Short Story - What Lies Beneath

    Doctor Jacqueline Hyde clutched her satchel close to her chest as she looked into the cavern’s mouth. Looman residents had been sending reports of something peeking between the floorboards of their homes, strange fluids being discovered pooling beneath cracks in the ceiling, and… the disappearance of one Trenton Tibburtonne. Jacqueline, as the royal scientist, was sent to accompany Randy Axwell (Rattleaxe) - a local hero - in order to slay and dissect whatever had been terrorizing the area.
    “Alright, doctor!” The burly bogbeast patted Jacqueline on the back, nearly knocking her down in the process, “you reckon this is the place?”
    Jacqueline steadied herself, taking a deep breath, “Yes… all reports seem to point towards a monster residing below this region, and this cave is the only known entrance.”
    “Well then,” Rattleaxe handed Jacqueline one of two lanterns, keeping the other for himself, “let’s get goin’!”
Rattleaxe marched forward into the pitch of the cave entrance, with Jacqueline only barely keeping pace behind.

 

    The two trudged through the cave’s muddy interior, their lanterns doing little to illuminate more than their immediate surroundings. Jacqueline stayed close to Rattleaxe’s side, looking over her shoulder every step to make sure they weren’t being followed.
    “Heh, you’re really frazzled ‘bout all this, huh?” Rattleaxe spoke in a hushed tone, and even still it felt as though his voice rumbled throughout the cave walls. “You don’t gotta worry, I’ve taken on monsters ten times this thing’s size!”
    “Ha-ha, you don’t know that.” Jacqueline responded sarcastically.
    Rattleaxe chuckled, “Of course I do! I mean, this is probably just some weird furrn or something-”
    Jacqueline stopped in her tracks, and held out an arm to stop Rattleaxe as well.
    “I… I don’t think a furrn could do that.”
    Rattleaxe looked down, and his eyes widened. A trail of what looked like dried blood stretched deeper into the cave. Its path was haphazard and wobbly, implying whatever- or whoever- the blood came from was still struggling while they were taken here.
    Rattleaxe’s voice faltered, “Ah… y-yeah, I don’t think so either.”

    Even still, the two pressed on. The darkness of the cave felt like it became more and more oppressive, almost snuffing out the flames of their lanterns. In her lack of vision, Jacqueline was sure she saw the walls shifting, creaking, cracking open, revealing what she swore to be peering eyes. She could never get a good look at them, however, as it seemed every time she blinked they would disappear without a trace, remaining in the reveries of her eyesight as she clung closer to Rattleaxe.
    Rattleaxe himself seemed… disquieted, as well. He was better at hiding it, but Jacqueline could tell that his furrowed brow wasn’t out of determination, but rather out of fear. His footsteps, no matter how gentle, shook the immediate ground from his sheer size. Normally, this would be distracting, frustrating even, but… it felt like one of the only things keeping Jacqueline together now, the constant reminder of his presence.
    The two reached a large, open room of the cave. The cold subterranean wind brushed against Jacqueline’s neck, and the room was filled only with the sound of water dripping down onto the clammy floor. That, and the pair’s stifled breathing.
    However, just as Rattleaxe took the first step forward, the two were overcome by a warm gust from behind them.
    Right behind them.

    The two turned around to find their eyes met with a set of glistening, yellowed teeth, which creaked open only slightly when the creature to which they belonged hissed.
    “DID YOU COME DOWN TO PLAY, TOO?”
    Rattleaxe immediately swiped his tail, the end of which was tipped with two axe-blades, at the monster, only for it to be grabbed by a massive, gloved hand.
    “WELL YOU’RE A FEISTY ONE! THOSE ALWAYS TASTE THE BEST…”
    Jacqueline fell to the ground, desperately trying to escape but unable to stand back up. Her vision blurred as the beast threw him to the side, causing rocks from the ceiling to fall towards the ground.
    Then, its buggy eyes turned towards Jacqueline, scuttling towards her and leaving her face-to-face with its monstrous jaws as its serpentine tongue unfurled and dribbled saliva onto the ground. The stench was the worst of it, the smell of meat and rotting corpses left between its razor-sharp fangs almost got to her more than the apparent danger did.
    But it didn’t eat Jacqueline. Instead, from its mouth came a thick, black miasma, which engulfed the air around her. First, she panicked, her every breath becoming quicker and shallower. As she became more lightheaded and the fog further invaded her lungs, however, coughs and sputters slowly changed… into laughter. Her worries faded away, as did her consciousness, and her mind melted into a state of pure, manic ecstasy.
    Jacqueline was gone.
    She had become something else entirely.