Burning; TST ➵ Thomas

T W E N T Y

Thomas focused on an odd source of light in the back of the cave. A large rectangle of pale green, set into the dark stone, pulsed with an ethereal glow. It was approximately as tall as an average man. Possibly four feet wide. Stains streaked across its dull surface - a grimy window to something that looked like radioactive sludge, glowing and dangerous.

Amelia didn't make another snarky comment. She just glared at every move Aris or Teresa made, mentally judging them. Knowing her, she wasn't one to go down without a fight. Thomas was going to help.

Aris kept his knife pointed at him as Teresa made her way towards the giant rectangle of green glass. She reached the point where the glow silhouetted her whole body, making her edges look fuzzy. She walked across the cave until she'd left the light completely, then reached for the stone wall. She began to punch a finger on what had to be a keypad that Thomas wasn't able to see.

She finished and stepped back towards him. A loud pop sounded, followed by a sharp hiss. Thomas watched as the right edge of the glass began to swing outwards like a door. As it opened, wispy streams of white mist swirled through the widening crack.

The door finally stopped, thumping with an icy screech against the wall of jagged rock. A pit of black now lay where the door had once been - there wasn't enough light to reveal what laid inside.

Teresa put her spear on the floor. Pulling her backpack off, she dug through its contents. A moment later, she fished out a torch and turned it on.

Aris nodded towards the opening. "Take a look while I watch him. Don't bother trying anything. I'm pretty sure what they have planned for you is easier than getting stabbed to death."

Thomas didn't answer. He stuck to some random pathetic oath to stay silent from here on out. It seemed like Amelia had gotten the memo too, there wasn't a peep from her since the door opened.

Teresa stepped up right to the side of the gaping rectangular hole; she shone her torch inside. It cut through a fine cloud of mist as she swept it left to right and up and down.

From what he could see, it was a small room, only a couple metres deep. Its walls appeared to be made of some silvery metal, their surfaces broken up by small protrusions maybe two or three centimetres high. Each ending in a black hole. The little knobs or spouts were set about twelve centimetres apart, making a square grid across the walls.

"Exactly like they said it would be," Aris said. He snapped his head towards the duo. Thomas had been so focused on the strange room he hadn't realised he missed another chance to do something.

"This is it. Thomas, Amelia, be a good boy and girl and go inside. Who knows, maybe this is all a big test and once you're in, they'll let you go and we can all have a big happy reunion."

"Shut up, Aris," Teresa snapped. It was the first thing she'd said in quite some time that didn't make Thomas or Amelia want to punch her. "Let's get this over with."

Aris waved his blade around, indicating that the duo should walk in forward. Amelia squeezed Thomas' hand tightly, he squeezed back. "Come on. Don't make us drag you in."

Amelia let go of his hand. She stepped towards the door slowly, hesitantly. Thomas looked at Aris, struggling to keep a blank expression as his mind spun in a million directions. A surge of panic boiled inside of him.