Chapter 5 - What Was That?
Lara involuntarily grabbed onto Alex as they began to fall through the earth, and he managed to grab onto a tree root to prevent them plummeting into the darkness. "It looks like we've found the way in," Lara said dryly, transferring her weight to another of the dangling roots. They hung for a few seconds, but suddenly Lara's root didn't feel all that secure anymore. Before she could do anything a wrenching noise accompanied a sudden feeling of terror as she fell through the air, unsuccessfully grasping bits of root on the way down. This slowed her down somewhat, but she landed heavily on the stony floor. "Oh shit!" Alex exclaimed, looking down into the darkness then up at the opening of light a few feet above. "Are you ok Lara?" he called down. Lara groaned in reply and Alex breathed a sigh of relief that she was still alive. He debated whether to go down after her or back up to get help, but the decision was made for him as a creaking sound indicated that his root was also about to give way. He managed to shimmy part of the way down before it gave way and he fell the remaining few feet to the floor. In the dim light from the hole far above he managed to crawl over to where Lara lay and find a flare in his pack. She sat up groggily, mentally going over her body and deciding that nothing was broken. "I'm alright," she said, standing up shakily and looking around for the first time. By the light of the flare she could see that they were in some sort of entry chamber with intricate patterns cut into the walls. A passageway lined with sconces stretched off into the darkness. Alex rummaged in his pack and came out with a box of matches. He wrenched a taper off the wall sconces and lit it before the flare flickered out and handed the light to Lara, before getting another for himself. "I guess we're not getting back out that way," Lara said with a nervous laugh, gesturing at the jagged square of light above them. "Nope," Alex replied. Again he searched in his pack, this time finding a pistol which he gave to Lara. "What's this for?" she asked in surprise, weighing it in her palms. "We don't know what might be in there," he said seriously, nodding his head towards the dark corridor. Lara frowned. She couldn't imagine how anything could be alive down here as there was no other way in, but she shoved the gun into her belt anyway. Next, he separated some of the supplies for her. "In case we get split up," he explained. "Where will I put it all?" Alex looked at the rucksack on Lara's back. "What's in that?" "All my camera stuff," she said indignantly. "Ditch it." "But Alex." Lara began, but he looked at her sternly. "Ditch it Lara," he said in a tone of voice she hadn't heard before. Pouting, Lara complied and filled the bag with the things he gave her. They walked carefully down the passage, lighting the sconces on the walls as they went. The air was becoming noticeably more musty the further they went, but eventually the passage opened out into a larger space and as they lit the edges it became clear they were on a balcony overlooking a large room. A flight of stairs led down and Lara began to descend. "Come on, what are you waiting for?" she called over her shoulder. "Wait Lara," Alex said, "I don't like it." She looked over her shoulder, eyebrows raised and stepped onto the floor. Her heart leapt into her mouth as a grating sound was followed by a growl in the darkness. A pair of red eyes shone and Lara took one step backwards ready to run but suddenly Alex was beside her, guns blazing and the creature fell down dead. "What was that?" she asked breathlessly. "I don't know," he replied. "Keep close to me." She followed him into the doorway that had just opened and as their eyes were now used to the dimness they could discern that they were in a hallway, with various archways leading off it. They walked forwards cautiously but without warning another of the creatures leapt out from the side and pushed Alex against a wall before he could draw his guns. Lara screamed and dropped the candle as the thing snarled in the tomb raider's face, who tried to fend it off with only partial success. She recovered her wits and grabbed the gun out of her belt, firing three shots into the animal's flank until it collapsed with a howl. The blood pumped through Lara's veins and her hands shook as she helped Alex to his feet and found that he was not seriously hurt, although his shirt had been ripped and his chest scratched by the creature's claws. She picked up the burning torch and examined the bundle of black fur that lay on the ground. It resembled a dog more than anything else, but it had horns like a bull. The pair looked at each other in horror, similar questions forming in both of their minds which neither of them could answer. The first door off the corridor led into what must have been the monastery's dormitory as straw mattresses lined the walls. Lara shuddered when she saw what occupied one of them - a skeleton dressed in a decaying monk's habit. "Come on, there's nothing here," Alex said, turning away. "What are we looking for?" Lara asked. There was a pause before he answered. "The way out, of course." Alex walked back out into the corridor but Lara lingered over the body, wondering how the monk had died and why he had been left here. When she returned to the main area Alex was nowhere to be seen. She called his name over and over but there was no response so she began looking into the other doorways in the hope of seeing the light from his torch but to no avail. The cold hand of panic gripped her heart as she stepped into the last doorway to find nothing but a spiral staircase leading upwards. An ominous sound behind her caused Lara to spin around and see a wheel of stone roll across the way she had come in, trapping her inside.
