Novels2Search
The Land of the Unknown
Episode 12 (Part 2)

Episode 12 (Part 2)

Meanwhile, somewhere else, another mine cart fell into a riverbed and eventually sunk to the bottom. Maggie and Antonio pushed out of the cart and swam to the surface, hoping their lungs wouldn’t give out. They both reached land, crawled out of the water, and panted in exhaustion as they caught their breath.

“What... happened?” Antonio asked, rubbing his head. “And where are we?”

Maggie looked around and then sighed. “Aw man, it appears we got separated.”

“Are you serious?”

“We better get going. I hope we didn’t get too far apart from one another.”

Antonio lowered his head, knowing they wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for his cowardice and mistake. “Look, about what you said earlier, I’m sorry I didn’t—”

“It’s fine; nothing we can do about it now.”

The two strolled around the dark and desolate area. They hoped to find an exit, the others, or at least a safe spot to rest.

Antonio thought about calling for help by shouting out for Tommy, but Maggie informed him that doing so might unintentionally alert dangerous creatures to their presence. Antonio moped for a bit while Maggie led the way with her flashlight, showing off a bit of light so they’d know where they were walking.

“Well, I guess this situation could’ve been worse.” Antonio blurted out without warning.

“How so?” Maggie turned her head to face him while walking.

“I could’ve been stuck with that lousy bear.” Antonio lowered his head and muttered.

Maggie stopped moving, which prompted him to stop as well. “What did he ever do to you?” She questioned.

“Well, what do you have against my uncle?” Antonio retorted, standing his ground.

“I don’t know; I asked you first!”

“You don’t know?” He asked, his voice sounding calmer.

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“Um, I...” She took a deep breath to calm herself down before continuing. “Those two, Sam and Mandy,”

“You remembered their names?”

“Yeah, but still, they were there when that explosion occurred. They didn’t prevent the explosion from happening, do anything to stop or look at anything that might seem dangerous, or treat his—”

“Were you there when this happened?”

“No, I only heard about it from—”

“Then, why? Did you assume? Not all scientists are—”

“Shut it, they were the—” Maggie’s voice faded. She knew she wasn’t winning this argument. “Look, I...” She turned and continued to walk away slowly. “I guess I didn't think straight after hearing the news. I was so distraught and took my anger out on both of them.”

Antonio hurriedly followed suit after her. “That’s pretty messed up if you ask me.”

“Maybe I’ve been too harsh on those two scientists. When I get the crystal, and my dad cured, I’ll hear those guys out, and apologize for my actions, but don’t tell anyone I said that. I want it to be a surprise.”

“You have my word,” Antonio responded. Not that I can do that regardless, but at least— No, this isn’t the time to think about that right now.

As they continued to move forward, however, he thought about bringing up another topic of interest.

“Hey, Maggie, I have a question for you.”

“Um, ok? Lay it on me.” Maggie replied.

“Now, imagine, say, I found a drawing, or a mural, all the way back into the pyramid. And, in that room with the painting, there were drawings, or carvings, of the Orso Loobas and Miletis.”

“Huh? Is that from an actual real picture or—?”

“Now hear me out. What if it had the bears starting the attack, and both sides had multiple personas?”

“What have you been reading? Maybe you were looking at some prophecy or prediction?”

“Well, do you believe something like that could happen?”

“Not really," Maggie shook her head. "I don’t trust dumb prophecies or stuff like that.”

“Oh, I see,” Antonio muttered, disappointed that Maggie didn’t seem interested in what he saw or had to say.

The two continued their search; they both stumbled across the light at the end of the tunnel. Maggie thought about pressing onward, but Antonio mentioned that they hadn’t found the others yet and insisted that they go back to search in case those two were still somewhere inside the cave. Maggie also reminded him that neither of them knew where Tommy and Ruth were, so how were they going to start their search?

As they debated returning to find the others, loud noises startled them, as it came from outside. Maggie and Antonio turned, only to find themselves face to face with an Echinosauropteryx, which entered the cave with readied claws. Maggie and Antonio dashed for their lives as the Echinosauropteryx chased them down.

Antonio tripped on some rocks and fell, dropping his backpack, which emulated a faint purple glow from the impact. As he ran back to retrieve the bag, he looked up and noticed the flying dinosaur closing in on him. He clutched the backpack and closed his eyes, preparing for the attack. Maggie rushed over to his defense and smacked the dinosaur away with her knapsack, giving them both a small window of time to escape before more of the same Echinos arrived to chase them down.