The Pinecones

I was used to the slow, deliberate drawl of Mrs. Vance, our high school history teacher. She was going over last minute homework tips and topics, what pages we should study, and a not-so-subtle hint that a test may or may not occur next Monday. But I was only half listening today. Normally, I paid apt attention to this sort of thing, being a slightly above average student, and finding my education to be important. I wanted to go to college, and so I made sure to get the best grades I could in school. I averaged high A's with the occasional B. I wasn't a genius, but I was happy with the results. I always studied, even if it wasn't much, and I always made sure I felt ready for any quiz or test I was going to be taking. I even retained information well enough to hit good marks on the pop quizzes Mrs. Vance or any of the other teachers would sometimes spring on us. But today, I couldn't focus. I was buzzing with excitement, as I knew my friends were also.

I was half listening, half counting down the time until we were out of school and we could rush home, and then to our meeting spot. There was myself, Jaden and his girl Christine, Alex, her girlfriend Emily, and my girlfriend Penny. The six of us had a special hangout spot on the outskirts of town in the middle of the woods. There was a large concrete basin there where we could make small fires and drink and smoke, or do whatever it was we wanted to do out of view from prying eyes. It also helped the spot was in the middle of the coniferous forest that surrounded our small town. We met up there almost daily after school, and spent as much time there as we could on the weekends.

But today was special. Today we were going to go there and smoke some good weed that Jaden had scored for us. We usually smoked cigarettes, weed being hard to come by. When the occasion arose, we all had our minds set on getting high, drinking, and maybe some fooling around with our partners. It was going to be the perfect Tuesday afternoon and evening. It might seem pretty silly to get so excited about smoking some joints in the middle of the woods, but you have to realize that in our small town with nothing else to do, getting drunk or high was the most exciting thing possible. It also may have been because we were stupid teenagers.

When the bell rang signaling the end of school for the day, the halls flooded with students and everyone poured outside. I met up with Penny first, and we made our way through the crowds until we found Jaden, Christine, Alex, and Emily waiting by Jaden's truck. He was the only one of us who was eighteen and who had his license and a car. The rest of us were seventeen and all in the process. Jaden was always designated driver, which meant he drove us around and drank a little less than the rest of us. Again, stupid teenagers.

"You kids ready?" Jaden asked with a fake, grown-up tone.

"You know it grandpa," I laughed back swinging my backpack into the bed of his truck.

"All aboard then," he said hopping into the driver seat.

Christine got in next to him and the rest of us piled into the bed of the truck. He started the truck and off we went, down the road and out of town into the woods. About a mile in he turned off the little dirt side road. It had mostly been overgrown when we first found it, and only since Jaden had started driving his truck down it had we cleared a more substantial path. We pulled up to our spot and we all got out. I swung my arm around Penny and we went towards the concrete basin. Alex, the pyro that she was, had rushed ahead and was already getting things prepped for the fire. Jaden was unlocking the lock box on his truck, and from within he drew out a bottle of whiskey, a pack of cigarettes, and the long awaited baggy of green bud. Alex opened her school bag and produced a big bag of jerky and a bag of smashed up chips. Dinner!

We all gathered around the fire, sitting on various chairs or objects that we had collected down there over the years. We were already pretty buzzed and were about to start smoking and eat our snacks. The sun was just starting to set now. We kept the fire burning with sticks, brush, and wood from the surrounding trees. We had a great time, joking and laughing, and when Alex busted out her phone speaker we danced a bit. Then as darkness set in, we turned to making out with our partners. Yessir, it was a good time.

As the night went on the fire began to slowly die, so I got up to go grab some more fuel. I gave Penny a dramatic farewell kiss, and she smacked my butt, giggling as I walked away. I was wobbly and felt sluggish, being cross faded out of my mind. I stumbled into the now almost pitch black trees and began feeling around for some pieces of wood, bark, or anything that would burn well. I grabbed up all sorts of stuff, including a couple of the massive pinecones that littered the forest floor. I got back to our fire. Jaden and Christine were still slurping on each other's faces, but Alex and Emily weren't there.

"They're off finger banging each other," Penny giggled.

"Of course," I laughed back. I began throwing wood and brush on the fire. It popped and cracked. Then I tossed one of the pinecones onto the flames. It sat for a bit, flames engulfing it as it began to burn.

