Dr. Creepen's Dungeon - S1 Ep2: Episode 2: The One with the Creepy Caves

Episode Date: November 5, 2020

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”  Tonight we journey to the darkest depths of the world's creepiest caves in these two tales of terror! Tonight’s first, fabulous unmissable story is ‘The Angel Caves’ by Wolfe of Baskervilles. We then round off proceedings with 'We Discovered a New Species of Humans in Mammoth Cave’, an original story Bearded Veteran. Both of these wonderful stories were kindly shared directly with me for the express purpose of having me narrate it here for you all. You can find the authors here: https://www.reddit.com/user/WolfeofBaskervilles https://www.reddit.com/user/BeardedVeteran  

Think about your health for a second. Are your eyes the first thing that come to mind? Probably not. But our eyes go through a lot. From squinting at screens to driving at night. That's why regular eye exams matter. And at Specsavers, they come with an OCT 3D eye health scan, which helps optometrists detect conditions at early stages.

We believe OCT scans are so important they're included with every standard eye exam. Book an eye exam at Spexsavers.cavers.ca.caps are provided by independent optometrists. Visit Spexsavers.cavers. Welcome to Dr. Creepin's dungeon. Caves. The sacredness of the world is that it pursued the light. The sanctity of the cave is that it never left the darkness. Two stories for you in this episode,

which both take place inside creepy caves. Now, as ever, before we begin, a note of caution. Both of tonight's stories may include strong language, as well as descriptions of violent and horrific acts. If that sounds like your kind of thing, then let's begin. We start out this evening with the angel caves by Wolf of Baskervilles. Tensing the wheel in my fingers, I grinned. Oh, you think it'd be cooler. We're so close to the beach.

Bennett groaned, rolling his window back up and tilting the air-conditioning vent towards himself. I told you we should have gone later, not in the middle of the bloody day. Emily spoke in her smoky British accent, rolling her eyes just before deeply inhaling from the bong we were passing around. No way, two o'clock is already late enough. If we went later, it would have been even creepier. Natalie took the bong next and activated the flint lighter that paired with the glass and lighting the last of the green within the bong. She held it in for about a second and burst out coughing, unable to control herself. Emily laughed boisterously at this, patting the girl's back as she opened her own window

and continued her choking outside of the car, and courteous as ever. Get her at water, would you? Bennett barked back. But for fuck's sake, unless you want me to reach over you, Hems, is that what you want? You want me to rub you all over? Why do you always have to be such a pervert? and I told you not to call me that. Emily snorted, reaching into the ice cooler we carried in the rear area of the SUV,

and creaked the noisy lid open, pulling out an iced cold water bottle. She stuck it to the back of Natalie's neck, to which the still coughing woman reeled back in surprise, hitting her head on the way back in. Oh, damn it, Emily, she cried. Had to get your attention, didn't I? Emily shrugged apathetically, a sly grin crossing her face. Yeah, keep getting her, M's.

You sure what you think of her stupid plan. Bennett laughed. Elyn looked to me as I kept my eyes on the small dirt road ahead. Excuse me for not being a psychopath. Natalie spoke in a hoarse voice, taking the water and rubbing her head. Generally, exploring the wilderness isn't a good idea past sundown. The more time we have, the better, no? She drank deeply from the bottle, looking relieved.

you better not have spilled that bon water back there I murmured peering into the rear view at Natalie I caught it, don't worry Emily smiled to me in the mirror I couldn't help but smile back in the first moment I'd met her

I was positively enthralled her silky dark hair and enticing grey eyes were enough to drive any manwild to say nothing of her olive-toned skin and limber yet supple body Bennett had never let me live down that I'd met her through Natalie and always held it over my head. Even though we technically weren't dating, I can say that we certainly clicked on many things.

Hey, Navigator, how much further? Bennett reached back and poked Natalie in one of her breasts. Stop! she moaned, pulling back, pushing her horn-rimmed glasses back to her nose. And I told you, the map's skis. scarcely accurate here. We're better off guessing, unless Reese also happens to know the exact distance from the start to the cemetery. She looked pointedly at me in the rear view as we rumbled along the dirt path. Yeah, she's got a point, pal. You sure this is the right one? There were about ten other ways at the divide back there. Bennett leaned back in his seat, grinning cockily

at me. Bennett was most definitely the most outgoing of the four of us. But his career purchased him that right. As a man in the Marine Corps, he didn't skimp out on playing the tough guy whenever he could, especially around Natalie. His stocky, chisel body easily show through his muscle shirt and swimming trunks, complimenting his militaristic crew cut quite well. I was always puzzled at how he and Natalie came to be a couple.

She was the opposite of his vehement personality, shy and recessed. Despite her cute looks, composed of short blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes, Natalie had always had issues interacting with other people. She much preferred books and movies, but somehow Bennett had gotten to her, and they'd been inseparable for over three years now. Your consternation is understandable,

but worry not, my comrades, I've travelled this path before with my dad. He was the one that showed me the cemetery and the caves in the first place. Wait, you never said you'd been here before, Emily grinned to me. Did you go inside the caves? Natalie asked. Her voice tinged with nervousness.

Consternation. Bennett repeated, more to himself than to us. Here, pack another one. It's story time. Emily handed the bong to Natalie, whom held possession of the grinder and the rest of the marijuana. Not much to tell, I shrugged. But Dad didn't hold back on the many Baroque edifications,

despite the fact I was only a minor. Dude, can you stop with your English major talk? You're giving me a headache, Bennett grunted, leaning back in his seat. You're not drinking enough, dummy, here. Natalie handed him the rest of her bottle. He sighed, taking the water and quickly finishing it off. Crushing the bottle in his hand, he rolled his window quickly down and tossed the plastic into the dry, tall grass

that surrounded us at both sides as we climbed the mountains. "'Hey, you can't do that, Bennett. "'That's why I brought a trash bag,' Natalie cried. "'Oh, it'll degrade in a few hundred years, no worries.' Bennett smugly grinned back at her, his eyes leering as she glared at him. "'Guise, shh! I want to bloody hear it!' Emily shushed the other two, leaning closer to me, as though in anticipation. At the time I didn't really see the reality of her many subtle cues,

frankly because I thought there was no way she'd be attracted to me. She was, after all, out of my league, in my opinion. Lanky, tall, and too wordy for my own damn good. I laughed at the notion of a seductress, such as herself, being into me. But, I digress. Dad told me that the cemetery has a nickname, the 90s graveyard. He told me that the entire road up to the caves is cursed, getting progressively worse as you ascend,

I explained. They were silent, all listening intently. The only noise in our vehicle was the rumbling of the engine and the metallic scraping of Natalie's grinder. That curse derives from a malignant force, pernicious and biting in a tumultuous, horrific further. An abject and incontrovertible evil rooted many years back. I dramatically spoke.

Oh, dude, you're trying to piss me off now? "'Bennett socked my shoulder. "'Even if he hadn't meant to hurt me, he certainly did. "'I recoiled. "'Don't be a jerk. I like his big words,' Natalie chided, "'socking his shoulder in turn. "'Me too.' Emily spoke in a more gushy voice,

"'again right over my head. "'Not really many years,' I chuckled, "'peering out into the scenery as we climbed up the large, hilly area. Even in Malibu, only a few miles from the coast, the California heat still permeated. Besides the line of oaks that seemed to ascend the mountain with us, not much more could be said of the landscape. Of course, the old Jeep trail was surrounded at either side by imposing waste high grass. But it had long since gradated into the dry golden colour so ubiquitous. Hence the name.

It was a couple of decades back. neither 94 or 95, but anyway, this was back during the good old days, when schools could actually afford real field trips, I said. There was this class from one of the elementary schools around here, I think closer to the Pepadine area. Well, they were studying geology, and the teacher elected to propose a field trip to the caves up here. There's a perfect object lesson of porous rocks and such. Now, even fewer people knew about the cave system up here at this time and apparently the only way the teacher knew was because he was part of an underground slunking enthusiast group. Really? That sounds niche. Natalie spoke slowly, finishing her packing

of the bong and handing it to me. I shook my head and pointed to Bennett. Him next. Not while I'm driving, I informed her, not taking my eyes from the trail. She made a pouting face at me in the rear view and passed the glass, next to my burly friend, who lit it and inhaled. It might, but it was an actual thing at Pepadine. They had meetings, luncheons, and of course secret discussions about the most untouched cave systems in the local area. The teacher, being an alumni,

thought it would be an excellent idea to take his kids up to this place that he'd already scouted, and take them inside a little ways, maybe a quarter mile at most. He'd out little flashlights and everything. The kids were really excited, of course. What child wouldn't be? They all piled into one of those old-fashioned yellow school buses.

The type were the engine at the nose, rather than the back like they are nowadays. The driver was an old guy that had been serving the district for over a decade, so the teacher trusted him to make all the right turns without any issues. I continued. Let me guess. Something bad happened to the bus, right? Bennett jeered. A toothy grin on his face.

he coughed lightly. Shut up, Bennett. Natalie smacked his chest as Emily took the bong next. Oh, I'm getting to that. Now it was a long, hard trek up this trail for such a large vehicle, but not impossible. Slowly but surely, they made their way up to this very same trail we're going on. Whereas it would take an off-roader like us, about half an hour to get to the top, but best, it took the bus about three times as long. But the teacher was determined. an egg the driver on, even though he insisted the engine might not have made it with a strain. Eventually, they got to the upper area of the mountain,

where the incline starts to peter out into a more tolerable gradient. The driver climbed all the way to the top, winding around the bends with difficulty, given it was such a cumbersome vehicle. But there had been no close calls, thankfully, and they made it to the tippy top. I pointed through the windshield to our current destination, visible at its distance to be much higher than we currently were. Damn, here I was thinking the bus was going to get messed up, Bennett chuckled, locking his hands together behind his head.

