Page 12 of Uncharted

“Yeah.” I can practically hear Zane thinking from here. Maybe we should live here. We sure as hell shouldn’t. He’s almost killed us making our tree house. I’m not moving all our stuff to live in a dark cave. But that’s the thing. I’ve been in caves before. Spelunking is a thing back home. I can see the faintest of light coming from the back of the cave.

“You done exploring? Let’s head back out.”

“No, I’m not done exploring. Do you see the light from the back of the cave? That shouldn’t be there.”

“Nope, I do not. I don’t see anything back there. It’s dark.” Zane’s British accent gets stronger with any emotion, and right now he sounds like something off the BBC soaps my mom likes to watch.

“It should be pitch black. Let’s go.”

“Do you not watch movies? You don’t go to the back of the dark cave and not expect something shitty to happen to you.”

“It’s not dark, so we’re good.”

“No, you’re good. Anything back there is going to be scared of you and that mountain man’s beard growing on your face. Me, I’m like a tasty snack. Come on.” He pivots.

“Zane.”

“Calvin?”

“I’m going back there.” I turn.

“Fucking bloody hell. There is something totally mental about you Americans.”

“You’re not wrong. And you watch too many movies. We’ll be fine.”

“I want to be better than fine. Some do-nothing day this is turning out to be. Can you try not to stab me with your stick or your knife? Or anything else you have.”

I grunt. “No promises.” I feel bad that the machete stabbed his foot. But I’m not going to keep apologizing for it.

“Is there anything in there?” Haley’s standing at the entrance.

“Give us a minute.”

“There’s nothing in here, Haley.” Zane yells over his shoulder.

“Cool, I’m coming in.”

A few seconds later, she walks right into me, her hands extended out in front of herself.

I want to grab her and march her out. But she’s right. If there was something in here, it would already have come out of hiding. “Let your eyes adjust.”

“Okay, what’s back there?” She heads straight for the back of the cave.

“Hold on there, Little Bird. Just give your eyes a chance to adjust.”

I take Haley by the hand. “Can you see anything yet? Just look into the cave, not back outside.”

“Yeah, why isn’t it completely dark back there? There’s light coming in from somewhere.”

“Yup. I was about to go back there when you came in.”

“Let’s do it!” She’s got her pep back. I fucking hate pep. But not from her, which is damn weird.

“Hold on to my waistband. I’ll lead us in.” Step after step, we move in a straight line. The air cools, and the dampening silence hurts my ears. The three of us just naturally stop talking. The cave turns toward the ocean, slanting down. There’s a dim light, just enough I can see my hand in front of my face. Patting the air in front of me, I keep from running into anything. With each step, the walls come closer until I have to duck, and then crouch, but the light gets brighter. Not so bright as to see. We go on and on. I’m crawling. And I stop.

“Can’t you go farther?”

“Do you want to go more?” Haley asks. “Because I sure as hell do. This is the best do-nothing day ever.”

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