Bonded for Life
one
Faster! Adrenaline violently bursts throughout my body, pushing my muscles past its limits. My heart feels as if it would explode any moment; pained, sharp breaths escape my lips as my lungs struggle for oxygen.
Not fast enough, faster! The ground begins to quake and I pump my legs faster. The screeching creature behind me is closing in; its massive size constantly beat against the walls and ceiling. As the corridor begins to shift a slab of stone gradually rises from the floor. Faster! With all of my remaining strength I dive forwards.
The slab slams into the ceiling cutting off the creature; I can hear it hit the stone and to my utter surprise the stone holds. It continuously hits the stone shrieking every time it failed to break. When the noise finally stops I exhale air I didn't realize I was holding in.
For now I'm safe.
I lay on the ground; my limbs are throbbing, my feet are awfully sore, my vision is hazy and my head feels like it's spinning. I'm awfully nauseous. And I can only allow myself a few minutes of rest. I bring my right wrist closer to my face to look at my watch. its midnight. We came here at exactly twenty one hundred. It took only three hours for my entire team to be wiped out, including the archeologists we were escorting.
I'm the only one left.
I'm alone.
I bite my bottom lip, trying not to cry. I failed. It was my mission to keep everyone safe, and everyone is dead. With a pained groan I attempt to stand and fall back to the ground.
"No, you have to move," I tell myself, striving to stand again.
"Get up, move!" my arms feel like jelly and my legs are numb yet I manage to force myself to my feet and lean against the wall for support. My breathing is still labored; my lungs are burning as if on fire. I take in my surroundings. What used to be a long corridor with, seemingly, no end is a dead end before me. The wall opposite to me has an opening to another area.
"Move," I breathe out and will my legs to at least walk. Once in front of the opening my heart sinks-another goddamn corridor with absolutely no other pathways. And even worse…the creature with the mask glares straight at me and lets out a terrifying roar.
-Three hours earlier-
"What if we, ya know, get trapped or somethin'" says the youngest, and overly anxious, of my team Jimmy. I roll my eyes as I slip a lightweight hiking bag over my shoulder.
"You can go scuba diving hundreds of feet below surface, but you can't go a few miles underground," I say.
"There's a sense of serenity underwater. But underground? There's nothin' but dirt and rocks ready to crush ya, like being locked in a closet stuffed with clothes. Hot and humid, no one will hear ya scream from the surface-"
"-Oh stop being a baby!" I throw a bag to him, which he catches with ease.
"Ready when you are Senora," says the muscle of my team, Delgado.
"Alright," I respond, and review the rest of the team's status. Martha, the only other girl in the group, is tying her boots. Daniel, or Boomy (because he likes to make things go boom) is going over his inventory of dynamite-not that we need it but it's too much of a hassle convincing him not to bring it. Reno, my personal map and compass, is kicking at dirt. And Claudio, the brains of my team, is cleaning his sunglasses with a cloth.
As for me, I'm the medic and the leader of the team. I turn my attention back to Jimmy, who finally has his gear on. A light jacket that allowed circulation of air to the body and is sturdy enough to stay intact. Long, fitting, cargo pants, in which the ends are stuffed into hiking boots, and a belt equipped with a flashlight and a hunting knife. On his forehead are goggles that can be switched to night vision incase the flashlights went out. We are all, essentially, equipped with the same get up-with a few exceptions. The archeologists we're escorting are gathered in a circle ten feet away from me. They're dressed in casual clothes and carry backpacks filled with archeologist stuff.
"Ready to go ma'am," Jimmy says with a goofy grin.
"I promise it'll be fun, I know this place like the back of my hand," I assure him while patting his shoulder. Jimmy smirks and follows me to meet with the archeologists. As we walk I let my eyes wander our location.
A grand, nearly hidden pyramid, called Cholula, could hardly be viewed as such a structure to a novice observation. Much of the huge edifice has been taken by nature. It appears more as a compilation of hills and on the very top stood a church built when the Spanish came by hundreds of years ago. The pyramid has been around for thousands of years.
Many archeologists have tried excavating what they could, but the structure is so colossal, even greater than the Pyramids of Giza, to be completely explored without ruining it. The public is open to a specific path that is perfectly stable, but behind the scenes is a labyrinth of tunnels and rooms that continue either to the surface or deeper into the earth. The mission is to go a few miles deep to search for a phenomenon that has caught these scientists attentions.
"Senora?" Delgado conveys, breaking my concentration,
"Its twenty one hundred." I nod and watch him as he rounds up the team.
"Time to go people," I announce to the scientists-who look as giddy as a fresh teenaged couple.
-Three hours later-
Completely drained of energy, only standing out of sheer will power, and already I'm thrown into the worse case scenario. The masked creature has to be nearly eight feel tall. Every inch of its body is composed of toned and thick muscle, parts of it covered by impenetrable armor. Each finger is tipped with long sharp black claws, including his feet. His broad shoulders rise and fall with every raging breath; everything about this thing screams intimidation. And I come to the gut wrenching conclusion that this maybe the end of me. The creature roars again, and charges towards me.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" I yell; my brain is thinking at a millions miles an hour, trying to come up with a counter-attack. The corridor is too narrow to try to dodge. If I wasn't so damn sore and tired I could easily use the creature's build and weight to my advantage.
There's absolutely nowhere to run.
The only weapon I have is a meager hunting knife that's on the verge of shattering after so many uses. Perhaps, if I could stab it in the abdomen, it could buy me time to slip past the masked creature-if it would even be phased by my attack.
This isn't the first time we had a one on one confrontation. The first time I stabbed it, it showed no hints of pain neither did it react. Whether the plan worked or not, If I'm going to die I'll die fighting. The creature doesn't slow down; its weight causes the ground to vibrate. When it's a yard away I sprint as fast as I can, confronting the creature head on. Its wrist blades are drawn; ready to cut me in half. Once in reaching distance it viciously swipes its blades, aiming for my head. I duck down and plunge the knife into its gut as far as the blade could go. The masked creature pauses for an instant and immediately I dive in-between its legs, got on my feet and took off.
I smirk; I got past that thing despite my weary state. Hope, the mere thought of actually coming out alive from this hellhole, pumps more energy into me. I might just get the fuck out of here. And then, a near blinding pain shoots up my spine. I gasp as I become limp.
The masked creature had grabbed my arm and slammed me into the wall. Its growl is all I hear as my vision becomes blurry. Its staring down at me. Its head tilts slightly. I strive to stay awake, to fight back, to do something! But I couldn't move. My body betrays me and goes into paralysis. The creature's clicks and growls are the last I hear before slipping into unconsciousness.