"Shhht- locked from insid- crrrht- can't get to y- shhht- on your own -bzzt." The small radio cupped in the hands of Blackwood buzzes and crackles with static before ultimately falling into an abrupt silence. But the message the control center was trying to get across was painfully clear; the ten of us left alive in this underground area of mystery are now on our own.
The group of the remaining explorers were huddled together at the sealed door, one that had been checked and double checked for a way to open it once more, though no such way had been found. Horror and panic had now silently started to settle down on us like an icy blanket, and we all stared at each other with looks that could put those of a horror movie victim's to shame.
Thisbe, Washington, Blackwood, Fairland, Owens, Travis, Wright, Gardener, Lowe, and I; we are the only ones left of the original fifteen, and I'm not sure I liked the odds played out against us.
"They can't do this to us!! This is outrageous!" Travis suddenly exclaims in rage, the thick silence shattered by the dirty blonde's cry. "They can't just leave us here!!"
"They can though... They have..." Fairland mumbles in response, seemingly staring at nothing, lost in her own thoughts. I as well was having a very similar reaction to her's, my heart rate was slower than usual and my limbs felt like lead. My gaze was transfixed on the now silent radio still clutched in Blackwood's hands and thoughts of all the terrible possibilities of all the things that could happen to us while we were trapped down here were racing through my mind.
"Please, everyone calm down. I'm sure everything is going to be fine, this is just a minor mishap." Washington tries to assure the disheartened group, visibly trying to stay strong, giving us a sure smile. I give the astrophysicist a long look before suddenly speaking up myself, my voice unintentionally monotone and dull.
"Sure, everything is going to be fine. This minor mishap is just the one thing that is going to get us torn limb from limb and devoured by some beast hidden deep within the depths of this labyrinth, one just waiting for us to stumble upon it's lair. For all we know," I continue, unaware of the groups' paling faces, "this was all a setup, we are just the unlucky Athenians chosen to be sacrificed to the Minotaur just as in Greek mythology. It's going to find us and one by one-"
"Dylan." A female voice cuts off my horrible spiel sharply, and I blink, seeing it was Sarah-Kate.
Looking around the faces of the nine other people with me, I find their expressions ones of varying horror and shock, their overall morale seeming to plummet. Shit.
"Jeez! We're all going to be fine! As long as we stick together everyone here is going to make it out in one piece. Try to think positively, seriously!" Sarah-Kate continues with an acted cheery demeanor, supporting Washington's original attempt at cheering us up.
Owens, one of the other ladies, gives a sarcastic snort at the remark. "Okay then, I'm positive Dylan's right. I hate to admit it, but we're all dead meat."
I suddenly hear a tiny terrified whine sound from just behind me, and I turn to see David's pale and distressed expression. Guilt starts to naw at me and I ignore the urge to cringe, it really was my fault he was so anxious now.
"H-hey..." I say awkwardly, catching his attention. "We're going to be alright, okay? I'm not going to let anything happen to you, we're all going to get out of here alive." He give the younger teen a reassuring smile, and I can see him let out a breath, trying to calm down. When he seems to have calmed his fears, he looks up at me with a shy grin.
"Thanks..." He replies, running a hand through his hair awkwardly. "I-I wasn't worrying though, just... Uh..." He starts to tell me awkwardly, probably to defend his pride, and I can't help but smirk, giving him a wink.
"Sure you weren't... And I wasn't either, I'm just... Waiting to see what the future holds? Er.." I shrug, trying to come up with something witty to say when I finally decide just to stick with being a sarcastic asshole as per usual; "And of course none of us were worrying either, we're just dealing with this minor mishap, calmly and collectively like the proper adults we are..."
David stares at me for a moment before realizing it was a joke and he lets out a quick snorting sound as he tries not to laugh. "Pfft- No, I don't think so, but it's nice of you to say so." He replies, and I choke back a laugh of my own. Calm and collective is anything but what the ten of us are right now, and as I look back at the others I see that while they weren't in as much as a mental breakdown panicking state as they were earlier, they were still all visibly restless and apprehensive.
Honestly right now I'd be shocked if all ten of us make it through this next night without someone panicking and running of on their own.... But then again... If anything happens then it'll just be like that old saying, the one that goes something like: "You don't have to be able to outrun the bear, you just have to be faster than the person behind you."
Looking back to David, my smile slowly melts into a worried frown. For the other's sakes... Let's hope it's a slow bear.
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Author's Game Entries
RandomI decided since my old entries were just kind of sitting in my drive collecting dust, why not post them? It'd be nice to have them somewhere where I won't lose them, and I can easily direct people to them to read as a writing portfolio sorts. This i...
