The dust cloud swiftly settled as the last of the rocks crumbled behind them, suffocating the air with a gritty haze. It was as if the earth itself had let out a final, agonized gasp. Oliver lay splayed along the floor, his body limp and aching, his eyes transfixed on the cavern entrance above. The piercing sound that had torn through his eardrums still reverberated within, a haunting echo that refused to release its grip.

Heart pounding, breath ragged, Oliver clung to the pulsating rhythm of life, the only solace in this harrowing moment. His clothes were coated in a fine layer of dust, his instinctive coughs tearing through his dry lips as he fought to draw in a breath, desperate for oxygen.

Aidan rushed toward him, his face a mask of concern. Oliver's dazed eyes managed to focus on his friend's parted lips, attempting to decipher the words that surely escaped them. The pressure of Oliver's fingernails sinking into the sleeves of his hoodie served as a desperate anchor, grounding him amidst the chaos.

Carter and Markus joined their trembling forms at Oliver's side, their mouths agape in silent disbelief. Oliver witnessed their wordless exchange, their widened eyes and gaping maws revealing a shared terror. Their screams, muffled and distant, struggled to break through the ringing cacophony that enveloped his skull.

In that moment, a chill washed over Oliver, leaving him momentarily stunned. His narrowing eyes attempted to pierce the encroaching darkness, a shroud descending upon his consciousness. Rain—yes, rain. It had been raining just like this when his mother met her tragic fate in that car accident.

His heart thudded against his chest, a relentless beat that matched the creeping darkness inch by inch. Through the veil of obscurity, he glimpsed memories resurfacing, fleeting and disjointed. The old, weathered minivan, a relic bestowed upon them by his grandfather upon their return to this place. Its ancient facade belied the fact that his mother lacked the means to replace it—a mistake they would all come to regret. He could recall the rhythmic patter of rain on the windshield, an orchestration of nature's symphony.

The papers from his mother's office swirling and cluttering the floor, illuminated by harsh bursts of thunder that streaked through his window. They had been navigating treacherous terrain, battling against nature's fury. But why? Why were they out there on that fateful night? The details eluded him, shrouded in a fog of uncertainty. Were they returning from the store, or perhaps going to it? Or... were they bringing flowers?

He recalled the sight of a delicate bouquet adorning the seat beside her—his mother's gentle gesture of love. Even in the face of his father's monstrous nature, the man despised by nearly everyone at one point, she had clung to her affection. Oliver's eyes fluttered, shifting their focus to a discarded flashlight that lay nearby, its beam a dim glimmer in the swirling murk. The sounds around him remained muffled, distant, as if heard through a watery barrier, but he would persevere. His fingers traveled absently along his face, tracing the scars that marked his skin, remnants of bygone days. It was a blur of crimson, akin to being pummeled by an immense wave along the merciless shore.

The shattering of glass, like sharp teeth gnashing against his flesh, reverberated through his body. His heart hammered against his ribcage as his mother's dark hair danced in the wind, a raven's wing caught in a violent gust. Their car spun out of control, propelled by unseen forces, while billowing smoke choked the air and a fiery blaze consumed the wreckage.

Oliver's head turned, his gaze sweeping over Aidan, Markus, and Carter as they distanced themselves, his hands outstretched in a feeble attempt to reclaim some personal space. With unsteady legs, he rose, feeling as if his limbs were made of gelatin, quivering under the weight of exhaustion.

Markus's arms encircled him, offering a steadying support, while Oliver's other hand sought refuge against the wall. "Thanks, Markus," Oliver managed to say, his voice weak. Slowly, he turned his head, his senses gradually sharpening. His eyes settled on the cavern they had just escaped. The settling dust shrouded it, concealing any trace of light from the recent collapse. Rocks fused together in the center, as if they had always belonged there. "We're not getting out of here," he whispered, the words heavy with resignation.

