Lastland's Last Stand: The Prince's Ascension

Unearthing Secrets

"H-how are we supposed to get out of here?" Princeton whimpered. The walls were too tall for them to try standing on one another's shoulders, too smooth to climb, and too sturdy to carve hand or footholds into, even with their swords and Gifted strength.

"Wait a sec!" Princeton jumped back as if he'd been electrocuted. "Why are they smooth?!"

"Seriously, dude? That's what you're focused on right now?!" Quincy shrieked, equally panicked. Maybe I landed on him harder than I thought!

"No, I mean, think about it for a second! Why would a random hole in the ground have walls so smooth, sturdy, and tall unless someone...?"

Terror surged through the two Gifted. A moment later, Quincy made the next discovery. They weren't just trapped in a hole.

"Look at this!" he whispered, pointing to a seam in part of the wall. Normal eyes would've missed it, but glowing Gifted eyes were just able to make it out. Using their swords to poke through the seam, the pair eventually forced a boulder out of the wall, revealing a long tunnel hidden behind it.

"Woah..." Princeton and Quincy stared into the abyss, dread filling their stomachs. Slowly, purple met orange.

ooo

Princeton and Quincy trudged through the underground labyrinth for what felt like an eternity. Their only comfort was that they had yet to see or hear anything, and the tunnel had yet to branch off. The sheer vastness of it, though, created a slowly-dawning horror and dread so great that all the positives were lost on them. Who made the tunnel? And how many of them were still lurking just inches away in the shadows?

All they could do was creep forward inch by inch, step by step, praying they would find something, anything, that could help them escape. Quincy led the way, Princeton clinging to his arm, both of them shaking. The tunnel was quiet. Too quiet. Could they trust anything they heard? Or thought they heard? Every breath and footstep was so loud in such total, final silence. How long did it take auditory hallucinations to—?

"Oh, wait, back up! Backupbackupbackupbackup!" Quincy whispered urgently, nearly running Princeton over as he swiftly backed up.

Some of the breath was knocked out of Princeton, but for once, rather than dwell on it, he started backing up even faster. "What? What is it?!"

Quincy held up a hand for silence and Princeton heard it almost a minute later. Off in the distance, but approaching fast, was a soft, piercing, persistent whine, the likes of which neither boy had ever heard before.

"What the heck is that?!" Princeton's eyes bulged as he gasped, barely able to force five words out of himself.

"We're not gonna wait to find out!" Quincy replied grimly, finally turning around, grabbing Princeton's hand, and sprinting back the way they came.

ooo

What ensued was a mad dash through the dark as Princeton and Quincy fought to reach the pit before their unseen pursuer reached them. There was still no way out, but at least the light from above would make it easier to see what they were up against.

Unless... What if we've been gone so long that it's already dark out?! Princeton's stomach twisted, but he couldn't bring himself to ask Quincy. Instead, he only redoubled his efforts and ran even faster. It won't matter what time of day it is if we're caught before we even see the sky again!

It was a chilling thought, and Princeton would've given an unhinged laugh if he wasn't so out of breath. For the first time in his life, he thanked his lucky stars for his Gifted status. Doubtless, it was the only reason he hadn't collapsed from exhaustion and exertion yet. Neither he nor Quincy had any food or water. The whining was still following, the same distance away as it was at the start of the chase.