The Fallen

Josef is unnerved and raises his weapon. Sensing Josef’s unrest Samuel gently places his hand on the firearm and lowers it before he has a chance to react.  There are thousands of holes borrowed into the floor and this time they are notably large.  A constant whirring sound fills the air and the warm blue glow seen in the tunnel illuminates the entire room.   Large carvings that match the etchings found throughout the mine are systematically placed.  Samuel takes the lead and Lydia the rear; we must stay focused and alert and we remain careful not to disturb anything inside the chamber.  Despite our efforts Mathias is careless and looses his footing stumbling into one of the voids.  He quickly lifts his foot from the divot, which is now covered in the same gunge found outside the room, and shakes it off.  “How careless can you be,” argues Samuel?  “We are here only to observe,” he continues; “you of all people should know the value of such a find.”  Dr. Simpson advises Mathias to be careful as we tread deeper into the room.  We keep together and are careful not to make the same mistake.  Lydia Sanchez the remaining member of the team’s geologist bends down to take a rock sample and is temporarily distracted.  At the same time Samuel motions for us to go ahead of him; “Josef will take the lead for now,” he states.  Doctors Simpson and Luts, as well as Mathias and myself are all accounted for however one of our party members is no where to be found.  Samuel immediately scouts the room for any sign of her, while Josef readies his weapon.  Although her equipment is recovered, Lydia has all but dissappeared.   Then it is heard, a vibrating drone penetrates the room as dozens of Cicadoidea incase the walls and ceiling.

 The Fallen

            I am relieved to see my colleagues, and this time I will not allow myself to get separated from them again.  Together we enter the mist filled tunnel and once again I use my hand to guide me through the darkness.  The cold rock is wet and slimy to the touch and the walls are oozing with the same component found in the cavern.   The faint odor that was barely noticeable before, has now become pungent.  Although the stench is difficult to bear, Dr. Lutz has determined that it poses no danger to our health.  The tunnel seems endless and we remain quiet amid the darkness as we navigate our way through its many twists and turn.  Little is spoken until Josef our weapons expert notices a blue light reflecting off the mist.   The light radiates through small holes borrowed into the walls and floor of the tunnel.  The light now guides our steps and raises caution.   Still we were all aware of the risks and each of us vows to continue moving forward.  We come across several exoskeletons, similar in size and shape to the one found in the cavern.   We advance slowly and Samuel advises us to stay close to one another.  We are stopped in our tracks by what appears to be a doorway encrypted with the same markings seen throughout the mine.  The door is sealed tight with no visible joints or hinges.  I run my hand along the markings and reflect upon the sketches in my journal.  For the first time the familiar pattern is beginning to make sense, and I finally see what has been laid out before us.  One faces west, another due north and again west; the etchings chart the cave, as the stars chart the heavens.  I touch each symbol one at a time, carefully sliding my hand along the cold service.  Several times I repeat this pattern until we feel a surge of power and the rock separates from the walls.  There before us lies the answers we have come to find.   

The Fallen

I question if I should turn back and return with another search party?  Still, that could take months to organize, and by then my colleagues would have discovered without me that which we set out to do as a team.  How could I walk away from a discovery of this magnitude?  After all there is no sign that this creature still exist.  Could this remnant of life be left here from another time?  Just as dinosaurs once roamed the earth above, this creature could have inhabited the earth below.  Therefore I continue moving forward.  I look beyond the cavern to another tunnel, however this one appears to be unlike the others.  There is a strange mist covering the floor of the tunnel and it seems to flow from beyond the passageway.  It spreads throughout the entire chamber and casts an eerie glow that blankets the floor beneath my feet.  As I step into the mysterious cavern, I discover a new pattern.  Etched into the walls at the entrance to the tunnel are undulating swirls surrounding the original markings?  What does this mist signify, and why is it depicted in the etchings?  Before venturing further into the tunnel, I take time to log everything I discovered thus far; this may be the only account of my presence here.  My mind is locked within the moment and I am lost in my thoughts. It is as if I am a million miles away from where I stand and I am so hopelessly alone.  I take a deep breath before continuing on.  I stare into the mist and take my first step; thence my heart stops mid-beat as a hand grabs hold of my shoulder.  I close my eyes for fear of what I might see, when a familiar voice beckons; “I thought we had lost you too.” “Samuel, thank God!” I state with delight.  I am at a loss for words, and relieved that somehow I was able to reconnect with my colleagues. The tunnels are a maze of deception and fortunately they connect at this point.