Cave of Monsters

Juniper Telly, 23 years old Strong, Black haired, brown eyes, tanned skin, and beautiful smile that could just about shine through any disaster, disappeared and faded away when she fell down the hole caused by an unfortunate event which led her to a place where even gods light doesn’t shine. Just then Juniper turned off her phone faster than ever she was when she heard the booming stomps of the monster nearby. As the booming stomps grew further and further away deep in the cave down a tunnel, Juniper was cold and hurt, from the fall she must of broke some many bones she couldn't even tell where it hurt more, just as Juniper pulled out her phone to find it was only 20% of battery left and a crack on the screen, "Dammit" she said "I need to call for help, but there's no reception" just as she smacked her head "Of course there's no reception I'm something feet deep in the earth!" So much as she wanted to yell and fuss she couldn't only for the uncertainty she didn't know what was here with her. The only light emitting from her phone gave her clarity, just then the booming stomps came back faster this time, Juniper wanted to cry as she knew it heard her and she just wanted to pass right there and hope for a peaceful death but then,she felt it shake the floor as it went right past her in quick speed, Juniper knew she needed to leave but where, she was hurt, sad, angry and couldn't even comprehend what was even happening but just as she always told herself said "There's always a light at the end of the tunnel, even if that tunnel shall never be found". she knew deep down just like any sane person with the determination of wanting to live would get over her, then Juniper stood up and started shimmying amongst the cracked and bumpy sides of the tunnel, Juniper knew one thing about this beast as she claimed, was that most likely possibility that it was blind, so she knew all she had to do was to stay quiet and calm when it came near but also she couldn't see a thing either, so she decided to turn her brightness down all the way and turn her flash light on her phone and continued to shimmy down the tunnel, after what she thought was a already a few blocks her phone died causing the light to go out and had reached a dead end. Having two other tunnels leading to the left or to the right, just as she was deciding she heard the most blood-curdling screech enough to make even the deaf hear it, she looked past and saw a tall lady, with a beautiful white nightgown tattered and worn down and floating hair white like a grandma the grand age of sixty, with an umbrella in hand broken while everything about her covered in cobwebs and spiders. Juniper took the chance to quietly and hastily moved to the tunnel leading right but she also wasn’t the only one choosing a path, the lady then glided to the end point of the tunnel, Juniper looked to the side in horror as the shaded white light emitting from the lady came in closer, out of luck, the lady then took a left over looking right past Juniper and the lady continued down her tunnel while Juniper let out a gasp of relief and proceeded down her tunnel. 

After a while Juniper knew she had to fix her wounds but how, just then a new light arose down the tunnel as she saw what seemed to be a lantern hanging above a door, a tavern of some sorts, she walked towards the door ready for the worse, where from there Juniper swung open the door and to her surprise, no one was here, as she walked in quietly closing the door behind her she stumbled to the nearest chair in front of her almost collapsing. When sat up straight in the chair  in pain, she laid her head down for a brief moment until she felt steam on her hair, she looked up to find a drink had appeared in front of her. She looked and noticed it was some sort of tea with the tea bag labeled “Thy Heal Leaf” and a cookie, being conspicuous by it and wondering if she should really take the chance of drinking it and eating the cookie, got the sudden thought of having no doubts, after realizing the lady and the beast she faced, this wasn’t going to faze her. Determined she drank the tea and ate the cookie in one big sip and in one bite, astonished by how good they we’re, just like that she felt a ringing pain take over her, as she thought she was going to die she fell back off the chair and hit her head on the wood floor. Juniper stood up without any pain and was surprised to find that it worked, but quickly ran out back to the tunnel and continued on her path without thinking.

