The last thing I remembered was jumping into a dark abyss with Diane. When I finally came, I felt a sharp pain in one of my legs. 'Shit! Is one of my legs broken?' I thought as I tried moving my arms to check my leg. I then felt another sharp pain coming from my right arm. Using my good arm, I reached over to check my arm. Again, I felt another acute pain in my left shoulder. 'Damn, I'm pretty banged up,' I mused as I tried looking around for the yellowish eyes of the creature pursuing us. I couldn't look around too much because of my shoulder. From what I can see, pitch blackness surrounded me.

 

Using my uninjured arm, I tried feeling for the makeshift rope tied to my exoskeleton. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found it still connected to me. I tugged on the rope as much as I could, and I sighed again when I felt the weight on the other end. 'Thank God! Diane is there. I don't think she is awake. I can't move to her right now to check if she is alive. There had to be something I could do,' I debated as I held the tattered cloth in my hands.

 

I tugged gently on our tether to see if I could get Diane to wake. Despite my efforts, all I'm met with is nothing but silence. I focused my attention to see if I could hear any sounds coming from her. Blocking out everything else in my mind, even the pain I was feeling all over my body. Despite all our attempts, this was the second time we suffered severe injury. I wasn't sure Diane was even alive. 'We should be dead already! We shouldn't have made it this far, and we shouldn't have recovered. They had done something serious to us in the months that I could remember. More than physical and mental tests were being done to us. I shouldn't have been able to move around this well, even with an exoskeleton. My movements and abilities were nothing like this before coming here. We were different, and deep down, that scared me, and now we could heal from fatal injuries. I knew I would heal, and if Diane was alive, she would,' Multiple thoughts flowed through my mind as I tried to clear my mind. 

 

It was vital for me to listen to the environment around me. I calmed myself enough to hear the heartbeat of Diane, who lay just a few feet out of my reach. Nothing else was more important than finding out that one fact. I pushed everything to the back of my mind like I had done when I was on the cliff. I focused on what I needed to do, and I felt my heartbeat slow down.

 

The sound of my heart was loud as I could hear my voice. I heard drops of water off in the distance. The sound of rodents crawling along somewhere off in the darkness. I could listen to everything in the cavern we lay in until everything else ceased to exist to me. It was a thumping sound vibrating through the air. A soft but steady thumping like clockwork every few seconds. Then I heard another sound vibrate through the air. It was the sound of a faint wheezing sound that was soft but steady. I was hearing Diane's heartbeat and the sound of her breathing. 

 

'She's alive! Her sounds weren't as strong as mine, but she was alive. She must have landed first, with me falling on her. Maybe the weight of my exoskeleton did more damage to her than the fall did. I should have been the one to jump first, but I froze up because of fear. Now Diane is hurt badly because of me. All of this was happening because of me,' The thoughts came one after another, and sadness washed over me. I could feel tears running down my cheeks.

'Everything terrible happened was my fault. I wanted to walk so bad that I didn't see DNA Labs for what they were. I left my sister and Rachel behind at the first opportunity. We were getting help but look where we are now. Deep in some dark cave with monsters chasing us,' These terrible thoughts overtook me, and I fell into a deep sadness that I hadn't felt before.

 

In the darkness, I lay crying until I passed out. We hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days, and my body couldn't keep up with the punishment I was putting through. A hot, burning feeling overcame my entire body, and then nothing.

 

I don't know how much time had passed before I finally opened my eyes, but I immediately noticed something was different. The first thing I noticed was that I could see light even though darkness still surrounded me. Fear overwhelmed me as I knew where I was. 'Did I die again? How did this happen? Did I die from dehydration or from my injuries? My body healed itself, and I had worse injuries than I do now. WHY AM I HERE?' I thought as I looked around in all directions before remembering there was danger from above. 

 

In a panic, I glanced up to only see darkness. There weren't any of those whale-looking creatures floating around in the darkness. It relieved me, to say the least. At the same time, I felt nothing but dread. I only escaped this place last time because Diane had brought me back. Now, she was half dead, and there was no one to get me around this time. 'There's no point in going anywhere. They will find me no matter where I go. I can run and run to the end of time. Those monsters will chase me until I make a mistake or give up. It's no use,' I admitted defeat, and I slumped over onto the gray dirt beneath me.

 

My eyes lingered into the dark void ahead as all hope drained from my mind and body. There was no fight left in me. Death had taken my Life, and I was alone in a featureless landscape. No one was going to save me this time. I felt like this the last time I was here. This place gave me a feeling of nothing but sorrow. There was no hope in this forsaken realm. The only creatures that counted as Life here were monstrous beasts hell-bent on devouring me.

 

"Despair!" I whispered quietly to the darkness.

