Falling into Darkness

I felt the rain falling on my face. I couldn't move. I broke my leg and my back hurt. I tried calling the others but my voice wouldn't come out. I tried to see where I was. I fell into a deep hole on the ground. I could see what seemed like the entrance to an underground cave just a few meters from me. I rolled sideways and regretted it. The pain was excruciating. I thought about the monsters. How did they feel just when they were about to die? What was the last thing they thought of? Did they even think of anything at all? I closed my eyes. Maybe I was obsessing too much. They're monsters. They shouldn't be pitied. They've killed many humans. That giant spider alone killed hundreds. So why was I feeling guilty of that single beast? I must have gone crazy, I thought. I tried lifting my body up, then something caught my eye. Something was shining just a few inches from my head. I stared at it. I couldn't figure out what it was but I reached for it. I heard my arm crack but I ignored it. I grabbed the thing as soon as I felt it on my hand. It was a gold coin. I found one. How unexpected. Then, I fainted.

I could feel some warmth close to me. I could hear people talking but I couldn't make the words out. Then I felt someone touching my face. I opened my eyes slowly. It was Clarisse. She was putting ointment on my bruises. I turned my head to look at the fire. The warmth from it was relaxing. Mike and Daniel were grilling food by the fire. They had serious expressions on their faces. Mike looked worried, probably of me. Daniel looked mad, probably at me. I tried moving my leg, then let out a cry of pain. Mike came to my side immediately. His worried look changed to anger, and he started scolding Clarisse. Daniel came closer and defended her. Mike was yelling at the top of his lungs. That silly boy. My brother never yelled. Guess they weren't so alike after all. I slowly lifted my arm and pat his back. He stopped yelling and turned to me. I gave him a reassuring smile and asked him to help me up. I sat with my back on the wall. Mike gave me some of the food he was grilling. I asked them what happened. Clarisse told me how they went to look for me when they noticed I was gone. They got worried when it started raining and decided to make camp at the cave, just a short distance from where we stopped to rest. Fortunately, Daniel found me half an hour later at the bottom of the crevice. He was carrying his backpack along and used a rope to get down the hole. He found me unconscious with a gold coin in my hand. Then he carried me to the cave.

Mike asked why I decided to get the coin myself instead of asking for help. I hesitated. I couldn't bring myself to tell them all the thoughts disturbing me. How would they react? Would they think I was insane? I let out a weak laugh and told him I wanted to seem cooler than him. He wasn't pleased but he did not ask any other questions. Clarisse just looked worried and came closer to check the wound on my head. Daniel was not convinced. He knew I was lying. He knew there was something more to it. He stared at me. I stared back at him. He probably realized he won't be getting answers from me, so he decided to just let it go. He went back to grilling food by the fire. I wasn't sure if I saw it right, but I thought there was a touch of gentleness in his eyes.