See what happens when you interrupt, idiot, Natalie scolded. Driver stays at the bus while the teacher heard the kids to the entrance of the cave. The teacher told him that if they weren't back in a house, an hour to go and get help. This was in the days before cell phones were commonplace, you see, so that meant the driver would have to take the bus all the way back down. Find a phone at the gas station we passed on the way up here, which was apparently still there all those years ago, except back then it was some family-owned joint, and not a mobile. Let me guess. The kids got lost and died, right? Bennett interjected, grinning frivolously.

Shut up, Bennett. Natalie repeated. pumbling his broad shoulder again. Seriously? Emily glared at him. He shrugged and put his hands up in submission. All right. Jeez, sorry. Well, the teacher led the kids inside

and showed them all the way through the area he wanted. The calcification, the limestone, the way water dripped through porous rock and so on. Supposedly it was a very successful run-through without a single injury to be had by any of it. of the kids. The teacher came out with all 20 or so children just before the hour mark. They all ate their lunches and a little picnic outside the bus, kind of just sitting in the shade and relaxing. After they were done, they far back onto the bus and started descending

back down the mountain, I told them. I then put on a darker tone of voice for the next part, also lowering my cadence. You guys have to understand. The row becomes treacherous once really get high up. There's a series of switchbacks, none of which have any guardrails implemented. I don't know why the teacher thought it would be a good idea to take such an unwieldy vehicle up there to such a place that required finesse to scale.

But they'd gone up without a hitch, so going down was no worry to the group as they descended. However, they missed a certain patch of plants on the way up. A very dangerous sort of plant in such a precarious position. The other three were enthralled, even Bennett now. They all watched me silently, taking hits from the bongs they passed it around. Bindyweed. You might know them better as goat heads.

Nasty little buggers that pierced through tires pretty regularly. They're basically mini caltrops that grow in the drier parts of the world, especially the southwestern United States. Everyone's talking and laughing. In high spirits after the cave trip. And as the driver rounds the turn of one of the highest switchbacks, he plows right over this patch of bindiweed. Boom! Ordinarily, one goathead wouldn't be enough to puncture a car tire, but the driver ran through a ton of them, and some of them got through to the inner tube.

The tire quickly went flat, and he lost control at the turn. No way! Goatheads! I've had him go through my bike tires, but... Bennett sighed, sounding genuinely dismayed at the news. Though I ventured to guess he was more easily entertained due to his, well, many inhalations. Yep, that's what the reports read it as. You have to remember that this was an older bus, so it'd probably been using the factory

tires it came with. Once those get worn down, the smallest things can penetrate. But anyways, I continued, voiced hour. the bus falls off the cliff and tumbles all the way down to PCH eventually coming to a rest against a concrete divider where they fell it was a sheer cliff followed by a less steep hill that runs all the way down to the highway from my witness accounts they said the bus fell on its tires after the cliff but the force caused it to bounce back up and roll all the way down the mountain it came to a row to a row of the road to a rest on its tires again, just barely stopping before it rolled into oncoming traffic, thanks

to the barrier it hit. Holy shit, Natalie voiced in awe. Oh yeah, holy shit indeed, Bennett grunted. So, what happened to the people inside? I gave them a rueful smile and shook my head. You three will see when we get up there. But the height they initially fell from, plus all the time. they did. The driver and all the kids, they perished. And the teacher? Emily asked,

mesmerized. Severe contusions and a veritable shit ton of broken bones. He was unconscious when they found him, laying upon a carpet of corpses, as the first responders quoted. The whole floor in there was supposedly red, and even the ceiling dripped with blood. It was a huge, a huge, huge, god-awful mess for everyone to deal with. The coroners, the city workers that had to deal with a busted divider, and all the pieces of the bus that had been left behind up the hill. And the police who had to direct traffic as they cleaned up the wreckage and told their parents, I described.

That's horrible, Natalie exclaimed, appearing sickened. Yep, huge lawsuits followed against the school district, and rightfully so, I'd say. an enormous deal back then, I told them. What about the teacher? Did he go to jail? Bennett asked. I shook my head. They got him to the hospital and tried getting statements from him, but one of his lungs had collapsed, and he was anemic, too much so to speak. They put him back out pretty much right after he woke up and kept in that way for several days. He was in and out of consciousness for those days, and every time he came to, the nurses reported hearing him mumbling something incomprehensible, sounding only like gurgling to them.

They didn't figure out what he was attempting to voice, since they always had to put him right back out as soon as he woke up, since his vitals never stabilised. Six days after they brought him in, though, he finally succumbed to his injuries and died in his bed. Damn, Bennett muttered. They kept the poor bastard alive just to suffer for six days. Something like that ever happens to me.

Just put a bullet in my brain pan. He raised his fingers to his cranium in the shape of a pistol and pretended to fire it. So they never understood what he was saying? Emily questioned. That's the kicker, I smiled at her. The doctors supposedly heard the heart rate monitors going haywire in the room and rushed in just as they flatlined. and the teacher fell dead back in his bed.

Apparently, it wasn't the Ambrian injuries that actually killed him, but the shock induced by a final strain. What was the strain? Natalie asked, sounding nervous again. Her arms were crossed over her buxom chest, a telltale sign she was becoming frightened. He'd reached to a clipboard one of the doctors left behind at his bedstand and scrawled something barely legible in pen. over the charts.

Multiple people looked at it and confirmed they read the same message. Which was? Emily inquired. Still, no one spoke after the final line of my story. There was only one sound for the car tires outside, crunching against pebbles and rocks as I drove further up. Bennett, naturally, was the one to break the silence. What did he mean by that?

I shrugged. Of course, they chalked it up to delirium. He was in a horrible state after the crash and had suffered head trauma. No one really gave it too much thought at the time. After the whole fiasco was over, the parents went up there in a group, along with many family friends and whatnot. They constructed a memorial of sorts and paid their respects, and thus the 90s graveyard was born.

No one else really came up here after the little ones fell. The only ones who did were urban explorers like us, Spillunking enthusiast, who preferred to ignore the taboo of treading hollow ground, and very occasionally, I deliberately trailed off. What? Natalie asked, teeth chattering as she huddled away from the air conditioner into Emily, though I believe the temperature was not the cause of this. paranormal investigators I dramatically finished

no one spoke once again I continued breaking the short silence you see there are some who believe that the teacher so close to death was able to see the spirits of the deceased children and driver and realize where they were

the theory goes that before their souls could rise up from the wreckage into heaven they instead became trapped in the caves above and never moved on. These theorists have dubbed the previously unnamed mountain tunnels, the angel caves, and the colloquial remains even today. Hence the final message he left behind, before very suddenly dying. Anyone ever found anything? Bennett asked, his voice laced with incredulity.

No idea. The PI teams are usually private. and scarcely share their findings beyond themselves. Usually it's just ghost hunter hobbyists and enthusiasts that come up, from what I've heard anyway. There's never actually been any full-scale investigation from an official team, since getting approval from their family members would probably be an issue with the wound still so fresh, I answered. That would make sense, I suppose, Emily murmured.

So, why do they call it the graveyard if the body is, the bodies aren't buried there. Natalie inquired solemnly. Her voice low and mildly shaken. Who says they aren't buried there? Bennett grinned back to her, evilly. That's not funny, she remarked. I don't know, really, honestly.

I suppose in tune with keeping the place macabre and creepy, the people who named it, supposed Memorial wouldn't sound as foreboding. I can assure you that parents didn't name it. which of them would dare to even think their child was buried unceremoniously so close to the tragedy that had taken their life? I asked softly. Yeah, Emily assented, nodding reverently. So, how much further is it?

Bennett asked. His voice scarcely latent with any sympathy. I couldn't necessarily blame him. Even when he lost his family, he seldom showed emotions. and even then, stoic and recess qualities. Well, maybe some glazed eyes at his beloved grandmother's funeral, and so on. It'd be even harder for him to empathise with something he was so wholly disconnected from, both through time and association, or lack thereof.

Admittedly, I barely felt any welling emotion at the retelling of the story. All humans are like that, I suppose. We're kind of selfish about misery. When we feel it, we want to share it with others. And when others feel misery, we're really just glad we aren't them and enjoy our own lives more. We should be coming up on it soon. It's this wood structure in the middle of these rolling golden fields. We're not going to miss it, I assured him.

We drove in some silence for a few minutes more. No one thinking to break it as had been done before. I imagined the wade of the retelling was sinking in, at least with the girls. Benet just seemed antsy, as though he were excited to see the 90s graveyard. We rounded a final bend, and in the distance ahead, centred in the dead grass roughly halfway to the oak tree line. There stood the structure I'd mentioned. That's it, isn't it? Natalie asked, nervously.

I nodded. Yep. It had perhaps stood proud at its erection, but time and elements had worn down the gazebo-esque structure into little more than a decrepit ruin. As we approached, I remember the details of it more adeptly, recalling the four wooden post that had been stuck in each corner roughly two feet in circumference and standing just over ten feet tall.

At the top, jutting from the centre of each post, there were four wooden beams which conjoined together at the centre. The roof had been wrapped in chicken wire and all but one wall as well. I remember that when I'd visited so many years ago with my father, The wire had been simply encased in the thick, verdant layer of morning glory vines, the deep indigo flowers blooming and gorgeous. At that time, it was a truly serene and respectful manner to decorate the memorial within. Now, however, as I approached the side of the road and shifted the car into park,

I realized simply at a glance that only the brown skeletons of the vines remained, wrapped around the wire in a tight, crooked manner that radiated a derelict nature, I frowned, mildly upset that the once beautiful tribute was already appearing to display a lack of any tending or care. I was puzzled at this. Sure, I had come several years before, nearly a decade at that, but even at that time it had been over ten years since the crash, nearly fifteen, and it was obvious when my father had showed me inside that the parents cared for the appearance of the place, even after so much time. flowers were placed over the makeshift plaques and never appeared more than a few weeks wilted the plaques themselves were always kept clean

wiped free of dust and placed back up when they'd fallen and the vines of course why would they have stopped then when my friends and I'd arrived it seemed arbitrary Bennett loudly belched and pushed open his door standing outside and stretching "'Classie.'

