took place, their injuries were minor - merely scrapes and bruises.
However, a handful of the children, two chaperones and the second guide were still missing. The rescued group had told them that some of the other students had gotten separated from the group, and the guide had gone looking for them along with the two missing chaperones after sending the rest of them back the right way.
It was dark now - it'd been over seven hours since the group was rescued, and there were no signs of the missing.
...
The sheriff blinked, breaking from his trance as a commotion caught his attention. There was a sudden burst of activity from the cavern entrance, raised voices filled with something different from the struggling professionalism he'd heard all day and night. His eyes widened with hope as he rushed for the entrance, the sounds becoming more distinct - shouts of excitement, cheers, even some sobbing somewhere in the midst... And even as he reached the entrance he could see children being led out, silent or sobbing, and his chest lightened.
Until one more sound emerged, silencing the cheers, piercing through them all and echoing through the caverns - screaming. He pushed past a couple of rescuers and hurried inside, lights illuminating his path and flashlight taking away the shadows that remained - there, a boy being held by rescuers as he screamed like a banshee, eyes glued to a low crevice - barely enough for such youths to fit through, let alone a grown man. Lights illuminated nothing, the boy was hurried outside - his screams echoing long after he was brought to safety.
That screaming would haunt them for years.
-
Nine years later
-
The man awoke with a violent start, bolting upright and lashing out in search of the light switch - clicking it on in his panic. It was bright, blinding him, but brought him back to his senses. He blinked away the spots in his vision, quietly groaning as he kicked his legs off the bed and sat there - rubbing his head.
I am Inferi.
02-Nov-2018 18:24:52