Suddenly there was a horrid sound. It was like a scream or shriek, but one that sounded like nails being raked across a chalkboard. It was ear splitting and we all jumped back in surprise, trying to cover our ears. It was coming from the pinecone I had just set in the fire. The shriek continued for another few seconds and then faded off.

"What the hell was that?" Jaden asked. He and Christine were still holding each other, but now they were both wide-eyed and staring from the fire to me and Penny. Emily came running up from out of the darkness.

"What's going on?" Emily asked. "Everyone alright?"

"No idea," I said still starting at the fire. We were all so drunk and stoned. Maybe we had imagined it. "I don't know, it was something in the fire. I put a pinecone in and it made that sound."

Just then I noticed the other pinecone that I had collected and set next to the fire. It was illuminated by the light. It was moving. It kept gently rocking back and forth, wiggling and wobbling around. Everyone was now staring at it, expressions of shock across their faces.

"What the hell..." Jaden said under his breath. I was thinking the same thing. Were we all that drunk and high, or was that pinecone actually moving? It was. It suddenly rolled a bit, and as it did so it slipped out of the light. We watched it roll and listened to it wobble before the sound stopped. We watched the spot in the darkness before we began to hear a cracking noise. If you've ever crunched a pinecone under your feet, you know what it sounds like. Like a hollow bunch of twigs snapping and splitting. Then the sound stopped. We stood and watched the spot where we had heard it, all frozen out of either fear or shock. I think I was more shocked than scared at that point, but that changed quickly.

We then heard strange clicking noises, like the sound of something hard being tapped on the concrete. We listened and watched, and saw something small begin to emerge from the darkness. Two long, spindly legs came into view. They were gray and fixed into points, each one looking like small daggers. It was followed by a grotesque looking bulbous body covered in a sort of silvery-gray exoskeleton. Three beady, black eyes centered at the front of the body stared at us. It moved forward more to reveal two back legs, equally thin and gray, but jointed at the back, like that of a bird. It had three cruel-looking claws on each foot. It looked and moved almost like a sort of bug, reminding me uncomfortably of a spider. It was only about the size of my fist and it moved slowly but deliberately into the light, watching us with those void-like eyes. We were all staring, transfixed at the hideous creature before us. Then it reared up on it's back legs, revealing a small mouth with needle like teeth on it's underbelly, and let out a shriek, much like the one we had heard come from the fire moments earlier. Only this one sounded more like a call than a cry. I screamed and was joined by Penny and Christine. Jaden jumped forward and stepped right onto the thing. It had tried to scuttle away but his aim was true, landing square on it's ugly exoskeleton, followed by a loud crackling and squelching noise.

"The fuck was that thing?" Jaden half yelled looking around at us with wild eyes. No one said anything. "Come on man, you're smart you know what that was?" I shook my head.

"We should bring the body back with us, show Mr. Rellin or something," Penny said, looking a little sick. "The biology teacher?"

"Right," I said. "Alright."

Then we heard Emily scream. we turned and looked. We couldn't see her, but we could now hear her sobbing in the dark, and then I noticed a blueish light that must be her phone.

"Come on," I said motioning to everyone and we made our way over to her. "What's wrong Em?"

"Alex," she said in between gasps and tears. "When that thing came out, I came to get Alex." She held up a jacket. Alex's jacket. It was soaked in what was unmistakably blood.

"Jesus Christ," was all Jaden said. Penny was quiet next to me, and Christine was starting to whimper as well.

Then we began to hear that snapping and cracking noise again. Pinecones. All around us the sound began to fill the night. I pulled out my phone and turned on the light. Everyone else followed suit. We shined the lights around trying to see into the dark woods, but we could only see a few feet into the trees. The sound of breaking pinecones stopped, and was then almost immediately replaced by the sound of brush and pine needles being scattered about as a scuttling noise came closer and closer. It was more of those things, those gray bugs. They'd broken out and now were heading right for us. We probably should have shut our lights off and hid, but who knows if that's what attracted them. Either way we didn't want to find out what would happen when they reached us.

"Get to the truck!" Jaden yelled and we all scattered.

"What about Alex?" Emily screamed at us.

"We'll come back to look for her," I yelled as Penny and I grabbed Emily by the arms and began pulling her. As we rushed towards the truck I ran past the fire and grabbed a long branch that was sticking out of it. The end was alight and I brought it was me as a torch. Fire always meant safety right? As we neared the truck we saw them in our lights. Dozens of those gray little bug-things heading towards us. They were coming from all over and with their speed they were going to get to the truck before us. But we kept going, we had to try.