Natalie rolled her eyes, also exiting the vehicle. Emily looked to me in the rear view once again, as I unbuckled, casting a sly grin. "'You seem bothered, Reese,' she commented. "'Does this place scare you as much as it scaring Natalie?' "'I look from her, and back to the gazebo again, cocking an eyebrow. "'It's just—I don't know. "'Something feels odd.

I muttered. How so? She sharply inquired, leaning forward over my seat so she came close. Well, the upkeep on the memorial been fastidious when I came here with my father, so many years after the incident. It's probably nothing, but it just looks abandoned to me right now. It's summer, she smiled. I have vines like that in my garden, and they always go dormant during this time of year,

like the grass and such. She motioned to the surrounding fields. Did you come here with him during fall or spring? I can't remember. I tried to recall, but those specifics were undoubtedly muddled in the haze of my memories. Yeah, it was probably a different season. Okay, well, come on. She patted my shoulder in a friendly manner and grinned at me.

We don't want to let Bennett see it first, right? Right. I returned her smile and exited the car, locking the doors and sticking the keys in a pocket of my cargo shots. It was simply a habit. Even if we did seem alone, I wouldn't risk a car passing by and deciding to pill for our belongings. Stranger things had happened to me before. We skipped ahead, catching up to Natalie and Bennett as they trudged through the waist-high tall grass. Check your legs for freaking ticks when you clear this shit.

Bennett admonished, looking down to his exposed legs and feet, only protected by flip-flops. Natalie wore short shots and gasped at this. Oh no, Bennett, can you carry me? She looked to him with big, puppy-dog eyes, once I'd never seen any man be able to resist. Come here, weakling, he joked, picking her up and taking her for a piggyback ride. I look back to Emily, the only one of us who wore any love. leg protection, black denim jeans. She smiled, padding a thigh. Jealous? A little, I replied, not really worried about ticks. In all honesty, I preferred my shorts, thanks to the heat that radiated

up from the ground. It seemed like casting distorted waves of light past a certain point of view ahead of us. The gazebo was still shimmering in these waves, even for a while as we came nearer. "'So, visit this. The caves, then?' "'Bennett trailed off. "'The beach,' Natalie exclaimed cheerfully. "'Again,' he grunted. "'We're only here for a week, you know. "'We've spent almost every day so far at the stupid beach.

"'I want to go back to that rock-jumping spot in that park-down PCH.' "'We still have three more days after this,' Emily voiced. "'Plenty of time to do that.' "'And we'll definitely need to cool off after this, huh?' "'Natilly pinched Bennett's cheek, and he quickly pulled away. "'I thought the caves would be cool, right, Reese?' "'He turned back to me. "'I nodded.

"'Yeah, I can't see why they wouldn't be.' "'We were very close to the structure now, "'and Bennett dropped Natalie when the grass began to clear up. "'He checked his legs promptly for any black spots "'and seemed relieved when he didn't find any. My mighty Marine boyfriend, terrified of a buck. Natalie grinned back to us, teasing him. You ever had Lyme disease?

No, eh? Well, shut it, he growled. Well, we're here. Emily examined the odd structure up and down, raising her eyebrows. I'm surprised they lugged all this hardware up here just for a memorial. I mean, if you lost your kid, I trialled off, giving her a wry smile. She nodded.

Yeah, point taken. Oh, let's get in there, Bennett exclaimed, going inside the enclosure first. The three of us followed, and yet only I felt that same nagging, bothersome feeling from earlier, when I realised just what had transpired in the years since I'd been gone. The plaques, which actually consisted of many flat, straight objects, stuck halfway into the ground,

such as wood slats, stones and even frisbees were in complete disarray. The names etched and scrawled into the many pseudo-headstones were caked in dusk. The etchings coloured brown with dirt, while the permanent marker on the frisbies were well faded. They lay flat on their faces and backs, the few still in the dirt crooked or leaning backwards. The majority of them had a good caking of dirt intermittently patched over their surfaces, the patters of long-past raindrops evident by the tiny craters within these layers. Nice place, Bennett nodded sarcastically, looking left and right as the wind blew gently through the grass, emitting a soft whistling.

Damn, some memorial! Natalie crossed her arms examining the plaques more closely. Oh, it's been years since the crash dummies. Over two decades, Emily scolded. Yeah, but... I mean, if I lost my kid to some freak accident, I'd at least touch up his grave, Memorial, or whatever, annually, if not more. This place looks like they haven't touched it since a day after the crash.

Bennett commented, kicking up dirt as he scanned the interior of the gazebo, squinting his eyes at the patches of sunlight that made it through the dead vines. All this stuff does look rather old. Natalie bent down and picked up a frisbee, trying to make out the faded marker upon it. Put that down. You don't want their spirits holding animus towards us to you. I spoke to Natalie, who looked back at me with a crooked grin. Right. Yeah. Oh, I'm so scared now. It's literally just old wooden rocks. I thought this would be way more impressive, if I'm honest. Her demeanour had certainly changed.

Less apprehensive and more confident now. Or maybe arrogant, like Bennett. Graveyard, huh? So if I'd just... dug up underneath one of these things, would I find little white bones? He chuckled, dusting at the base of a still upright slat of wood with his sandal. God, that'd be disrespectful, but go on, go ahead. I chided sarcastically, not enjoying the irreverent turn their dispositions had taken. Emily was stoic, however, standing quietly at the entrance and observing the interior with intrigue. All right, then, really said we can. "'Natley?'

Bennett laughed and kneeled down, starting to scrape away at the relatively soft-packed dirt. His calloused hands were scarcely bothered by the strain. I was positive. She giggled, still looking down at the frisbee with something of a drunken stare. It was obvious that the two of them were more high than Emily, and I'd only inhaled the second-hand smoke on the way up,

feeling completely lucid. I remember the lucidity perfect. Bennett, come on, you shouldn't do that. Emily groaned, rolling her eyes. Reese was right. It's pretty disrespectful. I'm just digging in the dirt, he snickered. Since when he was digging dirt, disrespectful. Grave, Robin Shaw, but pulling up sod, you're funny. You're not going to find anything. Natalie grinned at him.

I think... He put his fingers up to each temple, pretending to be psychic. I think there's actually buried treasure here. The whole story was a government conspiracy and half of Fort Knox's gold bars are stored beneath this marker. He then dug even faster, eliciting laughter from Natalie and even Emily now. I stood silently, not really enjoying the moment.

Something felt immensely wrong about it. You know, the gut feeling you get when you're doing something you know is illegal, like smashing mailboxes, but you're too drunk and too enamored with your friends to care enough to actually do anything to stop it. Well, it was like that, but deeper, more visceral, more than just a mild twist in the gut at the fear of being caught. It was a potent, lingering feeling, swelling in power and turning all my digestive tract into a roller coaster. I actually remember feeling sick to my stomach. Benedict suddenly stopped digging, I remember.

And his eyes seemed to widen as he stared down into the small hole he dug. Wait, he muttered. What is it? Emily asked, walking further in and peering over his shoulder. Natalie matched this, and I followed in a state of morbid curiosity. He'd stopped because he'd hit something that wasn't dirt. It was something staunchly white and smooth, contrasting heavily with the brown surrounding it. Is that a root? Natalie asked offhandedly

Before any of us could Even more closely examine the anomaly And determine whether it was a root or rock or something else There came the noise It was something that wormed its way into all our minds And rooted itself firmly within I know this because I can still hear it clear as day

If I try to think about it I know this because Emily will wake up in a huff sometimes startling me awake, always a sudden gasping breath. She turns her head to me every time, and I ask the same question. Did you hear it again? She always nods, but, well, I digress, back to the matter at hand. The noise was a giggle. All four of us, I remember, darted our heads up simultaneously,

all in the direction the noise had come from. It was distant, undoubtedly not one of us. I recall this clearly. It had come from the field of grass ahead of the gazebo towards the tree line. No, it wasn't demonic or excessively loud. It was actually quite subtle. In fact, I doubt any of us would have noticed it, even if one of us had been speaking.

It was only because that moment of silence where we all looked into the hole. But I believe it had caught us all. so off guard. I mean, imagine it. You're up a giant hill in Malibu, and you haven't seen another car or soul for over an hour, 45 minutes of which had taken place on a forgotten dirt road. Nothing so much as tire tracks populates the path up, and here, there's this laughter. The giggles of a child, so out of place, so startling that I swear even Bennett jumped when he heard it. A sudden. A sudden, sound that emanated from some hidden area of the grass far in front of us that caused our group

to unanimously peer through the lacings of dead foliage and chicken wire hands. See, nothing. There was no ghostly mirage, no veneer of some horrible parody corpse, an image of the child that had caused the noise. No, there was nothing. I think that may have frightened us all even more than anything we could have seen. And so, with the sun still high in the sky and a combat-hardened marine right next to us, no one hesitated to shoot up and sprint out of the gazebo and back to the car.

We covered the ground that had taken us probably three minutes to traverse beforehand in what felt like less than 30 seconds. The sense of dread I felt, and I think that had been instilled in the other three, was simply unnatural. It's difficult for me to describe, but I can only imagine it's identical to the feeling one would get when death was very close. Like the dread a lone hiker may get when he hears the roar of a bear behind him, or a woman stumbling home from about too late at night, only to realize the same man who'd been following her for three blocks.

