Rain fell down from unseen holes somewhere up in the roof of the cave, far beyond her flashlight's meager yellow circle that only seemed to show her where her feet currently were. While someone might come find her sooner or later and while her camping survival guide said to stay out and yell for help, it didn't say anything about what to do when the floor of the damned cave shoots up behind you and ends you tumbling down even further into the dark.
It was like having a rug pulled out from under your feet, only there was nobody at the other end of the proverbial carpet, just tunnel after tunnel after terrifyingly vast cavern after tunnel. If she knew who was following her then she might have taken comfort in not being all alone but so far she'd only caught glimpses of torn skin and bleach-white bones peeking through blood-drenched floral fabric.
Whoever they were (or whatever, a terrified part of her mind helpfully added, might not even be human) at least they were keeping a distance and they hadn't even attacked yet. Lord knows they've got plenty of opportunity and she must have shown how defenseless she was a dozen times at least by this point.
After yet another dead end and another glimpse of that bloodied fabric she decided to throw caution to the wind and become the follower instead which was far easier said than done. As soon as they figured out that she was following them it very quickly became a game of cat and mouse with flashes of blood and bones around every corner until she felt the cave floor tilting again.
Only this time it wasn't trying to roll her back down - it was an incline! Any exhaustion she'd been feeling the past few hours vanished and a wave of joy flooded every fibre of her being as she saw the faintest glow in the distance and heard birdsong.
Unfortunately with the newfound light source she was finally able to see the broken little ghost she'd been chasing. How the poor girl hadn't been able to tuck and roll like she had, how her tiny body must have been caught in a cave-in somewhere. How was she still running when every step made her splintered bones jut out like a broken sheet of ice?
As the cave entrance grew close, their pace grew slower until it became clear that the child couldn't or wouldn't leave and she realised she'd have to pass them by. Taking a deep breath and reassuring herself that if they wanted to hurt her they had a million and one chances to already, she kept her now slower and steadier pace.
The sight hit her in her heart and stomach - even the poor child's face had been crushed and yet they still smiled up at her as best as they could. Tucked into their filthy apron was her survival guide. Their eyes met and the child put a hand over it protectively.
Everything seemed to catch up to her at once and she felt so very at peace all of a sudden. With a weary smile she patted the little ghost's hand and headed out for the woods. She aimed to go home but she thought she might hike a little more first.
The little ghost watched her go, wondering when she'd realise she'd left her body behind.
No comments:
Post a Comment