Oooooo another chapter!!!!  I've decided to stop typing disclaimers for every chapter, as it seems pointless to keep repeating myself. 

Chapter 19: Creepy Caves and Crumbling Corridors

            The lantern on the bow of the boat lit the cave with an eerie green light.  Shadows of stalactites flickered on the wall as the boat moved further into the cave.

            "I don't like this, Seto," said Mokuba nervously.  "It's creepy in here."

            "Relax, Mokuba," replied his brother.  "It's only a cave." 

As Seto left to make sure the lantern was still working properly, Joey and Tristan walked up.  They had heard the conversation and decided to play a trick on Mokuba.

            "Only a cave?  Only a cave?!  Only a spooky cave where monsters live!" whispered Joey in Mokuba's ear.  "I bet all sortsa horrible creatures are comin' to get us right now!"  He did a perfect imitation of an evil laugh but suddenly stopped and looked around furtively.

            "Wait!  I think I hear something . . ." said Joey to the boy, who was beginning to look very uneasy.  "Could it be? . . . yes!  I believe it is!  The most feared creature of all!"

            "What?  What is it?!" exclaimed Mokuba, his eyes wide.

            "No one knows exactly what it is," explained Joey.  He winked at Tristan over Mokuba's head.  "All they know, is that people go into caves, and never return . . . .  Only one person ever escaped from such a beast.  And he died three days later from the fear of it coming for him . . ."

            Mokuba's eyes darted from side to side, searching for a glimpse of the creature.

            "It's  coming . . ." continued Joey, his voice getting softer.  "It's coming . . . IT'S COMING!"

            Mokuba yelled in fear as Tristan, who had been sneaking up behind him the whole time, reached out and grabbed his shoulder.  Seto heard Mokuba and came running.  He stopped abruptly when he saw Joey and Tristan rolling around on the deck and laughing their heads off.  Clenching his fist, he resisted the urge to punch them both in 'their empty heads.'

            "You shoulda seen the look on your face, Mokuba!" chuckled Joey.

            "Yeah, it was priceless!" said Tristan, holding his sides.

            "Something funny?!" demanded Seto.  Tristan and Joey looked up in surprise, which quickly turned to fear as they saw Seto.

            "Kaiba . . . it was a joke, man!" said Joey, which provoked Seto to turn his infamous "Kaiba Death Glare" upon the unfortunate teenagers.

            "It's ok, Seto," said Mokuba.  "Really, it doesn't matter.  It was pretty funny."

            Seto's cold stare disappeared as he looked at his brother.  He glared one last time at Joey and Tristan with a look that would shrivel steel and turned, his navy blue coat swirling around him as he left.

            Tristan and Joey looked at each other sheepishly, muttered an apology to Mokuba, and spent the rest of the time hiding in the cabin from Seto.

The journey through the cave went on for another five minutes, until the waterway ended abruptly at a long wooden dock.

            "I guess this is our stop," said Yugi.

            They got out of the boat and secured it to one of the docking posts.  A pair of large oak doors swung open at the end of the dock, revealing a stone staircase.

            "Let's go," said Yugi, and he started up the stairs.

            Ten minutes later, they were walking along a torch-lit corridor when Seto, who was walking in the back of the line, suddenly stopped.

            "What's wrong, Seto?" asked Mokuba.

            "Something's not right," he said.

            "Looks ok to me," said Joey.

"It's quiet," said Seto.  "Too quiet.  I don't like it."

            "What's not to like?" asked Joey.

"There should be some kind of security," answered Seto, looking around.  "But so far, we haven't even seen a guard."

"Aww, is Kaiba scared?" taunted Joey.

"He is not!" yelled Mokuba angrily.  "Don't you dare make fun of Seto!"

"Kaiba has a point, Joey," said Yugi.  "It is odd that we haven't met with any trouble so far.  We need to be very careful."

            "What's to worry about, Yug?" asked Joey.  "They're all just scared of Joey Wheeler!"

            "Yeah, scared of your face," said Seto.

            "What was that?!" Joey yelled over his shoulder.

            "You heard me," Seto shot back.

            "Hey, let's not fight, ok?" said Serenity as she put her hand on her brother's shoulder.

            "Hmph!" said Joey, sticking his chin in the air and taking another step.  "Tell that to him!"

            The stone block beneath Joey's foot suddenly sank under him.  The entire area of the floor underneath Joey, Serenity, Mokuba, and Seto crumbled and fell, taking them with it.  Yugi would have fallen as well, if Tristan had not caught him by the hand.  The two of them could only watch helplessly as their friends fell down into darkness.

            Ciffhangers . . . my favorite things!!!!  ^_^  Reviews . . . my other favorites!!!!