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THE CAVE AHEAD BECKONED. So did danger. Taking a deep breath, Rory lifted his flashlight to illuminate his way, stayed close to the left wall and took a tentative step. Once again, small rocks crunched under his boots and echoed lightly off the walls as he made his way ahead.
Chet waited until Rory was about ten feet along his journey into the treasure cave before he stepped close to left wall and began following. After several steps, he glanced back and nodded at the others.
Donna-Lou pressed her hand against the back of her son's shoulder and urged him to follow Chet, whispering, "Remember to stay to the left."
Corry nodded, both delight and fear evident on his face.
Urging Emma to go next, Donna-Lou then pulled the Glock from the back of her jeans and glanced back down the cave towards the entranceway. She blew a light breath between her lips and looked down at her hands. They were shaking. She glanced at the two kids again, feeling the fear for them in the pit of her stomach. Allowing them to get no more than ten feet away, she began following, walking more sideways then straight ahead, to ensure she could keep an eye on both the kids and the cave back behind her.
Rory moved ahead slowly, constantly watching where he was stepping. From time to time, he would splash the light to the right to check the far side of the cave, watching for any indication of a bobby-trap.
Chet splashed his light higher on the right wall of the cave, "Keep your eyes open for that red hand sign as well."
"Right," Rory whispered as he let his own light play higher up on the walls as he moved.
The journey along the two hundred feet of rock floor to the dual cave entrance was tense and seemed to take forever. The sounds of dirt and rocks crunching under their feet echoed eerily off the walls. The lights and shadows played off the rock walls as they moved, every crack looking like a treasure sign. But there wasn't a single thing painted or carved into any piece of rock anywhere.
As Rory finally approached the entrance on the left, he let his light fall on the opening and rock walls to the right, looking for any evidence of a painted red hand sign. He glanced back, his voice a hollow whisper, "I don't see any red hand or any evidence of red paint flecks that might indicate a sign worn away."
Chet didn't say anything as he cast his own light that way. Then he slowed his pace and allowed the others catch up.
Rory splashed his light over the area again, hoping to see something. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. There was only the feeling that there was danger somewhere down the cave on the right. Or would that be the right wall down the left cave? Or had the sign been misread? Or was the sign a lie, designed to kill someone who wasn't one of the Knights of the Golden Circle? A non-member who didn't know the real truth? So many questions ran through his mind. And not one single, satisfying answer. Rory finally turned his full attention to the entrance to the cave entrance on the left, casting his light ahead.
Chet, Corry, and Emma crowded up behind Rory, their combined lights illuminating the path ahead as well. The rock wall curved to the left for a hundred feet or so, then curved back to the right and disappeared into the darkness.
Chet splashed his light up and down the walls on the right, "I still don't see anything about a booby-trap. What do you think, Rory?"
Corry and Emma squeezed their heads between the two men to look ahead.
Donna-Lou was still walking sideways like a crab, the Glock at her shoulder as she watched behind them. She bumped into her son–
Corry jumped. "Mom!" he protested. "You almost made me poop my pants!"
Emma put her hands to her mouth, giggling.
"Yeah, well, I may have to change my underwear when I get home too," Donna-Lou said as she nervously looked behind them.
That sent Emma into more fits of giggling and Donna-Lou winked at her.
Rory splashed his light around with Chet, checking over on the far side to the right several times, "I don't know what to say, Chet." He glanced back, "Anyone see anything that looks like a booby-trap? Or a red hand? Corry? Emma? Donna-Lou?"
Everyone shook their head no.
Looking back down the tunnel straight ahead, Rory splashed the light around, whispering, "I don't know...."
"What's that stuff?" Emma asked. She pointed at what looked like dark brown grains of rice. They were piled high in the cracks of some of the jagged rocks over on the right-hand side of the cave.
Rory let the light play high over the piles of rice-like material, "That's just from bats–"
Donna-Lou squeaked, "Would you mean bats? Where?"
Rory pointed up into the shadows with the light, "They're up there." Tiny eyes flashed and black forms took shape as the light passed over them.
Chet looked up and then across to the dark brown material, "Okay. So that stuff over there is guano, then."
Emma screwed her face up, "Gwaw-no? What's that–"
"Bat poop," Corry said and he gave a big belly laugh.
Emma made a face.
Rory smiled then turned back to the task at hand. He took a minute to look at the rock walls under the light, as well as the ceiling of the cave, looking for any hints of danger. "Okay, I guess we might as well move ahead and down this tunnel. Stay on the left side."
Everyone just looked at him, waiting for him to move first.
Rory shook his head. He looked back at the floor of the cave, casting his light back and forth over it. Nothing looked out of place. Nothing looked dangerous. He looked to the right side of the cave. No red hands, no signs, just bare rock. He took a deep breath to steel himself, then moved ahead, watching where he stepped, looking for any possible evidence of buried explosives. When he was ten to twelve feet down the tunnel, he heard the others whisper and begin to shuffle after him. His own ragged breathing mixed with the crunch underfoot and echoed off the rock walls as he moved forward slowly, following the cave as it curved to the left. The going was slow but he wasn't taking any chances. Time passed like he was walking in molasses. One hundred feet down the cave, the high opening curved right and disappeared into the darkness. Rory stopped, flashed his light around again. Still no red hand or any other sign of a booby-trap. He continued on, staying to the left. One hundred and fifty went by slowly. Now two hundred feet...and the cave opened into a huge cavern. Rory took three steps and stopped dead in his tracks, his flashlight shining into the darkness ahead.
Chet finally entered the cavern, slowly making his way to stand beside Rory, his flashlight adding to the illumination of the way ahead. Corry, Emma, and Donna-Lou carefully stepped up to the right of Chet and stopped. Their lights dancing into the enormous cavern dead ahead.
Corry's voice was the only sound, a loud whisper that echoed off the rock walls underneath the Blue Ridge Mountains, "Wow!"