Suddenly they all stopped. They had almost completely surrounded us. They covered the ground, and the truck. Everywhere we shown light we saw them. Then we saw Alex. She was now standing in front of the truck. Her expression was blank and her eyes vacant. Her throat was slit deeply, and crimson blood still bubbled out and down her front.

"Alex!" Emily shouted trying to rush to her. I held her back.

Alex starred at us and then slowly began to raise her arm. She pointed at us and then opened her mouth as if to speak. But the only sound that came out was the horrid shrieking noise. I then noticed something glinting and reflecting the light inside her mouth. Three black eyes shimmered. I felt sick as I realized that thing was nestled in her mouth, into her throat. I saw one of it's front, bladed legs was sticking out Alex's mouth and raised up. The right leg, same as Alex's right arm that was pointing at us. That thing, whatever it was, was controlling her. The left leg came out of the mouth and moved up, and sure enough Alex's left arm also moved up. She raised both arms into the air and made that horrid shriek, even louder than before, and then to our horror the mass of gray bugs began to rush towards us once more.

I acted fast, doing the only thing I could I think of. I let go of Emily and rushed back to the fire only a dozen feet away. I grabbed the half-full whiskey bottle and threw it at Alex's body. I then chucked my torch after it. The glass bottle shattered at her feet, whiskey soaking the ground, and the torch landed right near it. Within a second the ground, and then Alex's body, was engulfed in flames that continued to grow. The shrieking cry we had heard from the first pinecone pierced the night and all the other gray bugs stopped in their tracks, their black eyes seeming to take in the flames burning Alex's body and the bug inside her. Then they decided to go ahead and attack. They scuttled towards us so fast we almost didn't have time to escape. Penny didn't.

As we got to the truck and piled into the front seat I felt Penny, who had been holding my hand, jerk back. I turned and saw that multiple bugs were now crawling up her legs and others were stabbing into her with those blade-like front legs, pulling on her and trying to drag her back. I shouted and pulled on her kicking at any of the bugs I could but they slowly and strongly began to pull her from my grip. Jaden came to my aid, attempting to help me pull her as well, but to no avail. She was dragged from our arms, and she screamed as the things swarmed over her. After a few seconds her screams were cut short as I saw one of the bugs plunge it's bladed arm into her neck. Jaden, Christine, Emily and I were crammed into the truck breathing heavily and crying silently. We took a brief moment, and then Jaden started the truck. The engine roared and the headlights turned on, illuminating the forest, which was now crawling with hundreds of those horrid gray bugs. He floored it and we flew out of there, the wheels crunching and crushing the bugs as we drove over them. The things scurried after us, but by the time we got to the main road there were no more on our tail. We drove to the edge of town and then Jaden pulled the car over.

"Why are you stopping?" Christine gasped.

"What the hell are we gonna do? Who do we tell? What do we tell them?"

"We have to go to the police," Emily said in a quivering voice.

"Yeah but tell them what?"

"Tell them," I said flatly, "the truth. Tell them what happened. Tell them what's out there. Tell them they're still out there. Tell them we need to burn the pinecones, hell maybe the whole forest."

"Alright," said Jaden. "No one's gonna believe this shit though."

"He's right," Christine agreed.

"We have to try," I said. Emily nodded.

"Alright," Jaden said again as he began to pull back onto the road. "To the police then."

As we drove into town I looked in the rear view mirror of Jaden's pick-up truck. Just fading out of the tail lights, standing in the middle of the road, was Penny.

One Is Missing

I know there is one missing. I knew it from the first night I saw it, that procession walking up the road in the dead of night. But it doesn't make any sense. I know one is missing, but I don't know why or how I know it. I honestly think I'm going insane. I can't help it, the things I keep doing, saying, thinking. It's like I'm here, trapped inside my mind, watching it happen, and I can't do anything about it. I wonder if that is how all insane people are? Prisoners of their own broken mind, forced to endure the ravings and rants that they have no control over, though are fully aware of. But never mind that, it's not why I'm writing this down. I'm writing this down because if, or rather when, I finally lose my mind completely...I want people to know why.

Let me back up a bit, and give a little more information on myself, and what's been going on.

