the tunnel, and into an abyss going deep into the
cliff, out of reach of their light beams, where silky dust blew and
settled, from the ground as they had rushed in, and some was in his
lungs, causing him to convulse, but as he searched about, he
covered his mouth with a piece of clothing, allowing him to
inhale.
Faint echoes of all their breathing and
talking could be heard in an extraordinary silence deeper in, with
occasional deep gasps for air from many of the others, and Bryson
wondered where the tunnel led to.
“ You
never saw that thing kill did you?” Mitchell moaned, dissatisfied
by the results of the dramatic display and the deadliness of their
weapons not having any influence, reminding them of the problems of
not having any weapons.
None of the
men replied and ignored everything, giving slight occasional
glances at the entrance for anything.
Mitchell
seemed to recall some of his old training and pointed at the
weapons without saying anything, and ordered them to keep them
loaded anyway and he had them remove them and practice firing.
“ This is
one for the books!” he moaned, staggered. “A scenario where weapons
have no use ... I never thought I’d witness it ...”
“ Something should affect them!” Mortimer replied for the
scientists.
“ Thanks!
If you could come up with it, I’d like to know it!”
Glimpses of darkened figures of scientists
and archaeologists moving deeper into the cave made Bryson stand
up, from where he had rested, and he vigorously checked through
debris about him, realizing something, and that the cave was a
straight line going inwards, and he considered why.
Thick chemical smells from outside blew in,
from gusts of wind, from the concentrated swamp pools pouring out
gases through the freezing air giving it a sulfur stench, which
some of them gave occasional coughs to, when it hit deep in their
lungs.
By their anxious reactions he sensed
that they believed that something was actually deep in the cave.
Although the descriptions that some of the archaeologists gave
still made it too unacceptable to him to believe fully what they
had suggested, and that the cave could lead somewhere. Yet it would
be better for them to go as far into it as they could as if they
things returned they stood a better chance away inside, and them
not being there if they just looked into the gap in the
cliff – and
he was sure their voices could be heard outside and they were
progressively growing louder, and Mitchell ’ s men could talk really
loud.
What was here? Everything was a mystery all
around them! The castle if it existed was specified in vivid detail
as something like a specified location of the resting place of
something. His mind conjured up vague visions of spooky medieval
things roaming ancient dungeons. Yet again it was far too vague and
he could not remember anything like it remotely turning true for
some reason!
When the scientists and archaeologists that
had been deeper into the cave returned, they all started discussing
going deeper inwards and everyone seemed to go along with it,
especially as they kept suggesting it was warmer and out of the
range of the cold wind blowing inwards.
Bryson joined some of the men at the
entrance studying t he
fog clouds over at the swamp areas, seeing what it did, and saw
that it reacted little now, now that they were not in it, and he
wondered if it was part of something, like animals with poisons and
defense systems against being attacked, and he was sure that it was
not bothering them now as they were no longer a threat, and near
it.
Suddenly, a light appeared deep in the fog
to their side, and Mitchell asked them to move in the cave, surely
considering the same things. Bryson watched it vibrating and
brighten, and a beam pointed near them.
They moved in and away, while one man
suggested covering the cave entrance, but they decided not to
chance their luck as it may pick up any abnormalities, and even
that the entrance was covered