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THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SITUATION struck Rory, Chet, and Donna-Lou hard, as Corry and Emma bent over, coughing. The sound echoed off the walls of the dark cavern, basically their tomb for all intents and purposes.
Chet's voice filled with anguish as he went over to Emma to comfort her, "We definitely have to get out."
Donna-Lou gently rubbed Corry's back as he bent over, her face showing she was close to breaking down with the worry.
Rory took a few steps, turning slowly as he looked at the darkness around and above them, looking for a solution. Then a thought struck him. He shone his flashlight around, looking intently. There was something he couldn't see. After a few minutes more of looking, Rory stepped over to Corry, who was still bent over, the boy's breathing ragged.
Corry looked up when he heard Rory's footsteps, "Am...am I going to die?
"No," Rory said. "The coughing is just because of the dust–"
Emma cleared her throat and complained, "And the bat poop. Yuck."
"True," Rory said. "But it will take some time before you get infected. Corry, you said you and Emma found some water and a high, cascading waterfall somewhere?"
Corry cleared his throat as well, nodded and pointed past the pyramid of wooden crates, "It was way back there, behind all those other crates and barrels and stuff."
Rory moved past Donna-Lou and walked around the wall of wooden crates, where he stopped and shone his flashlight towards the back.
A moment later Donna-Lou, Chet, Corry, and Emma joined him. "What are you thinking?" Chet asked.
"I'm not sure," Rory said. "Just a thought." He began walking past the other wooden crates, barrels, and kegs.
Donna-Lou looked at Chet, "We should stay together and go with him. Right?"
Chet nodded. He looked at Emma and Corry, "Are you okay to walk?"
Corry and Emma nodded, each clearing their throats again, Emma coughing lightly again.
Rory flashed his flashlight back and forth, keeping an eye on his footing as well as looking for the water the kids had talked about. The air was thick with the dust and guano mixture here as well; cutting the distance their flashlights could shine. It also made breathing difficult and Rory coughed. He waved his hand through the air, trying to create some cleaner air to breathe as he walked. "Am I going in the right direction?" he called back.
"Yeah," Corry said and he broke into a fit of coughing, stopping for a moment and then nodding to his mother that he could keep going.
Rory kept walking further back. The ceiling of rock dropped to a little over twenty feet overhead and then the cavern widening out into an immense, canopy of rock again, totally disappearing into the darkness overhead. The sound of falling water echoed from up ahead. Finally, Rory's light shone through the hazy air and reflected off a thin, clear surface of water one hundred yards away. "I see it," he called back. Then he waited for them to catch up and they continued forward as a tight group. The sound of falling water got louder. They reached the edge of the pool and stopped. Rory's voice was low as he flashed his flashlight off the surface of the water, "That is a lot larger than I expected."
"It's like a mini-lake," Donna-Lou said
"It really is," Chet said in astonishment. "It's a mini-lake in a cave."
Corry started coughing again.
Donna-Lou pulled her son close and wrapped her arms around him, "We have to do something, Chet."
"I know, I know," Chet said. "Any ideas, Rory?"
Rory wasn't really listening. He was turning in circles as he shone his light up into the high nooks and crannies in the dome of the immense cavern.
"What are you looking for?" Chet asked him.
"Bats," Rory said.
"Bats? But why...?"
"Because there weren't any on the other side. Corry...Emma...you both said you saw bats back here as well?"
Corry nodded as he pointed and looked up. "They were way up there. You could see their eyes. But I don't see them now...."
Emma started to talk and then coughed.
Chet put his arm around her, pulling her close.
Rory was looking towards the sounds of falling water and he spotted the source of the lake now, off to the left. Just as Corry and Emma had said, there were a series of cascading falls that started in the deep shadows hundreds of feet above them. The water tumbled and splashed its way down through craggy tiers of rock. Rory hustled around the edge of the mini-lake to get a closer look.
Donna-Lou called to him, "Why are you so interested in bats?" Shouldn't we be figuring out how to get out of here?"
"That's exactly what I'm doing," Rory yelled back.
Chet and called Donna-Lou exchanged glances and they quickly moved with the two kids over the jagged rocks to join him. As they caught up with him, Rory was wading ankle deep into the mini-lake, carefully watching for any unexpected drop-off.
"Are you going swimming?" Emma asked.
Rory didn't answer. He just kept moving towards the lowest cascade of water where it splashed into the clear mini-lake.
"What are you doing?" Chet called. "You need me to help?"
Rory still didn't answer as he concentrated on his destination. The water was at his knees now as he slowly moved across the wide expanse of water. One hundred and fifty feet across, the water was at his waist and he shivered from the cold, spring water as he reached the lowest cascade and climbed out. He stood on the first level of rock, flashing his light upward, examining a series of wet rock steps climbing up towards the roof.
"What are you doing, Rory?" Chet called again.
"Think about it," he yelled as he looked back at the group. "Where did the bats go?"
Chet shrugged and looked at Donna-Lou. "I have no idea," he yelled back.
"They had to go somewhere," Rory yelled again as he pointed up, "I'm going exploring. The rock looks slippery from all the moisture in here but...I should be okay."
Corry started coughing again and he bent over, hands on his knees.
"Do you really think there's a possible way out up there?" Donna-Lou called out frantically as she went to her son.
Rory looked around from his perch on the first level of rock, "I don't really see any other way out of here," he yelled back. He looked up at the cascading water, "If the water can come in...and the bats can get out somewhere...then maybe...?"
"We're going up with you," Donna-Lou yelled.
"It could be dangerous. And it might not be a way out. If someone falls–" Rory yelled back to her.
"And it's dangerous if we stay down here," she interjected loudly. "If these kids get infected, how long can we last, even if we do have this water?" Donna-Lou's voice trailed off as she knelt beside her son. She looked up at Chet, "We have to go up there. Right?"
Chet blinked as he looked at Donn-Lou. Then he looked over at Rory and his eyes followed the cascading water up into the deep shadows far above them. He opened his mouth...closed it...and swallowed.