Chapter 3: The Sun, Caves, and a little Water
The heat from the sssun wasss ssstarting to get to me. I wasss sssweatting and my mouth wasss dry. Carrying my new cloak and sssccythe wasssn't helping either.
I had nowhere to go and I wasss not jussst realizzing that I didn't think thisss plan through. Then I sssaw a line of treesss, the beginning of a foressst, and began to walk towardsss it.
I made it into the foressst and, under all of the treesss, I wasss ssshaded from the sssun. I wasss ssstill thirsssty, though, ssso I kept my earsss open for anything that sssounded like running water. I heard none and sssighed. I had to get out of thisss heat sssomehow.
I walked around blindly; tripping on rootsss and rocksss every ssso oftern. Then, my eyesss passed over an opening in a rock, and I ran towards it with all of my energy.
It wasss dark but it didn't take long for my eyesss to adjussst. The cave wasss big and empty.
I began to walk deeper down into the cave, to sssee if it wasss inhabited by any beassstsss. A weird, whissstling sssound came from the back of the cave, and I frozze. It didn't sssound like any beassst I've ever heard, ssso I ssslowly began to walk towardsss the sssound.
I reached the back of the cave and looked around. Nothing.
I frowed and ssset my cloak and sssccythe down on a rock by me and walked to the wall. I placced my hand on it. It wasss cool and I presssed my forehead againssst it, letting the coolnesss ssspread through me.
I ssstepped a little clossser, then, my foot fell through the ground.
I yelped asss the whole floor of the cave fell around me, almossst crussshing me. Then, I fell on top of a rock and hit my head, really hard, and passsed out.
A ping came from Karkat's computer and he jumped, almost dropping the journal. "JEGUS FUCK!" He glared at the computer and read the messages on the screen.
DE: Karklesss, you need to sssleep. You'll have time to read it in the morning tomorrow.
DE: I'll even come by to read it with you again! It wasss really fun, wasssn't it? :D
Karkat ignored the messages, telling himself he'd answer her later, and continued reading.
I woke up and blinked a few timesss. I wasss laying facce down in the dirt, rocksss sssrounding me.
When I tried to ssstand or sssit up, I jussst fell back over. I felt the warmnesss of my blood leaking from my head, though I didn't know where.
I didn't know how long I ssstayed like that, but I finally ssstood and I looked around the little placce I fell into. Then, I looked up at the huge hole that wasss now there. A pile of rocksss sssat directly under it and sssitting right on top of it wasss my cloak and sssccythe.
I walked over and picked them up, accesssing the damage. Both were, sssurprisssingly, unharmed. Which I thought wasss a little weird. But I ssshook the thought out of my head when I heard sssomething. Sssomething I've been looking for and really needed.
"Water." I barely sssaid and I ran down the sssmall tunnel.
The sssounb wasss prowin9 ioudor am lowden asz2 I roh.
Karkat marked his spot, put the book down, and rubbed his eyes. He WAS tired and it was starting to affect him.
He got up, walked to his recuperacoon, and climbed in, falling asleep instantly.
I smiled as I watched him get into his squishy little recuperacoon. When Karkat didn't answer my messages, I thought something bad happened. So I came up to see if he was ok. Turns out he was and he was just so into my journal that he didn't really care to answer me back.
I turned and jumped down the little hole, landed in my tunnel, and made my way home.