(Previous chapters 1-17 are available here.)
They walked into the cold, dark cave. Beatrix glanced over at Arthur as they walked. She watched him as they began to disappear in the darkness of the cave. The light grew dim, and Beatrix began having a hard time seeing where she was going. She reached over, and grabbed Arthur’s hand so she wouldn’t lose him.
The blackness engulfed them. “I can’t see a thing” said Beatrix; her voice echoing through the cave. Arthur set his backpack on the floor, and searched through the many items for a flashlight. Beatrix strained her eyes to see any light. She held her hand up in front of her, but it was no use. The cave was completely void of light. It was a funny thing. She had never really appreciated the presence of light, because it was always there - in some amount. But here, it was completely absent.
A soft glow faded into view in the distance. “Look!” exclaimed Beatrix. Arthur lifted his head to the discovery of a small circular orb that floated in the distance towards them; illuminating the jagged walls and ceiling around it as it went.
“It’s ok” said Beatrix. “I remember it from my vision.” The small green orb came to a halt, and hovered above the ground in the distance. Beatrix and Arthur walked cautiously toward it. The vibrant green light it emitted grew stronger and brighter the closer they got to it. Arthur looked at the little ball of light, questioning what it was doing there. They got a few feet away from it, and it began to move. Beatrix and Arthur stopped walking, and the orb stopped moving as well.
“I think it wants us to follow it” said Beatrix. “I…I can’t describe it but…there is something about it…” she said gazing into the green glow contently. Arthur looked at Beatrix. He wasn’t sure it was safe. “I trust it” she said. “Trust me.”
Arthur shed his worry, and they walked toward it. The green orb sailed through the cold air of the cave. Beatrix looked up at the ceiling to reveal clusters of little bats, suspended upside-down from the ceiling; squeaking on occasion. The walls of the cave were jagged and rough. The ceiling of the cave grew lower as they walked. Then, up ahead, their path came to an end where a pool of water rested. Beatrix and Arthur watched as the light orb descended into the water.
“No way” said Beatrix in disbelief. She shook just thinking about the cold water. “We will jump in together” said Arthur. They walked up to the edge of the water, and looked down. The orb was floating below the surface, surrounded by black water. Beatrix looked around it to see if she could see the bottom, but couldn’t. She dipped her hand in the water; it was so cold it burned. She looked over at Arthur. He cast a reassuring glance back at her.
“On the count of three; we jump.” He said
Beatrix looked down at the freezing water. “Ready?” he asked.
“Re…ready.” Beatrix choked out.
“One…”
She grasped his hand tightly.
“Two…”
Her heart fell into her shoes.
“THREE!”
They jumped, and plummeted into the abyss of black water. Beatrix’s body screamed. It felt like a million daggers stabbing her at once. The arctic water burned on her skin. In shock, she accidentally let go of Arthur’s hand. She flailed around reaching for him. She was afraid to open her eyes due to the cold, icy water. She panicked. Suddenly, something grabbed a hold of her leg. She let out a scream, setting free air bubbles that raced to the surface above. “It’s me” said a voice that rang through her head. It was Arthur.
Arthur muttered something, and they went drifting through the water. Beatrix grew faint. She needed air. “Almost there” said Arthur. The world was slowly escaping her. As her body and mind grew increasingly weaker, she thought to herself,
“Was this the end?”
I am using the tag "beatrix-percival", so you can easily find all the previous chapters, as well as see the new ones as they are released! You can also follow me to get the new chapters as soon as they are posted!