Chapter 6: - Case File - 001 - The Smiling Creature - 05 - Survival
Despite no being able to see Alex ran: legs pumping, heart pounding, lungs burning, then his vision began to return and he saw a brown, rough surface.
{CRASH}
He had run face first into a tree, as he sat there rubbing his now slightly bleeding nose and collection his breath, then it hit him had the monster had still been chasing him when he got near the exit of the cave.?
Alex sprang to his feet and scanned his surroundings carefully. Had he lost it in the cave or had it stopped chasing him?
Well Alex wasn't just going to stand still, if he had lost it in the cave then that thing was still looking for him and if it stopped chasing him there must have been a reason it did so. Alex got up and began to wander around, when he saw it.
There in the centre of a cross section was a sign post with 4 signs pointing down each road, the same ones they used to move around on coach, they read.
[CAMP]: Pointing East
[DRAGON BOATING]: Pointing West
[NATURE HUNT]: Pointing South
[CAVING]: Pointing North
And so cautious, wary Alex began to move North making sure to remain in the cover of the trees, keeping a close eye on his surroundings, he still didn't know for sure that the thing was gone or if it was secretly trailing him.
Making sure to keep quiet and hidden he eventually made his way back to the caving site. He ran out of the trees, smiling, this time he KNEW for a fact he was safe.
[Alex]: "I am back!"
***
A voice shot out among the worried staff, preparing rescue team and teacher.
[???]: "I am back!"
The statement turned the heads of the worried teachers and camp staff. And there he stood, Alex, he was mostly fine despite having a slightly bloody nose and being (quite literally) drenched. It was relieving to the staff to see that their prediction was true, that he had indeed fallen into an underground stream and had come out unharmed (within reason).
A member of the rescue team ran to Alex and after a brief check on Alex's physical and mental state (just checking if he could move properly and if he was in shock or not). Then he was given a soft towel and was led into a minivan.
The rescue team member introduced himself as Ian, he then questioned about what happened and so Alex spoke. He spoke about how he had fallen into the wall cavity, he spoke of the stream, hitting his head, falling unconscious, miraculously (according to them) surviving and then he got to the part of the story about the monster and the lit up cave.
He spoke trying his hardest to not sound completely insane. He spoke about the lit up cave, the hole in the floor, the pillar and the face of what ever thing tried to lure him into the dark.
[Ian]: "Listen, you were most likely hallucinating due to the trauma of the impact, say, are you seeing anything now?"
[Alex]: "No."
[Ian]: "That's good, you may do back to you're classmates now."
As Alex left the minivan, with Ian, his mind raced. Had he been hallucinating. Of course he knew the answer to that.
No, no he hadn't been. It was too vivid, the fear, it's eyes, the hole in the centre and the warmth of the unwavering torches. It was real and he had survived.
But as Alex was escorted over to the coach he felt a foreboding feeling something was telling him that the thing from the cave wasn't going to give up on it's prey so easily.
Alex got to the coach door, took a deep breath and walked in. And sure enough he got the reaction he expected. Everyone in the coach began to murmur. Alex heard things like: wasn't he the boy who fell down; surprised he didn't die and the thing he heard most of all was how did he survive?
As mentioned before Alex expected the reaction, he also expected them to not remember his name. Alex walked over to his assigned seat and sat down (he wasn't wet now just damp thanks to the towel). His seat was a window seat and on his aisle side sat...
NO ONE!
Alex sat down rested his head against the window of the coach it began to move slowly at first but it picked up speed relatively fast. And as it did Alex drifted asleep.
***
Alex was being chased by that thing from the cave, he ran with all his might but couldn't out run it, he wanted to look back with all his conscious but couldn't. Then he heard it, a voice that sounded like a mix between that of a man, a women and a child who's gender wasn't clear.
[?Thing?]: "Alex!"
[?Thing?]: "Alex!"
[?Thing?]: "Wake up idiot!"
All Alex was left with was confusion, 'Wake up', what did it mean 'Wake up'.
Alex left pressure on this shoulder he was being pushed.
Alex opened his eyes, it had all been a nightmare (him being chased by the thing just now that is, not the stuff in the cave Alex was still sure without a doubt that was still real). He saw a concerned Xavier, a rarely seen side of Xavier, who was normally calm and collected.
[Xavier]: "It's time to get off the coach, oh ya and Darius already got off he is in the tent, he was all smile to see you were okay."
Alex rubbed his eyes and got up, he walked out of the bus.
He looked around to see that most people had began to return to their tents. Xavier told Alex that due to the incident they had cancelled the activity for their group (which basically no one argued with). And according to Xavier no one blamed Alex either and SOME people besides Darius and Xavier were worried about Alex too.
Alex went to the eating area and ate a venison stew. He then went to the bathing area, it was a small 'shed' where there was running water and bathing supplies, where (surprise, surprise) he bathed and changed into a pair of fresh clothes. The sun was beginning to set now.
Alex went to his tent once again Darius and Xavier were already asleep; today they didn't need to attend the meeting; they would do that in the morning from now on; so almost everyone went to sleep early.
Alex laid down in his sleeping bag but he was too paranoid to relax, he spent about an hour telling himself there was no way it could have chased him.
The sun had set completely and Alex finally managed to fall asleep...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone