Chapter 10
The Tomb Raiders
BANG!
The gun fired, the smoke came out from its barrel, the chief tribe man was hit in the head, fallen to the ground.
BANG!
Another fired, and killed the men who were panicking when their chief fell on the ground. People panicked and screamed amongst themselves, kneeling on their idols and bowing before them. Sharine fired again and again. One by one they fell. They cried in panic, one of the men, who were frightened, ran away, he was shot in the head spilling blood on the idol and dead on its foot. There were now wailing and squirreling around, they threw out their clothes and scattered to the forest. Sharine and Kevin hid behind the bush.
“See baby?” grinned Sharine, looking at the chaos she caused. “I don’t think they have the ammos, hopefully some meat, let’s go,”
They hurriedly went down the hill. The cults seemed to be all flee away when they got down there. The smell became thicker and their appetite disappeared however when they approached altar. There were a naked little boy cut in four pieces, all the organs and fluid dropping on the rock.
The idol was shaped with wood, painted with white, red and black, depicting the creatures lurking inside the island. It had the red eyes and the bloated face with fangs. Sharine frowned with disgust. They have looked around the field, where they’ve left, there were caves, which seemed like their dwelling ground, and the plantation. When they got to the grain field, she heard the bone cracking, she turned around and shot it, the old woman fell down, bleeding from her ear, on the pile of human skull.
“Let’s check the cave,” muttered Sharine, cautiously looking around, lowering her stature, and Kevin entered the cave. They grabbed the torch on the wall, Kevin lighted with the lighter he had.
They entered the largely open area. There were a lot of grotesque tools and drawings on the wall.
“I’m not too sure I want to eat now,” murmured Kevin, using his torch, he lighted the torches on the wall, grabbing his nose, as stench is unbearable.
Sharine used a rod and attached to one of the grenade and pulled it across the pillar of the cave. Kevin looked at her, the drop of water came down from the ceiling, and it hit Kevin’s cheek. He frowned as it was bit sticky. He looked up and startled, yelling and rubbing his cheek with his shirt.
There were some corpses hanging upside down from the high ceiling. Wrapped by a heavy chain, the pack of flies was flying around it, licking their rotten flesh.
“Eww…” said Sharine in disgust.
“Hear anything?” said Kevin.
“No, I don’t think this is their house,” said Sharine, looking at the metal torturing device on the corner. “More of their prison. We need maps, grains and weapons...”
“Ok… don’t stay too long though, I certainly hope we don’t get captured,” said Kevin, looking at the corpses swinging slowly from the wind.
“… Shoot me if you have to,” muttered Sharine, shivered a little.
“Is… is your arm alright?” said Kevin, looking at the bandage wrapped around her arm.
“Oh? Oh yeah,” said Sharine, grinning. “It’s healed pretty much. Help me loosen it.” Kevin went up to her and loosed the bandage.
“Thanks,” said Sharine, shuddering.
“What did you do before you came here again?” asked Kevin, but Sharine just smiled and didn’t answer.
They went deeper and Sharine stepped on the water, and there walked for a while. It was getting colder, and the cool air was going in and out.
“My mother will kill me, if I go back,” mumbled Kevin.
“Why?” said Sharine.
“Because I left without saying anything,” said Kevin.
“Oh…” said Sharine, sarcastically. “I wonder what that feels like.”
“Are you an orphan?” asked Kevin.
“Yes,” said Sharine.
“What was it like?” asked Kevin, without much of a thought. Sharine seemed offended by this, she leered at Kevin.
“Sorry,” muttered Kevin, realized he made a mistake. They walked in an awkward silence. Kevin didn’t know what to say.
“The kids at young age, when their parents die, do you have any idea what happens?” said Sharine, coldly.
“No…” said Kevin, looking at Sharine with a guilty look.
“You can’t think. You are just standing there. It feels like time just stopped. You keep crying out for your mom and dad, who don’t belong in this world anymore. And whatever the past memory you had with your parent just repeats in your head over and over, especially the last moment. You cry uncontrollably, and you can’t forgive yourself for not saying that you love them. You want to kill yourself, but you can’t, you are just laying there on the floor, staring at the blank space, as if nothing in this world matters anymore,” Sharine breathed deeply and continued in a calm manner. “They are the greatest parents in the world, whom I ever had, and ever will.”
