________
"Run as fast as you can," Alex said urging Olivia as they both ran towards the entrance.
The skeletal army were right behind them with swords and clubs in their bony arms. Alex sparingly reached into his pocket and brought out a cigarette and a lighter.
"You smoke?" Olivia asked in shock as she caught up with him, "that's not even the point. Why would you want to smoke at a time like this?"
"I'm not going to. I just wanna roast these fleshless freaks," Alex said puzzling Olivia the more.
"Well whatever you do, you've got to hurry. We're almost at the entrance," Olivia pointed out.
Alex managed to light up the cigarette and threw it at the skeletons together with the lighter. Working to his advantage, a fire blasted right up. Luckily, they both made it out safely without a scratch.
"That was close," Alex said panting heavily. They were both panting heavily.
Olivia looked up;
"Miles!"
________
"The marking showed a piranha, but I don't see no water," Monica said as they walked through the passage.
"Wait." Kyle stopped her. He crouched down low enough for him to grab a stone from the rocky floor and tossed the stone at a distance away from them.
Splash!! The sound of water being disturbed raided the atmosphere.
"It's water," Monica said, "and look, it's glowing."
Bioluminescent creatures glowed in the water, lighting up the place as it did so.
"Wow! It's so beautiful. Avril will love this, she always go to the beach with me every Saturday evenings to see them," Monica said.
"Is that so? Well I guess I'll take to her a photo then," Kyle said and took a photo of the glowing water with his phone.
"Brilliant! Can't wait for her to see it," Monica said, her eyes darting around till she spotted something in the water.
"Umm, Kyle I think there's something weird in the water," Monica said pointing at the water.
"Not something, some things," Kyle corrected. The objects that Monica saw had tripled.
"I guess those are the piranhas," Monica said, "but they look a bit bigger."
"We have to leave," Kyle said, "head for that bridge."
Kyle signalled to a bridge that was a bit far right from them.
"Okay," Monica said and they both ran to the bridge.
"Uh-oh, they're heading towards us," Monica said when they were halfway across the bridge. The piranhas were heading their way and when they finally got below the bridge, they stopped.
"They can't possibly jump, can they?" Monica asked.
Maybe she ought not to have said that as the piranhas began to leap out of the water aiming at them.
"I shouldn't have said a thing." Monica bit her lip in regret.
"We need to head back now. We can't make it across, they'll finish us," Kyle said.
"I agree," Monica said.
They both turned back the way they came when suddenly, a piranha headed straight for Monica. She never saw it coming and when she did, she covered her face with her arm, expecting the worse but nothing happened. She peeped through one eye and saw that Kyle stood in front of her; he had saved her.
"Oh my God," Monica gasped when she saw that a piranha had sunken its teeth deep into Kyle's right arm.
"This thing looks mutated," was all Kyle said and he pulled it from his arm and dived it into the water. Blood dripped in huge amounts from his arm.
"I'm so sorry," Monica apologized. Wincing at the wound even though it wasn't hers.
"Let's get out now," Kyle said and Monica nodded.
___________
"Where's Avril?" Olivia asked.
"She..." Miles was cut short when I ran out of the last door. Shortly after, the monster came out but stopped right at the entrance and fell flat.
"Dear Griffins, that thing's huge," Alex wailed.
"And scary," Olivia added.
"And ugly," I added panting heavily.
"You alright?" Miles asked.
"Yeah I'm fine," I said and sat on the floor, trying to catch my breath.
"What about Kyle and Monica?" I asked when I scanned my surroundings.
"They're still in there," Alex said and we were silent for a moment.
"Is something burning?" I said sniffing the air.
"Same thing I wanted to ask," Miles said.
"Let's just say I and Olivia here toasted an army," Alex said and I looked up at him while he and Olivia exchanged grins.
"I don't get," Miles spoke my mind, "there was more than one skeleton?"
"Yep but we toasted them," Alex replied. No sooner had he spoken than Kyle and Monica came out; Monica looking pretty shaken up and Kyle always with his casual expression but then, he held his arm tightly. I knew something was wrong.
I stood up and walked towards them and so did the rest. I hugged Monica, glad she was okay but looking over her shoulder, I saw blood dripping from Kyle's arm. I pulled out of the embrace and peered at him. He uncovered it slightly knowing his secret was out. He was injured but how?
"Kyle," I heard Miles and Alex yell his name.
"What happened to you?" I asked Kyle as I rushed over to his side.
"You're hurt," I said.
"It's nothing," he said.
"What's nothing? You're bleeding," I asked him. I was concerned, I had to admit and him denying his situation wasn't favourable at this time.
"What happened to him?" Olivia asked Monica as she went over to Kyle's side, as expected.
"A piranha bit him," Monica said, "it should have been me but he saved me."
I stared at Kyle for a moment.
"And you say it's nothing," I said to him.
Without giving him a chance to speak,I put his left arm around my shoulder and led him to one of the tunnel walls. The rest followed closely behind.
"Let's have a look at that," I said and tore off the piece of clothing surrounding the wound and boy, that wound did not look pretty.
"I need water," I said looking around the group.
"I have bottled water in my bag, I'll go get it," Olivia said and left, returning shortly with a bottled water.
"Thanks," I said and she nodded. She looked calm. Olivia on a normal day would be boiling if I casted a glance at Kyle, I guess there was some sort of miracle.
I opened the bottle and poured its content on the wound, rinsing off the blood.
"Now I need a substitute bandage," I said and took off my back pack. I grabbed my bandana from it and wrapped it carefully around the rinsed the wound, knotting it in place at the end.
"There that should hold it for it for the mean time," I said.
"Thanks," Kyle said with a smile.
"Don't mention it," I said returning the smile.
"Yo Olivia, how about you share the 'edibles' inside that bag for the group?" Alex said referring to the lunch bag she brought into the tunnel.
"No way!" Olivia objected, "I brought for Kylie."
"Well now it's for the 'groupie'," Alex pestered.
Olivia gave in and the rest sat right at the opposite wall, leaving I and Kyle at the inverse wall. The meal brought by Olivia was then shared round, Kyle having the biggest share and I'm sure you can guess who rationed it round.