Down the narrow tunnel with bumpy sided walls and a rocky path the cookie had actually given her some sort of night vision, Juniper came upon a tunnel going to the right or to the left again, as she walked down the tunnel path she went straight down the right, it seemed a bit far from what see can tell but just as she walking she heard another sound, this sound was scraping against the wall of this tunnel of this cave. She was in horror then she thought to herself “What is it this time”, she made a 180 degree turn on the spot, slowly turning as she became sick to her stomach, when finally looked back down the darkened part of the tunnel, she saw a sarcophagus that looked rusted, and ancient , but just when she thought the worse, the worst made its entrance. Then the sarcophagus slowly opened up to reveal a mummy inside, with most of its teeth missing and wrapped up in old cloth bandages, Juniper knew to run and so she tried, but then! Juniper was dropped to the ground with the bandages of the mummy wrapped around her right leg, as Juniper tried reaching for the bandage to tear it off, it lashed out another bandage to her hand and proceeded to wrap around her arm, and slowly pulled her in, Juniper fussed and screamed but knew quite possibly this is the end, since she couldn’t focus, she was alone, which then and there she brought up happy memories before this and proceeded to close her eyes awaiting her demise… but then Juniper opened her eyes in a rush and told herself  “I’d never forgive myself, even at death if I didn’t try” right after she looked around trying to find a solution, finally found it, she noticed a very sharp rock poking out of the ground, she took her remaining arm and grabbed a hold of it and broke it off, she used the pointy rock and cut the old cloths wrapped her legs, then arm and got up and ran still remaining piece of cloth still on her. But the mummy wouldn’t give up easily either, it shot out more bandages which Juniper was able to dodge, she went left and right bumping against the wall, but then scarabs! Everywhere flying from the ancient sarcophagus, Juniper yelled and screamed “Knock it off!” and “Stop!” swatting at the scarabs, another plan came up and she took the rock she had and wrapped bandages around it, and proceeded to click rocks together on it to create a fire, when it lit up she took the fire rock and waved it around at the scarabs, then all the hundred of scarabs flew away back into the sarcophagus, and then Juniper quickly made her escape down the tunnel taking a left and didn’t look back once again for the last time, she thought.