It was a sickening, palpable terror that I haven't experienced before or since. Well, you can only imagine what I felt like. When I jostled the pocket I jammed my car keys into and fell to only empty cloth within. Hey Ontario, come on down to BedMGM Casino and check out our newest exclusive. The Price is Right Fortune Pick. Don't miss out.

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or someone close to you, please contact Connix Ontario at 1-866, 3-1-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BEDMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming, Ontario. The dread, accentuated as I witnessed my other three friends desperately trying their handles. In the assumption, I was working on unlocking the car, ate at me like some advanced cancer, inducing nauseous, stupor and faintness. I leaned against the window, retching involuntarily, occasionally as I felt sweat,

dranched my brow and listened to the excited hyperventilation of the other three. It took someone else's voice to break me from my fugue state. Reese, it was Bennett. What are you doing? Open the fucking doors. I stood back up, turned my head behind us, looking to see if anything was chasing. There wasn't, of course, but everyone seemed sufficiently spooked, still, including myself. Even though the only noise there was now was the same soft whistling and rustling of the brush as a cool sea breeze blew through, I still felt it. I stuttered, unable to fully compose myself.

You what? Benet demanded. I drop the keys, I moaned, resting my forehead against the driver's window. Reese, Natalie cried. Her eyes glazed over. "'God, why would you even lock the doors to begin with?' "'Bennett barked. "'I'm worried that some screw were breaking.

"'God, we haven't seen another human being for miles. "'Oh, right, I'm freaking sorry,' I bellowed, "'tearing myself away from the door and glaring at him. "'He wouldn't have been able to start the car even if we could get in, Bennett.' "'Emily calmly spoke. "'Her voice even and cool. "'I think that was one of the first moments "'I really began to fall for her.

Yeah, but still, fuck, Bennett exclaimed, pounding his fist on my hood in frustration. How do we get out of here now? Yeah, it'd be a really long walk back. Natalie nervously spoke, pulling out her cell phone, presumably to check for reception. Yeah, and it's already past three. Aren't there mountain lions out here? Yeah, there are, Bennett glowed at me as he answered her question. God, and it would take a few good hours to go all the way back down on the road on foot,

considering how speedily we shot up here in Reese's car. Bennett. Emily lowered her brow at him. Blaming Reese for a simple accident won't help us get out of here any faster. We're not going to leave the car, and we're not going to walk back, because we have to go back and find where the keys were dropped. I smiled at her. Glad someone had my back. I technically had sole utilization of the SUV. my parents still paid for mechanic visits and insurance at the time.

If I left it up there and had to get it towed over something so stupid, they would have been furious. But, God, I don't want to go back there, Natalie moaned, looking worriedly back into the field, scanning it for any odd movement. Yeah, that shit was terrifying. I hate to say it, but something wasn't right about that. Bennett grunted, also peering back into the distant. tree line and gazebo.

But, well, I want to think it's just a kid hiding in the grass. His parents are somewhere in the trees back there hiking. I mean, we all heard it right. It's not just my high right, Natalie asked. She barely even gave a thought to Bennett's potential explanation, it appeared. I nodded at her. No, we all heard it. I'm not even high, and I heard it.

Oh, fuck. She groaned, sinking down. down to the road as she leaned against the vehicle. Look, we have to do it now, while the sun's still out. There's only a couple of hours, and there's no way we can stay out here past dark. If we do, I'm bashing in the window and unlocking it from the inside. I'll pay for the repairs, madame's self, but there's no way we're spending the night out here. Not after that shit, Bennett lamented.

And how would you start the car? Emily inquired. I was positively impressed with how calm and collected she was acting in the simply impossible situation. I'll just look about hotwire. No big shit. Bennett held up his smartphone. There's no service up here. Natalie sighed hopelessly.

Bennett cocked an eyebrow and lit up his phone screen. When he saw it, the reaction was immediate. Oh, fuck, he exclaimed. I have none as well. bloody hell. Emily looked down at her phone. I checked my own, was unsurprised to find there was a circle slash in the place of where my service bar should have been.

I'll just walk down the hillaways, wait until I get a bar, Bennett suggested. That won't work either, Natalie groaned. My service went out even before we turned into the freaking dirt road. Oh, shit, he grunted, putting his hands on his hips. I don't know about you guys, but I'm backtranging. We're going to find those keys, Emily definitively stated. What happens if we can't find them? What if it gets dark?

Natalie worriedly asked. I have flashlights for when we're supposed to go inside the cave. I spoke up. Grateful, I'd stored the four small LEDs in the zip-up pocket and not left them in the car with everything else. Besides, if all else fails, the compass I have on my car. my keychain glows in the dark. It probably won't come to that, Emily replied, looking to me with a slight smile. All we have to do is follow the grass that we flattened on the way there and back.

Easy peasy. Yeah, I guess you're right. Bennett sighed, looking down the slight path we'd left behind. Shouldn't be a needle in a hastack, just a pair of keys in a hastenck. Not even that, I spoke, trying to stay. say positive. Come on now. Oh, well, we better get looking. Penet turned to face our path, then started walking. Emily and I followed, only to be interrupted by a cry from behind us. Wait, I can't go back there, guys. Please, my anxiety's driving me insane. Natalie looked after us,

and I realized only now that she was still hyperventilating. She'd never stopped even after we'd reached the car and spoke. She was likely having a terrible panic attack. I'd seen her get them before. There was no way she was lying just to avoid going back. Bennett looked back to us and pursed his lips sighing. Sorry, guys, I need to calm her down, or else it's only going to get worse. We'll be with you in a few minutes, okay? Go, man, help her out. I nodded, sticking out a fist. He smiled shortly and bumped it. Bennett was a always like that. He would explode in fury like dynamite, but also like dynamite. He always cleared up his anger incredibly fast. Yeah, go helper. We have this, right, Reese? Emily smiled to me confidently,

something I found difficulty in not returning. We searched the entire path, not seeing the black anomaly anywhere in our first suite. We trod all the way back to the gazebo, though I was reluctant to do this. From her body language, I could see Emily was nervous too. Bennett took much longer than a few minutes to calm Natalie down. It had been over an hour of fruitless searching before the two had even tried to get up. Even then, it appeared Natalie needed much goading to move from the road and into the field. The four of us searched high and low, from the gazebo to under the car, yet to no purchase. Bennett smashed down the grass surrounding our scant trail, widening our ability to view any sudden changes of colour from the ubiquitous gold.

I helped him with the other side, though I didn't find a single thing beside grass, not even a rock or a spider. We kept on, the high, wearing away from my friends as they worked, and the light began to lower. I remember this had only been the early summer, so the days had not grown too long yet. despite thirst and hunger we kept at it for three hours past emily's and i's initial search i retraced my steps to the letter searching a berth of five feet in either direction with my friends by the time the sun was setting we'd carved out a ten-foot path of flattened grass leading the roughly two football fields from the car to the nineties graveyard a mark of seven-thirty when the sun had finally set behind the higher end of the mountain behind

us where the caves were. Benet exclaimed and heaved the shirt he'd wrapped around his head to the ground in anger. Oh, this is fucking crazy, he screamed into the open, actually causing some roosting seagulls in the distant oaks to go flying. Where is it? We searched everywhere, Natalie cried, sitting down in the centre of the enormous trail we'd made and burying her head in her knees. You should have just walked down the mountain. I'm so thirsty and tired. She's not wrong. It wouldn't have taken way less time than this bullshit.

Bennett growled and approached me. You're positive you didn't leave me in the car, or in another pocket. God, I'd be pissed if you did, but at least I wouldn't feel like I was losing my goddamn head. I've already checked every pocket like a dozen times. I sighed. and I'm completely certain I didn't leave them in the car. I'm positive of that. I have a very clear mental image of putting them in my pockets.

Oh, shit, he hissed, and looked back towards the graveyard. I can't believe the sun's going down already. It's actually the worst-case scenario. I could tell he wasn't upset with me. He was just furious with the situation. Even Natalie, who was still freaking out, had told me how stupid it was we hadn't found the key. already, and now there was no way they could have been anywhere besides our path.

On the bright side, it'll probably easier to find them once the light gets lower. Emily commented, not sounding too upset. Though I was a nervous wreck at the thought of locking my friends out of the car, possibly needing a tow truck if worse came to worse, and most of all, having to spend a night in this creepy place, I maintained a facade of calmness. I didn't want to disappoint Emily, after all. all. She'd held on to her composure since the start of the entire fiasco.

She's right, I said. We'll probably see them as soon as it gets a little darker. Then we'll be out of this nightmare. Yeah, I suppose. Bennett sighed, sitting down next to Natalie and rubbing her back as she rocked back and forth on the ground. So we sat and waited. We waited until the light of the sun was no longer a glowing orange and had faded into a pale blue. a blue that seemed to be getting darker with every second that passed. Soon, we wouldn't even make out anything beyond a silhouette of where the once clearly defined 90s graveyard stood. The grass shifted from a rich gold to a bluish white, still blowing gently in the sea breeze.

In the far distance, we heard the roaring of the cars on PCH, a low and constant droning that had remained as persistent as the marine wind. Now that the sun had gone down, additionally, the wind chill was becoming more noticeable. Natalie, Bennett and I were all beginning to shiver somewhat, although Emily was more comfortable in her pants, it appeared. We sat back at the car and waited until this late state of twilight came. I'd already doled out the flashlights, and I fiddled with my own nervously. We'll find them, Reese. Don't fret. Emily smiled at me, whispering. so Bennett and Natalie wouldn't hear. I know.

I forced to smile back, scarcely able to make out the finer details in her face with such low light. All right, let's get out of here. We'll stick together because I'm not in some creepy little ghost shit or whatever scare anyone to death tonight, Bennett announced, standing up and beginning to walk into the rather foreboding looking field.