My wife and I moved to a trailer park almost a year ago. I know what you're probably thinking, trailer trash. But it's a nice little trailer park. It's clean, and almost all the residents are older and retired. I've seen more than a few luxury and sports cars parked out front of people's massive, mini-house RVs and fifth-wheels. It's cheap though, and that's why we moved here. My wife is disabled, needing a cane to walk after a nasty car accident. She can mostly take care of herself, but she needs a lot of help as she can't move around for long. When I wake up in the morning, I cook her breakfast, and in the evenings I make dinner when I get back from work. I'm a receptionist at a dental office, if anyone cares. Not that it matters anymore. Sorry, going off track again. It's a strong suit of mine. Rambling I mean. Sorry. I need to write this down.

Though we're close to the freeway, our park sits back on an old highway that twists and winds far out into the middle of nowhere. We're in a semi-rural spot, secluded, but not terribly far from the city. The highway sees a lot of traffic during the day, people always going back and forth to and from work. We have lots of birds chittering and chirping all day, starting bright and early. We hear the occasional barking dog, people talking to their neighbors, and sometimes TVs or music playing. I would consider it somewhat loud during the day, though not obnoxious.
But at night the area gets very quiet.

I noticed this pretty quickly after we moved in. Almost every night around nine o'clock, sounds die off outside. No more traffic. No more people. No more animals. The birds, crickets, everything just shuts up around that time every single night. Then a few hours later, around midnight, the wind will pick up. Not terribly heavy wind, but enough to rustle the leaves. The windchime in our neighbor's yard picks up, and makes a soft and soothing jingle-jangle noise. It happens this way every single night. My wife and I assumed it was just the location, just the way the area worked. We got used to it pretty quickly anyway, and it stopped being strange after just a couple of weeks.

Then came our first summer at the park. It gets very hot here in the summer time, and though we do have A/C it gets expensive to run a lot. We try to use it sparingly, and almost never run it at night. Unfortunately, I get pretty hot, while my wife tends to run cooler. While she'll be comfortable with the temperature, I'll be sweating by ass off in a tank top and boxers. I sweat a lot. The beads on my forehead. They're there now. I can feel them, but they don't cool me off. So I have a hard time sleeping some nights, even though it cools off a bit once the sun goes down.

One night, about a week ago, I was up pretty late. I couldn't sleep, I was sweating and all around uncomfortable. I stayed up watching a movie and when I finally looked at the clock it said it was one in the morning on the dot. I blinked in surprise that it had gotten so late. Or early or whatever. Either way I knew I needed to sleep. We had all the windows open to try and get at least a little bit of the cool night air inside. Our front door has a screen door attached to it so you can have the front door open and get some air circulation without letting the bugs in. The bugs get in anyway. These little flies, little gnats. I swear they're trying to kill me. Twice now I've been talking or just breathing and the damn things will fly right into my throat, and I've almost choked to death. Sorry. There I go rambling again.

Ok so the door. I got up to close and lock the front door, as I always do before bed. But not this late. Never this late. As I leaned out to close the front door I saw some movement that caught my eye. I looked out towards the road, the highway running in front of the park. Moving up the road in unison were robed figures. The robes were dark and long, with large hoods. Their entire bodies were completely covered by the robes and with their slow, monotonous movements it almost appeared as if the figures were merely gliding along the ground. There were two rows, with five figures in each. The wind was still blowing. The leaves and branches of the trees were swaying, singing, dancing. The wind chime chimed cheerly in my neighbor's yard. Ding. Ding-aling. Ding-ding.

Then something followed the hooded figures. I felt disturbed, fearful even. But I couldn't close the door. I couldn't look away. Damn it I wish I did. But there it was, rolling along. A large wooden cart, with huge wooden wheels. It made no sound, and it was not being pulled nor pushed by anything or anyone. It just moved on, rolling up the street behind the hooded figures, going at the same deliberate pace.
It was what was on the cart though. A towering statue. Another robed figure, the arms and hands folded in front of it. But it did not have a hood. Instead there was a great head that looked almost like the head of a wolf. It appeared to be a stone statue, but with great detail. The wolf's head had mangy wild fur, and two pointed ears. It's mouth was wide and gaping, with large teeth. It wasn't a typical canine snout, but rather what looked almost like a fleshy beak. It did not appear to have a nose, not that I could see anyway. Behind each ear a grotesque looking horn, or maybe an antler was protruding. It was a strange combination of the two. They started by twisting up like the horn of a ram, but then began to branch out like a deer's, with each horn spiking out into at least a dozen points. The most terrifying aspect though was the flames shooting out of the eyes, and the flaming forked tongue that wriggled and writhed within that beak-like mouth. I had never seen anything quite like it. The statue must be a good twenty feet at least. It's truly awe-inspiring. The craftmanship is incredible, beautiful even. Then as the cart carrying the statue moved on, there came more hooded and robed figures behind it. There were still two rows, only this time there was ten in one row, but only nine in the other.

