"What's the time?" Max mumbled sleepily as Holly's watch beeped loudly next to him. Holly slowly raised it to her face and pressed the button to illuminate it. "Four thirty," she mumbled softly, staring at it through heavy eyelids.
"Good. No more than an hour and a half before sunrise," Max sounded relieved, yawning.
"Yeah, good," Holly shifted around in place under the unzipped sleeping bag from Max's backpack they were using as a blanket, resting her head against his upper chest. Max smiled down at her and gave her another kiss, this one on the forehead. "I love you," he told her again, gently stroking her hair.
"I love you too," she smiled back, yawning herself. "And take a look at those two," she nodded towards Travis and Tracy, who in the glow of the two flashlights illuminating the ledge, could be seen hugging each other underneath the blanket Max had loaned them from his packpack, large smiles on their own faces, "Don't the two of them make such a sweet pair themselves?"
"They do indeed," Max nodded, grinning, "Travis told me he never had any luck with girls; he tried to ask out a few he cared for, but they either shot him down, or he lost the nerve. He was starting to give up hope he'd ever find the right girl; it's clear that with Tracy, he has. Just like I found the right girl in you, Holly."
"Oh, I love it when you talk that way," she teased him, nuzzling closer into his chest as he hugged her tight. "Still, I'll be glad to get home. Like I said earlier, I'm not upset with Tracy, but this whole night has been a nightmare-apart from falling in love with you of course, Max. I don't think I appreciate my parents more than I do now, when it looked like I was going to die a few times. I just want to give the both of them the biggest hugs and kisses I can, then go to bed for a month and forget that everything about this night not connected with you ever happened."
"Yeah, I know how you feel, Holly; I love my mom and dad more today than any time before in my life; they're right when they say absence makes the heart grow stronger," Max sighed softly, "I used to think they intruded unfairly in my life; after being stuck in that asylum for all this time, I can see now it was only because they loved me, that they worried for me. The nightmare can only be over for me when I'm actually hugging them and telling them how sorry I am-and when I see you're home safe yourself, Holly."
He hugged her closer. "And as for that Halloween dance coming up you mentioned earlier, if you're looking for a date, I'd happily go out with you," he assured her warmly, "Just give me the time and directions, and we'll..."
He jerked upright as, in the far reaches of the cave from their location, a loud splash could be heard, almost like something slapping the water. "What was that!?" he glanced down the tunnel nervously.
"What's going on?" Tracy sleepily woke up and sat up herself.
"Don't go, please..." Travis reached for her.
"Shhhh!" she hissed at him, staring down the dark tunnel. After five minutes, however, no other sounds rang out. "Must not have been anything," she mumbled softly, "Probably a rock falling into the water. You guys doing OK-I can see you seem to be," she chuckled at Holly and Max's intimate sleeping arrangement.
"Oh we're just fine, Tracy; I'm perfectly safe with the great Maximillan the Brave protecting Princess Holly," she teasingly put an arm back around Max.
"Well, beautiful princess, if there's anything you need, ask and it shall be given," Max chuckled himself.
"How about another bedtime kiss, then, Sir Max?"
"As you wish, Princess," the two of them locked lips for another kiss. Tracy smiled warmly at them. "They're really special together, Travis," she turned back to her own new boyfriend.
"Yeah, they really are. But not as special as you, Tracy," he gently pulled her back into a strong hug under their blanket, "No one's more special than you in the whole world."
"Oh Travis," she sighed happily as the two of them leaned forward and kissed themselves, this one lasting well over a minute. "Oh Travis, I don't think anyone's ever made me feel as wonderful as you do," she told him, tears of joy streaming down her face again, "I didn't think anyone could be as sweet and kind to anyone as you are to me. You say it's a tragedy no other boys have tried and love me; it's just as much as shame the girls haven't fallen for you."
"Then I wouldn't have met you, would I, Tracy?" crying his own tears of joy, he kissed her again, on the cheek, "I could hug you forever without letting go if I could, Tracy; I'd give you every diamond, every precious gem in the world; I'd have you crowned as queen of the world; I'd give you everything you'd ever wanted in your life if I could; you deserve it as the most beautiful and sweetest angel in the world. That's really what you are, Tracy; an honest to God angel."
"Oh Travis," she sniffed in delight, and the two of them kissed again, this one lasting close to if not over two minutes. "I never knew a kiss could feel that wonderful," she stared dreamily into his eyes once it was done as he looked just as dreamily into hers, "I never knew I could feel such wonderful euphoria as I do in your arms, Travis. I wish we could hug each other forever and never let go."
"Well, let's not let go, for now anyway," he hugged her closer, so they were cheek to cheek. "Feeling better now about earlier?" he asked her softly, seeing Max and Holly had apparently drifted off to sleep across from them, still firmly in each other's arms.