Please don't say that. Natalie hugged him closely from behind, clearly out of her wits. Emily and I followed in our own pair, following the flattened grass two by two. No one had actually activated their torches yet, although the darkness was fast waxing, and it would become a necessity in scant minutes.

See anything? Bennett asked in a surprisingly low voice, almost as though he were trying to remain stealthy. From what? I don't know. I don't want to know what he thought we should be hiding from. Even today, the memories of my own rampant imagination as dark fantasies at the time were almost too much to handle. Even if we heard a single noise that didn't belong, I felt we'd all just dart back as fast as we had before, and Bennett would deliver on his promise of smashing in a window.

Even if we couldn't flee, at the very least we could huddle together and spend a sleepless night in the car under beached house. The situation was immensely tense and fragile. all of us knew it. We trudged through the path, back and forth, and eventually we had no choice but to turn on the lights and start scanning the area. My phone had read 8.30 when I'd last checked, and the sun was long dead at this point. I can't recall exactly who it was. I think it was Natalie, but someone had exclaimed in a voice that sounded both excited and fear-filled. A glow had been spotted. I was elated at the news. and turned to face where Natalie, I assume, was pointing.

I can scarcely even remember anything at this point, so bear with me. Bennett was pointing his flashlight in the direction as well, and promptly lowered it when Emily and I arrived to see where the glow was coming from. I distinctly remember my face falling and my stomach overturning when I realised why Natalie's voice was so shaky. We were roughly halfway down the path we'd made, and all looked in the direction of the 90s graveyard. Past it, actually.

There. Very faintly in the oak tree line. There we saw it. A very faint, greenish glow. Suspended above the ground in the dark forest of trees. It appeared only slightly inside the oaks, but this did little to assuage the facts. The facts that not one of us are not one of us.

had even passed the 90s graveyard, or even thought of entering into the trees, even when it had been light-out. We all stood in abject silence and nervousness, all looking in the distant direction, roughly three football fields from where we stood. Bennett, as I expected, was the one to first speak up. Are you fucking kidding me? "'This is some really scary, horrible bad shit,' Natalie whimpered, "'hardly able to sound coherent. "'I couldn't blame her. "'It was, in fact, a terrifying idea of how they'd gotten there,

"'and in the dark. "' Ideas like that were only scarier. "'Even Emily, who had been stoic and calm the entire time, "'had wide eyes. "'Her arms visibly coated with goose flesh, "'as I could tell from the periphery of the flash. lights. Bennett pointed his light toward the trees, but he had no hope of illuminating the foliage from such a distance. How in God's name did that happen? I croaked, voice barely above a whisper.

This place is fucking evil. That's how, Bennett grunted, sounding both frustrated and nervous. but we certainly displayed less fear than any of the other three of us. So, we'll go grab them as a group and then book it back to the car. Then we drive straight back to the hotel and forget this shit ever happened, okay? Natalie swallowed, beginning to sob. Emily was motionless like a statue. I nodded and uttered a weak reply. Okay.

I'm sorry. I can't. Natalie cried softly. I just can't go over there, guys. I'm so sorry. Natalie. Bennett started. Bennett, I can't do it.

She exclaimed defiantly. You couldn't pay me any amount of money to get me over there. Really? Even a car ride home? A hot shower. Room service for dinner and a gallon of water each. He smiled to her, confident. I... she sputtered.

We'll all be right next to each other. Like he said. Emily looked to her friend, eyes determined. We're not going to let whatever in the hell this is stop us from getting home. But it's so obvious, Natalie choked. It's trying to lure us in. And do what? Bennett chuckled. Laugh at us again.

Don't say that. utterly moaned, fearfully. Sorry, he murmured, and looked at Emily and I. You guys are ready to get the fuck out of here? I nodded, inspired by his fearlessness. Yeah, let's just do it already. I agree, Emily tersely responded. Okay, everyone follow me, single file.

I promise no one's going to get hurt from this stupid bullshit. No one's ever been hurt by... He trailed off. unable to finish his sentence. Bennett was an ardent skeptic before that day. Hard-headed as he was, finishing such a sentence

would have been embarrassing. Let's just go. He started ahead and we followed closely. Natalie was at the back, squeezing Emily's hand as the two girls walked behind me and me behind Bennett. We passed the graveyard and trudged into more tall grass,

reaching up to our waists. The wind had died down, and were it not for the droning of cars in the far distance out on PCH, the silence would have been unbearable. But we kept on, staying close, and crunching through the grass, we came closer and closer to the glow, hanging somewhere in the trees. But roughly one football fields worth away from the tree line, Bennett raised a fist up as though he were leading his squad of Marines, signaling us to cease. "'What?' Natalie hissed, clearly terrified.

Bennett turned his light to the grass to our right and illuminated a large patch of it in particular. Instinctively, we all turned our lights there as well. The patch of grass was gently moving. Only that patch. There was no wind. Natalie squeaked, covering her mouth as tears began to roll down her cheeks. Well, it's just an animal. I was worried it was a freaking puma.

Bennett edified us and started on again. Only about ten steps past the rustling brush, however. There was a noise, and we froze when we heard it. Another giggle. Quiet, subtle, almost imperceptible, but undoubtedly what it was. The short laughter of a small child. disappearing after only two seconds of the gentle chortle. Oh, fuck you, Bennett screamed in the direction of the laughter,

shining his light on the nothing that was there. Natalie now began liberally crying, trying to muffle her noise as best she could. I look back, matching Emily's gaze. Her eyes were wide and filled with horror, and positive mind were too. Guys, come on, it's nothing. Let's book this shit. Bennett carried on, resolved to end the nightmare.

He picked up the pace to a light jog, and we all followed closely, not daring to fall behind. He turned his head back at where the noise had come from, and bared his teeth, clearly infuriated. But I could tell he was also feeling something else. The sheer desperation and shaking anger in his toes. he was afraid too You hear that, you little shit You're nothing He called back

Haintfully taunting whatever had made the noise Only to be met with more silence We were getting very close to the trees And consequently the glowing 50 yards 40 30 20

10 We continued until Bennett charged past the first trees, making a beeline for the glow, which, due to our proximity and lighting, most definitely came from my keys. They hung from a branch, not actually very high, only about five feet. Bennett wasted no time in snagging them and turning around, looking to the three of us with wide, wild eyes. Okay, guys, just stay close and run. We're almost out of this, he ordered, the glints of our lights in his eyes, making him look even more feral. But it was a good feral. It was clear he was angry and tired.

Even if it was obvious, he was afraid, too. Having him there on that horrible night made things so much better than they would have been. He was acting the most human of us, I believe, in those moments. A boisterous, crude, and powerful human, but that's in retrospect. at the time Natalie was crying uncontrollably, clearly terrified. Emily gasped when another giggle emanated from deep within the trees, behind Bennett. He whirled around, shining his light past the many trunks, unable to illuminate any tangible thing that could have possibly echoed that laugh out. Just the dark, foreboding tree trunks, continuing into what seemed like forever.

I felt about ready to piss my pants at this point. Another laugh, clearly belonging to a child, came from our left, sounding alarmingly close. Bennett didn't look for it this time, nor did I when I heard a laugh directly in my right ear, making me jump nearly out of my shoes. Run! he exclaimed, bolting back from the trees and into the field once more, tearing through the grass at a speed I had never seen him run. I charged after him, just barely tailing his form. I heard Natalie screaming from behind me.

God help me, I was too afraid to look back. Emily's nimble, silent footsteps matched mine from directly behind, her light bobbing wildly up and down over Bennett, and he began to make ground over us. Her breaths were laboured and shaking, and she seemed to be sticking to me more than. on anything. Natalie's cries and screams still came from behind, but they weren't fading. We weren't outrunning her. That's all I needed to know to feel justified in not looking back. She was just at the

rear, the position I would have been too afraid to be in myself. We ran well away from the oaks, but there was far more ground to cover before we reached the car. Grass ran up, brushing upon our legs, scratching and biting like they were coated in teeth. Though in these few seconds there had been no more giggles, and we hailed our speed, not daring to look back for fear of what we might have seen. I saw the dark shadows of the 90s graveyard far ahead, now only visible thanks to the periphery of our wildly shaking beams of light. Bennett was a figure in the distance, well ahead of us by at least a hundred yards.

It was only when we passed the gazebo, I heard the loud yelp and consequent thud behind me. Despite myself, I found the fortitude to turn around and see exactly what had happened, whether it had been Natalie or Emily who'd been stopped. It was, indeed, Emily. She appeared to have tripped, and nearly face-planted into the grass. She moaned in pain, trying to get her bearings. I noticed when she put pressure on her wrist, attempted to get back up, that she quickly faltered and cried in pain.

Natalie had bolted past, probably not even thinking anything besides what Bennett had implored us to run. I shone my flashlight down and didn't even try to rationalise the situation to myself as I reached down and pulled her up by a good arm. She fumbled for her light with her bad hand, but she was unable to grasp it, moaning in pain as her fingers attempted to flex over. grit. Just leave it, I rasped, voice hoarse with exertion and terror. Something grabbed me, she cried, no longer trying to hide her fear.

You just tripped. Come on! I pulled her forward and we continued through the grass. Emily limping to match my speed as best she could. No, I didn't relent in my own speed. I made sure to keep a hold of her and not let her fall behind. There came another laugh, somewhere back near the gazebo. I refused to look and kept my eyes trained on the distant white lights of Natalie and Bennett ahead. They both appeared to have nearly approached my SUV. I felt a sudden surge of that similar dread than I'd felt earlier, and nearly became crippled by just how potent it felt.

Nausea overwhelmed me, and faintness felt imminent. It seemed Emily felt it too, because I, practically began dragging her through the field. Though we'd approached the large, flattened road we'd made earlier, I kept my eyes to our left and right, trying to make out, if anything, was trying to flank us. I only did this because there came some more laughs and rustles from both sides, hidden in the grass.