Lara involuntarily grabbed onto Alex as they began to fall through the earth, and he managed to grab onto a tree root to prevent them plummeting into the darkness. "It looks like we've found the way in," Lara said dryly, transferring her weight to another of the dangling roots. They hung for a few seconds, but suddenly Lara's root didn't feel all that secure anymore. Before she could do anything a wrenching noise accompanied a sudden feeling of terror as she fell through the air, unsuccessfully grasping bits of root on the way down. This slowed her down somewhat, but she landed heavily on the stony floor. "Oh shit!" Alex exclaimed, looking down into the darkness then up at the opening of light a few feet above. "Are you ok Lara?" he called down. Lara groaned in reply and Alex breathed a sigh of relief that she was still alive. He debated whether to go down after her or back up to get help, but the decision was made for him as a creaking sound indicated that his root was also about to give way. He managed to shimmy part of the way down before it gave way and he fell the remaining few feet to the floor. In the dim light from the hole far above he managed to crawl over to where Lara lay and find a flare in his pack. She sat up groggily, mentally going over her body and deciding that nothing was broken. "I'm alright," she said, standing up shakily and looking around for the first time. By the light of the flare she could see that they were in some sort of entry chamber with intricate patterns cut into the walls. A passageway lined with sconces stretched off into the darkness. Alex rummaged in his pack and came out with a box of matches. He wrenched a taper off the wall sconces and lit it before the flare flickered out and handed the light to Lara, before getting another for himself. "I guess we're not getting back out that way," Lara said with a nervous laugh, gesturing at the jagged square of light above them. "Nope," Alex replied. Again he searched in his pack, this time finding a pistol which he gave to Lara. "What's this for?" she asked in surprise, weighing it in her palms. "We don't know what might be in there," he said seriously, nodding his head towards the dark corridor. Lara frowned. She couldn't imagine how anything could be alive down here as there was no other way in, but she shoved the gun into her belt anyway. Next, he separated some of the supplies for her. "In case we get split up," he explained. "Where will I put it all?" Alex looked at the rucksack on Lara's back. "What's in that?" "All my camera stuff," she said indignantly. "Ditch it." "But Alex." Lara began, but he looked at her sternly. "Ditch it Lara," he said in a tone of voice she hadn't heard before. Pouting, Lara complied and filled the bag with the things he gave her. They walked carefully down the passage, lighting the sconces on the walls as they went. The air was becoming noticeably more musty the further they went, but eventually the passage opened out into a larger space and as they lit the edges it became clear they were on a balcony overlooking a large room. A flight of stairs led down and Lara began to descend. "Come on, what are you waiting for?" she called over her shoulder. "Wait Lara," Alex said, "I don't like it." She looked over her shoulder, eyebrows raised and stepped onto the floor. Her heart leapt into her mouth as a grating sound was followed by a growl in the darkness. A pair of red eyes shone and Lara took one step backwards ready to run but suddenly Alex was beside her, guns blazing and the creature fell down dead. "What was that?" she asked breathlessly. "I don't know," he replied. "Keep close to me." She followed him into the doorway that had just opened and as their eyes were now used to the dimness they could discern that they were in a hallway, with various archways leading off it. They walked forwards cautiously but without warning another of the creatures leapt out from the side and pushed Alex against a wall before he could draw his guns. Lara screamed and dropped the candle as the thing snarled in the tomb raider's face, who tried to fend it off with only partial success. She recovered her wits and grabbed the gun out of her belt, firing three shots into the animal's flank until it collapsed with a howl. The blood pumped through Lara's veins and her hands shook as she helped Alex to his feet and found that he was not seriously hurt, although his shirt had been ripped and his chest scratched by the creature's claws. She picked up the burning torch and examined the bundle of black fur that lay on the ground. It resembled a dog more than anything else, but it had horns like a bull. The pair looked at each other in horror, similar questions forming in both of their minds which neither of them could answer. The first door off the corridor led into what must have been the monastery's dormitory as straw mattresses lined the walls. Lara shuddered when she saw what occupied one of them - a skeleton dressed in a decaying monk's habit. "Come on, there's nothing here," Alex said, turning away. "What are we looking for?" Lara asked. There was a pause before he answered. "The way out, of course." Alex walked back out into the corridor but Lara lingered over the body, wondering how the monk had died and why he had been left here. When she returned to the main area Alex was nowhere to be seen. She called his name over and over but there was no response so she began looking into the other doorways in the hope of seeing the light from his torch but to no avail. The cold hand of panic gripped her heart as she stepped into the last doorway to find nothing but a spiral staircase leading upwards. An ominous sound behind her caused Lara to spin around and see a wheel of stone roll across the way she had come in, trapping her inside.