CHAPTER 65
Kyra and Seth ran through the jungle. There was no plan. They only hoped that help was coming soon. The red crested quetzalcoatlus had returned to the air and was making low passes over them like a warplane gunning the ground. With each dive it shrieked in fury. Kyra and Seth wove their way as deep as they could into the jungle, searching for shelter from the pterosaurs. This course led them back along the foot of the volcanic ridge.
After several minutes of running Kyra slowed to a walk and then stopped to lean against a tree. "I think we'll be ok here." She gulped for air.
"I think we should go further." Seth debated. He was rubbing his one sneaker-less foot. It was already sore and getting blisters.
"We can't go further. We're at the base of the mountain."
Seth looked through the canopy at the steep crater rim rising high above. "Maybe there's an overhang in the bottom of the cliffside somewhere."
"Just chill out for a minute. I'm catching my breath."
The quetzalcoatlus made another pass. Kyra watched as Seth's worried eyes followed the beast. She said, "It's never going to get us through these trees. Just take a deep breath."
Seth squatted for a moment. His expression of concern didn't go away. In seconds he was back on his feet.
"What are you doing?" Kyra observed as he poked around in the low foliage.
"There's a funny sound over here, like it's echoing inside a cave."
Kyra pushed away from the tree and walked over. Standing beside Seth she heard it herself. It was like water falling on concrete or a stone slab.
Seth parted the ferns at his feet. "There's a hole here." He was surprised to find the opening in the ground. It was only about two feet wide, certainly not large enough for him to crawl through. Crouching over it he squinted into the darkness. "I think it opens up into a cave." Seth was on all fours, sticking his head in further. "I can't really see in though. It's too dark." He stood. "Maybe there's another way in."
As he turned in search of another opening the ground dropped out from under him and Kyra with a loud crumble. They plunged into blackness and an instant later landed with a splash.
"Oh my, God! Seth? Seth!" Kyra sat up in the shallow pool. It was only a foot deep.
Seth was bobbing face down in the water. He sprang up with a cry. "My hip!" He curled his leg in and hugged his thigh. "I think I landed on a rock."
Kyra crawled over to him. "Can you get up?"
Seth groaned, "I think so."
She helped him to his feet.
He winced. "Easy, easy." It took him a moment to gain his balance. "Ok. I think I got it."
As they began to look around they saw that the chamber was only roughly the width of a bedroom. At one end it narrowed to a diameter of a mere three feet. Through this slender passage water spilled out into the pool. The other end of the chamber continued onward, remaining more open like a cavern.
Kyra said, "It's a lava tube. There must be another way out. We'll follow the water." She put a hand on Seth's back. "Do you think you can walk?"
He nodded. "Yeah." Seth looked at the crumbling hole in the ceiling. He could see the canopy and a dim haze of light through a settling cloud of dust. His eyes trailed to the broad end of the lava tube and the shadows it brought. "I hope it doesn't get too dark down there."