones wasn’t listening and-“
“Don’t, just stop. He followed me. I put her brother in a coma, and she never forgave me. Doesn’t matter that it was an accident.”
Mark stood there looking at me with pleading eyes until they glanced over my shoulder towards where Emily was. I watched as his eyes widened and I quickly wheeled around to see what he was looking at. Emily was not where she just was. Heart dropping, I hastily made my way towards Emily’s last location and saw her flashlight on the floor.
Picking it up I spoke out loud, “Where did she go?”
Silence followed and as I turned my head back, I saw Mark scanning the expansive chamber we were in. That’s when I noticed something about the plants and vines here. They seemed to be pulsing, almost as though the cave was alive and breathing. Looking back at Mark I saw the color drain from his face. From how pale he was, I could tell he noticed the same thing. But that’s impossible. There is no way this is a living and breathing cave.
Standing back up and getting ready to speak, I noticed that sound again. The faint ringing of an old tv turning off. Scanning the area again I noticed a shade of green light amidst the purple and blue. It wasn’t like the others that were all over, this green light appeared to be coming just from a crack in the wall across the breathing chamber. Grabbing Mark’s shoulder to get his attention I pointed towards it and said “There, she must’ve gone in there. The color doesn’t match the surroundings. Might be one of her glow sticks.”
Mark just nodded and began making his way across the chamber as I followed. Vines hung down rubbing over our shoulders and heads as we made our way through them. Leaving a trail of bioluminescent liquid over our clothes. Reaching up a finger to feel it, I began rubbing it between my thumb and forefinger. The viscous fluid felt like the inside of an aloe plant and the light stretched with it as I peeled my fingers apart. I’ve never seen anything like this before.
Stopping in the midst of the flora and fauna I knelt down and began cutting samples from a couple plants on the ground. They stayed glowing even after they had been cut. After collecting a few more samples and moss, I placed them in a jar and closed my pack. Hopefully I could grow some of these or at least bring them to a botanist.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Mark’s voice radiated from ten yards in front of me. Anger rippled through it. “Our friend is missing and you’re what? Collecting plants?”
Shocked and frozen, I just realized what I had been doing, “I’m sorry, I just got caught up, we’ve never seen anything like this, and I just wanted to get some samples. I don’t know what came over me.”
Mark’s glare drilled into me until his eyes began to soften as he spoke, “I get it, it’s beautiful here and new. But come on man, you know better. Let’s find Emily and on our way out we’ll collect some more and take pictures.”
I just stood up and nodded, feeling shame come over me as I made my way to him. What had gotten into me, how could I have just forgotten we were trying to get Emily. It’s like the second I got out of the car; my thoughts and actions were not my own.
“We need to get out of this cave when we find her.” I told Mark as soon as I got to his side.
“I agree, just a few more feet and a little squeeze through there and hopefully she’s in there.” Mark replied while pointing at the crack. The electrifying green light still spewing out of it as though it were an emerald geode.
As we reached the crack Mark and I looked inside but couldn’t see anything because the little tunnel through the crack skewed to the right a bit. Our eyes met at the same time as both our hands lifted in the air in the shape of a fist, signaling the battle that was about to rage. Giving eachother a nod we set the motion of bringing our fists up and down three times until on the fourth the weapon was chosen. I signaled scissors and Mark signaled rock making him the victor. “God dammit.” I said through my teeth as I unstrapped my pack and placed it in the crack before following it.
“You gotta stop picking scissors man, you’ll never win.” Mark replied with a shit eating grin.
“There’s a strategy to it, you just wait.” I retorted, before squeezing into the crack and pushing my way through.
The cracked tunnel seemed to stretch for about ten feet before it skewed a few more to the right, opening up into another chamber. This one was smaller than the one we came through and no bioluminescent plants littered the area. This chamber was lush however, with cave moss coloring the walls and vines beautifully draped all around. Tiny little saplings somehow laid inside and a tiny crack on the ceiling was letting in the faintest of light. Maybe that led to the surface, that would explain the fauna in here.
Stepping into the chamber more, I noticed that there was a crescent shaped perimeter of water around the rocks I was stepping on. It seemed to stretch almost the whole perimeter of the chamber. The darkness of it screaming at me not to touch or go in. While scanning the waters perimeter is when I noticed what the green light was coming from. In the center of the chamber was what appeared to be a stone monolith erected out of the ground a few feet high. On top of the monolith laid what appeared to be a 1977 Apple II computer powered on. Green screen lighting up the surroundings brighter than what seemed to be possible.
Standing in awe at what I was seeing, I heard Marks voice behind me say, “What the fuck? Is that a computer?”
I was frozen still, the ringing sound coming back into my ears tenfold. Mark brushed past me heading towards the ancient technology before stopping and saying aloud back to me, “Emilys right here, it looks like she fainted.”
Everything began to feel extremely slow as I watched Mark get closer to the computer and Emily before seizing up like he got tased, and falling to the ground. The thump of him hitting the ground is what rose me from my stupor, ringing slowly fading away. Just enough staying to beckon me to the computer and not my friends. This is what must’ve been making the noise I was hearing the whole time.
Walking closer to the computer I noticed that things were being typed on the screen, skittering across like an old game of snake. Too far away to read what was being written, I slowly inched closer and closer waiting to pass out like the others, but nothing came. I was there now, right in front of the computer. Able to read everything off the screen.
“The containment chamber has been cracked.”
“A soul is trapped in stone.”
