Page 38 of Explorer's Revenge
They would do the same if it were me.
My flashlight on my chest turns on as I repel lower, slowing down since I can’t see much. Reaching into my bag, I pull out glow sticks and crack them, dropping them below me.
They spin, throwing a red glow across the rock. The cavern is wide, and I’m just dangling in the blackness. They keep going until they finally hit bottom. The red glow is tiny from here, but it isn’t endless.
I repel down, speeding toward the red light, and it grows brighter as the rock opens up into a huge cavern. I run my eyes over it, searching for her, but I don’t see any signs of her—no body or lumps. That doesn’t mean she isn’t here though. When my feet touch the rocky ground, I unhook my rope, pull my flashlight from my shoulder, and shine it around.
“Maeve?” I call, but there’s no response. Heading away from my rope, I kick the glow sticks, spreading them out until I can see more. The cavern is massive, and there are different layers of rock, so I circle slowly, searching until I find what I’m looking for.
Drag marks cut along the floor, wide enough for a person.
Did she drag herself away?
That’s good. It means she’s awake.
It means she’s alive.
There’s a metallic twang and a snap, and I spin, my flashlight shining across the cavern in time to see my rope crash down, hitting the rock I was standing on. Hurrying over, I coil it up and search for any problem, when I reach the end to find it jagged and torn—like it has been ripped in two.
Glancing up into the dark hole, I see the sunlight above and something moving in the shadows.
Something that bit through my rope, trapping me down here and standing between my team and me.
Our eyes weren’t wrong.
She didn’t fall.
She was yanked.
“Don’t come down here!” I yell, cupping my mouth to warn them, but I know they won’t listen. “Don’t come down here—” My words cut off when there’s a feminine scream. I spin rapidly, trying to pinpoint its location.
“Maeve? Carter? Maeve? Can you hear me?”
It comes again, and then nothing.
“Maeve?” I call, my yell tapering off as the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. “Maeve?” I whisper as I slowly turn, my eyes widening as something huge emerges from the shadows and charges me.
I turn to run at the last second, but I know it’s too late.
WAY
“Aiyaret!” I shout as I rush to the edge.
My heart stopped the moment he went over.
I can see his rope, but I can’t see him. “Aiyaret!” I bellow as Wilder grabs me, stopping me from falling. He yanks me back and turns me to him. “Wilder, Aiy!” I yell, struggling in his arms.
“I know, I know, brother.” Wilder grips my face. “We’ll get him back.”
I panic as I stare at him. “I can’t—I can’t lose him.”
“You won’t. Come on, get our gear ready now!” Wilder roars.
“You saw what we did, Wild. Something took her,” Logan whispers.
“So we leave him?” I shout as I grab the bag he’s holding and rush to the edge. “Fine. You stay; I’ll go.”
“I’m not saying that,” Logan replies. “I’m just saying we need to be prepared. Something is down there, and it’s dangerous. We can’t go in blind.”
