Chapter 11: The Plot Thickens

I awoke in a cold sweat, my palms clammy and my heart beating at an unprecedented rate. Whoa. That was some nightmare… I thought as I calmed myself from the dream. Blinking to clear my vision, I realized Vlad was no longer in the tent. I figured he was already outside, setting up the fire. Morning or night, these caves were gloomy and dark, and we could only use our ecto-energy as light for so long.

With a tired sigh, I got up to get some water from my bag. I unzipped the sack, but found it nearly impossible to find what I was looking for. I groped around in hopes that my hand would eventually wrap around the plastic bottle I'd brought with me, but this was to no avail. With a huff of annoyance, I leaned towards the tent opening and called, "Vlad, is the fire lit yet?"

There was no answer. With another irritated sigh, I said loudly, "Vlad, I can't see! Can you get the fire going?"

Again, there was no answer.

That's weird, I thought. Frowning, I made my way out of the tent in order to search for the older hybrid.

"Vlad? Are you here?" I yelled. However, it seemed that my echoing voice was the only response to my question.

Worried now, I charged my hands with energy and quickly held them out in front of me to illuminate the campsite.

"What in the world?"

A sudden panic arose in my chest as the green light on my hands reflected against the cave walls. Fear mounting in my chest, I took in everything around me. There was dry blood staining the cave floor and ectoplasmic residue was strewn about the site, some of which I could distinctly identify as Vlad's due to the pink colour; the rest of the ghostly goop was either blue or yellow.

Oh my...

My heart now thrashing against my chest, I hurried to the unlit campfire, trying to search for some sort of clue as to what had happened. I rummaged through some boxes of matches and a few old newspapers that had been set aside to be used in the fire. Besides a few logs that were strewn haphazardly about the area, there was nothing to give me even a hint of what had happened.

I don't understand…this place looks like it was hit by a hurricane. Surely whatever caused this much destruction to the place would have made enough noise to wake me up?

Suddenly, a thought flitted through my mind. Maybe something attacked Vlad? A pang of guilt hit me as I imagined myself sleeping while Vlad got pummelled to a pulp by some ecto-freak.

When I found nothing else, I hurried over to tent, hoping to find some sort of hint that would lead me to Vlad. I fumbled through his bag until eventually, my fingers wrapped around a piece of rolled up parchment. My heart skipped a beat as a thought quickly flitted through my mind.

Follow the map.

After all, what else could I do? It was my only option…it's not like I could just sit here and wait for something to happen. Besides, it was my only chance of finding Vlad. I swayed silently for a few moments, my mind swirling with all the reasons that I shouldn't go, and yet racing with all the reasons I should. Finally, my superhero reflex won- someone was in danger and I had to help. In any case, it may've been dangerous to stay here; the thing that had attacked Vlad might come back.

Making my decision, I quickly unrolled the map and let my finger trace down the path Vlad had drawn. I'd never been very good at reading maps. When I was younger, I'd gained a reputation as the worst map-reader at summer camp after leading my team down the other side of the river bordering the camp and into a farm owned by a cranky, kid-hating cultivator who chased us off his property with a stick in hand. Needless to say, none of the other kids ever wanted to pair up with me for treasure hunts after that.

But this was a life-or-death situation; I had pull through. Pushing my map-reading difficulties aside, I examined the paper in my hands long enough to mentally trace out my path. Then, with a determined mindset, I rolled up the map and stuck in my suit for protection. Taking off into the air, I flew determinedly towards my goal.

"I don't think I've ever been so ridiculously tired," I said wearily, speaking to myself. After flying for at least two and a half hours after an uncomfortable night's sleep on the ground, I was absolutely worn out. The fact that I had to use so much of my energy to understand the map in front I was holding wasn't really helping things either. Taking a seat on a boulder behind me, I vaguely wondered if my small side-journey was pointless. After all, why would the creature that had captured Vlad (assuming that was what happened) lead him straight to the Stone?

As I pondered this heavily, I looked up and caught a glimpse of something I'd missed when I'd landed on the boulder that was now being used as my chair.

Before me stood a statuesque, majestic, stone door. Upon it, there was a carving of an oval which contained several smaller carvings, most of them in green. In the middle, there was a small jewel, embedded right into the door.

Mind racing, I rose and approached the eerie-looking picture. Barely breathing, I gently let my hand brush against its stony surface. Gingerly, my fingers made their way up to the stone in the middle of the door.

Wow…this is it. This is the entrance to the Stone…

Then, as my mind swirled with excitement, nervousness and wonder, I felt the ground beneath me begin shaking. Quickly, I removed my hand from the door, but apparently the damage had already been done. Thrown off balance by the trembling beneath me, I leaned against the door to avoid falling to the ground when I hear a thunderous rumble echo against the walls of the cave. Darkness overcame the entire cavern as I felt myself being involuntarily pushed forward, in the area where the now open door had previously stood.

As dazed and thrown off as I was by the entire situation, I still couldn't help but hear a very familiar voice echo above me.

"Ah Daniel, so nice of you to join us."

Ciffhanger! Hm, I wonder who was talking at the end? Who do we know who calls our favorite hybrid by his full name? ;D

Anyways, I know this one was early..and short too; hope that's alright with everyone.I dunno if it's too short though. I might rewrite it later, if needed. Until then, hope you enjoyed it,

Crystal