 

That's what the place was to me. It was an existence that one could not escape from. There was no chance of surviving it.

 

"This place wasn't meant for the living or the dead," I faintly murmured.

 

My vision became drawn to a spot in the darkness, and it stood out darker than the void of blackness. It drifted against the abyss above me. I became frightened as the creatures I feared roamed the dark sky. Waves of fluctuating darkness gravitated inwards as if a black hole was consuming the void. A low roar vibrated through the abyss like static. The more I observed the inconceivable fuzzy and morphing spot, the more it began having a shape as it drifted down towards me. It was like an ink blotch changing every moment, and my mind struggled to make sense of its shape.

 

It floated above the light I was emitting but not close enough for me to see it. The more I concentrated on it, the more the form took shape. Before I knew it, I could see the outline of a person floating inches above the barren ground I lay on. The figure distorted the blackness around it as it moved closer. The illumination I cast distorted as it seeped into the depths of the figure. Pulsating ripples ruptured from the figure in shades of blackness. It twisted and morphed rapidly as my light poured into it. I stared deeper into obscurity as it glided into my light enough that I could see that it was a person.

 

My radiance shone upon a female. Her skin was porcelain and glimmered brightly as it absorbed my light into her flesh. I sat up completely, kneeling on my knees.

 

"Who are you?" I whispered.

 

The girl sauntered as if she walked on the ground into the light, revealing her entire body and face. The dress she wore was an elegant white short dress. She had long black hair, so black I couldn't distinguish it from the surrounding darkness. Her hair waved behind her, devouring the darkness and my light. Crystal blue eyes glowed with an eerie presence to them. She had an oval face with full lips in the shape of a bow. Her nose was straight with a slight upturn to it. Around her midsection was a blue ribbon tied around her waist. The loose ends waved like a cat's tail. Her bare feet levitated just inches from the earth as if the ground sought shelter from her touch. Silver chains wrapped around both of her ankles, restlessly trying to impede her movements. They snaked up to her knees, squeezing tightly, trying to subdue her thighs. She wore silver cuffs around her neck and wrists, which appeared to be meant to restrain her. Keeping her suppressed in an attempt to prevent some unknown rampage. It felt as if she pulled the weight of the entire world with her bonds. Finally, a glowing bluish-black horn emerged from the left of her head. It crackled with sparks, yet a dreadful icy frost smoldered off it.

 

"Tell me who you are," I whispered firmly as I could.

 

Her feet drifted effortlessly to the ground, prompting a distorted burst of grayish dirt in all directions. Static filled the boundless void, forcing me to cover my ears.

 

As she walked over to me, the light bent around her, disappearing behind her. Her body was the embodiment of a black hole, the event horizon from which there was no return. The girl kneeled only a few feet from me, taking the same posture as I was. The blue orbs of her gaze swirled like the eye of a hurricane. Flashes of blue light sparked as I fell deeper into a trance.

 

"I am Life!" she said in a delicate voice.

 

Her words contrasted with the horrific aura she gave off.

 

"Life? You mean that's your name?" I asked.

 

"Yes!" she replied.

 

"What is that supposed to mean?"

 

"I am Life!" she responded.

 

"I don't understand. Your name is Life is all I understand," I replied.

 

"I know, but you will!" she stated.

 

"How are you here? I thought only dead people that are sinners come to places like this," I questioned.

 

She tilted her head as if she didn't understand what I was saying.

 

"I died! That's why I am here. I died the first time a while ago and came here," I explained.

 

She just stared at me as if I were talking in a foreign language.

 

"Don't you understand what I am saying?" I questioned.

 

"You say you died and came here! I understand, but do you understand?" she answered back.

 

"What do you mean? I died when I fell from a waterfall, and I drowned because I sank too far into the river. Diane had to perform CPR to bring me back. That's how I escaped this place the first time. This time she has injuries worse than I have, yet I died again. There is no one to bring me back. This time they will get me," I explained as I looked down to my lap. I was crying, and tears were flowing down my cheeks.

 

"You shouldn't be around me when they get here. The light attracts them. I don't know how long it will take for them to find me this time," I added as I cried uncontrollably. 

 

She just looked at me as I sat there and cried my heart out.

 

"There's nowhere for me to go. They will find me and that will be it," I cried.

 

I was so caught up in my tears and misfortune that I overlooked that she had moved in front of me. She put her hand on my chin and lifted it up to look her in the eyes. Her crystal blue eyes were glowing brighter than they had before. She brought her free hand up to her mouth, and she bit her index finger. Blood flowed out of her as she lifted her hand to my mouth. With one hand, she opened my mouth, and with the other hand, she dripped blood into my mouth.

