"For the last time, I have the extra thirty feet of rope!" It was like everything Nancy said was going in one ear and out the other. She must have told Jessica at least half a dozen times that the extra rope was with her.
"Alright, alright." The pale woman put her hands up in surrender to her increasingly aggressive friend. She had only wanted to make sure that they had all of their provisions. Exploring caves and running out of the necessities were not two things that she wanted to do at the same time.
"I've also got like twenty granola bars, enough water tablets to last me a year and yes, even the mace. Why would we need mace in a cave anyway?" Nancy was never really sure what was going through Jessica's mind when they went under, but the woman hadn't led her wrong thus far.
Feeling a clap on the back Nancy turned to find Ella behind her a smile splayed on her face. She had saved her from being told of the dangers that might lurk in the caves. Ella was always the most laid back of their group. The other two were high strung enough for their group of four.
"You two are like an old married couple, I swear!" Her comment was met with two withering glares and laughter from their last friend, Asha. Nancy was secretly happy that the older girls were so playful as it set her nerves aside.
The exploration they were going on was going to be one of their longest thus far. The caves were deep and while they were well explored, new tunnels came up every few years. It excited yet frightened her.
During their last spelunking, they went with a large group into the Moaning Cave. There were too many people and it threw her off. The other three girls agreed with her that they were better suited to go as a smaller group. Jessica was certified to lead them on adventures so she didn't worry about anything bad happening.
She understood why Jessica was so adamant about them having everything, but the woman was going overboard. She had gone through each pack herself and made sure everything was accounted for, twice. Then, throughout the entire drive, she continued to ask the other three if they had random objects. Nancy was about to pull out her own hair.
"Here," Asha murmured stepping up to Nancy and pulling her away from the oldest two of their group. "Your helmet is a bit loose." Her hands deftly worked at the clasps of the headgear. She tugged the end to the right side tightening it so it sat snug to the other woman's chin.
"Thank you, dear." Nancy smiled gently before giving the red-haired girl a light pat on the cheek. "If you hadn't come along just now I might have gone crazy." Both women chuckled knowing it was a joke, but one they could both see coming true.
Asha joined their hands together and pulled both girls to their friends. Jessica finally looked satisfied that they had everything and nodded smiling to the group as though she hadn't been near biting their heads off two minutes before.
"Let's get this show on the road!" Ella was probably the most excited. They didn't often go cave exploring in climates as agreeable as the one that Washington offers in midsummer. It would be a nicer exploration for them.
The entrance to the cave was large enough and the bottom was nearly 800 feet below them. It was part of a network of caves in the area. Upon entering the cave it was almost an immediate drop from the entrance. Many of the people they had talked with said it was best to know which cave you were entering for that reason.
Right away they set to work getting ready to start belaying down into the cave. She was working with Asha while Ella and Jessica were working out their own situation. Asha and Nancy did a quick rundown of their safe check, knots, buckles, the belay device itself. Then they went over the command checks. The two had worked together so often that it was like second nature.
"On belay?" Asha questioned getting ready to start her descent. Nancy nodded quickly and gave her a quick reply of 'Belay on' before the woman began to disappear from her sight. Nancy made sure to give the other woman enough slack when necessary and to tighten the rope when Asha needed a moment.
It was a quick and easy process to get Asha to the bottom and then to get herself down as well. For the two of them at least. Jessica and Ella were having a harder time getting down than the younger two. Jessica slipped on her way down, though she was lucky when Ella caught her easily enough.
"Took you two long enough." Nancy teased looking at the two haggard girls. "We still have hours ahead of us and yet you are already sweating?" She teased at the thin layer of sweat over Jessica's forehead.
"Har har Nan." Ella puffed wiping at her cheeks trying to get the sweat off but only succeeded in wiping dirt across her right cheek. "Sorry, we can't all be pros!" Her slug to Nancy's right arm was assurance that there were no hard feelings.
The group of four made the rest of their way through the caves with relative ease. The hours spent looking down the tunnels and entering if deemed safe enough. Some looked as though they would be good, but narrowed too far and none of the girls could fit through the tiny areas. Others were so large the could go through two at a time shoulder to shoulder.
Many of the drops were sudden but noticeable. Each woman had at least three light sources on her so there was plenty of light when needed, though they tried to keep it to a minimum as the cave played home to many bats.
There was little to no drinkable water in the caves so they each took care to measure out their water consumption as they carried only a gallon each. She carried some tablets in case they did find some water that was unclean and able to be harvested.
