Razing Pel

Chapter 7: The Cave

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE CAVE

            "Which direction?"  Kaj asked as the two were just feet away from the cave they left behind.  He looked up at Phos who was holding a pair of binoculars in his hand, scouting the area around them.

            "I'm not sure," he responded, still looking through the binoculars.  "I've been trying to figure out that question for years.  I guess that way."  He pointed forward with the binoculars.  Phos then looked down at Kaj.  "Let's hope it's the right way."  They both headed forward.

            The sand started to pick up.  It scratched their faces, got in their eyes and mouth.  But they both knew what was ahead.  Putting up with this was nothing to them, knowing that they'd soon be on the last ship off this planet.

            "What's that?" Kaj asked, pointing to an obscure object that was up ahead.  They both jogged over to whatever it was for a better view.  "Oh."

            They both were standing over the skeletal remains of a Daj.  Its skull was wide open as though it wanted to scream.  The rags for clothes were ripped up and stained with blood.  They were flapping in the wind.  Its arms were extended out, and in one hand it was holding something with a tight grasp.

            Phos knelt down and grabbed the paper that the Daj was holding.  He stood back up and unraveled it, trying to keep hold of it because of the wind.  He examined it deeply.  Studying it. Kaj was curious as to what it was.

            "What is it Phos?"

            "Something we desperately needed," he responded.  He turned the piece of paper around to show Kaj the other side.  It was a map.  "It's a map!"  Phos turned the map back around so he could look it over again.  "And it gives us directions straight to United City.  Luckily this Daj who had the map marked down his location before he perished.  Ahh!  We'll never make it in time using this route."  Phos continued to study the map.  "Wait, what's this?  It seems there is a cave up ahead.  Taking it would cut our trip in half and hopefully make us get to the ship in time."

            "What cave?" questioned Kaj.  He was familiar with the cave names of his planet.  But he was hoping it wasn't the cave that he was thinking about.

            Phos struggled to find the name and eventually did.  "It's called Cave of the Alata Jumen," Phos responded, trying hard to pronounce the last two words.  "Whatever that means."  Phos lowered the map from his face to look at Kaj.

            His face was frozen.  "That's one of the most deadliest caves on this planet," Kaj blurted out.  "I've heard stories of Daj going in there in search of treasure and then not coming back out.  It's a death trap.  Some say these winged brutes inhabit the cave."

            "It's the only way we can get to United City in time," Phos said.  "If we don't go through there, we'll both be stuck on this planet forever, waiting to die.  And even if we do die in that cave, at least we don't have to suffer like the planet does.  But, if we make it out alive, then we're free and we finally get to leave."