 

"If you are dead as you say I will give you life!" she said as blood flowed into my mouth.

 

A loud shrieking sound shook the entire area that we were in, and I knew that one of them had found me. The sound vibrated all around us, seeming as if it was coming from beneath deep water, but in fact, it was above us. The girl called Life never took her eyes off of me as more of her blood flowed down my throat. There was so much of it going into me I thought she would die from blood loss. She continued even as more of the monstrous creatures found their way to me. They weren't close yet, but they would be here soon.

 

She closed my mouth as she rubbed the last of the flowing blood into my mouth.

 

"Now Go!" she said the words with such force it felt like I was thrust across some unknown wall that I hadn't known was there.

 

The next thing I noticed was that I was in complete darkness again, and I could hear someone over me.

 

"Kristen, can you hear me? Wake up! We have to get moving now!" The voice of Diane came through the darkness just a few inches from my face.

 

"I thought you were dead!" I whispered weakly.

 

"I wasn't, I think you may have drifted into a coma or something. It took so long to wake you, I have been trying for days. I don't know how much time has passed either. If I had to guess, it was longer than it took us to find our way down here," Diane explained.

 

"What?" I weakly said.

 

"Kristen, I think you were in a coma for a few days. It took me a long time to wake up as well. We could have been out for days," she added.

 

"I don't remember. When I woke up, I couldn't reach you. I tried to wake you up, but you were out. Your breathing is shallow and your heartbeat is weak. I must have passed out," I responded.

 

"That just means we've been down here longer than we realize. I have been quiet as much as I could. That thing up there trying to find a way down here, I can hear it. I don't know why it just doesn't jump down here. It would fare better than we did," Diane explained further.

 

"Yeah, it could have definitely got us if we were both out cold. As big and strong as that thing is it would probably be unharmed from the fall," I replied.

 

"Not only that, but I am sure it can see in the dark. It could have found us long before we found this carven. I think it herded us down here for a reason. It stayed far enough behind us to make us think we were safe. Then once we came this way, it blocked our path. That means it's intelligent," she explained in a serious tone.

 

"What does that mean?" I asked.

 

"It's not coming down here because it wants us down here. You saw the claws on these creatures. It could climb down here if it wanted to, but it's waiting up there. We have no choice but to keep it from now on. That's what these beasts want," Diane continued explaining, "I bet they can hear us just as clearly as I am talking to you now,"

 

"So, what do we do then? Should we go deeper into the cave?" I questioned.

 

"We don't have a choice. I think these creatures know exactly where the exits are. I bet if we found another way out we would run into another one," she responded.

"Then we have nowhere to run! We're stuck down here," I replied.

 

"I don't think so. I think we are being herded towards a specific place in the caves. If that's a way out I don't know. Think about it, Kristen. They could have killed us so many times, but they didn't. Why keep us alive and what are those reasons? These things or whatever they are don't act like animals," she added.

 

"But, if they aren't animals, then what are they?" I questioned.

 

"Werewolves, maybe. I don't know for sure," Diane answered.

 

"Werewolves. That's a myth," I stated.

 

"Think about it, Kristen. They look like a bear or dog. They walk upright and they are strong as hell. Then there's the smell they give off. I don't think it's because they stink. When I was on the cliff, I could smell several smells. I think that's how they tell each other apart," she responded.

 

"Aren't werewolves humans that can change into wolf men?" I questioned again.

 

"That's how the legend goes, but most legends have some basis in truth," Diane answered.

 

"Okay, then, these things are just people that can turn into werewolves," I asked.

 

"I don't know for sure, but maybe. It doesn't matter though because we can't stay here. I checked you over when you were out cold. You should be okay to move. I checked your exoskeleton the best I could in the dark. It doesn't look too damaged. Whatever it's made of is more durable than anything I know of," Diane replied.

 

Diane did her best to help me to my feet, and to my surprise, nothing hurt. I had healed entirely while I was unconscious. Diane seemed to be okay.

 

"They did something to us, didn't they?" I asked as we both traced the wall.

 

"Yes. Maybe they changed us on a genetic level, but they did something," she answered.

 

"If they can do this, why not just fix my legs? Why do all this other stuff but not fix my legs?" I questioned.

 

"I don't know. It seems like they have the medical expertise to do so. We both have had some serious injuries and yet we can still move on our own. Well, you can walk with that exoskeleton, but I doubt you could have done what you have before coming to DNA Labs. So I would say that's a significant improvement," Diane answered.

 

"You're right. There's no way I could have moved like this before coming here. It just leaves me with more questions than answers," I replied as I felt my hand on the cold, moist wall of the cavern.

