Copyright: I don't own the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and I do not intend to infringe upon any copyright. But the idea for the story was mine… :-)
Challenger took a rest on a rock and put his rifle aside. The sun was burning hot, but the sweltry air and the sky's dark shade in the west indicated an upcoming thunderstorm.
Challenger knew he had to reach the tree house before the storm would break. But he also knew he had to take this rest, because his hike took its toll. His lungs burned with every breath he took and he could feel his pulse throb. Obviously he wasn't 18 anymore... The thought of being forced to stand the sun all way home seemed hard to bear. He was already drenched in sweat and his water bottle was almost empty.
But wasn't there the sound of a creek from his right? Challenger sighed and lifted himself up. And when he had surrounded the rock, in fact he found a small rivulet, meandering through the grass of the clearance.
Challenger felt relieved and kneeled down to fill his water bottle and give himself a welcome refreshment. Just when he splashed some cool water into his face, a sudden noise attracted his attention. He swallowed hard, because he felt he was not alone anymore.
His right hand felt around for his rifle, but all he grabbed was the water bottle. He groaned inwardly when he realized he had left the rifle on the other side of the rock. This had been a stupid mistake... and Challenger knew that it were mainly stupid mistakes which people had to pay with their lives…
His senses had already located the sound as coming from his right side. It was definitely a carnivore. Maybe a Velociraptor or an Ornitholestes. Challenger hoped it was the second one, because he would hardly have a chance against a hungry Velociraptor without even having his rifle.
He slowly turned his head right and peered into the brush-wood and tried to figure out his hunter while his thoughts tumbled. He could jump up and try to reach the rifle in time or jump up and run as fast as he could. Both opportunities were bad, but he had to make a decision.
He remembered having seen mountains a few miles west. If he reached them, perhaps he could find a cavern to hide in. He just hoped his power was enough for the sprint through the brush-wood, but he tried to put that thought aside. He would find out soon enough...
He took a last deep breath and grabbed his water bottle – he might be in need of it later on.
Then he jumped up and ran into the brush-wood. He heard a disappointed roar behind him followed by the sound of breaking branches and bursting coppice, but he didn't dare to look back. He might have been just to scared to move on.
So he focused on the jungle in front of him, side-stepping branches and lianas hanging from the trees. He almost fell over a overthrown tree and slipped through puddles of mud.
He ran as fast as he could and yet he could hear the noise behind him approach. Desperation doubled his power. He already got a glimpse of the mountain right in front of him. In his thoughts he thanked God he had run in the right direction.
With the sound of claws ripping the soft earth two or three feet behind him he rushed into a cavern, not believing there was one right where he had run to.
He already sensed deep relief fill his chest when he felt a sudden push in the back, accompanied by a bloodcurdling roar. He turned around and found himself facing a nightmare. He was able to identify it as an Ornitholestes, but that didn't help him anyway now. The dinosaur had managed to push himself half way into the cavern and seemed to be stuck. He snapped again and again at Challenger, who had moved backwards out of danger. But even in the dim light he could see that the dinosaur's teeth were bloody. It took Challenger a moment until he realized it was his own blood. He didn't feel pain, but he knew that the first shock prevented that.
But before he could deal with that problem he first had to get away from the carnivore. The exit was barred and it seemed he was trapped in here. But as he took a look around he figured something like a corridor at the back side of the cavern. It was pitch black in there, but he had no choice.
He slowly stepped forward trying to ignore the pain that started to spread over the upper half of his back.
He noticed a dim light from above, some feet in front of him getting a bit stronger when he approached. Maybe this was another exit, he thought with slight hope.
He still moved forward very cautiously – however not cautiously enough. The next step his foot hit only air, not the stone basement of the corridor. Challenger overbalanced and fell forward. Aware of the fact that he didn't know how deep he would fall, he prepared for a hard impact.
Finally he hit the surface of water that softened his following impact on the stone basement below. Still it took his breath away and pain exploded in his body. He almost lost passed out, but he somehow managed to stay conscious. Perhaps because of the ice cold water, which was luckily only 3 feet deep. 'Blessing in disguise', he thought ironically. When he was back to the tree house he would make a list of the vast number of possibilities you could die in this damned jungle!
Apparently, this would have to wait. He looked up and now he could identify, where the light came from – a small hole in the ceiling. At least a hundred feet above him. Impossible to reach. To small to climb out, even if he got wings.
The only good thing was, that the light was enough to lighten Challengers surrounding. The hole in which he had fallen had a calibre of about 10 feet. The water in which he was standing was still and he wondered where it came from. At least it didn't seem to be able to drain off.
He was soaking wet and began to freeze, and above all the wound on his back had begun to ache terribly. He didn't know how bad it was, and he wondered if this was better.
He ran his hand through his wet hair and if he could have seen his own face in a mirror he would have been scared about the hopeless impression on it. How should he ever get out of here?
'At least, I won't die with thirst' he mumbled sarcastically.
A sudden thunder scared him up and he looked through the hole above. The sky had darkened – obviously the thunderstorm had approached a lot faster than Challenger had imagined.
Soon it started to rain, and when Challenger heard raindrops splash onto the water surface in his dungeon, he suddenly knew where the water he was standing in came from. He rushed to the wall and touched it in the height of his head. It was wet.
"Oh my God" he whispered. The water would rise up quickly. He knew these kinds of thunderstorm. A lot of rain in a very short period of time.
No, he would not die with thirst... he would drown.
to be continued…
And thanx to TheChosenOne3 for her constructive critique – I'll keep your notice in mind!
And by the way: Sorry it took me so long to update. I've just passed my exams and had loads to do, but now I've got a lot of free time and will continue soon! Promised!