21. The Cave

The entrance to the cave was sealed by a massive boulder, towering above them as they stood on the narrow path clinging to the volcano's cliff face. They were precariously balanced halfway up the slope, the ground falling away sharply to the smoking depths below.

Ivy tilted her head, eyeing the boulder. "We could try pushing it... but how many tons do you think it weighs? Twenty? Sixty, maybe?"

Kaly let go of her hand as grey wisps of energy began to fly around her, "I got this!" 

"Wait, Kaly—no!" Taber started, his voice rising in alarm.

From Kaly's fingertips, a ball of energy shot into the boulder. 

Instantly, both Taber and Ivy braced themselves, fully activating their auras, as the boulder exploded. The rock collapsed with a deafening roar. Shards of stone blasted in every direction, the shockwave rippling through the air. The cliff side trembled violently, and the force of the blast sent a shower of debris cascading down the mountainside. It would have knocked them all off the side of the volcano had they not had their energies activated. 

"What is the issue?" Kaly turned to Taber, a bewildered look of confusion on her face. The air was thick with dust and the acrid scent of sulfur, but when the smoke cleared, the entrance to the cave was revealed—open at last. Pointing, "See! Look, man, I'm not going to brag and then let myself get embarrassed."

"That's not why I was telling you to wait!" Taber groaned, massaging the area between his eyes. "This was what I was trying to get at earlier. We have an unknown amount of enemies holed up in this cave that we don't know the size of. They are not only strong enough to move a boulder that size, they are also smart enough to do this. I was just saying, we should think about our options before doing anything." 

"Ohhh." Kaly nodded. "Yeah, I mean, to be fair though," she held up a finger, "If I was able to destroy the boulder that they use that easily, they probably aren't gonna be that hard to kill."

"Mmm." Taber grumbled. 

"Where I'm from, beasts that use energy are more common than not. Whatever we're gonna see, I've probably been in a rougher situation."

Just then, a strange, metallic groan echoed from deep within the cave, causing them to freeze in place and fall silent. 

Ivy's voice wavered as she broke the silence, "Was that a car?" 

"It kinda sounded like one." Taber agreed. 

"That's what those metal things with wheels are, right?" Kaly whispered in Ivy's ear. 

"Yea," Ivy nodded. 

Taber stepped into the almost pitch-black mouth of the cave. The light from his energy seemed to almost be suffocated by the cave. "Seems safe," he said. Ivy and Kaly followed him as he tentatively walked inside. 

Snap!

All Ivy and Kaly could see was the glow coming from Taber's aura as he seemed to be yanked helplessly in the air. 

Taber looked down, feeling something tight around his torso, but nothing was there. As if an invisible giant was gripping him tightly. 

"What is happening?" Kaly stared, bewildered, not sure what to do. 

Ivy's eyes began to glow and pulse with energy. "It's some kind of invisible energy trap!" She extended her trident. 

Taber tried to kick out at whatever had a hold of him, but his legs flailed in the dead air. He was suddenly yanked upward toward the ceiling, feeling something tight coil around his arm. "Ahhh!" He screeched as his arm was slowly crushed, as he dangled from the roof of the cave, attempting to rip whatever had him off. 

Ivy took several steps back and flung her trident. Almost skewering Taber's legs, it whizzed by, clattering to the floor below. "No!" Ivy sprinted over, grabbing the Trident, ready to try again. 

"Here," Kaly snatched it from her. "Point to it."

"There. Some invisible wire contraption to the right of his arm."

Kaly held it steady, using one eye, attempting to line everything up. 

The trident whistled as it flew. Sparks flew as it hit the ceiling, bouncing back and almost sliding out of the mouth of the cave. 

"Kaly!" Ivy cried, running to her trident. 

"I-I thought I had it!"

Just as Ivy picked up her weapon and turned, she saw the Tiber's glowing figure fall from the ceiling. 

Kaly tried to catch him but was inches away as he crashed onto the hard stone ground. 