One's missing.

I remember thinking it so clearly. I don't know why. But I can't get that thought out of my head. One was missing from the row. One is missing from the row. I stared at the strange parade until it was out of site around a corner up the road. Then suddenly I felt like I had snapped out of a trance. My hand was still on the door, and I was still half leaning out of the trailer to close it. I did so and went to grab my phone before going to bed. 3:07 A.M.

No way I thought to myself. No way in hell had I been standing there for over two hours. No way had that group of figures and their statue taken two hours to go by. Then I realized what it all meant. I was dreaming. I crawled into bed, laughing a little to myself. But I'm not laughing anymore.

When I woke up the next day I barely remembered the previous night. It really did feel like just a dream. I got up and made my wife and myself breakfast. She asked if I slept alright. I told her I had. She said she slept good. I slept good. I think. I got ready, kissed her goodbye, and I went to work. My boss and a couple other coworkers asked if I was alright, and said I looked very tired. I told them I was fine, I had slept very good last night. I asked how they slept. How did anyone sleep? How does anyone sleep at night? God, I just wanted to get home and make dinner and spend time with my wife.

When I got home my wife told me some bad news. Her father had been sick, and he suddenly took a turn for the worse, and she was going to have to fly out to be with him and her mother. She had already booked a last minute flight, and had scheduled a taxi to pick her up for the airport in the morning. I offered to go with her. I could take some time off work. I hadn't taken a vacation in over three years. They owed me a bit. Though I hated to do a last minute ditch like that. But she said no, it was fine, she understood I needed to be at work. I needed to work. I needed to be here. I needed to get good sleep here. I knew that of course, and so did she. We all know that.

I made us dinner. Isn't that nice honey? Yes dear thank you dear. Then we went to bed. I woke up around one in the morning. I couldn't go back to sleep. It was too hot. If only I'd known what I do now, I would have gone with my wife. But too late. One is missing. She woke up early and left for the airport. We kissed and hugged goodbye. I felt like I was going to cry, but I didn't. I didn't even know why I would. She'd be back soon. But would I?

Work was uneventful. I hope my boss and coworkers are sleeping good. I know I am. When I got home I made a little supper for myself, and then I decided to read a book. I ended up losing track of time, only realizing how late it was when I heard the wind start to pick up. There were the trees swaying, and the chime jingling. I decided I was going to go sit outside. I don't know what made me do it. Well I suppose I do now. But I didn't want to. And so I did it. I went out into our yard, listening to the crashing and thrashing of the trees, the wind rushing around me, the sound of the neighbors wind chime being ripped from their porch. So peaceful.
I checked my watch. 1:00 A.M. Time for the parade! I was excited, and terrified.
And sure enough here they came. The two rows of five hooded and robed figures smoothly shuffling along up the road. The massive cart with the beautiful and monstrous statue glided along of its own accord. The feelings it stirred up in me are still confusing to me. It was terror, horror, awe, sadness and happiness. At one point I almost felt giddy, like I could laugh and laugh for days. At one point I swear the head turned slightly towards me. I thought I heard my name over the howling wind. And following up the rear were the last two rows of hooded figures. Eleven in one row, and ten in the other. More than last time, but one was still missing. One is still missing. I watched them up the road once again, until they turned the corner. I stared after them until...

Ring ring ring!

My phone jerked me out of my once again stupored trance. I answered it. My boss. I was late for work. it was almost ten in the morning. Damn it. I rushed inside and got ready as fast as I could. I looked at my phone again as I got in the car. Two missed calls from my wife, and a voicemail. She was fine. Just calling to let me know she had gotten in safe and sound, and she'd call with any update regarding her father. Good. I hope she sleeps good. Better than I will.

