[ WP ] 4 very different individuals are trapped in a cave and are being hunted by an unknown enemy .

Michael leaned his back against the rock wall of the cave and sighed. 
 
 “ Andrew, this is all your fault you know, ” Stacy said. 
 
 In the darkness, Michael could not see Andrew ’ s face, but he imagined he was twisting his mouth like he was eating something sour. 
 
 “ I realize that Stacy, that ’ s why I ’ m trying to think of a way out of this mess. ” Andrew ’ s voice was sullen. 
 
 “ I ’ m telling you there *isn ’ t* a way out of this. We ’ re completely lost and we ’ ll probably die in here. ” 
 
 The air was hot and oppressive. Michael wiped the sweat from his brow. 
 
 “ There ’ s no need to be so pessimistic, Stacy. I mean, I ’ m sure we can find our way out, right guys? ” Tom tried unsuccessfully to hide his uneasiness. 
 
 Michael looked around and imagined his three companions in the places he had last seen them before they turned off the flashlights to conserve the batteries. He imagined his good friend Andrew who had convinced the four of them to explore the cave standing with his wiry arms crossed. He imagined Tom sitting on the ground with his knees pulled up close to his face. He imagined Stacy sitting next to her boyfriend ( how Tom and Stacy ever got in a relationship was beyond Michael's understanding ), sprawled out in a position that could best be described as casual. A daredevil, a coward, and a pampered princess. Michael did not like the odds of their survival. 
 
 Tom ’ s question still hung in the air. Someone shifted uncomfortably. Michael wiped his brow again and spoke up. 
 
 “ Our best option is probably to continue wandering, but we need to somehow mark where we ’ ve been. We ’ re bound to eventually find a way out as long as we stay close and only use one flashlight at a time. ” 
 
 “ Assuming we don ’ t die of thirst or fall down a pit, ” Stacy muttered. 
 
 Tom turned his flashlight on for a moment and then back off. 
 
 “ There ’ s still about three-quarters left in the bottle. ” 
 
 Only Tom had brought a water bottle. The rest of them had only brought their flashlights. When they realized they were lost, Tom offered to share his water. Michael estimated that happened about ten minutes ago, but none of them had any way of telling the time. 
 
 “ Alright, we ’ ll use my flashlight first. Tom, you hold on to the bottle. Let ’ s drink as little as possible. ” 
 
 Michael turned on his flashlight and got to his feet. He spotted a rock the size of his fist on the cave floor and picked it up. He used it to draw a line on the wall and found that it left a whitish chalk-like marking. 
 
 “ Andrew, take this and mark the wall on our right every five feet or so, ” Michael said, tossing his friend the rock. 
 
 For a while, things went pretty well. Whenever there was more than one way to go, Michael led the group to the right, and they seemed to be slowly heading up toward the surface. At one point, they discovered that going right led them in a big circle thanks to the markings on the wall, so they went left instead. 
 
 It was not too long after this discovery that Tom suddenly cried out. Michael whirled around and shined the flashlight in Tom ’ s frightened face. 
 
 “ I heard something. ” His voice was barely a whisper. 
 
 Michael pointed the flashlight in the direction Tom was staring. He saw nothing but rock. 
 
 “ If you make a sound like that again I ’ ll castrate you, ” Stacy hissed. One brief look at her face told Michael she was just as frightened as Tom. 
 
 “ Let ’ s keep moving, ” Andrew said. 
 
 Their progress slowed. At some point, Michael ’ s flashlight became so dim it was difficult to see so Stacy took the lead, and it seemed like every few steps she was turning around and checking to see if anything was following them in the dark. Andrew tried to start a conversation, but it died quickly. 
 
 Suddenly, Stacy stopped and Michael nearly ran into her. 
 
 “ What are you— ” 
 
 “ I need a drink. ” 
 
 Tom wordlessly passed her the bottle. Stacy took a large swallow and handed it back. They were about to resume their journey into the unknown when a shuffling sound froze them all in place. Stacy spun to face the sound and, for just a moment, they caught a glimpse of it. 
 
 It was vaguely human in shape, although it was definitely taller than the average human. Its eyes reflected light in a way that was almost blinding, but the rest of its body was black and shadowy. Michael had never truly understood evil until he looked into the thing ’ s eyes. Its gaze seemed to reach out, grab him, and suffocate him. Stacy ’ s flashlight illuminated it just long enough for them to watch it take a slow step toward them, and then the batteries died. 
 
 Michael turned on his flashlight, brushed past his screaming companions, and ran like a madman. The flashlight was incredibly dim, but it did not matter. All that mattered was getting away from… whatever that thing was. Michael considered himself a knowledgeable guy and had thought his plan foolproof, but he had not accounted for monsters or demons or ghosts. He was skeptical when it came to the supernatural, that is, until he looked into those eyes. At some point, he stopped running, exhausted. A few moments later, to Michael ’ s surprise, Andrew and Stacy appeared, guided by Andrew ’ s flashlight. 
 
 “ Where ’ s Tom? ” 
 
 Andrew and Stacy glanced at each other. Andrew shined his light back toward where they had come from, then shook his head slowly. Michael sighed and sat down. 
 
 They were back to square one, but this time with one less water bottle and one less coward.
