Miles looked ahead, peering between the thick trees in his path. His mind wandered slightly as he dragged his numbed feet across the course forest floor. His thoughts escaped him lingering in an almost dream-like state. He wondered what he might have done differently if he could. What now? He asked himself. Did he have a chance at survival or was he strictly prolonging the inevitable? The mid-day air grew warmer as they trekked through the timid woods. Beck squeezed Miles' hand slightly, pulling him back to reality.
"Yeah?" He asked, looking down at her with a rather blank stare.
"You still here?" She asked, concerned.
"Always," He responded, curling his lip slightly, trying to convince himself more than her. He wanted to open up and talk about his concerns and fears, but he didn't want to plague anyone with his problems. He knew if he unloaded everything now it would distract from the current priority which was getting back home. He was going to open up just not now.
"The lake is just over the hill," Ace said, pointing to the small incline ahead of them.
"How are we going to get back up to the bridge?" Miles asked, remembering the steep drop of the rushing waterfall.
"There's a cave at the base of the cliff, it leads up to the forest near the river," he said, gesturing with his hands.
"My brother and I used it when we were younger, we called it the portal," He finished.
"How could we have missed that?" Miles asked, not remembering a cave near the beach they had rested on.
"It's covered by vines and foliage. It's real hard to find if you aren't lookin," Ace responded, almost nervously. The three of them trekked through the overgrown pasture, ducking and swatting low-hanging branches. Their legs grew weary and their backs became stiff as their dry skin itched and cracked under the sun's devious rays. The journey was a lot for anyone but after everything, this journey was more than they had ever anticipated. The breaths they drew grew deeper and their lungs filled with fire with each step. Was this the feeling of growing tired or was this the effects the radiation had on the air they breathed? Miles' vision grew blurry as he hiked the side of the hill.
He knew if he stopped now it would lower the chances of them finding what they were looking for. He knew continuing was dangerous but he didn't know if it was worth the risk of stopping. His brother and sister were still out there. He knew if he was going to find them that this was his only chance. He pushed through his blurry vision inching forward ever so slightly. He slowed his breathing as his ears filled with the rapid thump of his heart pounding in his chest his eyes grew heavy and his heart weary.
Is this where I give up? He thought to himself.
"Keep moving," A voice whispered in his ear. His eyes shot open as he glanced around. He was alone Ace and Beck were behind him breathing almost as heavily. There was nobody else around yet the voice was so vivid and so calm. He stopped for a moment and scanned the area.
"H...Hello?" He said softly.
"Keep moving," The voice said once more. The voice was a woman's, it spoke softly but clearly as if the wind were whispering the message directly. He knew the voice but couldn't pinpoint it, but he knew it felt oddly familiar. He pushed forward and clenched his fists pushing himself up to the top of the hill as the need to continue grew within him. He could feel his lungs burn as inside him as his eyes faded to black but he refused to give up. He saw the top of the hill just within reach, he stumbled to his knees but continued to his feet before falling again flat on his face.
He reached out his hand and gripped the grass between his fingers. Then when he pulled himself up he felt the sun beaming across his face. The warmth sent a smile stretching from one side to the other, as his lungs began to cool with each deep breath he took. He forced his eyes open and he saw the lake in the distance, just beyond the treeline. He could hear the waterfall distantly as it crashed into the lakes surface below. The smell of wet stones and dirt filled his nostrils as he lay on his back. He breathed heavily and rapidly as he quietly chuckled to himself staring up at the sky.
His mind wandered and his heart felt like he had branded it with a hot metal iron. Though he lay there tired and sore, he knew he was closer than ever. He built his drive and pushed himself up as Beck and Ace crested the top of the hill. All three of them stood, out of breath with their hands on their knees staring straight ahead toward the waterfall filled with a sense of hope.
"So...Close," Beck said, breathing deeply.
"Let's...keep moving," Miles said, trying to work up the nerve to take another step.
"At this pace...we'll be there before nightfall," Ace said, placing his flattened hand on the brow of his forehead and peeking at the sun.
"Then we shouldn't waste any more...time," Miles said, slowing his fiery breath and pacing each word slowly. The three of them continued forward, their breath began to slow and their heart rates went back to normal. The burning air eased a little but every so often they could each feel the searing sensation in the base of their lungs. The treeline in the distance grew closer with each long grueling step. Their minds filled with optimism and hope as they inched ever closer to the lake.
The roar of rushing water filled their ears as they reached the treeline. The moist air rested gently on their foreheads as the scent of wet stones grew stronger.
"We...we made it," Miles said, almost surprised.
"Yeah, we made it. Now it's just a straight shot from here," Ace said, placing his hand on Miles' shoulder excitedly.
"Where is this...cave you told us about?" Beck asked, searching the area for an entrance.
"Over there, hidden behind those thick vines," Ace responded, pointing across the rippling water over to a vine-covered wall on the side of the mountain. Ace pulled out a small knife held in a black sheath that he wore on his belt. As he removed it from its sheath the sun gleamed off of the silver blade, blinding Miles as he stared at it. He dropped the sheath to the side of his hip before making his way to the vine-covered entrance.
