The Secret Sea - (Chaptered Version)

* 36

My feet slip off the tan rocks while I'm climbing down the cliff, leaving my fingers gripping white-knuckle tight to the ledge as my legs dangle. I manage to swing my body back towards the rocks and continue the climb. If I shit my pants from fear, at least Eve won't be able to smell the difference.

We inch our way downward until we collapse together near the wide maw of the cave. The stench nearly makes me vomit. I've never felt so conflicted to take a breath.

"Where'd...you learn...to climb so well?" I gasp.

"My grade school had a climbing wall."

"We...had a rope. I sucked at the rope."

Eve pats my shoulder and smiles. "We made it. Come on, the horn's already growing dim."

We enter the cave, using the light emanating from the shard to guide us. The smell is so pervasive it creates a burning sensation in my nasal cavities.

"You hear that?" ask Eve.

"Yeah, the thing's growling. We need to turn back."

"No, it's snoring," she says.

We pass under stalactites and navigate around stalagmites, daring not to touch anything. It's difficult to tell rock from acidic shit piles. Thankfully, the ground becomes easier to traverse once we enter a narrow corridor.

"There's not much crap around here. The beast must have entered his den through a wider passage elsewhere," says Eve.

"The snores are getting louder," I whisper.

"We need to pick up the pace," says Eve, holding the horn in front of her.