Page 4 of Bound By Wishes

I nearly snorted out loud at his ignorance, biting my lip to keep those words from tumbling out.

“Does it say how to open it?” he asked.

“No,” I answered with a shrug. “Just the warning.”

“Well, that was pointless,” Mathew sneered, walking away. “More unnecessary time wasted bringing you here.”

“Watch out, little lady. It’s my turn.” Benjamin muttered as he shoved me out of the way and started depositing dynamite around the entrance.

"Don't touch me," I hissed, jerking away from his touch as a surge of anger shot through me.

“I would move waaaay back if I were you,” Malik’s voice rang loud and clear over the radio, reminding me that he was listening the whole time from the campsite. I heeded his words and ducked behind one of the vehicles.

“These idiots are going to ruin the entrance and make this side of the mountain very unstable,” I grumbled to Malik.

The static of the radio responded first, followed by Malik’s voice. “What did you expect when Mathew’s in charge?”

I covered my ears as Benjamin yelled, “Hit the deck!”

The explosion rattled my teeth as the deafening blast echoed across the land. A cloud of dust and debris billowed outward, surrounding us in a suffocating haze. Tears welledup in my eyes, stinging against the grit clinging to my lashes and floating through the air.

“All right! Everyone inside,” Mathew shouted, gripping me under my arm and pulling me until I was standing. I snatched away from his touch so violently, I nearly toppled over.

“I take it you won’t be joining us,” I accused, my tone carrying a hint of challenge.

He shot a cocky grin in my direction. “Of course not. Someone has to stay out here and make sure everything runs smoothly.”

I shook my head, biting back the sharp retort that hovered at the tip of my tongue. I grabbed my old bag and a lantern, stalling at the entrance. Why weren’t my feet moving? Wasn’t this everything I had ever wanted—to make a name for myself like my dad had? I bit my lower lip as fear collided with my dreams.

“Be careful, Cal,” Malik warned over the radio.

“I’m always careful,” I responded, making my voice sound more confident than I felt before I stepped into the dark maw of the cave.

The faint glimmer of sunlight in the entrance barely penetrated the darkness, casting our elongated silhouettes across the jagged outlines of the rocky walls. The air was cool and musty, thick with the scent of damp earth and dusty smoke from the explosion. Every sound seemed magnified in the stillness. Shoes shuffled across the ground and the wind whistled at the cave’s opening.

“No unnecessary noise,” Benjamin warned. “This cavern is unstable.”

I raised my lantern. "I wonder who made it that way?" I mused aloud, my lowered voice dripping with sarcasm.

Benjamin shot me a scowl as he glanced around, but I paid him little mind as I pressed deeper into the cave. We continued down, the smoldering heat from above replaced with cool, damp air. Goosebumps erupted on my skin, but I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or the excitement drumming in my veins.

The cave rumbled, seemingly displeased with our presence here. I didn’t believe in curses, but the warning at the entrance kept echoing in my mind. I cast an uncertain glance around the tunnel. “I think we should turn back. These walls need to be reinforced before we continue deeper.”

“Where’s your sense of adventure?” Benjamin snarled over his shoulder, continuing forward while ignoring my warning.

“She’s right,” another worker chimed in. “That explosion has made these walls very temperamental.” The cave grumbled its agreement, causing more debris to fall from the ceiling.

I froze as the ground began to tremble violently beneath our feet. I gasped as a fissure tore through the cavern floor. It split wide open, swallowing everything in its path with a deafening roar. With a scream of terror, I stumbled backward as the ground split in two.

I watched in horror as crew members disappeared into the abyss, their desperate cries fading into the depths as they fell deeper and deeper into the darkness.

I pressed my back against the cavern wall, my heart pounding as I tried to avoid being swallowed by the gapingchasm that had ripped through the earth. My fingertips dug into the rough, uneven surface of the stone, clinging to it as the split continued to widen.

"Cal!" Malik's voice crackled with desperation over the radio, the fear in his voice intense even through the static.

My heart clenched with helplessness as I listened, unable to respond. I knew that no matter what I did, the looming abyss was about to swallow me. I wanted to tell Malik how much I loved him. But the words were trapped in the hollowness of my fear. I was too afraid to reach for the radio.

A jolt of terror shot through me as my feet slipped from beneath me, sending me hurtling into the darkness below. Panic surged through every fiber of my being as I plummeted, the cold rush of air whipping past.

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