I Never Went Hiking Again

I lay there on the ground for what felt like hours. I’m not sure how much time had passed, but the evening sky wasn’t upon me yet. I can tell that much from looking up. I fell into a hole while hiking. The last thing I remember was hearing the branches snap on hollow ground as I fell through. I was on my back, just staring up at the opening to the cavern that I’ve fallen through.

“Dammit.” I check myself. No broken bones, but I wasn’t too quick to stand up. ‘Phone? Where’s Phone?” I patted myself, searching for the device, but to no avail. “ Fuck, my life.”

I was in pain. I had landed on my gear, which was strapped to my back. Now I knew what it felt like to be a turtle on its back. But luckily, I could unstrap my backpack. I was finally on my feet. The cavern was pitch black, save for the space that I had fallen through. The light from above pierced the place drastically. I could hear the snow dripping all around me. It was humid compared with the sharp winter air above. The snow just fell early this morning on my walk; it blanketed the forest floor just enough to hide the forbodding entrance. I ached from the fall, but I had my senses. Light, I needed light, I needed to find a way out, but first, I needed to see my surroundings.

I fumbled for my LED lantern, and I switched it on with an echoing click in the silence around me. Darkness. That’s all I could see: the void. My lantern shone upon more space and empty dirt flooring. How far was I from a wall? Were there maybe some tree roots I could climb up? Nothing. Only the dirt floor and the void around me. Pure uninterrupted blackness. My lantern was pretty good. It shone about 40 feet in front of me, and yet, I found nothing. I needed to find a way out. I started inching forward despite my ample light. I was careful with my steps, the light from the opening getting farther and farther behind me. The darkness felt alive. It felt as if I got close to an invisible edge; it would breathe me in. I needed to find the wall or something to guide me besides my fleeting entrance light to my voided hell.

The silence was deafening. My footsteps were swallowed by the stillness. It was sickening.

The silence was broken by the sound of rushing water. I couldn’t tell what direction it was coming from; it was sudden, as if it had just turned on like a faucet.

I immediately started looking down watching steps. It was likely the water would have been ice-cold from the snow above. I don’t know what direction I was walking in, too afraid to look behind me, but I did anyway. I looked back to see my anchor of light hundreds of yards behind me. How long had I been walking in the blank nothingness? I hadn’t been down here for what felt no more than ten minutes. In the light was my gear, my safety net for hiking… not for dropping several feet into a dank void.

I kept watching the light for a few more moments before continuing on. I now wish I hadn’t. There was an impossibly long, thin hand reaching from the darkness for my bag. It out stretched it’s boney fingers and snatched my bag into oblivion.

I felt my eyes widen as I mouthed the words “ Oh, fuck, no.” From that moment on, I ran. I still didn’t know where I was going, but I knew I had to book it. The air was thick, and I had given up my careful steps for haste.

Echoes of skittering footsteps followed behind me. The sound was maddening. Too many steps echoed behind me; I couldn’t hear the water anymore. I could only run straight with my light bouncing as I ran. I could hear the steps quickening. There was no use in looking back, there was only nothing to see, but the void and the thing masked within it. My legs were burning as I hastened my own pace, then suddenly my footing slipped, and I fell down and down. I kept falling downward. My panic never ceased as I fell into the dark. My heart raced and before I could rationalize where I was, light erupted into my view. My descent came to an abrupt end as I fell into the warm waters below. The plunge was painful as I essentially ragdolled into the water.

I got my bearings in the water. I looked up into the void that swallowed the ceiling. I could only pray that thing didn’t follow me too closely. I didn’t stare for much longer; my eyes were taken by the colors of the cavern. Bright, what I’m guessing are some bioluminescent plants. Fungus maybe? The current was warm and ran further around this new part of the cavern. I climbed out of the warm water. The air was humid. Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about freezing to death. Now, I could see, and what I saw was beautiful.

The lights weren’t coming from some plants, no, it was coming from the rocks themselves. The glow was a mirage of colors. Yellows, blues, greens, and orange. It was like neon paint splattered around the cavern; on the floors, walls, and ceilings. I was thankful for the light; I lost my lantern in the fall. I looked away from the natural light and took in my surroundings. There were tunnels.

“ Damn it,” I whispered. This was or could be a death sentence. This whole ordeal is a death sentence. I fell down a fucking hole, chased by some cave demon, and now I’m in some psychedelic cave.

I wanted to sob. I just wanted to break down and cry. I don’t know what prevented me. I didn’t have hope of finding the right tunnel. At least not on the first try.

“I ain’t got nothing but time,” I spoke with some resolve. “ Fuck this cave.” I had to get out. I can’t just give just yet.”

I didn’t know where to start. Which path could lead me out? I raised my hand as I examined the entrance of each tunnel. If I could find a breeze, then I could start there. Maybe an exit was by. I needed to move quickly. I didn’t know if the thing I saw earlier was the only creature. I didn’t have anything to defend myself with… just these hands and maybe I could grab a nearby rock if need be. Right now, my agenda was clear. Get the fuck out.

It was hours of walking, or at least it felt like hours, feeling for any type of wind gust. I walked with my fingertips out, as if I were sensing the changes in the cave's pressure. Suddenly, I felt a gust of cold air; with renewed excitement, I ran in that direction. I looked downward, and the cavern's colors began to fade; darkness was beginning to greet me.

Just as the colors faded, I felt a gust of wind. A strong gust of cold air, something I’ve been missing for hours. The outside was near, and I could escape this multicolored hell. I ran again. My wet shoes made running difficult, but I ran anyway. Freedom was near! Darkness greeted me as the air grew colder and colder. Just as the light began to fade, I was greeted by a deer. A DEER! I was close, I had to be.

It was a buck with a nice set of antlers. I got closer to it.

“Hey, there… You know the way out?” I chuckled, approaching the deer, hoping for my own magical moment with the fauna.

The deer stood on its hind legs and with a ghastly crack its neck went limp, and its head went sideways on its shoulder, and a god-awful sound was made. It sounded like a woman’s cry and the roar of a cougar. I screamed, turned away, and ran. It chased me; screams echoing in the tunnels. I booked it at first. I couldn’t run anymore, I was getting tired, and I knew I was close to the end. I could have felt it. No. Fuck this cave and fuck the monsters in this bitch. I spun on my heels, and I hollered, raising my hands above my head. Madness took me, and rage grew in my eyes.

“ NO FUCK YOU! AHH!” I bellowed in the cavern. “ YOU’RE NOT GETTING ME!!!”

Surprisingly enough, it halted, shifted back into a normal deer, and ran. Its bones shifting, dislogging, and dislocating, and relocating as it ran. Fuck this thing. I was getting out of here alive. Fuck the thing in the dark; fuck this thing before me. I was the monster now. I was the hunter. Soon, I would be free!

“ SHOW ME THE EXIT!! YOU SHOW ME THE EXIT!!!” I kept hollering, chasing the thing in the darkness. I could still feel the cool air getting colder and colder. The darkness engulfed us both, but I kept pace, my legs burned, but I kept pace. Suddenly, it was my eyes that were burning.

Daylight.

Fucking daylight, the opening to the cavern was just ahead. Nothing could stop me.

Finally, I came through the opening. I was free. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face. Nothing could steal this from me.

I heard the rustling of bushes that the deer hopped into. Suddenly peaking through the shrubs were antlers. Then another set peaked through. I was surrounded by shrubs hiding my potential enemies. By my foot was a large stick. My only weapon. My adrenaline was pumping. My eyes were darting back and forth, taking in my surroundings. I was ready, I was free, and I was mad as hell.