The laughs were swelling in numbers, now ambiently coming from both sides and rising in volume. No longer were they subtle, gentle, nuances in the silence of the hallow grounds. Now they were sounding more high-pitched, less friendly, if there had ever been such an intention. As they carried on, they repeated themselves like broken records, starting the same rises in giggling before cutting themselves off and promptly repeating, at even higher decibel levels. Some of them had even begun to sound like bansy whales, piercing our ears and sounding like they were coming from every side.

behind, left, right, and even directly in front of us, even though we saw there was clearly nothing. You ever heard the cries of a mountain lion? That horrible, high-pitched shriek that sounds like the cries of a hellspawn, even from miles away. That was what surrounded us in those moments. At long last, Emily and I reached the car, and both realized that Bennett had already started it, and drived the engine, spinning it around, so the front face the exit and not the caves. He pushed the passenger door open and was beckoning us inside hurriedly.

Natalie appeared to be in the back, huddled up and sobbing uncontrollably. I didn't care how tired of a squeeze it was. I threw myself into the front passenger seat and pulled Emily in after me. She quickly pulled her legs in with a wince of pain, crying out as her feet bumped against my own legs. I yanked the door closed and snapped my frantic expression to Bennett. Well illuminated since one of them had turned on the interior lamp above. Absent-mindedly, perhaps out of rote remembrance, I turned off my light and yelled at him. Go, go, go, go!

Bennett wasted no time and tried shifting the vehicle into drive again. Tried. The transmission appeared jammed, and he shoved furiously at it, causing a fear. to surface that he would break it. What the fuck? He shouted in lividness, trying to pull it in the opposite direction, yet to only yield the same result.

Emily was looking out the passenger window, perhaps in morbid curiosity as she sat atopat me, still hyperventilating. Her eyes were squinting, like he was trying to make something out. I felt my body go numb when I saw them widen

and turn my own head. had to see what had caused her fear. It was the 90s graveyard, at least right next to it. Where she'd fallen and left the cheap LED flashlight behind, the two of us watched in terror as the distant white circle of light rose up from the grass and pointed at us. It was far away and the darkness behind it seemed impregnable. It was impossible to tell, what had picked it up. Bennett, I stuttered, looking to him quickly and then back to the light. What?

He barked, turning off the ignition and refiring the engine. Bennett! Emily shrieked, terrified when she saw what happened next. The light was moving towards us. This was no elaborate prank, I realised. Even in the moments, I quickly surmised how impossible this would all be. But it wasn't a dream either. I only gasped in matching horror when I saw just how fast the light was moving.

It wasn't bobbing up and down, as though a fellow human being was sprinting with it. No, it sped across the grass with an unmoving resolve, as though the circle of white shot along the world's fastest invisible conveyor belt, heading straight towards us. It had only been about three seconds since it had risen up, but it already looked halfway towards us, and it was not relenting. Bennett, finally able to shift the gear into drive,

shortly looked up to see why we were so afraid, and I saw his expression falter into one of fear. Holy shit, he exclaimed, flooring the gas and now speeding out of the parking spot without floor. As he peeled out and quickly left the light behind, Emily and I were both frightened to see that it shot onto the road, where we'd just been, and turned towards us, still moving at its prodigious speed.

Faster, faster, faster, I exclaimed, looking behind us. Shit, Bennett grunted, peering into the rear view and accelerating even more, practically drifting around a bend and gunning the SUV out of the turn. Once we passed the turn, however, the light did not. shine again or continue chasing us as we drive down the road as fast we could without being able to make proper turns and i kept my eyes glued to the rear window bennett sighed a breath of relief emily still hyperventilating groan softly in pain and held her wrist feeling for how badly it had been injured she kicked her foot a few times and winced again in discomfort are you okay i asked

voice barely above a whisper. I think the hand might be sprained. My ankles definitely twisted. She murmured, stifling her pain by clenching her teeth. She turned back to face me. Her face is very close to mine now. Thanks, Reese.

Really? I nodded solemnly. No one should have had to stay back there, even for a second longer. Nat, you okay? Bennett looked in the rear view Yeah She sputtered, wiping her tears away

Zem's okay He asked me I just said what happened And she rolled her eyes in reply We should stop by a hospital on the way back I muttered Yeah, good plan Bennett replied in an equally low, jaded tone

But Are we seriously not going to talk about what happened back there Natalie suddenly raised her voice, shrill and scared. It was a joke, a prank, Bennett meekly murmured, clearly not sure of himself. Somebody probably mired up speakers and, he trailed off. Really?

So someone snagged Reese's keys while he wasn't looking and planted them in the bloody woods without any of a scene? Emily demanded. And what about the flashlight? Oh, God, that was real, Natalie whimpered. She sounded nauseous. Everyone just calmed down. I'm sure there was an explanation for all of it.

That, maybe a dealer gave us some bad shit, and we just imagine... Imagine the laughs at all, the same exact time. Well, Reese wasn't even high, Emily interrupted. Oh, God, I don't know, Bennett exclaimed, angered by the situation. The stories. They were real, I somberly whispered. You're freaking that out, Reese. Stop, Bennett snapped.

I would explain why no one went up there for all this time. The earth must have gone sour or something. I mused, dowley. Yeah, I guess you were right all along about the vines. Emily murmured, not sounding happy that she had to agree with the imposing implications. No one spoke to, Emily's final statement for the rest of the car ride back into town. We stopped by the hospital and got Emily's foot and wrist splinted.

We had to tell the nurses she caught the injuries hiking. Even given our shock-induced state, we had faculties enough to manage not to sound insane and instead give rational explanations. We arrived at the hotel just past midnight, all exhausted and still silent. None of us had anything to say. we were all so consumed by what had just happened,

reviewing the all-too-clear memories over and over again as we tacitly made our way back to our rooms. Bennett ushered Natalie inside theirs and looked to Emily and I before entering himself. He gave a short nod and said nothing as he followed his girlfriend inside. Emily and I stood in the quiet, well-lit hall in silence, only the humming of the vending machine

at the end of the carpeted corridor, keeping a minor ambience. I remember sighing, starting from my room, but Emily took my hand with her good one and looked to me with imploring eyes. Stay with me, Reese, she softly pleaded. I nodded quickly, reluctant to spend the night alone myself. I followed her inside.

And that was the first night we shared the same bed. I remember there was, scarce sleep, waking up when I thought I heard the muffled laughter of children outside our door. I felt Emily stir a lot as well, cast over with the harrowing events that still replayed like clockwork in our heads. After the rest of that vacation, a piece of it stayed with all of us. Emily and I always become nervous when we pass elementary schools or daycare centres. Bennett and Natalie remain close even today. I suppose, Trauma does that to people.

When Bedin and I drank, sometimes he brought up that day, telling me nothing he'd seen in the military matched the sheer strangeness and dread that had been instilled that day. He told me, in his inebriated state, that ghosts had to exist, because what we saw on that day was simply unnatural. Although he would never admit this to anyone sober, and I, well, I don't know why I decided to tell you,

tell this. I suppose it feels better, getting it out there, even if it does force me to live through the repressed memories again. I don't think anything out there near the angel caves could have actually hurt us. In retrospect, the things that happened felt vaguely mischievous, like the way a child would play a game. My keys hanging no higher than a child could reach, the flashlight that Emily had dropped barely raising above the level of the grass. The piece of is that up. Oh, and the laughter, of course. The most brazen and most terrifying part of it all. It's getting late now, and Emily is calling me to bed. But take heed from this story, if you can. Learn from our mistakes. If there's a place where people can easily go, and yet it always remains

deserted, that's never a good sign, especially when it comes to urban exploration. Bring friends and be prepared for the worst. Also another thing. The crux of this moral, if you will. If you're ever travelling a canyon road in Malibu running parallel to PCH, separated from it by a mountain, and you see an unmarked dirt road leading upwards, avoid it. I know there are a lot of different paths that it forks into up there,

and only one leads to the angel caves, but I won't say which. I would genuinely hate myself if someone read this and decided to pursue a farce into that haunted place Just remember Some stones are better left unturned Especially headstones I'll round off this evening

With we discover new species of humans in mammoth cave By bearded veteran I decided to write this for a few reasons one to honour my fallen comrades Well, to be perfectly honest I didn't actually see them die Either way their bodies now belong to the cave people Or be it dead or alive

And two, because the world needs to know they exist Of course it says that we discovered But I suppose it's only I who's found them Since it was just me who survived the onslaught That is to say that no one else escaped well, that I know of. It had always been a childhood dream of mine to go further in than any man alive. Ever since I learned about it as a child, I had wanted to explore the entire cave.

