A tarot reader aids a mysterious man who believes she is the only one who can help him return to his true home in the eerie Manaan caverns where they must fight the natural and supernatural to stay alive.
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Maxine Shepard is a tarot reader who h...
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Cecil's limp body was draped over Arturo's lap as he held her in his arms. The dust settled around them enough for the path of the helmet beams to illuminate the mounting wall of collapsed stones.
Immediately, my sight shifted from her messy purple hair to her helmet lying on the floor beside her. The helmet appeared to be intact and clean besides the dirt caked on the yellow rim. The lack of blood at the scene prevented my heart from sinking deeper into the pit of my stomach, but only one thing could keep me from absolute panic . . .
"Is she breathing?" I knelt beside her and Arturo, placing my hand on the center of her chest to detect movement.
Distraught with a face coated in dirt and tears, Arturo shook his head. "No lo sé. She's was just there on the floor when I opened my eyes. I don't know."
Anxiety forced my heart to thump so hard my pulse twitched in my neck, feeling like Death's cold, dead fingers prodding and taunting me.
Jace and Brent nervously crowded around us, while Samuel carefully examined the wall of collapsed stone.
Samuel stomped the pile of stone and neither budged. "Obviously she needs medical attention and now we're trapped with no way to get help. Goddamnit! Why did we leave our phones in the car?" He continued before anyone could answer, "Right. Obviously, there's no reception in here so why bring them. We're screwed."
"Samuel, babe?" Brent rushed to his side, calmly massaging his love's shoulder. "Let's not panic. There is a way out. There's always a way out." He turned and his face gave away the worry he tried so hard to suppress. "Is she okay?"
"Cecil?" I tapped her flushed cheek with my fingertips. "Damn it, Cecil. Wake up!" I examined her body with my eyes, seeing no blood, no broken bones or anything out of place. Annoyed at the lack of answers about her wellbeing, I placed my head to her chest and tuned out Arturo's sniffs. Excitedly, the sound of her heart beating drummed in my ears. "Oh, thank goodness."
I nodded. When I stood up, the back of Jace's head seized my attention as he stared at the massive wall next to the collapsed stone. His helmet light lit up a large carving of three separate but interconnected spirals.
"Now this is weird." Jace fixated on the symbol as if mesmerized. "This means something, doesn't it? It has to."
"Yeah," Samuel looked around the dusty space. "It means we're trapped. It means we're stuck in here until someone realizes we never made it home and comes and find us."
Brent continued his attempt to calm Samuel with gentle massages. "That sounds like leaving it up to luck and chance, and I don't believe in luck. I believe in creating solutions to our problems. We're getting out of here. Somehow."
