...

My eyes adjust to the darkness as I stare up at the ceiling from where I lay. I look and see a rough rocky roof which makes me believe I am in a cave. Why would I be in a cave? I was just camping in a forest. How would I have gotten here? I think while turning my head to let my eyes see my surroundings. As I turn to my right, I can spot another camper. Ryan, I believe his name is? But that is of little concern to me as I stretch my arm out to poke him a few times. I watch as he looks around before standing up as well. "Uh hey, where are we?" he asks. "Hey, honestly I have no idea. I just woke up, and my last memory was from the shooting star," I reply. My eyes can make out the confusion forming on his face before he speaks, "Strange, that is the last thing I remember as well. We should probably start looking around, I guess, right?" I think before talking, "Yeah, we should start off by looking around this cave, I think." He nods before I stretch out my arms and begin gliding my hands along the rock walls, looking for any exits. I tilt my head towards him and can see him doing the same. I think small talk would be good, "Hey, why did you decide to go on this camping trip?" He doesn't look back but responds, "You know, I wanted to try some new things."

"That seems reasonable."

"Hey, what about you? Why did you decide to go on this trip?"

"My parents forced me. They said that I needed to experience the challenges of nature for some reason."

"They seem to be nice. How do you feel about them?"

"I love them, of course, but they can be intrusive at times, you know?"

"... Yeah, sure, I know."

Silence follows suit, but I can't figure out why. Was it something I said, or does he just not want to talk? I can't tell, so I continue inching my way along the walls of the cave. My hands can feel every groove and bump along the way, and time seems to fly. "Hey, I found something. Come over here," Ryan speaks quickly. I turn my head and look towards him before walking over. I peek around him and can see the entrance of a tunnel. I'm quick to ask questions, "Do you think we should go in there? It might not be safe." Ryan looks at me before speaking, "It's not like we have any better options. I'll go first, make sure to follow me and stay quiet." He looks at me as I nod before crouching down into the tunnel and moving. I'm quick to follow. The tunnel is too small to stand in, so we have to crouch. I follow with my hands held out to make sure I don't bump the walls. The only sounds are our footsteps as we make our way across the tunnel. "Do you hear that?" he whispers. Surprised by the suddenness, I pause to listen to the surroundings. I didn't notice it at first, but I can hear the sounds of scurrying. I respond, "Little creatures moving around, I suppose? Rats?" He looks back before speaking, "Yeah, I think so. I'm going to go around this bend. Make sure to keep up." I reply, "Alright, I'll follow." He nods as he continues moving, and I begin following him. As he makes his way around the corner, I hurry to catch up. When my head turns the corner, I can see Ryan hiding behind a rock as he gestures towards me. Ahead of him, down below, lies the source of the sounds we had been hearing. Little green creatures roam the cavern, and from our vantage point, I can see the entire cave system. Ryan gestures more violently towards me, so I crawl over to him and I ask, "What do you think those little green creatures are?" He looks over to me before whispering, "This may sound crazy, but I think those are goblins."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Goblins? The little creatures in fantasy games and stuff?"

"Yeah, those guys."

"No way, they aren't real. Unless we somehow left Earth, there is no way, bro."

"I'm being serious. Either we are in some fantasy world, or fantasy creatures exist on Earth. Either way, we have to find a way out of here."

"I agree with getting out of here. Do you have any ideas?"

"Sort of. Did you notice those tunnels where the goblins were coming out of?"

"Which one?"

"Any of them."

"Yeah, I saw them."

"This may sound crazy, but I think we need to get down there and use the tunnels to get above ground."

"Um, can you explain how this would even work?"

"Here's the plan. We first sneakily climb down this ledge. Once down, we chuck some rocks at the far side of the cavern. When the goblins investigate, we run through the tunnel closest to us and pray that it takes us out of here."

"You're pretty crazy, you know that. But I have to agree. There aren't many other options."

"Yeah, this is our only shot."

"Ok, let's do this. You lead, and I'll follow you down."

"Alright."

Ryan begins crouching towards the edge of the overhang before hanging over and moving downwards. I'm quick but careful as I follow him to the edge before making my own way down. The whole while as I scale the rock face, the scurrying of the goblins never seems to stop. It is an ever constant reminder of what we will face soon enough. Ryan makes it down first, and I land next to him. He gestures towards me as I make my way over to the hiding spot. He begins to whisper, "Ok, now we need to distract them. Can you throw the rock and then follow me towards the tunnel?" I nod, "Get ready." He replies, "Ok." I bend over and grab a few rocks in my hands as I stand up. I do a pitcher's pose as I swing the rocks as hard as I can. The ding as they hit the wall attracts every goblin's attention, but I don't stay to watch. Ryan begins running towards the tunnel, and I'm right on his heels. He enters the tunnel first, and I follow. It is high enough to allow standing, but it is still dark. He runs, I run. We don't look back. Soon, the scuttling sounds can be heard, but we don't stop. As I spot the first goblins, Ryan kicks them. Ryan kicks the little green guy, like a football. It goes flying into the wall, and we keep running. It is mad, and I can hear it coming. Ryan follows the tunnel, twists and turns are made at random, and I follow, hoping to escape this place as well. I look over Ryan's shoulder and can see light. We are close. Ryan is the first out, with me right behind. Trees loom up above. We are in a forest, yet not the same one as on Earth. This forest has massive trees that tower above us. We look at each other before collapsing. That escape took everything out of us. I am exhausted. Soon, darkness overtakes us.