Jessica was smart in that way. She had them prepare for the worst. Everyone carried food water, a first aid kit, and extra clothes along with other necessities. It was a real pain and sometimes their packs were too big to fit into some sections but better safe than sorry in her book.
Their first day was a real success and they didn't even make it out until the sun had long since set. It was nearly midnight by the time Nancy had made it to the entrance of the cave. The fresh air was a nice change from the close and moist air of the cave.
As they laid in their sleeping bags that evening Nancy and Asha were going over everything they found that day. They take about the huge chambers they found and the one that was so small none of them could enter it even without their packs.
Even though the women were happy to get some rest and fresh air they were quick in waking the next morning to go straight back down. Their descent was much easier the next time around as they already knew some of the caverns and were able to pick up where they left off.
"Hey, how far do you think these caves go?" Jessica questioned as they were taking a break. They had just reached a drop that was new to them and had decided to stop and refuel themselves. "I mean, I haven't seen a cave system so extensive in a while." Her granola bar wrapper went straight to the front pocket of Ella's pack.
"Who knows?" Nancy shrugged getting up to look over at the drop a few feet away. "You know how deep these places can go. The deepest they've found so far is like, 800 for this cave, but I don't know how many different tunnels there are. Who knows maybe we'll find another world." The group had a good chuckle at those words.
The group sat in silence for a few moments to just enjoy the peace before they continued. A few feet away Nancy could hear the dipping of water. It was a small sound, but for a place so quiet and peaceful it was seemed so loud.
"Oh, by the way," Asha murmured next to her ear. "My parents want you to come over next weekend. Adam's wedding is coming up and they want to make sure our outfits are coordinated or something like that." Her hands moved languidly through the air as if to say it wasn't a big deal.
Nancy on the other hand nearly jumped down the hole. Asha's family was great, they welcomed her with open arms, but man, they were some scary people. All of the men in her family had thick dark facial hair and were like seven feet tall while the women weren't much different sans the facial hair.
"Sounds horrible." The two of them shared a look before laughing softly together at the words. It was a joke, but both knew how picky Asha's family was. It really would be a horrible experience. "But, I guess I can make it." Her smile lit up in the dark of the cave as the other three shook their heads at her theatrics.
After ten minutes of catching their breath and regaining their energy, the group made their way over to the cavern. The drop looked further down than the ones they had already passed. It was hard to even see the bottom from the top of the drop.
The bottom looked rather jagged but had a few places where they could stand to go further. They could barely make out the outline of a new tunnel that they had yet to enter. The entrance was large enough that Nancy at 5 foot 6 inches could probably stand in the passageway.
"On Belay?" Nancy questioned looking over at Asha who would be letting her down first. When the older woman answered in the affirmative she began her descent. Pushing off from the ledge Nancy launched her body backward.
The distance from her their side of the cavern was large enough that she needn't stick close to the wall and easily glided down. Though it was not wide width wise and they had to go one at a time and as the quicker pair, Asha and Nancy volunteered to go first.
Condensation made the walls slick but there were many rocks that protruded from around her. She had plenty of places to use as a foothold. Her boots were sturdy and held enough grip that she didn't have to worry about slipping.
The air was cold though, it made her grateful that she had worn her gloves even if they were fingerless. Unlike the rest of her body that wore a few layers, the brown leather of the gloves were the only things protecting her hands from the dank air.
Finally, she could see the bottom clearly. There was plenty of space and the rocks were not nearly so jagged as they appeared before. It was only about 20 or 30 feet away and seemed like it would be an easy accomplishment. Seemed at least.
In her moment of distraction, Nancy's left foot hit a slippery section of rock and slid down. She tried to call out a 'Watch me!' to Asha, but all she could let out was a scream as she free fell the remaining distance to the rock floor below her.
Forgive me for this long authors note. This is my first story on here in 8 years(don't bother looking at the others, they are horrible). I'm already 5 chapters into this and almost finished with the Fellowship! I'm going to be trying to update regularly. I realize that this story may start off similarly to other stories on here, but I assure you I would never steal another work. I also realize that my plot has been played to death, a girl falls into Middle Earth and somehow ends up with the Fellowship? How original! Well, I intend to make it as original as possible. Please read kindly and remember that I am in no way a professional writer and that I am doing this for my own enjoyment and hopefully yours. That being said, I accept criticism easily and welcome it. I want to write better for everyone's gain. You get to read better writing and I am able to grow as a writer. Thank you for reading this far and please continue!