Chapter One

A Chapter by Robert J Poe

The Search Begins

CHAPTER ONE:

“Come on guys, it’s just over the next hill.” I shouted to my friends as they were slowly coming up the steep hillside below me.

“You said that two hills back man” my friend Chase said to me as I helped him over the edge “I’m starting to think there is no cave.” Chase was always the doubter of the group, he would never accept the facts of anything unless he saw things for himself. This is what made people at school think he was a pessimist.

“I think Chase is right Mark” responded my friend Arron as he pulled himself up the ledge “we have been wandering for an hour and still found nothing.” Arron was the kind of person who starts out optimistic, but turns pessimistic by the end if he doesn’t see something soon enough.

“You two are a couple of babies” my friend Brian shouted when he reached the top “you lazy asses have no respect for the current time and place. Look where the hell we are, outside and getting exercise.” Brian was the health freak of the group; he always wanted to be in top physical condition to keep him above the rest of us. I always think it is to impress the girls, but he always denies it. Brian is also a lover of nature, so naturally he is a boy scout. Unfortunately, he was kicked out for using too much foul language around the younger groups. That always seems to be his problem.

“Shut up Brian” Arron yelled “We have every right to doubt. And you have no power over our thoughts.” Arron was always sick of Brian insulting everyone in the group; he was like that since the day Brian joined our group.

“P***y” Brian mumbled. Both Chase and I had to restrain Arron from kicking Brian off the edge. Although I don’t know why; Brian could totally kick Arron’s a*s. “Are you fat asses ready to move or what?” Brian asked impatiently. Brian was not the type to stay in one placed for very long. That must be the reason he is doing so poorly in school.

“We have to wait for John” Chase said after calming Arron down.

“Oh, of course” Brian said rolling his eyes “the king of fat asses.” Brian walked over to the ledge and shouted “Move it fat a*s, you are slowing everyone down....again!”

“Coming” responded John in an almost gibberish sense. I knew from this that John was physically exhausted. John was just the opposite of Brian; he was not in the best physical condition. In fact, he was 40 pounds overweight. He did not enjoy exercise, so naturally he was on the couch a lot. John did not want to be part of our group, but he was forced to because his mom made him. I always think it is more fun with John, because we can have more time to really take in the surroundings. Not something Brian likes to do; it’s get there now or not get there at all with him. On more than one occasion, Brian had tried to kick John out of the group because of his sluggish behavior. None the less, John stayed; much to both his and Brian’s displeasure. When Brian knew he couldn’t exile John, he started to be more insulting and aggressive toward him. One time he actually attacked him, but I stepped in and knocked Brian down. I am the only one in the group who is brave enough, or foolish enough, to stand up to Brian. The only reason I go to such great lengths to defend John is because, well, he is my brother. The four of us have been friends for about three years. I was friends with Chase and Arron since middle school; we just seem to follow each other around because when I move, they end up moving not to far from where I do. In my freshman year in high school, I first met Brian when he was about to start a fight with John for accidentally bumping into him and caused him to drop his books. Brian had just grabbed John’s shirt and was about to punch him; when I grabbed Brian’s fist, threw him over my shoulder, and onto the ground. I put my foot on his throat and said “You mess with my brother, you mess with me” Brian and I talked for a while as we waited to be suspended for starting a fight on school grounds, and it turned out we had a lot in common. Once our suspension was over, Brian started to hang out in our group until he became familiar with everyone else. Since then, we just did everything together, which is why they are the first people I ask to do things with. Like explore new and mysterious places. This is why they are coming with me to this cave.

“Move that Titanic you call and a*s, and get up here tubby” Brian yelled to John.

“I’m . . . moving as fast . . . as. . . I can” John uttered through painful gasps.

“A snail can move faster than you. Look, I just saw one pass you” Brian continued to insult.

“Brian” I said sternly “Ease up on the insults, or I will make you carry him the rest of the way”

Brian turned and looked me straight in the eyes with a serious look “Sorry Mark” Brian said “I can’t lift elephants.” That little remark sparked a great rage in me that caused me to jab Brian straight in the gut, and punch him on the left side of his face. He fell to the ground with a painful grunt. When Brian jumped back up, his mouth and nose was bleeding, and his face was starting to swell on the left side. I could see the anger in his eyes as he glared at me, but he did not attack because he knew that I took three years of karate. He, on the other hand, only had brute force.

“Guys, a little help?” John asked with his hand waving over the edge of the hill. It took me, Chase and Arron to pull him over the edge.

“Thanks” John said as he was gasping for breath. His face was completely drenched with sweat, and his damp shirt clinging to his body like latex. It clearly revealed his love handles.

“Alright” Brian said holding the left side of his face “We got tubby here, lets move on.”

“Can’t we wait a few minutes” John whined.

“NO!” screamed Brian “we wasted to much time waiting for your slow a*s to get here, now we are moving on.” I could tell Brian was sick of being in the same place.

“Maybe it is best that we move on” I suggested “Chase and Arron, you carry John.” They just groaned.

“So when are we getting to this damn cave already?” Brian asked

“Soon, I saw it over the next hill. That way.” I pointed to a large cliff that had its base hidden by a second hill. The reason my friends are coming with me to this cave because two days ago, I was exploring this region by myself and came across it. I am a lover for exploring mysterious things, so I checked it out. The deeper I went into the cave, the stranger I felt. My head was aching, and I kept feeling like I was going to throw up. When I reached the back of the cave, I saw a small, square door about two feet off the ground. The door looked big enough to fit into, but only one person at a time. The door had a strange blackened symbol that looked like a weird ‘S’. The top and bottom were normal, but the bend in the middle was a straight, diagonal line. On both of the curves of the ‘S’ was a triangle that had its base to the curve. The triangles both had its sides slightly bent on its sides to go with the curve of the ‘S’. When I went up to touch the door, a loud, wailing shriek came out of nowhere and made me fall onto my back. My heart was pounding in my throat as I looked for the source of the sound. A cold breeze swept over me, and another wail sent me running out of the cave. I am going back to see if my friends feel the same that I felt when I walked in the cave. Perhaps they’ll know what the strange door is.

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