To put things into perspective, experts have estimated the cave to be over a thousand miles long. So far, only 400 miles or so has been mapped out. Its nickname is the limestone labyrinth. An apt description, if you ask me. There's also 200 other caves that have disconnected or broken off from the main, well, the self-made structure. To say that Mammoth Cave is intimidating may just be the understatement of the century. My name is Joe. I'm known as the endless thrill-seeker in my town. A local hero? You can hardly say that. Growing up in the backwoods of Kentucky, I've naturally become a

and experienced woodsman who spent many years in the great outdoors. Hunting, fishing, camping, repelling, mountain climbing, free-falling and cave-diving. I've gone spelunking while fearlessly exploring uncharted territories and everything in between. Even four years in the military. Needless to say, I'm an adrenaline junkie. I suppose I should begin by explaining a few things. I need to be completely transparent and up front with everyone. No, this isn't a monster, a demon, or even a ghost story. Something to note that it isn't predators, which you can visually see most of the time, but what you can't that scares me the most. Not only the darkness in these massive underground endless tunnels and caves, but also fear of the unknown. It's one thing to see a wolf or bear. I can

deal with that. Run for the truck and haul ass, but well, how the hell do you escape something you've never even heard of? Who knows what the hell is even in there? Well, those are my thoughts as I weighed the risks before entering illegally. Oh, wait, I forgot to tell you. Wildlife experts say there are over 130 different species of animals within the cave, and those are just the ones we know of. The cave boasts some of the rich. The cave boasts some of the rich. The caverniculous creatures, including 14 species of troglabites, animals that need to live in a cave. Oh, and troglophiles, animals that can live in or outside a cave, known only to exist there. One of the parks most well known and unusual species is the eyeless cavefish,

which is adapted to the lightless environment by no longer growing eyes. The cave system of Mammoth Cave National Park began to form more than 280 million years ago. The earth rose and twisted and allowed water to erode the rock into the current cave system. Mammoth Cave was created by the natural process of limestone erosion, known as cast topography. During this process, rain and rivers slowly dissolve and shape soft limestone, creating a vast system of caves. Underground rivers are still carving new passages today. Beyond their scientific and recreational value, cast aquifers like Mammoth Cave

provide drinking water for approximately 40% of the US population. The surrounding forest contains one of the most diverse habitats in the nation, supporting more than 1,300 flowering species and bird species like bald eagles, wood wobblers and thrushes. You can see flowers along the hiking trails. In the 1800s, railroads were the best way to access the cave. The first railroad, with the area, opened in 1859, and by 1886, the line ran directly to the cave, bringing in tens of thousands of visitors every year. Two of the original locomotics, number four and number two, are on display today in the mammoth cave terminus at the end of the line.

You can use the historic mammoth cave railroad bike and hike trail to access the locomotives via the old railroad corridor. Now that you know a little history about myself and the cave, I'll get right to it. This is simply my tale of the deepest, darkest depths of the largest cave system in the world. And what a who I've encountered. Admittedly, making the biggest mistake of my life. venturing into the unexplored areas. There's a reason we aren't meant to dwell in caves. This is the stuff nightmares are made of.

Our group consisted of myself and three military buddies, John, Mark and Tom. John and Mark, I've known since we were kids. Best friends for years did everything together. Just a few crazy guys from the backwoods of Kentucky. nothing too special about us, so to speak. However, Tom, he's the real badass at the group. Older fellow in his 40s.

A tough of nails kind of guy. Very quiet. One of those really tough-looking, cigarette-smoking, gun-toating lunatics that you just wouldn't want to mess with. He'd never told us the kind of things he'd experienced overseas, and we never asked. Tom would be. be our guide, being the most experienced in mammoth cave of the group. The four of us spent

weeks preparing for this expedition, saved up money, took off from work, gathered all the supplies and gear necessary, packed clothes, though packing lightly. Many portions of the cave are so small you have to crawl around or simply suck in your fat gut to fit through the narrow paths. The walls close in so tight, you can barely breathe in some places. For the most part, most all caves tend to stay at a reasonable 52 degrees Fahrenheit. That's 11 degrees Celsius, or you foreigners. So we wear long-sleeve shirts and cargo pants, naturally. Everyone checked to make sure they had extra flashlights, knives, backup batteries, climbing equipment, ropes, and more.

Hell, I even packed some waterproof matches just in case. Tom, being the over-prepared guy he is, never leaves home without his beloved 45-caliber M1-9-11, used by the US military for decades. A very tough and durable weapon, to be sure. After feeling as though we were all ready to make the trip, the truck was loaded up with all our gear and four adventurous, crazy bastards looking for the next thrill. Fortunately, it's a four-door truck with a six-foot bed and plenty of space. son do you even know where the hell you're going tom says with a cigarette in his mouth ashes falling onto his bare skin doesn't even flinch

nope not exactly tom i just then the driver's side door flings open as i am forcefully tossed from my seat hey it's my truck you asshole i yell with confidence thrusting my chest forward and chin up high Yep, when I'm driving. Got a problem? Then move me. Tom says as he flicks a cigarette in my face. John and Mark both look at me with a kind of, hey, what do you want us to do, expression, but only stand and watch.

With a deep sigh, I exhale. I accept a feet as I whimper and open the door to the backseat, murmuring to myself while doing so. sitting behind Tom looking at the rope in my lap I'm just thinking hey what if I just wrap this around

oh damn sorry off to a bad start here really need to get out of my own head sometimes right so back to our adventure Tom starts my truck the engine roars loudly

and the exhaust is fired up yep it's one of those 80s trucks with no catalytic converter A three-inch straight pipe all the way from the headers at the engine to the muffler. Which doesn't really muffle all that much. It's just loud, okay? Take my word for it. Tom hits the gas pedal, revving the engine, then shifting into drive.

Forward the truck moves. Shaking violently as the terrain is rough in the mountains. Mark speaks up. Yo, Tom, need it up a bit, would you? Tom doesn't say a word Adjusting the rear-view mirror Glaring directly at Mark sitting next to me If I didn't know any better

I'd say he was looking into his soul The rest of us appear puzzled Looking at one another Thinking Tom seems a bit off today Though we say nothing Damn it I lost my dog in the woods today

Took him for a hike spent all morning looking for the bastard Thor never came home Tom said while staring at the rocky roads ahead The silence in the truck remains Only hearing the truck's engine Continuing to rumbles The gravel road is shooting small rocks from the tires

And sounds of nature from the wilderness around us Moments pass Mark taps Tom on the shoulder Hey sorry man Maybe you'll come home by the time we get back, Mark says with assurance. Everyone else speaks in unison. Yeah, saying cheerfully. Tom doesn't say a word and looks out the window with a deer scurrying off into the woods.

The trip to get there is a few more hours of banter, laughing and joking. Eating beef jerky and smashing a few cold ones along the way. Maybe not the brightest idea, but if you have time to think, you have time to drink. Am I right? We're almost there. Hope you boys brought your Cubs scout badges. You're about to see some serious shit. Tom says as he throws his final cigarette from the truck.

Each of us looking at one another, smiling like, oh yeah, sure, mockingly. Departing the truck and grabbing our gear, we park far in the woods. You see, you can take tours of small lengths of the cave itself. itself to get a glimpse of what it's like. However, we are venturing into a more unknown entrance. It's still midday and the sun is out. Tom leads the way. We begin hiking to our final destination. All along the unmarked trail, I tie little red banners with reflectors on small trees to hopefully be able to use these to find our way back to the truck for the journey home. Tom looks down, holding a paper hand-drawn map.

He stops and points. That way, saying as he commands us, I veer in John's direction with an unsure expression on my face, signaling, is he sure? Along the hike, we're met by several creatures of the forest, including squirrels, birds, deer, and even a black bear. Undeterred, we push forward and reach a large opening in the ground.

It's so dark, you can't. see anything but the walls for a few feet, using only the sunlight that's slowly darkening. This is it, boys. Tie a rope around that tree. We go in here. Tom says while pointing down into the depths of hell. Each man gears up and slowly repels down the rope hanging over a hundred feet deep. Four LED headlamps are on, brightly looking in every direction. Almost like how you you see spotlights in the sky. On the way down, the massive and seemingly dark hole,

I can feel it getting colder. The walls are wet and slick. Our footwear are weatherproof, tactical magnum boots with slip resistance and extra ankles are poor for climbing. Finally, my feet touched solid ground as I unhooked myself from the rope. Reaching for the three-cell police-style maglite

attached to my belt, I shine it upwards. I can see the top of the hole with this particular flashlight. The distance range for the maglite is roughly 450 yards. It's about 411 meters. John beckons for me to follow, as Tom has already begun his trek forward into the cave. This path is open widely for as far forward as we can see. Looking upwards, you'll see stalactite formations hanging from the ceiling.

Some rooms are as large as an auditorium. Our headlamps are currently what give us illumination. Placing my three-cell maglight back into its holster, we move forward. Walking carelessly for roughly two to three miles. We reach a portion of the cave which changes drastically. Tom, John and Mark rested briefly before dropping to their bellies to crawl hundreds of yards through a narrow passage. their packs and helmets scraping under a rock ceiling barely two feet high. The coloured walls ranged from beige to dark brown.

After many hours in the 51 degrees subterranean darkness, our clothes are dirt caked, and we're still working toward a remote section where the known map stops. The next part of the path we're on leads to an area where patience is paramount. Tom leads the way gripping a rocky, ledge deep underground. He lowered himself gently down a 12-foot drop-off. His headlamp flashing past rock walls dotted with sparkling gypsum in a remote section, off-limits to tourists and recreational caveats. There were eight-inch ledges. We had to walk slowly across, using only our gloves to

grip onto certain dips in the cave walls, eventually reaching a somewhat normal path again where we could walk upright. We're led deeper and deeper into the dark depths. Oh, so I thought. Mark says he sees light coming from up ahead. Our group moves towards it cautiously. There's another entrance Tom has led us to that was partly developed for tours before it was abandoned during World War II. Steep steps descended through rock and into a trail filled with cave crickets, which eventually gave way to areas of rockfall, caverns and drop-offs. Crunching in the silence, our trek took us past broken oil lamps, abandoned shoes and rusted sardine tins from the 1930s and 40s. Footprints made decades ago were still frozen in the

dust, as if on the moon. In one spot, ancient shark teeth were embedded in the wall. You could even say we found a place that's frozen in time. By late evening our group had hiked, climbed and crawled through rock piles, small passages, soaring domes and drop-ups in a section called New Discovery, dubbed that in the 1930s. We passed pools with translucent crayfish and walls plastered with gyps and blooms that look like flowers. Several times we spotted passages that hadn't been explored, making notes for future trips. During breaks, we sat in the dust and rocks, eating candy bars and canned sausages and trading stories about cave trips and war stories from our time in the military. At this point, we are quite deep within the cave.

