Rise of The Fallen (unedited Version) (COMPLETED)

Chapter 27

The vines restraining Elazar, pulled taunt trying to drag him closer to the open maw at the center of the plant. He growled as they constricted around him tighter and his grip on the knife started to slip. 

Shit shit!  I rushed over to his side, dropping the torch on the dirt ground next to me before trying to cut the vines pinning him, but they soon started clawing and grabbing at me as well. "kora! Leave now!" I ignored Elazar's warnings and the stinging pain across the palms of my hands as the thorns cut into my skin, as I continued to slice through the vines with my knife. "kora!-"

"Shut up! I'm not leaving you like this!" A vine coiled around one of my legs tightly and I shrieked in surprise as it tried dragging me towards another pod different from the one holding onto Elazar. I grabbed the torch and swung it frantically over the vines to scare it off but something else happened instead.

They relinquished their hold on me to reach for the flames, only to burn at the touch and recoil away. More and more vines all around me lifted from the ground as if in a trance of sorts, following the torch and reaching for it. 

I stared in shock as the plants around me that could feel the torches head, ignored my presence to reach for the flames instead. Only then did it click in my mind exactly what was happening. 

Heat. It's reacting to our body heat and touch!

Freeing myself from the vines by waving the torch around I returned my attention to Elazar and started waving the flames above him, causing the vines to relinquish their hold to go after the heat of the flames. 

Each outstretched vine that got too close and was burned by the flames recoiled with a sickening hiss as they slowly untangled themselves from the aliens body. 

Being able to move more freely, Elazar tore himself free from the loosened plants and got back to his feet. A vine shot out grabbing at the torch trying to restrain it much like it would any other prey and I struggled to pull it back, but as another grabbed hold of the torch and another latched onto my arm, cutting into my skin with it's thorns, I quickly realized that this wasn't a foolproof solution.

The plants were targeting the heat of the flames. If I stay attached it will try to consume me as well. 

Elazar used his knife to free my arm but as more and more vines crept towards us, we were losing the little bit of ground we had obtained. Using the torch to gain the attraction of the vines around us I swing it around, before tossing it across the cave away from us. 

Luckily it worked enough to draw them away and we watched as they swarmed the fire enthralled by its heat. Unfortunately the torch only managed to distract a few of the plants and the others that could still sense our body heat were creeping closer. 

Elazar held his knife and tail readily as we stood back to back, surrounded by the snake-like vines creeping across the ground. Shit shit, now what do we do?! I don't have what I need to make another torch and we are surrounded by these things! 

Frantically I looked around for something else I could set on fire but there was nothing else this far in the cave. The reflection of light out of the corner of my eye had me looking in another direction. 

In the distance I could see the light from the torch flames reflecting off the surface of a pool of water a short distance away and my eyes widened. "Elazar we have to run!" 

I grabbed his hand and he looked to me then to the water before mumbling a curse under his breath. "stay close!" 

Elazar swiped at the vines rising off the ground in front of us with his spear, cutting most of them down and knocking the rest back. We then made a mad dash for the water, stirring up all the other plants we passed by. 

The vines crowding around the torch suddenly caught fire and a loud hiss echoed throughout the cave as the plant squirmed and flailed around wildly, unable to escape the flames consuming it. 

Like a chain reaction the others were attracted to the head of the flames at first and they started catching fire as well, spreading the flames further.

Mere feet from the pool of water a vine lashed out coiling tightly around my ankle making me lose my footing and fall forward. I shrieked and fell atop a dozen other vines that had been laying dormant along the ground.

My movement seemed to store them awake as I tried to pull my foot free, and they all began reaching for me. 

A blade slashed through the air beside me cutting some of the vines off, forcing them to retreat, and I was hauled off the ground and pulled along as Elazar kept pushing through the carnivorous plants. 

By this point, several of the main pods had caught fire and were screeching as they burned to crisps filling the air of the cave with smoke. 

Elazar cut through the last of the vines blocking our way and I quickly jumped into the water with him as the tendrils we had riled up behind us struck out in an attempt to grab us once more. 

I nearly let go of the air I had captured in my lungs from the shock as I plunged into the icy cold water. Clasping one hand over my mouth I used the other to keep myself below the surface of the water. Looking up above us as the ripples cleared from the splash, I could see the vines hovering over the water's surface, seeking us out. Elazar was beside me watching as well. 

The tendrils spread out looking for any signs of heat and even poked at the water's surface but didn't go any further than a few inches. 

My cheeks and lungs started to burn and my panic grew the more I realized I needed air soon. The vines finally receded and I quickly swam up to get a gasp of air with Elazar following suit.

My head breached the surface and I took in a lungful of air and smoke. The sudden change had me coughing violently as I looked up to see nearly half the cave was ablaze and filling with smoke. Shit, we have to get out of here before we suffocate! I coughed more looking for the way we came in but I couldn't see anything past the flailing vines that were on fire.

Elazar looked back down at the water and dipped back under for a moment as I struggled to get my laughing under control. But each inhale drew in smoke that irritated my throat and burned my lungs. The live plants burning in this enclosed space were creating so much smoke and making it so hard to breathe!  

Elazar popped back up beside me and grabbed my shoulder. "kora! Hold! Menya!" I couldn't quite understand what he was saying as I coughed much more violently. His face twisted in worry and he said it again before placing his hand over my mouth. "Hold menya!" 

I did my best to fill my lungs with air and he immediately dragged me under. I covered my mouth with both hands as Elazar grabbed my wrist and started swimming down, deeper into the pool where the light of the fires above couldn't reach and I couldn't see. 

Panic rose in my chest and I shook my head and tried to grab him and make him stop, to go back to the surface. He pulled me deeper to the point it was pitch black and I struggled even more, wanting to go back to the surface. I managed to pull away from him but as I saw up I didn't find the surface of the water, only rock. 

Absolute terror encroached on my mind as I felt around looking for a way out but there was nothing. A muffled whimper escaped me as I realized I can't find my way out and I just lost touch with El. 

I'm going to die here. I'm going to drown down here! I wanted to scream as my lungs felt like they might collapse any second And all sense of reason fled me as I struggled harder. No no!

Something grabbed me around the waist and I lost all sense of direction as I was pulled away from the wall. 

The fear and sheer panic won over as I lost my breath and water flooded my senses. I could feel it filling my mouth, my throat, everything as my body struggled to draw in any kind of oxygen it could. The horrifying experience was only made worse by the blackness surrounding me. I could feel my entire body jerk involuntarily, painfully as if every muscle in my body was cramping and all my senses completely washed away. 

That was the last thing I remember before everything fell away into oblivion.