Obey

Chapter 14: The Midterm - Part 2

Inside the trial cave...

Staggering over another set of raised offenders she couldn't see in the dark expanse, Dee whined and whirled in the direction the others padded. "Thanks for the heads up," she said, sarcasm dripping from her like venom.

Palming a prominent stalagmite, Brandon sighed. "Aren't pandas known for their good senses?"

"Not eyesight," Dee growled.

"Duck," Brandon warned of a low hanging stalactite, his vision as keen as ever. "Lots of cave dwellers possess little to no sight, but even they don't constantly crash into walls." Dee whimpered. "If you knew your nose and ears were gonna be useless, you should've brought a light."

"Hold up." Denzel stopped and sat his bag down. Shining his flashlight on the meticulously organized thing, he hurriedly searched its contents. "Here." He handed Dee a spare light.

The Guardian stalled. "...Your paranoia actually worked out."

Dimming the brightness turned on him with his hand, Denzel met Dee's cerulean gaze and shrugged. "I have my moments."

"Apparently," Dee grumbled, her eyes going wide as they took in beautiful, highlighted minerals, tapered columns, and gravity-defying straws.

"I never knew nature could make somethin' so cool." The guy flicked a psychedelic speleothem.

"Caves are created from constant wear"—Brandon traced a textured geode's jagged edges—"Water."

"I meant the color." Denzel snickered as Dee muttered something about time and how far the group had gotten. "It's been two hours," he commented while adjusting his glowing watch.

"That doesn't sound right." Dee shook her head. "Brandon," she said, turning to him with a squint, "don't you think it's weird we haven't used any of our gear?" The growling Guardian paused his measured stroll as the woman lit the dark corridor with her flashlight. "We haven't even turned a corner."

"You..."—Brandon spun around with a clenched jaw—"You have a point."

While nicking some pointed helictites, Dee sipped her water. Looking to a too silent Tina, she suggested a break to regroup.

...

Sitting around his party, Brandon shifted the bag at his back. He thumbed the cracked wall to distract himself from the surrounding loudness, the rowdy panda pair, and unseen cave denizens... "Wait!" He shot up.

"What?" Dee twirled like a crazed ballerina, her flashlight putting on a spectacular light show.

"Stop that," the wolf Guardian grumbled into a fist. "Come on,"—he squinted in her direction—"don't tell me you've gone deaf."

"Huh?"

"Listen closely."

Dee did... "Again, what am I supposed to hear?"

Brandon scowled at his luck. "How the fuck did I get stuck with three dunces?" Dee cleared her throat, and the man crossed his arms before tapping the cave's irregular surface with a hardened nail. "Listen."

Mumbling something incoherent, Dee pressed her ear to the expanse... "Holy shit"—she gasped—"Are the walls-"

Brandon nodded. "Breathing."

"Wait"—Denzel shot up, alarmed—"Did we walk into some freaky beast's mouth?!"

Eyeballing some brown flowstone, Dee gagged. "I pray it was the mouth."

...

Perched on top of a tightrope, Brandon raged. "Stop falling behind!"