Revenge on Neverland

Chapter Twelve

My fingers trailed across the jagged rocks that enveloped the cavern, the pads of my fingers coming away with a coat of dust. The Lost Boys trekked ahead, their boots stumbling against the rocks. I strained my eyes to make out their figures, but their silhouettes merged with the darkness of the cave shadows.

Once we learned the pirates were closing in on the grove, the fairies erupted in a flurry of panic. Before I could grab another pastry, Pan had ushered me across the grove as the Lost Boys gathered their weapons. Tink had led us to the trunk of one of the large trees, its roots untangling themselves from the dirt to reveal a secret passage hidden away in the earth.

"You want us to go in there?" Sam had questioned, peering down into the ascending tunnel. "I can't see a thing!"

"Don't be a girl," Felix grumbled, and Sam yelped as he shoved him into the hole before jumping in himself. I had narrowed my eyes at his retreating form.

My shoulders brushed against the cold rocks as I made my way cautiously through the narrow cave, trying to ignore the soft humming of insects as they crawled above.

"The pirates won't follow us in here, will they?" Dylan questioned from up ahead, his voice wavering slightly,

"No, they won't," Pan replied firmly from behind me, and I stiffened at the proximity of his voice. "The fairies wouldn't allow them to cross into the Dark Jungle. They're territorial little creatures."

Water dripped gradually from the rocks above, the soft sound echoing throughout the cave as it trickled over the sharp boulders. Something crawled across my knuckles, and I snapped my hand away, shuddering.

A smacking thud rang out from up ahead, shortly followed by a groaning curse.

"Hell! Why is this cave so tiny?"

"It's not, it's just your massive forehead," Jackson teased, his laugh vibrating through the cave.

Sawyer grumbled a reply, but my boots slid across the slick surface of the jagged rocks. Gasping, I shot my hands out in the dark, clutching onto the rough wall of the cave once more as I caught myself.

"Easy there," Pan said, his voice so faint that I would have missed it if we weren't so close. I rolled my eyes despite the darkness. He didn't seem to fumble over the rocks like everyone else, and I wondered just how many times he had been through this passage.

I glanced up ahead, trying to peer over the boys' dark shadows, but the cave seemed to stretch as far as I could see. Reaching out tentatively, I grabbed ahold of the moss-covered rocks as I maneuvered.

"Don't suppose you could move a bit faster,"

I glanced backward at Pan, my lips turning down in a scowl as I wandered cautiously. "It's impossible to see in here if you haven't noticed,"

I went to take another step, but he placed his hand on my shoulder. I whirled around, trying to shrug off his grip, but it only tightened. "What are you—"

"Don't make another sound," He said, his voice a low whisper. Tearing my glare from him, I followed his gaze upwards, towards the shadows. I narrowed my eyes at the darkness and was about to shove his hand off of me, when I noticed dark figures amongst the shadows. I blinked, realizing hundreds of silhouettes hung just above our heads. Are those...?

"Hey!" Sam exclaimed from up ahead, his voice cutting through the silence. "I can see the jungle from—!"

I winced at the echo of his voice, but it was too late. The shadows above erupted in a shattering cry, the thudding of wings growing closer as their dark figures lunged downwards. I gasped as the colony of bats surged towards us.