Miles stood back and watched as he approached the side of the wall. He flipped his blade around to the saw teeth of his knife and began sawing through the vines, they oozed their green liquid like blood with more pooling out the deeper he cut. Miles looked around searching for any helpful things he could use in this situation. He glanced around the rocky beach and the treeline before coming across a long sturdy branch on the ground. He thought for a moment before opening his bag. He pulled the knife and the rope he had found among the cabin's remains and placed them on the ground in front of him.
He stared for a moment at the three items wondering if there was anything he could do to make this work. He picked the blade up from the rocks and started inspecting it. He noticed the gilded pins at the top and the base of the wooden handle were loose. He wiggled the handle and loosened it more, shaking the pins until they protruded enough for his fingernails to grip them. Eventually, he could no longer loosen the pins with his now-chipped nails, so he placed the knife down on a flat boulder and picked up a good-sized stone from the ground. He dropped to his knees in front of the boulder and began striking the handle firmly with the stone.
He smacked harder and harder as the knife shook and the handle rattled. He gathered all of his might in his hand and struck one more time. This time both pins fell out and landed on the boulder. The pins sat flat after spinning for a moment. He dropped the stone to the ground below and picked up his knife. He removed the wooden handle and held up a now flat blade with a small flat metal handle with two small holes bored in the side of it.
He had an idea. He grabbed the branch he found on the ground and brought it onto the boulder where the knife sat. He placed the blade of the knife on the center of the top of the stick. He took the same stone and began striking the back of the knife. The knife split the wood four inches down and created a small slit in the stick. He then took his knife and drilled small holes into the stick where the handle would sit. He placed his knife into the opening of the stick forcing it to the base of the slit before sticking the two pins into their holes. He grabbed his rope and wrapped it tightly around the stick flush against the base of the blade in a criss-cross pattern before cutting off the excess.
He looked at his new weapon with delight. His hands came in handy and he now had a means of protection and defense. He was ready for anything they might endure and was prepared to help. Behind him, he could hear Ace still sawing away at the vines. He turned to watch as Ace had finally made it halfway through the wall of plants. Miles took what remained of his rope and fashioned himself a shoulder strap tying it around the neck and base of his spear. He slung it across his back and headed over to help with the cave.
"Is there anything I can do?" He asked, approaching Ace and Beck
"Sure, if you want to cut to give me some rest that'd be great," Ace said, handing off the knife.
"Sure, I can do that," Miles said, taking it and gripping it firmly in his hand. He spun the blade in his hand switching it over to the normal non-serrated edge. He lifted it over his head and with all the strength he had, brought it down and struck it against the vines. The blade lodged into the thick coiled vine no more than an inch deep. He let out a loud grunt as the blade made contact. He paused for a moment feeling embarrassed as his face glowed red. He gripped the knife's handle firmly and pulled it from the gash it had created.
Again he held his arm over his head and with all of his strength brought the blade back down slamming it into the vine. Again the blade sliced a couple of inches before stopping in the center. He wrapped his hand around the handle once more before yanking the knife back out.
"It doesn't work like that in real life," Ace said, smirking subtly.
"Shut up!" He shouted playfully.
"Use the saw, it works a lot better on thick vines than hacking does," Ace finished, pointing to the vines he had already cut through. Miles stared down at the knife and flipped it back to the teeth. He knelt beside Ace and began sawing back and forth. Before he knew it he was through three vines. Then four and then he was through them all. The cave entrance revealed itself behind the thick plants. He peeled away the leaves that remained and stared into the cold dark abyss.
It was silent and cold as they entered. Ace fumbled through his backpack searching for anything he could use.
"Here we go," he said, pulling a small green flashlight out of his bag. He clicked the button sending a small bright circle onto the wall of the cave. The water from the river above slowly trickled down the cave walls and dripped to the floor from the ceiling. The ground was damp, covered in dirt and stones with mud in some places. The air was stale, and the whistle of a soft breeze sang throughout the cave as they walked through. Ace stood in front leading the way with his light. Miles stayed behind for protection with his spear.
As they walked through the narrow corridor, a loud noise scurried across the cave floor. An almost clicking sort of noise scattered through the cave. The three of them stopped in their tracks scanning the dark cavity with their limited field of vision. Miles reached around and gripped his spear pulling it around to his chest and aiming the blade out in front of him. Ace shined his light searching for the origin of the noise. Beck listened closely waiting for the clicking to scurry across the floor again. A moment passed before the noise came back.
They all snapped their necks to the left shining the light on a darker section of the cave. Something poked out from behind a large stone pillar, it was long and almost fuzzy, it was black and sat crooked against the floor. Miles squinted trying to make out whatever it was hiding behind the wall. He knelt and dragged his hand across the rough ground in search of a rock. His hand brushed passed a smooth stone, he gripped it in his hand and gently tossed it at the long fuzzy rope-like appendage. A loud hiss erupted from behind the pillar as whatever it was began to move.