 

Diane and I traced our way along the wall of the cavern, hoping we would stumble across an opening that would lead us anywhere other than where we were. Even though we had been in total darkness for several days, I still could barely make out anything. When we were in the forest, the moonlight illuminated the way ahead, and we could at least see. As it was now, we could only count on our hearing and sense of smell.

 

As we walked one after the other, Diane slowed down our pace. She tugged on the rope, tethering us together, signaling I needed to stop.

 

"We have to go around this part. I think it's some kind of rock formation. I almost cut my hand on a jagged rock. We can't trace our path at this part," Diane explained as she sighed.

 

"We can't go back. Maybe we can crawl on the floor and trace the base of the wall. Maybe there won't be as many jagged rocks there," I offered.

 

"That might work. I will bend down first, then you follow me!" Diane replied as she bent down to her knees.

 

I followed behind as she tugged on the rope connecting us, and we began crawling across the cavern floor. The walls at this part of the cavern were jagged with sharp rocks and rough rocks. We couldn't take the chance of cutting or rubbing our hands across a surface that could injure us. Unlike the smooth walls of the passageways that lead us here, the walls of the carven were rough and uneven. That wall dipped outwards, away from us, out of our reach. We crawled the best we could to keep moving.

 

Neither of us wanted to stray too far from the wall and wander off into the darkness with no way to determine where we were. Diane moved forward at a snail's pace, making sure there was nothing dangerous ahead of us. She tugged on the makeshift rope whenever she wanted to alert me, she was moving in different directions. "I hope we don't run into any of those rodents I heard before passing out. More than that, I hope we don't run into any other critters down here. That thought terrified me more than the rodents down here," I thought as I crawled behind Diane.

 

I was following closely behind Diane, but not so much that if she halted, I would run into her. 'If she stopped without warning me, I would run straight into her bottom,' I felt as that thought flashed through my mind. If we had a light source, I would have a perfect view of her rear end. It wasn't like I hadn't seen it bare before, but the thought of running into her butt was a calming feeling. It helped me to distract myself from some genuine fears I had in the back of my mind. 

 

Several months ago, I found out I was attracted to Diane and Rachel. I never showed this to either of them, but I always caught myself looking at them from time to time. Especially when we were in the showers or baths together. I had many opportunities to admire their body, as that was one of the few comforts I had in this place. Diane tugging on the rope again broke my attention.

 

"I hear something up ahead. I don't like the sound of it," Diane stated.

 

"What is it? I can hear it too!" I replied nervously.

 

"Move back now!" she yelled louder than I expected, causing me to immediately begin backing up.

 

The sounds I was hearing were tiny clicking sounds. There were more clicking sounds than I could count. I immediately tightened my muscles as I kept backing up. 'Fuck! Bugs!' I thought as I panicked at the thought of being covered by bugs I couldn't see.

 

"Shit!" Diane yelled.

 

I heard her standing up as she ran away from the bugs, dragging me along with her. The metal of my exoskeleton scraped loudly across the hard rock of the cavern floor. I was fortunate to be wearing pants and my exoskeleton; otherwise, I would have been scraped up badly from being dragged across the cavern floor. Diane must have run over one hundred feet before finally falling to the floor, out of breath. It shocked me she had the strength to pull me and my exoskeleton as far as she did. She wasn't running at full speed, but it was fast enough that I could barely hear the clicking of the bugs we had encountered. It then dawned on me that we were away from the wall in complete darkness. 

 

"Are you okay?" she questioned after she caught her breath.

 

"Yeah, I'm okay. You must have gotten spooked to jump up and run like that?" I replied.

 

"Scorpions! A few crawled on my hands, so that was it. I had to get out of there. Sorry!" she responded with a sigh.

 

“Did you get stung or bitten?” I asked softly.

 

"No, I jumped up as soon as they touched my hands. There must have been hundreds of them. Probably why we haven't run into any rodents," Diane explained.

 

"Hundreds! How could you tell?" I questioned.

 

"Just before they got close it was like everything slowed down. I could hear each of the clicking sounds, and I could count them. They were going to be on me before they even touched my hands. The next thing I knew, I was already in motion to get up when they did. I can't really explain it. I just jumped up and ran as fast as I could," Diane explained further.

 

"I am glad you did because I froze with fear. I don't think I could have acted as fast as you did," I responded.

"Well, we are out in the open now. Without a source of light, there was no way to tell the size of the carven or where the danger areas were. I don't know which way to go, I should have heard them coming before I did. Shit, I wasn't careful enough," she replied as I heard her sigh again.

 

"It's fine. We just have to keep moving ahead from where we are now. We will find the wall again, and hopefully, we won't run into any more bugs!" I responded in a reassuring voice.

 

We both stood up together as we headed in the direction Diane had run in. All we could do now was move forward in the darkness.