Juniper was tired and out of breath, and she took the moment to fall down and rest for a brief second and take in what just happened “Is this Hell?” she said, “Or is this some manifestation of Hell?!” she said breathing faster as her mind went around the place “I should have been dead by now! Not alive!” she said, “Why am I doing this to myself, I should just let those monsters kill me.” But Juniper knew if she did it would be pathetic, not sad, no remorse, just completely pathetic, and she knew keeping this mentality is what this place wanted, this cave of monsters. But break time would soon be over, Juniper heard the sound of thundurus stomping like a the beast, the shaded white glow of the lady, and the bumping and scraping against the tunnel like the sarcophagus, she stood up and ran the only direction she had left and ran head first into a dead end, “Ow!” she stumbled back, but it felt different, it felt hollow, Juniper then thought that this was some secret door and there was a button around, Juniper started pressing and turning every rock near it, nothing, she pulled and broke a rock, nothing, she started to become desperate which paid off for her, she kicked and screamed and opened the door as it flung up she ran in and as the monsters we’re making there way to her, Juniper ran inside the room, found the switch and pulled it sending the door down. Salm! The door went, as she sighed and fell back and took in a win which soon would disappear, she said to herself “Where am I?” she said standing up in total darkness once again touching against the wall, after touching and moving around she found a stick and happen to have the items to make herself a torch, she took rocks she had put in her pocket from earlier and started smashing a hole on top and took the bandage, rock, and made a fire from it, she then put the rock wrapped in cloth which was now on fire in the hole of the newly created torch. She waved it around finding a centerpiece, lighting it, the whole room filled with a light of her own, but the centerpiece wasn't the only thing, she looked around finding carvings of which seemed to be glyphs and pictures on the ceiling and looked down to find a massive dining table with food and water already set, with excitement she ate without a thought stuffing her mouth more than she should, but in the moment she heard whispering and scratches above her head and looked up to find… Nothing, or so she thought, “Welcome Deary” as she was plunged into a chair. The lighting revealed three brothers of mutated rats, one brother laughed and ran up to Juniper “I’m Mouse!’ he exclaimed, “Im Rouse” the second one said in a raspy voice and the last bigger one, clearly the oldest of them all “Im Sack!” he said, Mouse yelled “ This is our home!” and “Who are you!?” she gulped “I-I’m Juniper” she said in a toned down voice “Are you human?” Rouse asked, “Yes” Juniper said, Sack yelled “Mouse! Have some respect, we have a guest!” he jumped off the table “You're just in time for supper Deary” Sack said, “Rouse! Mouse!” He yelled “Go get supper!” Rouse and Mouse nodded their heads and climbed up the wall into a little dark hole up in the ceiling. Juniper sat there in discomfort, “So you have any questions?” Sack asked, Juniper sighed “Yes I do actually” she said, “Before you do, Here” Sack handed her his staff “Heavy” Juniper said, “Made from the finest of materials!” he said, Juniper asked “Why do you look like that if you don't mind asking”, he answered “I was just born this way you know”, and smiled right after. Before the conversation was barely beginning, Mouse and Rouse entered back into the room with food in their hands, “Finally supper!” Sack said, “Chow down sister!” he said to Juniper, as the rats ate, Juniper helped herself to second which was some weird looking chicken, and some clean water, she assumed but it was delightful, something she hadn’t felt since she fell. After supper everyone was a little full but then “Rouse! Mouse!”, “Go get Dessert!” again Rouse and Mouse nodded and climbed up and into the dark little hole in the ceiling, “Sack where did you get this staff?” Juniper asked, “I made it!” he said, Juniper then corrected him “Actually, this is a golf club” she said, “A what? Golf Club?” he said “Oh right! I found it, now I remember” suddenly she felt weird and felt like something bad was going to happen. But then the air filled with a disgusting stench that’d make anyone throw up, “Finally! Dessert.” All of sudden a body dropped in from the dark hole and slammed on the dining table. Juniper's body froze and she felt the urge to throw up any second now, “This dessert is my favorite tonight!” Sack said, “Dig in!” he said, as the rat brothers feasted on the flesh, Juniper took a knife off the table and slid it into her hand, “Don’t you wanna eat?” Sack asked, “I'm not hungry” Juniper said, Sack wiped the blood from his face and walked towards Juniper “I know your hungry” he whispered, “If you don’t eat” silence, “We will Kill you” Junipers adrenaline kicked in, she took the knife she had and plunged into Sacks eye, she then kicked him back and took the club next to her and got ready to fight. “You greedy whore!” he yelled, after he took the knife from his eye and threw it directly at Juniper which pierced her side, Rouse charged forth and she took the knife and plunged it into his eye, as Rouse attention was towards the knife, Juniper swung the club directly on the knife plunging to his brain, ending his life, Mouse climbed the wall and skittered towards Juniper, and then pounced on her, fussing and yelling while Mouse scratched at her head she took the club once more and plunged it into Mouse causing to let go and grabbed him by the ear, tossing him like a baseball and swinging with all her strength which caused Mouse to explode on the swing and his guts landed next to Sack. “How could you!” Sack said “They were my only family left! And you killed them all!” he yelled “And now, i’ll kill you!” as Sack ran towards Juniper she cracked the bat behind her head and delivered the final blow. Suddenly it was quiet, all three rat brothers, dead, Juniper headed to the door where Sack once said  was nothing, she proceeded to look for a keyhole, after she found it she went through the dead rat brothers pockets to find the key in Sacks pocket, and took the map in Rouse’s pocket which he must of used to travel in the dark hole. Juniper gathered some food and water that was left, took the torch and made it anew and then opened the door with the key, Juniper was different now she finally understood what this place was… it was a place part of Hell, after she was ready and everything that had happened, and what is going to happen, she said with courage “There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, even if the tunnel shall never be found.”

Fin.