"Yeah, sort of," Tracy nodded, "I'm still nervous that I'm going to have to face my parents over the fact that the brand new car they got for me five months ago is now a disassembled piece of junk, and wondering how they'll ever believe any of this about demon worshippers..."
"I'll help if you want," Travis offered her, "If you want me to stay over your house for a night..."
"Well, I don't know about that; given we've only known each other a few hours, my dad'll be a little skittish if we show any signs of intimacy. Still, I can't wait to hug him and Mom and tell them how much I love them; I really, really miss them now, and I feel bad that they're probably worried stiff for me."
She hesitantly looked in Travis's eye. "If it doesn't hurt too much, Travis, who do you think you'll end up with?" she asked him cautiously, "I hope you'll stay nearby in Slaytondale..."
"I think so, my aunt lives there too," Travis mumbled, looking glum again, "She'll take me in...although it certainly won't be the same without Mom..."
"I know, I know," Tracy gave him a kiss on the cheek, this one of sympathy. "So, you said you liked writing too, Travis," she closed her eyes, feeling exhausted at the moment, "What did you like to write?"
"Well, I've always had this dream of being a screenwriter," Travis confessed, "I know the odds are long, but I've dreamed of having a film up on the big screen; certainly it would be better than half the stuff they put out these days."
"That's pretty neat," she smiled, "What are some of your ideas?"
"Well...I had this one idea about this former corporate raider who goes to prison for white collar crimes, and when he gets out, destitute, he rides the rails with some hobos, determined to make up for his mistakes and make life better for average people. That's the main one at least. A couple earlier ones didn't work out, although Mom told me they had potential...she always did..."
He suppressed a low sob in the dark, but couldn't stop the next one from coming out in full force. "She always had faith in me even when I didn't have faith in myself," he cried softly, "Even if I thought I was bombing with a story idea, she'd tell me it was terrific-she'd always be encouraging me to put something out there. A week before...we last saw each other, she told me the hobo story could be a blockbuster. 'I just know you're going to be a wonderfully successful writer someday, Travis, from the bottom of my heart,' she told me, with that smile that made it clear she couldn't be prouder that I was her son no matter what if anything I got published...she really was one of my best friends...and now, nothing can change the fact that thanks to those animals in the asylum, she'll never smile at me or encourage me again..."
He broke down again. "I know, Travis," Tracy leaned closer to him, "If it's any comfort for you, I can guarantee that somewhere, she's still proud of you, even more so given you saved my life and Holly's life tonight. My mom always says, people who are truly loved never really die. She'll always be with you, whether you make it big or not. And if you do sell that script, or any script, you'll be giving her one terrific legacy."
"I really want to sell it, for her," he admitted, "I just don't know if the mountain can be climbed..."
"If you want any help, I'd be glad to give it to you, Travis; anything I can do to get that script published for her, I'll do it; I want to be a professional writer too, after all," she assured him, "Anything for my hero."
"And anything for my hero too, which you certainly are in more ways than one, Tracy," he kissed her on the cheek again, "Thank you so much; this is why you're an angel..."
Just then, an unmistakable growl rose up far down the tunnel, making all four teens bolt upright. "What was that!?" Holly looked panicked, "It can't be...!"
"It is," Max looked pale, staring worriedly down the tunnel, "I don't know how the banetra got in here, but it's here. We've got to move, now!"
He snatched up one of the flashlights, grabbed Holly's hand, and leaped off the ledge into the water. A louder, closer growl, accompanied by loud splashing, rang out, which was all that Tracy and Travis needed to jump off the ledge themselves, the other flashlight in hand, and charge after their friends, who were running through the water up the tunnel, away from the approaching creature. "Well, if it got in, that means there's got to be another entrance to this cave," Tracy theorized, nervously glancing back and seeing two pinpoints of red in the distance behind them, "We've just got to circle around and find it...!"
"I just wish there wasn't all this blasted water in here; it can zone in on all the splashing in a heartbeat!" Max muttered in frustration, "Come on, come on, give us some way out!" he muttered out loud, glancing in frustration at the solid cave walls in the dim glow of the flashlights; they, and the deep water they were splashing through, seemed to stretch on permanently into a void. The four of them reached a fork in the cavern. "Um, um...!" Max nervously glanced back and forth between the two branches, "Uh...!"
"Hurry, pal, just make a choice!" Travis nervously pleaded him as the splashing and huffing got louder behind them.
"Uh...right!" Max hustled down the right tunnel, "It just seems right...WATCH OUT!" he cried as the banetra, with a loud roar leaped and knocked Travis, at the back of the pack, down. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Tracy shrieked, grabbing a large rock nearby and flinging it at the beast's head.
"Go, Tracy, leave me; I want you safe!" he begged her, frantically pushing up on the banetra's head to keep it's jaws away from him.
"I'm not leaving without you!" she hurled another rock, making the banetra howl when it connected square with its head.
