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It took a while (I’m guessing) to arrive next to the waterfall. I had traveled down to the river shore and quickly found a rugged trail that led up to an opening that was barely visible behind the rushing cascade.
I looked up to see how far up the water was coming down from. Had to be at least a hundred feet.
I looked down. The river too was about hundred feet below.
I took a deep breath and headed into the entrance of the cave.
The more I walked inward, the darker it got. The sounds of the waterfall were dissipating with every step.
I inched deeper into the cave.
In the distance, I saw light. But it wasn’t from the sun.
It looked to be a light only a fire could produce.
I walked towards it with caution, looking behind myself every few seconds even though I could barely see anything but the cave’s opening with the back of the waterfall on display.
As I got closer to the source of the light, I could see three figures lined up against one of the cave’s walls.
I ran towards them.
The first person that I recognized was Ridley. Can’t mistake the big burly black man still wearing his sheriff’s uniform. The other two I somewhat remembered. I knew I had came across them in town way back in the day. It was of course Tom Luden and Daniel Morris.
They were alive.
“Sheriff!” I yelled. He looked up at me.
“Philip?” he said weakly.
His arms were tied to a holding structure behind his back. The others were in the same position.
They looked at me, tired and torn up.
“Who are you?” said the man I knew to be Tom from his picture.
“I’m here to get you guys out of here,” I said.
“She’s coming back, guy,” Daniel warned. “You gotta hurry!”
Tom was closest. I went behind him with the sword and cut the rope that was restraining him.
Tom went back and forth with his hands holding his wrists.
I took one whack at Ridley’s rope. It didn’t come loose yet. I raised the sword to make a second attempt before being tackled to the cave’s hard ground.
I didn’t immediately see who slammed me, but I expected it to be Lindsay Rose in either human or beast form.
It was neither.
It was Tom.