“In The Cave Pt. II”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Additional Note: While this story can be read by itself, it is a continuation of yesterday’s Take Ten to Write story. Therefore, it would be beneficial to read In The Cave first.

“Right there, in front of me, stood the biggest ________ I’ve ever seen.”

… I’m not getting out of this cave. It’s too late…

I feel the ice against my back, the cold seeping through my jacket and into my skin. Shivers run down my spine. Dread starts filling me.

Right there, in front of me, stands the biggest bear I’ve ever seen.

It’s got to be as big as an elephant. Each of its paws alone is the size of my head and its claws are knives embedded in its feet.

I make the mistake of looking up at its head. It’s staring at me, its two pitch black eyes mere slits as it examines me. Its lips are pulled back over its glossy teeth, showing me that it’s clearly the one in charge here.

I press myself even more against the wall behind me, trembling uncontrollably. I hear a low rumble as a growl forms in the back of the bear’s throat. I drop to the ground and curl up into the smallest ball possible.

Am I proud of cowering? Yes, actually, because it means that part of my brain is still working through all of this panic. If I can still register that I should be deathly scared of this animal and I don’t do something dumb, I think that I can consider that a win.

The ground shakes slightly as the bear takes a step forward. I hear icicles fall to the ground around me, making almost a melody as they hit the ground and break.

Am I going delirious with panic? Maybe. But what else can I do? There’s no escaping this bear; it’s got me trapped in a corner of this cave.

The bear keeps taking small steps toward me. Honestly, this is almost getting painful now; I wish it would just hurry up and get this over with.

It stops right next to me. I can feel its hot breath on my ears as it sniffs at me.

I feel my lungs start to protest–I don’t think I’ve let out a breath since the bear started walking toward me.

Then, it starts backing away. After it’s taken a few steps back, I finally allow myself to release my breath.

Which was apparently a bad idea. The bear’s attention is back on me. It’s eyes narrow even more as it fixes me in its sights.

Then, without warning, it lunges.

Final Comments: A bear was in the cave! Did I know that yesterday? No… But today’s prompt just seemed to fit in so perfectly that I had to write a continuation!

Overall Rating: 😉