"None of us are!" Holly shouted, grabbing another rock and throwing it herself, as did Max, Howling from the multiple direct hits, the banetra slowly retreated backwards, releasing Travis, who crawled behind his friends to safety. "Keep it up; we'll force him back!" Tracy instructed them, straining to lift a larger rock. With all her strength, she flung it at the monster, where it also connected to its forehead, sending it stumbling hard into the wall...
...which started a low rumbling, and rocks falling from the ceiling. "Uh oh!" Tracy gulped, "This must be a weak section! Move, move!"
She grabbed Travis's hand and quickly pulled him along as the rocks fell with increasing frequency. The teens ran until the sound of falling rock grew distant behind them. Breathing heavily, they turned back and listened to a thunderous crashing sound as the tunnel caved in behind them, accompanied by a terrified yelp by the banetra as it presumably was buried. Slowly, the rumbling came to a stop, as did the yelping after some time. "That was close," Max breathed a huge sigh of relief, "You OK, Travis?"
"Yeah, just a bit scared there. But I'm OK, thanks to my hero, again," he pulled Tracy into another kiss.
"Wait," Holly held up her hand, a euphoric look on her face, "I think I can feel air on my cheek-that way!"
She pointed farther up the tunnel. "Yeah, I feel it too," Max exclaimed, "That means there's an entrance real close. Come on!"
"Thank God," Tracy sighed in relief, "I just knew there'd be a way out..."
"Right. See, everything turned out in the end," Travis rubbed her shoulder, "Now we just get to the highway and flag someone down..."
"There, there, stars!" Holly excitedly pointed up ahead, where indeed, the stars could be seen glistening through a narrow opening, "We found the way out...!"
"And we found you," came Joe's sudden, cold voice. The robber and his two henchman unepectedly stepped around the corner in front of the teens, bringing them to a sudden stop, horrified, "Our friends told us this was the other natural way out of this cave, so we just had to wait for you. "You're coming with us, and don't fight this time."
He grabbed Holly's wrist. She promptly bit his hand-as did Travis when Norman tried to seize him. "Run for the hole, Tracy!" he begged the girl of his dreams, grappling with Norman, "Don't worry about me this time!"
"But Travis...!"
"Go!" he all but pushed her out the hole into the cool night air. Tracy spun and immediately leaned back in. "Give me your hand, Holly!" she cried to her friend, grappling with Joe nearby, "I can...!"
Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind, and a hand smothered her mouth again. "No, you won't," hissed a cold, dark voice. A figure wearing an iron mask painted in the shape of a demonic face walked into her view: Avor. She shivered darkly, struggling to get out of her captor's grasp. "Don't fight it," he warned her, seizing her by the cheeks sharply, "I've had quite enough of you and the others tonight. Help them out," he ordered two of the other cult members out of the dozens that had gathered around the hole, pointing into the cave, where Tracy's friends could still be heard fighting hard with the robbers, "It's clear they can't..."
Suddenly, the sound of a shotgun discharging could be heard, followed by a loud rumbling and terrified cries inside the cave. Tracy froze in utter horror. No, it couldn't be happening, she thought desperately, not a cave-in on her friends...!"
But there was no mistaking the deafening rumble of rocks and the explosion of dust from inside the cave, which sent the cult members that had started to enter the hole scurrying backwards. And once both had stopped, Tracy's eyes bulged out of her head in horror to see the entrance was now completely sealed shut by rocks. "It's sealed off, Your Excellency," one of the cult members proclaimed himself, examining the blocked entrance.
"Well, it doesn't matter now. We have one of them, and one's all we need," Avor glared coldly at the horrified Tracy, "Bastor shall get his sacrifice tonight after all."
Tracy desperately kicked her captor in the chest, which was enough to make him let go of her. "HOLLY!" she shrieked hysterically, the tears flowing down her face in buckets as she rushed towards the blocked cave entrance and started frantically hurling rocks aside, "HOLLY! TRAVIS! DON'T BE...LET GO OF ME!" she shrieked as the cult forcibly dragged her away from the cave, "I CAN'T LEAVE THEM HERE TO...!"
Another gag was suddenly tied over her mouth from behind, silencing her. "Forget it, princess, if they're not dead already, they're never coming out," Imperio told her curtly as Tracy was flung onto a hospital gurney set up outside an old ambulance and rapidly strapped down to it despite her hard struggling, "And I say good riddance to my weak-hearted nephew anyway. We've got you, and you're all that matters now for ours and Bastor's sake."
"Indeed. Get her up and into the sacrifical chamber quickly," Avor ordered the cult, "We have only an hour left to make the sacrifice, or all is lost."
Tears flowed from Tracy's eyes in rivers as she was loaded rapidly into the back of the ambulance. Now her best friend and the two most caring boys she'd ever hoped to find were almost certainly dead, and this time it was completely her fault. If she'd only been faster in helping them to get out of there...!
But it was too late now, she acknowledged miserably as the ambulance sped off back towards the asylum. She was all alone now, and she was going to die horribly herself in no time...