My nerves felt stretched like a string pulled too tight. My arms and legs were spaghetti, weak and wobbly, and I shook with fear. I clenched my muscles to steady myself and hold back the quivers, but it was like trying to stop a tidal wave with a single hand.
My Beast awakened.
The urge to run away nearly overwhelmed me. I glanced around, looking for an escape route. Instead, I saw my friends, fear chiseled on their brave faces. ANTs surged through my brain, trying to shatter my will and make me flee, but I refused to abandon my friends.
We moved silently across the rolling hills of grass, the light from the full moon painting the Crypt grounds with a mystical glow. A gentle breeze brushed against the tall overgrowth around the Crypt, the tall grasses dancing to an unheard rhythm. I watched the plants, wondering if a monster lurked within the moving weeds, waiting for its prey. I shivered as the angry hornets in my head sang their terrible song.
Glancing at the cave, I stared at the green skull key mounted above the dark entrance. It gave off a faint emerald glow that covered the ground near the dark opening, giving it a menacing appearance.
A clump of tall weeds on the other side of the ancient wall shifted about, moving against the breeze-driven motions of the other plants.
“Something’s there,” I whispered.
The buzzing in my head intensified.
We stopped and readied for battle. Elisa pulled back on her bowstring, the weapon creaking. Bobby drew back on the thick rubber straps of his slingshot, ready to fire. Leonard adjusted his football pads, then raised his hockey stick, prepared for combat. My sweaty hand gripped the lightning-rope tight. Sparks moved along the end of the device like shimmering spiders waiting to find soft flesh. I held the coils tight, ready to throw the electrified end at a target.
What if the electricity doesn’t hurt the monsters of Agartha? I thought. What if it’s that gremlin with the whip? What if . . . The ANTs flooded through me, what-ifs coming to life in my mind.
We crept forward, the unknown skulking about on the other side of the wall.
The buzzing blared even louder, making it impossible to think. The Beast wrapped its terrifying arms around my soul and started to squeeze. My chest ached as my heart pounded away, going faster and faster. My mouth grew dry as a desert, parched and lacking any moisture. I tried to swallow, but my tongue felt like sandpaper scraping the top of my mouth.
Panic and dread filled my mind.
What if the panic won’t stop? I have to escape. I should run away. I should hide. I should—
Again, I imagined myself as Leonard, strong and confident. I tried to stand up tall, like him, and pretend to be unafraid. It helped a little; the hornets filling my head diminished from deafening to just a blaring thunder.
“BOO!” Something jumped out of the weeds, hands held up as if clawed, then laughter filled the air.
The four of us jumped.
“Ha ha ha . . . you look like scared babies.” It was Karl.
I wiped the sweat from my brow and turned off the lightning-rope. The buzzing faded from my head, and fatigue, which always followed my Beast, flooded through my body. I wanted to collapse but refused to look weak. Moving to the wall, I leaned against it, letting my body relax a bit.
“I got you guys again.” Karl slapped his leg and laughed. He adjusted his gray and gold baseball jersey and smiled. “You should have seen your faces.” He pointed at Bobby. “I wonder if anyone peed their pants?” He chuckled again.
“You’re such a jerk, Karl. That wasn’t funny.” Elisa glared at him.
“No, it wasn’t.” Leonard lowered the hockey stick and picked up his backpack. “If you understood what was going on, you’d be more serious.”
“Yeah, like monsters and stuff,” Bobby said.
“Yeah, like monsters and stuff,” Karl mocked. He reached down and picked up an aluminum baseball bat, resting it on a shoulder. “You don’t think I know what’s going on? Ha! Chakoté talked to me after dinner and told me her fairy tale. I think this whole thing is stupid, but she made it clear I had to help you losers, or she’d kick me out of Camp Pontchartrain. So, here I am whether I like it or not.”
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the pendant meant for Karl. “Here, this is from Mrs. Chakoté; she wants you to have it.” I tossed it to Karl, but the throw came up short.
Stepping forward, Karl caught it deftly in one hand. “You throw like a girl. Next time, try to get it close to me, techie.” He quickly put it on.
“Why do you have to do that?” Bobby asked.
“Do what, Blobby?”
“You see, there you go again, trying to put people down for no reason.” Bobby shook his head. “It’s like you want people to hate you. What’s with that?”
Karl glared at him. “Mind your own business, Blobby, or I might decide to stop being so nice to you.” He turned and faced the Crypt. “Let’s get this party started.”
Karl walked toward the marble building while Leonard easily leaped over the wall. The rest of us went through the gate, the hinges screaming their thirst for oil. We all stopped at the spooky stone building’s entrance. The metal bars across the doorway lay in a tangle on the ground, many completely rusted through while others seemed as if something bent them aside.
“That looks pretty spooky in there.” I glanced at Elisa and ran my fingers through my curly hair. The buzzing started again.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea.” Elisa turned on her flashlight and moved the spot of light around, shining it on the stone coffins of deceased Directors. “It’s so dark.”
My rapid heartbeat pounded in my ears, my face feeling tight, as if it were about to rip. I glanced about, looking for imps, gremlins, or some other Agarthan creature ready to spring from the darkness and devour me.
Just then, a hand settled on my shoulder. I looked up and found Leonard standing behind me.
“Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They’re just braver five minutes longer.” The football captain stared down at me, the sadness in his eyes surprisingly absent. Instead, they almost twinkled. “That’s a quote from our 40th president, Ronald Reagan.”
“Well, aren’t you full of important information, professor.” Karl chuckled. “What are we waiting for? That Super Blood Moon is tomorrow, and they already have one skull. We need to get moving.”
“You think you can be brave for five more minutes?” Leonard whispered into my ear.
I looked up at the huge sixth-grader. My chest tightened as the buzzing grew louder. Reaching into my shirt, I pulled out the quartz amulet and clenched the stone in my hand. For a moment, I thought the quartz sang to me, a mystical tune playing faintly in my head. It seemed to muffle the angry hornets a little, the Beast fading a bit. I glanced up at Leonard and took a deep breath, then nodded.
Leonard smiled, then stepped into the Crypt with Karl fast on his heels.
Bobby patted me on the back, then followed, his flashlight probing the darkness.
I peered into the dark opening, and my fear returned, buzzzzz, buzzzzz, buzzzzz.
I don’t think this is a good idea, I thought.
“Come on, Cameron. I’m right at your side.” Elisa put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, then lowered her voice to a whisper. “I know you’re feeling anxious; I can see it on your face. Try distracting yourself. Count by 8’s in your head. Maybe that’ll help.”
I took a deep breath through my nose and clenched my teeth, then started counting by eights in my head. 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48 . . . And as I reached higher numbers, my brain had to work to figure out the next number in the series. The buzzing grew softer, the distraction pulling my mind from the what-ifs. Squeezing the flashlight tight, I stepped into the Crypt, knowing the monsters of Agartha hid somewhere in the darkness, waiting for their prey with sharp claws and hungry teeth.