"No shit!" Carter interjected, his frustration bursting forth. All eyes turned to the young genius as he knelt, his breathing labored, hacking up the remnants of dust. Carter's gaze, like the others, fixed upon the mountainous pile of rubble. "We're in an incredibly dire situation," Carter paused, coughing into his fist to clear the grit from his glasses. Slowly, he removed them, wiping away the remaining dust. "That cave-in was massive. Even with all our combined strength, it's unlikely we'll be able to budge a single rock."

In the span of a second, a chilling wave of hopelessness swept through their ranks. Fatima's eyes widened at the bleak realization, her trembling hands gripping strands of her own hair as her back slid down the wall, meeting the cold, unforgiving floor.

Similar reactions rippled through the group. Fear, that insidious killer, wormed its way into their hearts. Yet, to Oliver's surprise, it was Carter who refused to surrender to despair. While the others were transfixed, consumed by worry, or, in Oliver's case, immobilized by shock, Carter stood unwavering. He didn't falter.

Carter ran his fingers through his hair, the gears visibly turning within the young prodigy's mind. "Alright, what do we know?" he muttered, more to himself than to the others. His hands raked through his hair with increasing intensity, his eyes avoiding contact as he spoke. Suddenly, his widened gaze snapped toward everyone present.

"Did we tell anyone where we were going?"

He scanned the faces in the room, witnessing the small, collective shakes of heads. "The whole point of this expedition was to keep it a secret. That's why we snuck out in the dead of night," Lisa affirmed.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

But it was her friend, Bella, who ignited a spark of realization. The young girl's eyes widened, her hands shooting up in excitement. "Roxanne!" she exclaimed, springing to her feet. The light of hope began to flicker in everyone's eyes as they were reminded of the missing piece, the one who was meant to accompany them.

Carter's smirk painted a self-assured expression on his face. "Excellent. Roxanne got caught. That means she knows where we were headed. We have school tomorrow, and if Roxanne doesn't see us..." He let the sentence hang, a glimmer of mischief dancing in his eyes.

"She'll suspect something's amiss and spread the word," Hunter finished, sporting a grin of his own. "We'll be out by the afternoon, or better yet, if luck is on our side, by morning."

Markus, however, cast a dubious glance toward the imposing heap of debris. "I'm not so sure about that, Hunter," he cautioned, his gaze fixated on the immovable obstruction. Even now, in this subterranean abyss, the echoes of the thunderous cave-in still reverberated, drowning out any traces of rain or flowing water. "We're deep underground, and you didn't hear just how deafening that collapse truly was."

"What's your point, Markus?" Mellissa interjected, her words laced with a sharp edge as she snatched one of the abandoned flashlights. "So what if there's rubble or we can't hear the rain?"

"That's not the point," Markus retorted, his tone laden with an unsettling truth. "What I'm trying to say is that the cave-in might extend beyond this tunnel. It could have engulfed the other passageways... or worse, the entire mining complex could be nothing but a colossal pile of rubble by now. We might be trapped here, with no way out. Forever doomed."

A shiver coursed through their spines as these grim thoughts infiltrated their minds. "So, what do we do then?" Fatima's voice quivered as she voiced the question they all feared.

Silence ensued, each person in the group shrugging their shoulders in helpless resignation. But it was Hunter who seized the other discarded flashlight, casting a brilliant beam down a different corridor. His finger pointed ahead. "There. I suggest we press on until we find something," he declared, turning to face the group. "Think about it. Mines like this often have multiple entrances and exits. If we keep moving, maybe we'll stumble upon a way out."

Hunter stood there, his stance uncertain yet resolute. Bella was the first to rise, joining him at his side, followed by the others. "Come on, Oliver," Markus urged. "What are you waiting for?"

Oliver hesitated, his mind wrestling with conflicting thoughts. Weren't they supposed to stay put and wait for rescue? As he turned to look at them, a part of him blamed Aidan for the predicament they found themselves in. Yet, he didn't want to be alone. They had taken the only two flashlights, and he didn't want to engage in an argument over who would get what. Being alone underground, in the dark, seemed like a nightmarish prospect.