John paused me aside to tell me that an hour ago, he swore he saw a creature standing over eight feet tall with four arms, stray long hairs hanging from the back of its heads. He was terrified and, I believed him. I have no idea how we didn't notice the change in him. Of course he is always so quiet. It can be hard to notice, I suppose. So I urge Tom over to have John tell him everything he's seen.

There's a very loud low-pitched growl, which we hear very audibly. The roars grow louder with each passing moment. Tom instructs us to show us to show. off our headlamps. A slight miscalculation on our part. A few of us thought the darkness would aid us in this situation. Our mistake was thinking the dark was our friend. What we didn't realize is that we merely adopted the darkness. These creatures or cave people were born in it. I can feel the ground of the cave vibrate violently as we're quickly surrounded by yelling and screaming from an unknown language.

Tom lets out a deathly scream. I can hear him fighting for his life. John turns on his headlamp. I grab my three-cell maglite, shining it in the direction of the struggle. There, before us, stands a massive being with four arms with a strange-shaped head,

almost cone-shaped. They see Tom damn near being squeezed to death. He reaches through his gun and fires twice into the torso of the being strangling him. It drops Tom and retreats. Now, all of our lights are on and we make a run for it, moving as quickly as possible. Myself, John and Mark run as if we're being hunted. At this point, I think it's fair to say that we are. Winded and sore, Mark stopped to regain his composure, takes a breath.

Where's Tom at? Wasn't he right behind us? Mark asks, unsure of what had happened. Looking around, we see no sign of him. There's the three of us discussed the risk-reward factor of going back for him. Well, they're sure as hell hostile, and the only gun in this cave is half a mile back that way, John says. Yeah, but he was our only guide, and a dear friend.

I say we go back for him. plus we have no idea where we are which ways out I say unconvincingly after a few more moments of arguing and pleading our cases we soon interrupted by that same terrifying loud growl

shit come let's go Mark yells though we're moving at rapid speeds I can hear more footsteps closing in all around us Mark is in front of me and John behind in the last position I see Mark hit a wall

only Only it wasn't a cave wall Rather Another cave person creature He fell to the ground The creature leans down and grabs him lifting him only using two of its arms The other two arms strike down on Mark's face

I see his head fall forward into the creature's chest. It looks down at me and smiles. John and I turn and flee immediately in the opposite direction. He tremble in fear at the sight of these beast-like people.

The ground of the cave is uneven and the terrain is quite rough. John falls face first hitting his chest on the solid floor. I stopped to help him up as he struggles to free his foot from a hole. The same cries are heard in the area we ran from before. John is still stuck and his boot is lodged tightly.

He yells for me to run and leave him. After moments of attempting to cut his boot off, I see the same creature from before approaching. I blind it with my maglite as it screeches loudly, swiping at nothing. It falls to the ground and hurls a large rock at me. soon finding John on the ground. He also attempts to blind the towering creature, kneeling above him.

He grabs John lying in the ground nearby and starts to gnaw on him, biting his leg clean off. This damn thing is so strong. I knew immediately I stood no chance in a fight against it. Once more John yells in agony and demands I run like hell, tossing me the hand-drawn map which Tom had held. earlier. I take off running again at full speed in horror as I hear my best friend being torn limb from limb helplessly. His screams will be with me forever. I ran for what felt like hours. I went up and down the cavern. Eventually I slept in a very low-ceiling room that I was certain

they could not reach me in. Their bodies were far too large. The cave grew quiet. I heard only cricket and my heavy breathing as I slowly crept into a restless sleep. My head lay on my pack. After some time I felt water dripping onto my face. I woke up to a dim light on my flashlight. Tapping on it, trying to bring back illumination. It dies completely.

Apparently I'd left my maglight on by mistake. There's also a cave salamander on my chest, which is multi-coloured. While running, I'd lost most of my supplies. I still have rope matches, food and water. My headlamp still works for now. My extra batteries must have fallen out during my retreat. I'm still wearing a compass on my wristwatch, which evidently is not as waterproof as it's advertised.

Oh, wait, never mind. The watch is actually now broken and cracked, but the compass appears to still be functional. All I have for now as a guide is this crudely drawn map and compass while deep, deep underground. I'm now afraid of every single noise I hear. Paranoia kicks in at an all-time high. continuing to backtrack as best as possible

I notice bats are moving rapidly in one specific area I do my best to follow them as some areas are very narrow and low to the ground I could still hear bats screeching in the distance however I can no longer see them hoping like hell they're heading towards an exit any exit chasing the faint sounds of wings flapping

I fall on top of these old steep steps. To my amazement, I've made it back to an entrance that was shown earlier by Tom. At this point, I've been running for days, fallen down many times. I'm completely lost, bruised and bloody. My clothes are soaked and wet, but well, I'm alive. With all the strength I have left, I pull myself up and cautioned. make my way up the young Kempstairs. The sound of roaring in the distance

quickens my pace significantly. No matter what that is, I do not want to come face to face with those things again. It's safe to say my days of cave exploration are well and truly over. I'm out of the deep, dark abyss. Now in the forest, once again lost.

But on familiar territory, land. I can see a stream of water nearby, thinking to myself that, well, I'm all out of water. I grab my canteen, I lean over and take a drink of the clear blue spring water that I hope is clean and not contaminated by giardiasisists and cryptosporidium ucysts, which can cause diarrhea or much worse. Then I begin dunking my canteen under the water, filling it up. sitting for a break and taking a breather. Observe the area around me and begin to notice the stream is flowing rapidly.

I quickly remembered from my time in the wilderness to follow water leading downstream. Eventually it will lead to a river or even civilization. After gulping down as much water as my body can hold I begin following the waterway. Traveling for hours, I reach a clearing and what looks to be some type of structure. I try to yell out for help,

but my vocal cords are damaged. I can barely even speak. In this moment, I'm grateful for that fact. Because I've now reached an entire colony of these cave people. Dozens of them are moving about, some gathering woods. They're speaking to each other with their hand movements mostly and some grunting.

I saw one completely rip a small tree from its roots in the ground and walk away with it under one arm. My mouth drops, and I gasped quietly upon seeing so many of them. Just then, an idea occurs to me. Maybe they aren't violent people, as I previously thought, although I am pretty sure they killed my friends. But we were intruding in their home. I mean, if someone broke into my house, I'd shoot them. question about it.

That being said, I'm not risking certain death by confronting these giants. From a good distance, I continued to watch them for days, studying them. In my pack, I have a paper and pen. I wrote down notes as much as I could. Here are some of the things that I transcribed. Day one, I saw a smaller giant-like cave person join the group. It looked oddly different than the others, and spoke more audibly than the rest. The smaller ones collect berries and hunt smaller animals, vermin and such. Day two. The giants seemed to have

some intelligence about them as they're using tools and building structures out in the forest. I saw Tom drag from the cave opening, and the creature shrieking and yelling when they saw him. I covered my mouth as I saw Tom barely breathing One of them carried him back inside As the others were flailing their arms violently at Tom I never saw him again after that Day three The smaller giant cave people sleep outside the caves

While the large ones live deep within They hunt only at night and Well work during the day So to speak Their skin is light browned round tones. That's the best I can describe it. Day four. Well, it seems as though they can't hear very well, which is why they don't talk or grunt a whole lot. So that explains the body language and rapid hand movements. I just saw a smaller cave person point in my direction. Day five.

I left the area. I couldn't risk being caught again. My location had been compromised, and I have nothing left to eat. Retreating is the only option left at this point. I can only imagine what would happen if I were captured as well. Day six. Take a very long way around the colony of giants. Along the way I caught and ate a wild animal. Not my proudest moment. But screw you, I may die if I don't get some nutrition in me soon. I don't know what day it is anymore. If the cave goes on for a thousand miles is, and a way of telling how long these woods go on for. My compass is failed now. I've tried following the northern star, checking the trees for moss.

I thought the cave system was bad. Now I know. It's an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we've lost our way. Here I am, deep in the forest with barely anything. This may seem counterproductive. but I move only at night as the days are too hot. Many nights come and go, and I think I can see a mountain in the distance.

If I can reach the top, maybe I can see a landmark to head towards with some luck, maybe even a home. I rest every chance I get as my body is weak, taking every opportunity to fill up my canteen once more, still afraid of every noise I hear. leaves rustling and branches breaking at any time at night my own over-exaggerated movements sometimes startle me

and begin to slowly venture towards the mountain in the distance travelling for a few more days now I collapse to the ground and pass out from pure exhaustion no idea how long I'm out for but I'm awakened again and completely disoriented while being entirely doused in water frantically sitting up I see two men with rifles standing around one is looking down at me hey this son bitch ain't dead

one man says the other man turns to face me I'll be down the larger man bella's out with an accent even I can barely understand where am I I ask weakly the first man laughs and says you're a long way from home son

here let's get you up the two men carry me to an all-terrain vehicle and lay me down next to a dead deer in the back of the four-wheeler which I assume they recently just caught and planned to eat I hope I'm not next the trails are bumpy but somehow I fall asleep on top of the deer when I come to I see a bar a farmhouse and two double wide trailers

with tons of farm animals frolicking about in the pasture. Eventually, the men guide me to a shack where a young woman nurses me back to health and takes me to the local sheriff's department where I get in touch with family or I get in touch with family and a deputy takes me to the local bus station.

I relax and look back on the last few weeks as I make my way back home. I'm forever grateful to that random redneck family who saved my life. I wish I had a chance to thank you, but quite frankly, I still don't know where I was or who you are. If you ever travel to Kentucky and want to tour our caves, please be careful. There's still so much more that we may never know about them. Thank you for joining me this evening, in which I read you, the Angel Caves by Wolf of Baskervilles.

and we discovered a new species of humans in mammoth cave by a bearded veteran. Join me again soon for more tales of terror and the macabre. Until next time, very, very sweet dreams, and bye-bye.