Chapter 2

"Aly come over!" Adanna voiced, concerned for her friend.

Still sitting on the same spot, Alyssa was drenched like a wet kitten after bath, her black hair dripping with cold water. Her face wet with tears running on her cheeks. She looked up still waiting for her gift.

'Why isn't it here?'

She murmured to herself as the rain continued to pour harder, making her clothes stick to her skin. She was freezing and felt very lonely. Why hadn't she received anything yet. Why was it even raining. Why is that everyone suddenly cast her aside. Confused and agonized, she ignored her dear friend's call.

Seeing that she wouldn't take shelter from the rain, Adanna took an umbrella and ran to her side. Shielding her from those hateful droplets. It had to shower on this auspicious occasion. Pouring from the clear sky. Nothing like it had ever happened before. Hugging and comforting the other, Adanna vented at the villagers who were treating her friend as if she was a total stranger. More like a contagious disease. It took a second to betray their supposed to be chief.

The ground had become muddy as the water flowed continuously. Increasing in amount. The thunder continued to sound and lightning streaked summing up the villager's fear who hid in their respective homes.

The wind joined the other elements, violently shaking the gigantic trees, as the countless leaves fell and branches break. The nearby river filled and overflowed sending the water back to the homes, flowing in from any opening, sinking the weak foundation. And bringing down a lot of homesteads. Water filled everywhere that was once solid rock.

Few houses were left standing but it wasn't long as those giant trees uprooted and slanted, bit by bit raising the little cabins and crushing on them. It was such a serious disaster. And it was impossible for a sixteen year old to handle such chaos. Especially when she wasn't in her right mind.

Even when it started to get this bad, Alyssa did not hide from the storm. She had thrown that umbrella aside and stood up from that rock and tread in the dirty water reaching for the tattered crown with broken feathers bending in any position as it was soaked some meters away.

Adanna followed behind as she watched her friend spiritlessly pick up the ruined ornament. The two were moving with half of their bodies emerged in the water, and the upper half which was still on the surface. They were undoubtfully the only two left in this village. Not knowing what to do the two found a trunk to hold on to. They had to take care of each other.

It was really dark now and the red moon had fully attained its crimson colour.

Watching it silently Alyssa felt her feet sinking bit by bit. Adanna felt the same. They were slowly being drawn by something. Sinking up to their shoulders, they had no choice but to let go of the trunk and go downwards with their heads, and eyes searching under the water.

Looking at their legs, a black hollow had swallowed their feet and advanced to their ankles as it moved up to their legs. They freaked out trying to badge out of it but the more they struggled the faster they sank.

They had been drawn up to their necks and the only thing they could do was let their heads sink as well. "We are going to die not knowing what killed us," Adanna mouthed choking on some gulps.

Alyssa had nothing to say as she closed her eyes and let herself fall in the black thing. Her friend followed suit.

Either it was pure luck or a miracle, the two girls didn't die. They somehow managed to open their eyes as they were greeted by darkness and a solid wall. They looked around not actually seeing clearly, they could only guess that they were in a narrow space. Perhaps a room. They felt around with their hands as they came in contact with the bumpy floor. A house was totally out of the picture.

Where could they be?

Feeling relieved that they were still alive the two tactfully stood up and started walking in the dark feeling the wall as they traced their way out of that place.

Plop plop

It sounded as the two ignored it whilst they continued walking in the darkness.

Plop plop

They heard it a second time as it came from ahead of them. Hurrying closer they were met with the familiar smell of dead leaves. "What could that be?" Adanna asked extending her hand. It didn't pass through as it was blocked by a fluid wall.

"Is that water?" Alyssa questioned feeling a little speck of hope before it was totally crushed the following moments after.

They moved closer wanting to feel if it was really water. Of course it was but there was something about the water that seemed wrong. Why couldn't they put their hands through it.

It seemed as if it was restricting them from passing through. They tried all kinds of ideas. Convincing themselves that it was just their minds playing tricks on them. They tried hitting it. But all was in vain.

"We have wasted so much time trying to figure out how to go through this thing. How about we go back and go try the other path." Alyssa suggested as they dejectedly stood up and went back.

It didn't take time for them to realise that this was in fact a strange cave. The bumpy floor, narrow passage way. Those sounds probably made from that fluid wall. Nothing really made sense.

Why had they gotten into this cave in the first place. How they did it. Was it perhaps that hollow thing. All the strange events they had experienced this night mounted to a heap. The storm from a clear sky, the villagers turning against them, the flooding, the falling in the cave they are in. All was too strange to be normal. Too real to be a dream.

'What is up next?'