I got sick at work. I threw up all over the hallway in a rushed attempt at getting to the toilet on time. It was awful. I think I passed out. They were going to take me to the hospital but I started feeling better. After much convincing that I was ok, they had me go home. My boss told me to take the rest of the week off, and to get some rest. I needed rest. but I knew I wasn't going to get it. I knew what the problem was.
The next few nights were much like the last, and the one before. I watched my favorite group of hooded figures and their mascot march up the road. But it wasn't a mascot. I knew it then deep down, and I know it better now. Each time it happened I found myself waking up later and later in the day. Each night, the rows of hooded figures grew by one, but one row was always one shorter than the other. One was always missing. One is always missing. I know that now. And I know what I have to do.

I just woke up about an hour ago. As usual I was standing in my yard. It was early afternoon. There was a package wrapped up in brown paper and string at my feet. I took it inside.

My phone has almost a dozen missed calls from my wife, and almost as many voicemails. But she can't hear me. I can't hear her. I know what I have to do, and I know she'll understand in the end. One is always missing, and she'll understand that in the same way I do now. I don't want her to understand, but she will. She will once she reads this. I think everyone will.

I just opened the package before sitting down to write this. Inside was a robe and a note.

You are one. We are one. He is one.

Those That Deserve

"What's that noise?" called Adam from down below.

"Truck comin'," Dan hollered back. "We got company."

"Get outta there, hide I can deal with it!"

Dan paused for a moment looking over his shoulder at the approaching vehicle. "Fine, be careful."

Dan ran off and Adam looked back down at the large chest at his feet. The hole he was in was a good ten feet down and about 3 feet wide. The rope that was tied off up top hung loosely against the dirt walls. Adam was thinking fast. The chest was locked tight. The only way to get that thing open without the key would be some heavy explosives. Of course they most likely had those. Adam picked up his shovel he had set on the ground and began to continue his digging to the side. He had made a small alcove so far but it wouldn't do good to try and hide in it. From the right angle he'd be seen. Hopefully they would assume it was an empty hole, if only he could hide away deep enough.. So he kept digging. Then the earth gave way. The little alcove crumbled to reveal a small tunnel beyond. Adam stared in surprise for a moment but was brought back from shock by the sound of a truck coming to a halt and parking above. Car doors opened and slammed and heavy footsteps could be heard approaching. He didn't have a choice. Adam heaved the chest up and stepped into the tunnel. As he did so the ground began to shake and dirt and pebbles began to fall all around. Adam dove inside just as the entire hole collapsed in on itself.

Adam coughed and sputtered, spitting out dirt and trying to clear his lungs of dust. It was pitch black inside. The opening to the tunnel had been sealed up with who knows how much dirt. How had the hole even collapsed like that? In any matter he was safe from the assailants for a little while. At least until they dug him out. But he wasn't going to wait for that. Adam felt around his pockets for his lighter. He found it and pulled it out and flicked it a couples times until the flame sparked to life and illuminated the tunnel around him. It was a very tight tunnel. It was big enough for him to almost stand up straight, but not wide enough for him to carry the chest. He could drag it along behind him. He had no other choice but to leave it which wasn't really an option. He climbed over the chest and grabbed the handle on the side and lifted it to a tilt and began dragging it slowly along.

The tunnel was sloping slightly downwards going deeper into the earth. Adam closed the lighter wanting to save it for if he really needed it. For now the tunnel seemed to be endless and the same as the rest, so he kept moving forward, one hand dragging the chest behind him and the other slowly feeling around in front of him. He had been walking for what felt like a good hour before he decided to take a break. The air was thinner and he was starting to have a hard time breathing. He stopped and sat down on the chest and focused on slowing and calming his breathing. When he was steady he flicked the lighter back to life. The scenery had not changed; the walls were still bare dirt, stone, and the occasional root. He looked up at the ceiling of the tunnel, which seemed quite solid. He hoped it wouldn't cave in anymore, but with no support or anything it was a probable problem.

Suddenly Adam looked all around him. He had sworn he just heard someone whisper in his ear. It was very faint and quiet, but he knew he had heard it. Unless he was just hearing things. Maybe the lack of oxygen was getting to him. Yes, that had to be it. No air will do that to a guy after a while. He could start heading back but that would most likely mean giving up the chest. For all he knew they could have dug out the hole and be heading down the tunnel right now. And with that thought he closed the lighter and got to his feet and began dragging the chest along.

