The group slowly made their way to the cave entrance. "Well, this could be it for us."
"We're not turning back now, we're too close to the entrance." Rose said.
"Rose is right, but you don't have to do this." Nadia told them. "You can either go back to your group now or come with, but I'm going in either way." For a second no one moved. Then Nadia went into the cave alone.
It was really dark inside. She couldn't see anything. Her hand brushed against the wall of the cave. She made her way through the dark cave by feeling her way around. She could feel a slight breeze coming from a direction, but couldn't tell where from. It was so dark that when she turned around, she could only see the faint glow of the Other Side from the entrance.
She took a step forward, and almost fell. She screamed. Then she felt someone grab her arm. "I've got you!" She heard a voice say. She couldn't see very well, but she grabbed onto the person, whoever it was. She was pulled up.
"Thanks, I think." She said. I can't see anything in here."
"Maybe if we pooled our power together, we could form a light in here so we can see better. Or at the very least, make ourselves visible in this place."
"Okay." Nadia said. She was still sitting on the ground and took someone's hand. Then she concentrated. A moment later, the cave was slightly more visible. Then she turned to see that she was holding Anna's hand. The others had come with her.
"You followed me here."
"We weren't going to let you down." Anna said. Nadia smiled. She hadn't really had friends back when she was alive.
"Thanks, guys. How did you know…"
"We all followed you in. I heard you scream, so I followed your voice in order keep you from falling into that pit." Anna explained, relieved she was okay. If she had fallen in, there would be no way out.
"Are you doing okay?" Rose asked her as she got to her feet.
"Yeah, now we just have to find our way to the entrance."
"According to Emily's directions, there should be a gate halfway through this cave that leads there." Pearl said. "Since it's been around since ancient times, it'll probably look like some kind of ruins."
"You mean kind of like that Roman arch we saw when we were in Italy." Trevor said. Anna and Nadia looked at him, then turned to Rose for an explanation.
"Don't ask."
"Okay, so according to the map, it should be halfway through this tunnel." Anna said.
"Be careful, everyone." Nadia said. "We don't know what will happen when we get there or if we'll even be able to get in."
"Let's just focus on getting there first." Pearl pointed out.
"Okay, let's go. Everyone, remember to stay close and no matter what happens, don't split up." Rose said as they started heading further into the cave. They moved through the cave carefully.
After a few minutes, Trevor suddenly stopped. "What's wrong?" Anna asked.
"Don't you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Then the others heard it. Nadia glanced at the ground saw it shaking.
"You've got to be kidding me!" She said. They all ran as fast as they could to the side of a wall just as set of boulders and rocks tumbled down. Anna did a quick head count and noticed they were all safely on the other side of the rock wall.
"Well, so much for getting back." Rose said.
"In case you've forgotten, we're still vampires." Trevor pointed out. He picked up a stray rock and threw it hard against the wall. It instantly shattered.
"I didn't think earthquakes could even happen on The Other Side." Nadia said.
"They can't." Pearl said. Nadia looked surprised.
"Then how…" She paused, thinking. "It must be this cave. We're getting closer to the entrance."
"That makes sense to me." Anna said. "Very few spirits have been down here and survived to tell anyone about this place."
"It has been rumored to have ancient magic traps." Pearl pointed out.
"We should all be prepared for anything that could happen." Rose said. Everyone nodded and they all walked further inside.
It wasn't long before they stopped. A little further ahead was what looked like a huge arch. "Is that it?" Nadia asked.
"That must be it." Anna said. "It looks almost identical to the map."
"Well, guess we know where we're headed." They all looked at each other.
"Well, if this is it for us, it's been nice knowing all of you." Trevor said.
"Don't think like that. We'll get through this, one way or another." Rose pointed out.
"No matter what happens when we pass through there, I won't let anything happen to any of you guys." Nadia told them. "After all, we're all here because of me."
"Hey, we volunteered, too." Anna pointed out. "If you go in, so do we." Everyone nodded in agreement. Then they all headed toward the arch.