Tomb Raider:

Tomb Raider:

The Adventures of Lara Croft

Book 1-Curse of the Scorpion

Chapter 27- Caught Between Up and Down...

"Long way down…".

Lara just smiled, "Now don't fall in…".

Looking back over at her, Alex arched his brow sarcastically. "Oh right, cause my first idea when I see a bottomless pit is to fall right in.". "Well of course not… afterall, I just told you it was there.". Lara smirked playfully, liking the change in mood. "True… very true.". Alex grinned, nodding and playing along. Yet, he had to admit, he also loved this new mood. Playful with a large hint of sarcasm… is still better than hostility while somehow manage to complete ignore him.

"So… what are we gonna do?". Alex questioned, backing away from the edge to rest his back up against the wall. "At least the wall is stable…". He sighed. Lara just laughed, "You really want to chance it by talking about it?". "Oh… gah! Right!". Lara just smiled, which in turn caused Alex to smile more and stare into those bright, beautiful deep eyes of hers…

Apparently, staring a little too long and a little too obviously.

"Alex?".

"Yeah?".

"You keep staring at me like that and you won't need to fall in…".

"Hahaha! Alright alright I'll stop.".

"Better.".

"So?…".

"Well as I see it…". Standing up, Lara moved cautiously closer to the edge. Then, pulling out a flare she popped it open and dropped it into the darkness. Silence… and then a soft thud. A small spark, barely a dot in the darkness below them. Though, it certainly did compare greatly to the darkness above them. A ceiling that suddenly seemed higher than first perceived.

"We're caught between up and down…". She finished, letting the thought linger and sink in.

"Hmmmm…". Joining Lara by the edge, Alex looked down at the dot. "Least it's not bottomless… though that really depends on what's down there I guess.". Nodding, Lara crossed her arms over her chest. "We can try to climb up or along the wall for a better look around… or take our chances heading down to the flare. Obviously it's not quicksand or it wouldn't be there to tell us there's a bottom.".

"Well I am NOT going down in that damn hole… look at it! Who knows if there's even a way back up once we get down! And god knows what the hell could be down there.".

"Fine, go up then.". Lara stated simply, digging out the climbing gear from her backpack. Alex just smiled, doing the same. "You'll just have further to fall from…". She finished before setting up the main rope. "Great…yeah.. makes me feel a WHOLE lot better.". Alex frowned, setting up the reinforcements near the ledge to be sure the rope could take their combined weight.

As Lara began her descent, Alex began his ascent. Both moving cautiously and at a steady pace. "Darkness up here still…". Alex called down. "Still dark down here.". Lara answered back.

Reaching for what, in the dim light of his light, looked like a close range rock formation… "Whoa! Whoa!". Alex slipped down the rope suddenly, grabbing back at the wall to regain his balance as a few rocks fell a little ways from them. "Arg! Great! That's gonna hurt tomorrow! Stupid!".

"Alex? You okay?". Lara looked up, having stopped moving at the sound of small rocks tumbling down.

Looking down at his scratched knees… the sharp rock wall had cut right through his cargo pants. "Yeah… yeah no problem. Little scratched up, nothing to worry about.". Alex sighed to himself, relieved that Lara had actually decided to set up reinforcement for the rope rather than go without for once.

"Riiiiight…". Lara smirked, starting to move down again. "Hey Alex?". "Yeah?". "So… when was the last time you went climbing?". Lara grinned to herself, knowing it would annoy the hell out of the male tomb raider. "Last week actually.". Alex called back, an obvious lie. She knew it… and he somehow knew that she knew.

Sssshrrrip…

"Uhhhh… Lara? What was that?".

Ssssshrrrriiiip!!

"Nothing good.". Lara answered as she felt herself slip down slightly. "Where did we get this rope again?".

Alex frowned as he felt the rope tug downwards too. "…the village…". "Figures.". Lara frowned, silently mouthing out swears to herself. "Alright… come back up.".

That's about the time…

SSSSSHRRIIIIPPP!!

"Arg!". Lara hissed as the side of her shoulder scraped along the rocky wall, slipping down further into the darkness.

And then a loud ripping sound followed by echoed rock tumbling followed…

"ALEX!".

Feeling the sharper tugging, Alex reached his hand down to grab the rope…

As it turns out, just in time to keep it from completely shredding and breaking off. "Grrrrr…". He growled, feeling the rope cut into his bare hand. "Lara?".

Looking down, he could barely make her out.

Except for the echoed sound of the fallen rocks and twinging sound from the barely holding rope… there was nothing but silence coming out of the darkness.

From what Alex could make out, Lara had no doubt gotten scrapped up and knocked around from the abrupt freefall against the rock wall…

"Oh no…". That was when he thought he saw something red. Shifting, Alex tried to hold the rope more steadily so as to keep her from slipping further down. Groaning slightly, he managed to aim his packlight down at her.

She was hanging… almost weightlessly with her head tilted back, arms and legs dangling at her side and… blood trickling down the side of her face.

A cut… a pretty back one from all the blood… Then again, from his distance there was no way for him to really know for sure.

"L…Lara?".

Seemingly lifeless… she hung in the darkness.

Panic takes hold of him…

"LARA!?".

Alex tries to aim the light on her better, trying to get a better gage on her status… but slips down further. As he slips further down the rope… so does she.

"SHIT!! LARA?! LARA ANSWER ME!!".

… To be continued…

Is this the end? Of the line… the tale?

Do they give up and go home?

Or, does only one of them make it home?

Does Alex go for help? Does he get the chance?

Will this be a dark tribute to the two tomb raiders, lost forever to the pages of time?

Aven

Gotta love these cliffhangers eh? ;)