Another twenty minutes or so down Adam began to hear a low sort of humming noise. It seemed to be emanating from all around him with no discernible source or cause. What was it, and what could be causing it? The further down the tunnel he went the louder the humming noise got becoming more of a buzzing that drilled into his very brain. He suddenly noticed a change in his footing. He was now on solid rock rather than dirt. He flicked the lighter to life once more and shined it around him. He was now in a larger tunnel made of solid rock, some type of granite. But his stomach knotted up a bit as he read the writing scrawled across the walls, floor, and ceiling of the rock tunnel. One phrase, written over and over again, "Hell is always open for those that deserve." The writing was shaky and messy and looked like it had been written in a great hurry. Most likely the doings of a mad man, who else would do such a nutty thing? Or maybe some kids. This tunnel probably lead into one of the old mines around and had another way in and out. Kids always liked to come into the old mines and tag them, desecrate them, throw wild parties. Damn kids. It was just some kids. But there still seemed to be no end in sight, even in this larger tunnel. So Adam closed the lighter and once again began trekking along dragging the chest behind him. This was actually a good thing. Once he got into the main part of the mine he could probably find a way out, and that meant freedom. Hopefully Dan got away too, and then they would meet up and could get back on track. The plan was still the same, just a detour is all.

As he continued on the humming and buzzing had now grown louder than ever and Adam could barely hear himself think. Then he noticed a light coming from up ahead. Must be the end. He kept moving forward until he found himself climbing through a small doorway into a large rectangular chamber. The ceiling of the chamber was very high, almost out of sight. How far down had he come? The light was coming from torches in metal brackets all along the walls. They seemed to have been freshly lit and were illuminating the whole chamber quite nicely. Then Adam noticed at the far end; a huge statue stood erect upon a pedestal that was in the middle of a pool. It was a large circular pool with water as black as the darkness he had just come from. The torches barely even seemed to reflect in it. It seemed to churn slightly, and Adam realized along with the humming noise there seemed to be fairly heavy air flow in the chamber, but where it was coming from he could not tell. It was warm air. He turned his attention back to the statue. It was quite bland. The pedestal seemed to be more ornately carved and decorated than the statue itself which seemed to be nothing more than a tall rounded blob. It reminded Adam of one of those ghost cartoon characters, where it was just a rounded head and the sheet covering the body. But there seemed to be no eyes or other features of any type. Adam decided to move forward. The chamber was made of the same granite rock that the last portion of the tunnel had been, only it was totally bare. No writing was scribbled around, there was nothing but empty space. Well empty except for the little pool surrounding that statue at the end.

As Adam approached closer to the statue he began to notice the carvings in it. Strange and alien hieroglyphics the likes he had never seen before. He was no archaeologist or anything, but he was sure that these symbols weren't in any kind of history or language books. They were so bizarre, twisted, and crude...almost like the same hand writing in the tunnel. He almost thought that maybe they were just scratches and gashes in the rock, but they were far to deliberate. The humming noise seemed even louder near the statue and Adam suddenly began to feel increasingly uneasy. Something felt very wrong about the whole thing. This room shouldn’t exist. It couldn’t exist. This was something out of a dream, maybe even a nightmare.

Then it stopped.

The room went completely quiet. Suddenly the torches all went out as if blow by a huge gust of wind, but Adam felt nothing. It was pitch black. He couldn’t see a thing and for some reason he dared not flick the lighter on. Something told him he should wait in the dark and not be seen. Then he heard it. The water in the pool sounded as if it were churning and trickling somewhere. It was slow and soft but definitely moving. Adam felt frozen with fear. He couldn’t move, nor did he want to. He could now feel wetness around his feet and realized the water, or whatever the liquid was, was moving around below him. From the sound of it it was moving past him towards the tunnel he had come through. After what felt like hours of standing in the dark, the liquid flowing steadily past him, the torches suddenly became lit again.

Adam could see the light return through his now shut eyes. He didn’t even remember shutting them, but as he opened them he felt at ease. He was still facing towards the pool and statue. The statue looked the same, though he could have sworn the carvings were glowing slightly white now. But apart from that the pool was still full of crystal clear water, showing the stone beneath. Adam’s heart skipped a beat and he felt his body become warm, cold, and shaky all at once. He turned slowly around to find himself face to face with a mass of blackness looming over him. A disembodied voice echoed around the chamber, “Hell is always open for those that deserve.”