"Damn, what was that thing?" Taber groaned, getting to his feet. He wiggled his fingers and flexed his arm, making sure it wasn't broken. 

"Some kinda trap," Ivy stared at the ceiling. "Kaly got it now…" She looked around, "I don't see any more." 

"So, now what?" Kaly asked impatiently, her voice echoing deep into the cave. 

Taber stayed back hesitantly as Ivy and Kaly strolled inside; the cave's cold, damp air wrapping around them like a shroud as they stepped into the unknown. 'I can't see or sense anything or anyone else other than those two. What we heard before definitely sounded like a car, but to be honest, this Island doesn't seem advanced enough for those just yet. It just feels like we're being watched, I guess.' 

"Wow!"

Taber blinked, realizing the two girls had left his sight. However, Ivy's typically overexcited voice bounced off the walls, reaching him. 

Running inside, he rounded a bend, seeing what looked like a metal scrapyard that filled a room of this massive cavern. 

The light level was low, with shadows scurrying against the wall, but things were visible. He heard the two girls' muffled giggles, and a scraping of metal as they rummaged around somewhere. 

As he walked through the room, he noticed an ancient rusted pickup truck. The hood was gone, and so was the engine. 

"Look at this!" Ivy said, jumping up and down on a chunk of what used to be an old military boat. 

Taber watched the silhouette of Kaly pick up an object, pointing it at Ivy. "Hey, Kaly, don't!"

Kaly had picked up the old gun in her hand, looking through the cracked sights, hovering over Ivy's head. Right as she pulled the trigger, she heard Taber yelling something. "Huh? What are you saying?" She looked at him…then behind him, thinking for a brief moment, she saw someone standing, but she figured after a second it was a shadow. 

"Don't aim that at people!"

A mischievous smile came across her face, and she aimed it at Taber, pulling the trigger several times in quick succession. Seeing his face in the shadowy light, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, be lucky that the gun isn't loaded!" he warned. Upon closer look, Taber noted that, "And also doesn't have a barrel."

 "Ah, dang," she shrugged, not sure what that meant. She tossed the gun over her shoulder and it clattered to the ground a ways away. 

Ivy cocked her head, catching a shadow out of the corner of her eye. 

"What the-" Kaly pointed to where she had thrown the gun. Out of the shadows, a silhouette emerged—a humanoid figure, holding the gun steady, aiming right at them. Baring her teeth in a grin, her energy flared high around herself. 

Taking his sword from his sheath, Taber said, "Whatever that is, it doesn't realize that gun doesn't work. It's old a-" Bang!

The room exploded in a blinding flash as the gun fired. The bullet screamed through the air, grazing Kaly's face and severing one of her braids. The smile vanished from her lips, replaced by a mask of pure, unfiltered rage. Her eyes blazed with fury as she let out a feral roar, launching herself at the shadowy figure with terrifying speed.

Suddenly, a sputtering sound behind Taber. He spun around just as the yellow headlights of the pickup truck flickered to life, bathing him and Ivy in a harsh, glaring light. "What?!" he yelled, disbelief and panic rising in his voice. 

The silhouette kept firing, bullets zipping past Kaly as she tore through the air, her energy leaving a trail of light in its wake. 

Kaly put her fist right through its chest, the bones cracking against her fingers as her hand twisted and moved throughout its body. It fell back, slumping to the ground. 

The wheels of the truck squealed as it roared forward, attempting to ram Taber. When he jumped out of the way, the truck kept forward, swerving to hit Ivy. 

Ignoring the chaos behind her, Kaly bent down, examining the body in front of her. It was covered in black fur, and had six fingers on both hands. Its snout barred sharp, but short fangs. 

Ivy braced herself as the truck barreled toward her. She put her arms out, and her hands crunched into the front bumper, gritting her teeth, as the car pushed her back. "Why is this thing so strong?"

Taber slashed at the back wheels, his sword easily cutting through. 

The truck continued to move forward with the same speed, backing Ivy toward a sharp pile of metal just two yards away.