it almost looked like the rocks were squeezing together to crush them. Travis hurried to keep up with the others.
Miguel caught his arm.
“Watch yourself,” Miguel said. He pointed down.
The crack in the rocks continued down. They were now traversing a ledge along the narrow passage. Below, the fissure continued. A misstep would mean falling into a tight squeeze. The danger only lasted a few yards. Travis saw where it opened back up and a hand reached out to pull him around the corner. They stood on a platform of red rock. The cavern opened up around them.
Travis turned his head, moving his light around quickly to take in the space.
“This room is bigger than my whole apartment,” he said. He looked up to the ceiling where some of the sharp edges looked wet.
“It’s cleaner, too,” Justin said. That brought a laugh from the group. The walls played tricks with the sound of their laughter. The noise reverberated intensely for a second but dissipated rapidly. Travis thought it sounded like the cave was mocking them.
“So you’ve never been here before?” Kristin asked Joy.
“No,” Joy said. She ran her hand along the jagged wall. “No, if my Dad had known about this cave, he would have been here every weekend. He wasn’t that much into mines, but he loved caves. This would have been right up his alley.”
Justin moved around the others so he could hover over Miguel’s shoulder.
Miguel studied his map.
“We need to go…” Miguel spun and traced his finger on the paper. “That way. You should find another passage behind where that rock juts out.”
Carlos moved in the direction that Miguel was pointing.
Justin started to follow. Travis didn’t want to be at the back of the group anymore. He rushed to get around Kristin and Joy. He didn’t make it far before his lamp began to spit and sputter. His headlamp dimmed before it went out.
“Hang on,” Joy said. “You need more water. We’ll probably all need water soon.”
She reached up to take Travis’s helmet, but he pulled back. Since his bag was gone, his helmet was his last possession. He already knew that without it he would feel naked and vulnerable. Still, he needed light. Travis took it off and handed it to her.
Joy dug in her bag and pulled out a bottle of water. She poured carefully, using his upside-down helmet to catch any spillage. When she had lit the flame again, she handed him back a recharged lamp. Travis felt better with it back on his head.
“Everybody want to hand me their lamps?” Joy asked.
From around the corner, they heard Carlos.
“¡Diablo!” he said.
Travis rushed to catch up. He came around the rock to find Carlos crouching and Justin standing. Between them was a canvas bag.
“My bag!” Travis said.
Carlos teased up the flap with the end of his flashlight. He flipped it open.
“It’s a bag, but not your bag,” Carlos said.
Travis drew closer and looked as Carlos picked through the contents. He found matches, a lighter, some stubby candles, a flashlight, and a couple of paperback books. The covers of the books showed smoking guns, long legs, and fedoras. The bag was spotted with mildew.
“Someone else has trouble hanging onto gear,” Justin said. Carlos stood up and Justin nudged the bag with his foot.
Joy appeared with her bottle of water. “Let me refill your lamps.”
“We found this,” Carlos said, pointing.
Miguel moved to the bag and began to paw through the contents.
“What’s the date on those books?” Joy asked.
Miguel flipped through and called out years. “Seventy-six. Seventy-seven. Another seventy-seven.” When he finished he looked at his fingers and wiped them on his shirt. “Everything in there is sticky.”
“So we know it’s no older than seventy-seven,” Joy said. She shrugged. “I wish people wouldn’t leave garbage in the cave.”
“Give me the lighter,” Travis said. “The matches, too. Can’t hurt.” He moved to the bag and picked out a
Miguel caught his arm.
“Watch yourself,” Miguel said. He pointed down.
The crack in the rocks continued down. They were now traversing a ledge along the narrow passage. Below, the fissure continued. A misstep would mean falling into a tight squeeze. The danger only lasted a few yards. Travis saw where it opened back up and a hand reached out to pull him around the corner. They stood on a platform of red rock. The cavern opened up around them.
Travis turned his head, moving his light around quickly to take in the space.
“This room is bigger than my whole apartment,” he said. He looked up to the ceiling where some of the sharp edges looked wet.
“It’s cleaner, too,” Justin said. That brought a laugh from the group. The walls played tricks with the sound of their laughter. The noise reverberated intensely for a second but dissipated rapidly. Travis thought it sounded like the cave was mocking them.
“So you’ve never been here before?” Kristin asked Joy.
“No,” Joy said. She ran her hand along the jagged wall. “No, if my Dad had known about this cave, he would have been here every weekend. He wasn’t that much into mines, but he loved caves. This would have been right up his alley.”
Justin moved around the others so he could hover over Miguel’s shoulder.
Miguel studied his map.
“We need to go…” Miguel spun and traced his finger on the paper. “That way. You should find another passage behind where that rock juts out.”
Carlos moved in the direction that Miguel was pointing.
Justin started to follow. Travis didn’t want to be at the back of the group anymore. He rushed to get around Kristin and Joy. He didn’t make it far before his lamp began to spit and sputter. His headlamp dimmed before it went out.
“Hang on,” Joy said. “You need more water. We’ll probably all need water soon.”
She reached up to take Travis’s helmet, but he pulled back. Since his bag was gone, his helmet was his last possession. He already knew that without it he would feel naked and vulnerable. Still, he needed light. Travis took it off and handed it to her.
Joy dug in her bag and pulled out a bottle of water. She poured carefully, using his upside-down helmet to catch any spillage. When she had lit the flame again, she handed him back a recharged lamp. Travis felt better with it back on his head.
“Everybody want to hand me their lamps?” Joy asked.
From around the corner, they heard Carlos.
“¡Diablo!” he said.
Travis rushed to catch up. He came around the rock to find Carlos crouching and Justin standing. Between them was a canvas bag.
“My bag!” Travis said.
Carlos teased up the flap with the end of his flashlight. He flipped it open.
“It’s a bag, but not your bag,” Carlos said.
Travis drew closer and looked as Carlos picked through the contents. He found matches, a lighter, some stubby candles, a flashlight, and a couple of paperback books. The covers of the books showed smoking guns, long legs, and fedoras. The bag was spotted with mildew.
“Someone else has trouble hanging onto gear,” Justin said. Carlos stood up and Justin nudged the bag with his foot.
Joy appeared with her bottle of water. “Let me refill your lamps.”
“We found this,” Carlos said, pointing.
Miguel moved to the bag and began to paw through the contents.
“What’s the date on those books?” Joy asked.
Miguel flipped through and called out years. “Seventy-six. Seventy-seven. Another seventy-seven.” When he finished he looked at his fingers and wiped them on his shirt. “Everything in there is sticky.”
“So we know it’s no older than seventy-seven,” Joy said. She shrugged. “I wish people wouldn’t leave garbage in the cave.”
“Give me the lighter,” Travis said. “The matches, too. Can’t hurt.” He moved to the bag and picked out a
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