“…”
“Yes, that is what orphans feel like, and if you think you know their pain, I say you don’t know shit,” said Sharine.
They silenced for a while, Kevin was looking at Sharine nervously but Sharine just walked gloomily. They lightened the torches as they went further in. And then they stopped, looking at the metal bars blocking their way.
Near the metal bars, there was a water tub where bunch of people seemed to be boiled in; there were hands and legs spattered on the floor. Sharine groaned with disgust.
Kevin looked around. There were shelves filled with the jar containing organs. Also, there was a wooden table with a knife stuck on it. It looked like a slaughterhouse; they looked around, holding their gun tightly.
Kevin put his torches inside the metal bars and he peeked through it. But it was dark; he couldn’t see what is in there. He tried to look through, slowly pushing his head toward the bar, and lighting up with the torch. He could see something vaguely from the corner, looked like another corpses, but he wasn’t sure.
“Uhh… Sharine?” said Kevin.
“What?” said Sharine, looking at the intestine floating inside the water.
“There is somethi… AHHHHHH!!” bellowed Kevin, jumping backward. He hit his body against the shelves. Few bottles fell and crashed on the ground. A liver and eyes leapt from the ground.
There was a loud howl that echoed inside the cave. It was one of the creatures, the biggest one Sharine saw so far. Its huge jaw tried to get through to Kevin; it started chewing the bars, snarling. Its massive paw was scratching the bottom, making a scratching sound. Kevin crawled to Sharine, shuddering, Sharine gave him a hand.
“So that’s what they were feeding,” said Sharine. The creature continued to make noise and bit the bars. “Hey aey, Kevin?”
Kevin looked at her and stood up. He was still shaking from the shock.
“We need to open that gate,” said Sharine.
“What?!” screeched Kevin.
“If they worshipped this fellow, all their good things will be inside, give me the grenade,” said Sharine, Kevin pulled out the grenade from his backpack and handed to her. Sharine walked to the tub full of limbs.
She grabbed the torn out leg from it and forced to stick the grenade inside. Kevin looked at her as if he’s about to puke. Sharine stuck it deep enough and wrapped it around with a fishing rod; only the safety pin stuck out from it. She hit the leg against the tub few times; seeing that the grenade didn’t fall off from the leg, she walked up to the metal bar.
“Eat baby,” smiled Sharine, removing the pin and pushed the leg inside the bar. The creature sniffed and bit the leg. It started swallowing the leg voraciously. Sharine backed up slowly and pushed Kevin toward the back. It was sticking his head up, the thick fatty neck moved like a pudding. In the next moment, the grenade exploded. It blew the creature’s head into pieces. The blood and skins spattered all over like fireworks. Its massive body fell, making a big puddle of blood on the ground.
“Yep,” murmure
d Sharine, she shot the lock with her pistol and pulled it open. The bar was gluey from the fluid from the creature. She frowned and rubbed it on Kevin’s shirt. They climbed over the huge creature’s body and slide it on its back. They raised the gun, looking around. Fortunately, there were no more creatures in the room. Kevin glimpsed at the torches on the wall and he started lighting up.
When the torches lightened up the room, they realized that the room was pretty big and round. It looked like a coliseum. There were other two doors on the wall. The scorpions were walking in the room along with the maggots.
“Hey Sharine?” said Kevin.
“What?” snapped Sharine.
“I’m really really sorry,” said Kevin.
“For what?” frowned Sharine.
“Well, asking you know… that…” said Kevin.
“Oh that… It’s fine, so shut up,” said Sharine, messing up Kevin’s hair, grinning.
“…Thanks,” murmured Kevin.
“Which way?” asked Kevin.
“You go that way and I go here,” said Sharine, pointing at the doors.
“No, we need to stick together!” said Kevin.
“Yeah yeah,” said Sharine, laughing. She raised the gun and pointed the one on the right. “That one.”