The Entrapped Explorers

Originally appearing in April 2007 (when that exclamation point with the really really big flippin' Y shut it's 360 division down and shunted my blog entries to a new profile site, the entry data was no longer date specific. It only displays how many months ago an entry was made, so if I didn't date the title I'm at a loss to know exactly which date the post was made). Anywhen...

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So there they were again, Steve, Susan, and Jacob, being swallowed up by the musty depths of the dark hole as spectral voices moaned deafeningly in their ears. Lows, highs, sorrowful and scared ghostly speech bombarded them. It was enough to make them crazy. Sue started crying involuntarily. Jacob was feeling a rage like a trapped animal. Steve trailed behind the others as the mist carried him last and facing away from them. He was entranced by his senses. The dew on his arm hairs, the unique odor of smoke and mold in his nostrils. He sneezed but could not wipe his nose so a bit of mucous dripped onto his shirt. Steve was hypnotized by this sensory overload so much so he didn't realize he was now still. They had stopped being carried. The haunting aural assault had seemed to be closed behind the mountain wall as well and a deafening silence plugged their ears.

The smell of the mist hadn't disappeared, but instead was just faintly noticeable. Their arms were soaked with moisture but the mist no longer bound them. Instead a thick impenetrable blackness did. In the dark they felt suffocated. Sue almost hyperventilated but she knew nothing was clamping on her chest, it only seemed that way. None of them ever thought of speaking, each figured they were witnessing the end of their lives.

We've gotta find a way out of here Sue thought. Up to now, each had been too overwhelmed to move, but Sue forced a step forward. Her left foot followed until a booming voice, not unlike that of a famous all-knowing wizard, stopped her.

"You are not allowed to move!" he yelled.

"Who says?" she yelled back.

"Young lady, you will abide by your manners here and wait until you are addressed to speak."

"I don't think so, whoever you are, see, we didn't choose to come down here. We were just hiking down the mountain when brainiac here started looking at the entrance back there, freezing our asses off, and then we're here arguing with somebody we can't even see. I'm done and I'm walking out of here. I'll go back out into that freak show you've got going on out there too. It's late, I'm hungry and I'm going home..."

"SILENCE!!!!!" the booming voice echoed in the dark hole, "you're not going anywhere. You've insulted the sacred ground of those who've lost their lives with your rash disrespect and rudeness. "

"And YOU!" he addressed Jacob, "with your spitting saliva and tobacco onto the hallowed ground these souls fought so hard for. Your arrogance will bring your death as well!!"

"NO!!" Sue screamed and started running, stumbling and tripping as she went forward across the uneven natural floor of the mountain's interior without being able to see where she was headed. She splashed through deep water numerous times that soaked her above her ankles and she ran smack into the mountain wall knocking her backwards onto the hard floor and stunning her.

In the meantime, Jacob continued to disrespect the sacred ground of the voice's dark hole by spitting out his chew-juice as he was verbally assaulted by the booming voice until he had been grabbed by the throat by an unseen force. This force was choking Jacob and he could feel his feet were no longer on the floor. He didn't know how far off the floor he was being lifted, by his throat still, and his chew-juice squirted out of his closed lips like ooze from a dying body, staining his chin, throat, and shirt. His face was turning purple from the lack of oxygen.

This looks like the end Jacob thought as he contemplated resisting the urge to give up I wonder if Steve's gonna get out of this one.

"Excuse me," came a plaintive voice from seemingly far away, "may I address you?"

"For what reason?" the wizard-like voice not so booming now replied.

"I'd like for my friends and I to leave your sacred place and that you forgive our intrusion and ignorance." It was Steve, though through death Jacob could barely hear him.

"I can not do that," the unseen voice affirmed, "your transgressions come with a consequence and that price is your death."

"No, I don't think so either," Steve countered. He was getting his confidence back now that his senses were adapting to his surroundings.

"Hello?!" spurted Jacob,"don't encourage him dude. I don't have much time left." Steve continued:

"We came here as prisoners. We didn't just walk into your home and take over. We weren't even planning on stepping foot inside the tunnel. It was getting dark outside and we were gonna head back home once I finished trying to read what was on the plaque, because I was curious. I enjoy learning about historical places and such and thought your plaque was one of those historical markers like along roadsides at battlegrounds or first settlements or something like that. None of us knew it was a warning or a...a secret code to gain entry. I couldn't pronounce it and I didn't even know any of us could, yet here we came. So now if anybody has to pay a price, take me, it's my fault we're here. Let them go."

"NO!!!!!!" yelled the voice, now booming louder than before.

"Then stop me!" Steve brazenly yelled and he sprinted towards the dangling Jacob and jumped like a basketball player making a lay-up. He hooked Jacob's ankle in his hand and gravity did the rest. The tight grip around Jacob's throat broke its hold under Steve's weight and the two men were dashing into the darkness splashing through water and cutting their fingers as they traced the mountain interior to stay on the pitch-black path. Soon the haunting wails of the dead souls of the dark hole surrounded them again, but as they kept running the apparitions could only dive-bomb them, as the ghosts couldn't grab the men as long as they were running. Once they knew this, the two explorers kept up their pace until they could see light.

"That's funny," huffed Steve, "it should be the middle of the night now."

"It IS you moron!!," choked Jacob out of breath and with an irritated throat from being strangled,"that's a *^%#$^* train!!"

Indeed, our intrepid adventurers were still very much in the dark hole and now 16,000 horsepower of four locomotives and the kinetic energy of 8000 feet of train length was barrelling down on them, and they had nowhere to go.

I'm glad Susan's not here to see me die thought Steve.

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When oh when will our three goofballs learn a much needed lesson? Certainly not anytime soon as right now new plots are marinating for our lackluster trio. IN the next days part three of their Second Trilogy will conclude this tale (well, I did spoil the suspense didn't I. We all know now that they live -- well, this time. There's still another trilogy (yes a Trilogy of Trilogies ****a weird vibe washes over the writer and a familiar yet haunting chant of number 9 number 9 number 9 builds until it becomes a hypnotic drone -- like trance music (cuz three times three is -- never mind) *shakes head*

Sorry where was I?? Oh yeah. See ya next installment, bundle up we're running for the border with a Chihuahua for dinner.