Without uttering a word, Oliver joined the rest of the group. Their journey resumed, the young teens delving deeper into the caverns, guided only by the twin beams of the flashlights that pierced the oppressive darkness.

Five minutes turned into ten, ten into twenty, and twenty into forty... They lost track of time as they forged ahead, the intensity of the flashlights waning, allowing the encroaching shadows to toy with their nerves, inching ever closer.

Fear lurked within them all, but they were determined not to show it. They understood the perils of succumbing to such fears in a situation like this. So, they pressed on, deeper into the labyrinthine depths of the cavern. Little did they know, their ordeal was far from over. Not by a long shot.

"Guys, look!"

Aidan's voice reverberated, carrying an eerie echo as he wrested the flashlight from Hunter's grip. With a swift twirl of his body, he directed everyone's attention to the object of his focus. An entranceway, jagged and narrow, beckoned them forward. It was just large enough for a person to crouch through. Aidan dropped to one knee, illuminating the depths with the beam of light, wordlessly descending into the unknown. "Aidan, what the hell are you doing?" Markus's desperate scream echoed after him.

The rest of the group stood frozen, stunned by Aidan's impulsive act. What had possessed him to venture into such danger? Sure, he had a knack for pulling off foolish stunts for a laugh, but this was on a whole different level!

Oliver, fueled by concern for his friend, sprang into action, dashing after Aidan. The others followed suit, their eyes fixated on... that.

They found themselves in a moderately sized chamber, roughly the length and width of a school bus. The stone floor and walls closed in, inducing a sense of claustrophobia. But it was the object—no, the entity—before them that seized Oliver's attention.

Aidan advanced with an unsettling determination, the flashlight slipping from his grasp, its metallic clunk reverberating against the stone. "Aidan, what's happened?" Oliver's words tumbled out as he rushed to Aidan's side.

Aidan's eyes were wide and dilated, his posture unnaturally rigid, arms hanging limp at his sides. Blood trickled slowly from the base of his nose, and Oliver quickly turned to seek help. "Aidan... Oliver!" Markus's voice cut through the air.

But before Oliver could react, he too felt the compelling force. His body moved of its own accord, his gaze locked onto the mysterious blue light that emanated from behind him. "Don't come any closer. There's something terribly wrong here!" Oliver's voice boomed, but his words fell on deaf ears. His fingers clasped onto Aidan's arms, but the young teen stared back, unresponsive as if trapped in a vegetative state.

Hunter, Bella, and the others, like mindless automatons, continued their relentless march, blood dribbling from their lips as they pressed onward. Oliver spun around, attempting to catch a glimpse of what lay behind, his instincts urging him to lunge forward and confront the unseen threat, but he was ensnared, entangled in the web of the entity's power.

His own brown eyes dilated, his face assuming an eerie composure. He could see it—the large, radiant blue orb. Its shape twisted and shifted, at times resembling an orb, then morphing into a triangle or square. But the allure of that captivating blue light was undeniable, like a siren's call, overpowering his senses.

He and his companions marched forward, their hands outstretched in a futile struggle against the vice-like grip of the entity. Resistance was futile; it refused to release its hold. This marked the beginning of their demise, the start of their annihilation.

Oliver's hand made contact first, slipping into the amorphous shape of the object. He felt nothing, no sensation of cold or warmth emanating from the strange artifact. It whirled along his palm, growing in strength, pulsating with an intensifying energy as his companions followed suit. The beam of light grew brighter, more formidable, casting a wider glow, as if heralding a foreboding revelation.

Crackling with electric power, the orb unleashed a surge of energy that coursed through the air like bolts of lightning, slicing across the earth. The hum intensified, growing more irresistible until it enveloped their entire field of vision. And in one electrifying instant, their existence vanished.

Gone. Without a trace. The orb continued to pulsate, its vibrant electrical energy crackling and sizzling with searing heat. Gradually, the luminosity dimmed, receding until there was nothing left, not even a faint whisper of their presence. It was as if they had never been here at all, as if their very existence had been erased from the fabric of reality.