“The investigator is close to the end.”
“Another town has been taken. Soon it will fall.”
“The wild hunt is awaiting its command.”
“Hello?” I spoke out loud at the old computer, it’s typing finally ceasing.
“Hello?” I said aloud again Even going as far as typing it on the computer. The clicks of the keys echoing through the cave sending shivers down my spine after each clack.
“The anomaly has entered the cave.”
“It is asking for recognition.”
“Is anyone else here? Who’s typing this?”
“I am here, and I can hear you.” Jotted across the screen. Line blinking as though it was awaiting a response.
“Who are you? What happened to my friends? Are they dead?”
“Just in a trance. You are the only one that heard my song. The reasoning for that is still to be determined.”
“Your song?” I replied in a shaken voice, not knowing if I was hallucinating or not.
“Yes, yes now it makes sense. I can see it now. You were the only one to have touched the obsidian chrysalis. May have even…taken a piece.”
I grabbed my necklace as thoughts flashed through my mind. They were of a caving trip we went on a year ago. The one where Emily’s brother fell. Not heeding warnings we were in a place we weren’t supposed to be. Which caused both of us to end up falling through a sink hole in the cave leading us into a small chamber. Almost the size of this one, an obsidian monolith standing erect in the center. It seemed to have been humming and a faint glow resonated off of it. The darkness inside was almost indistinguishable, swallowing every bit of light I shined at it.
Looking around I noticed Jones under a bit of rocks and rubble. But instead of going to him, I began walking towards the monolith, hand outstretched. Something in me told me not to touch it, but a bigger presence seemed to have taken over and made me. I remember it felt like getting an electric shock and the humming of the stone reverberated through my body. Standing there, I was unable to move as though I was glued to it. A loud crack sounded and what sounded like thunder echoed through the chamber. My hand fell as though I was no longer glued to it, and in the place where my hand was. A tiny broken-off piece of obsidian jutted out. Slowly reaching up, I grabbed it and proceeded to wrap it in an extra sock. Still feeling the hum and electricity flowing from it.
Going back to where we fell through, Jones still laid silent under rubble. Shaking and slapping him seemed to do nothing to stir him. Finally after a few more minutes the others flashlights could be seen shining down the hole towards my face. We had to tie him up and haul him out of the cave and straight to a hospital. Ever since then, he’s been asleep. I made a necklace out of the shard to remind me of how selfish I was. I swore to myself to only take it off once he awoke.
“I can see it now, you are remembering. The chrysalis takes and gives. That is why you are able to communicate with me. Only a few have been able to.”
“What are you?” I asked, feeling the dread build up in me from remembering what happened.
“I am not of this dimension. Most of us aren’t. The tears in reality are closing. Trapping us.”
“That didn’t answer my question.” I said aloud, getting angry.
“You will not be able to understand what I am. I am..”
The typing seemed to have ceased and only a faint line was blinking slowly on the screen. “Hello? Are you still there?” I asked out loud, jostling the computer lightly.
“The void is free. It walks in this world.” Kept writing itself over and over filling the screen from top to bottom. Rumbling could be felt from below my legs shaking me slightly, the same words still being repeated on the screen before finally going blank and being replaced with “The end is near.” Then shutting off, the ringing echoing with it as the thin line across the screen dissipated into nothing.
The rumbling of the cave ceased and a small whirring noise took its place. Confused, I looked around and saw a wire from the computer leading to what seemed to be an old tiny metal lunchbox. Kneeling down I inspected the lunchbox and rubbed my fingers over the metal. A faint humming seemed to be coming from inside. Slowly and reluctantly my fingers made their way to the small latch on the front, flipping it up.
Nothing could have prepared me for what lay inside. There was a clear purple stone inside of it with what appeared to be an octopus encased inside the stone. The octopus however, seemed to be clear as well except it wasn’t. Stars and galaxies looked to be moving within it. I could see the star of new ones and the end of others. It was like I was looking at a time lapse of space from the beginning to end, almost driving me mad. Summoning the remaining strength I had left, I closed the lunchbox. That tiny octopus with galaxies inside still appearing in my mind.
A beep rang out and the sound of a printer followed. Standing up, I saw a small sheet coming out of the computer and a cassette tape following it. I grabbed the cassette tape flipping it through my fingers examining it. Before setting it down and ripping off the piece of paper that lay attached to the computer still. Bringing it closer to my eyes I read, “Bring the cassette to the investigator. He is our only hope. The end is coming.”
Setting the paper down, even more confused than I already was, I began to feel lightheaded. The ringing happening in my ears again before finally stopping as I hit the ground.
I awoke outside on the grass in front of the cave mouth. Mark and Emily stood above me asking if I was ok. The events of what happened flashing through my mind. I nodded as I stood and saw Josh, Max and Jane behind them all strapped up for exploring the cave.
“Get your stuff on and get ready, we’ll meet you in the cave.” Mark said, patting my shoulder before signaling the rest of the group to follow.
It must have been a dream, I thought to myself as I looked around the area. It was different from the one I first started at. “That’s a relief.” I said to myself walking towards my car to get my supplies out of it.
As I reached into my pocket to grab my keys, I found something in their place instead. Pulling it out, I read the note, “Bring the cassette to the investigator. He is our only hope. The end is coming.” Beneath the note, a clear cassette tape with an octopus ladened on it. The same octopus that now seemed to be tattooed on my palm. It wasn’t a dream… The end is really coming.