After affirming my promise to Rose in her grave, I turned around and looked at the hole where the serpent disappeared. I looked at the tracker and got a sense of direction. I started climbing down the hole. I fell the first few meters down because it was steep. Then it started sloping at an angle so that I could crawl. Eventually, I could barely stand up, but I kept moving with nothing else but the beeping red dot on my navigation receiver, that continuously tracked the creature, to guide me through.


There was barely any hope left. I just kept moving forward. I had no motivation anymore, but still, I kept myself motivated by reminding me about that promise I made to Ross. The promise I made to my five-year-old self that I would beat my brother and I would gain his respect for that. Slowly, slowly, darkness and disappointment started crawling back into my mind, asking me to just give up. That's when I saw a light ahead of me at the end of the dark tunnel. I rushed fast, and at the end of the opening, I saw another world. It was dark, cold, nothing else. It didn't seem like nothing ever lived there, perfect for the creature we just fought though . Slowly descended down the murky rubble. I almost fell twice, but I held on with my bleeding fingertips. I was surprised by the level of oxygen at this level. Maybe I had no idea how many feet down I was at that point, but I could breathe very well, better than I was at the top. Somehow, the oxygen saturation was better here, under the ground. No wonder these creatures evolved so much better.

But it didn't take me long to notice the fact that I was not going to like whatever I was about to stumble upon here. But I want to know the truth. How did this planet know to move towards earth by just us being here? Is it sentient? Or is it just tracking the route of the spacecraft that brought us here? so many questions unanswered. It's fascinating as well as terrifying.


I jumped, and I did fall from a height to something steady but I didn't break my legs. It was rubbery, it wasn't solid, it wasn't liquid, it was squishy, I landed on top of something wet and mushy, I didnt know for sure what it was, because I couldn't see anything, it was pitch black in there, but I could still breathe, better in comparison to the surface.

I set up my gear with whatever light I had, and switched on the lights, with the high-powered beams I had brought with me, and started scattering light everywhere. The strong beams of light slowly lighting up, revealed that it was a cave that I was standing in and my eyes adjusting to the darkness, all together I started seeing more details. Though, I was glad I could see but I became more terrified as I saw more and more, as time passed by.
The centipede, that took out my entire crew, the one I and rose managed to hurt, I saw it resting, with its burnt-off appendages, still hanging on to the ceiling, with its other end buried deep, within the ground I was standing on, but that was not the only problem. The real problem was, the creature wasn't the only one.

I soon started seeing many more, so much more that I lost count. They were all slithering and writhing on the roof, some on the ground, but all had their rear ends in the ground on which I stood afraid and confused. I already knew how difficult it was taking down one, and that too I just barely managed to injure it. Now just imagine pissing them all off. I just stood still, because I had no clue what to do !

now all I wanted to do was just get back up, I was getting creeped out. I slowly turned, but that sound awakened everyone of those monsters and their antennas were pointing at one thing and that was me. They were letting go off the roof and landed directly below, some were already crawling on the ground fast, in my direction.
I realized running is futile and decided to stand my ground. I turned around, I took out what remained of the stones with me, I had another can, which is barely half empty.

I was an atheist. But at that moment, I tried to call up every God I knew. Jesus, Allah, Vishnu And I squeezed those stones into smithereens. And they started sparking in my hands burning right through my fingers but still bit through the pain and I squeezed the can with all the might I had. Kept aiming at the ones who were darting at me from all directions. First one darted towards my face, I flamed it off. Second one came from the side and Caught hold of my leg. But I still managed to hit the flame on it, so it let go. But the third one knocked me down which hit me straight on my chest. I tried slamming my flaming fist against it but to no avail. It did not give up unlike me. It held on. I could feel my breast bone giving in. Soon my other hand was pinned down by another. Followed by the other hand and my legs. The last one was looking at my face. But I couldn't focus on it no more. I didn't care any more. Because everything was blurring out. Everything was foggy. And I never felt the pain. And I never felt the blood gushing out. I just wanted it to end. I felt drowsy. I could feel my eyes rolling up into the sockets like roses did back ath the surface and soon everything went dark.


silence in the darkness of my closed eyes as I could no longer hear the creatures. I felt nothing anymore but I wondered" what is this ?"

so I opened my eyes. There were no creatures. I was just naked. To my fascination, I was floating in a vast bright white void of space. I tried turning around, looking around. Looked as far as I could possibly see. It was just white, Nothing else.

Then I heard a voice. "hey fatso !" it said.
it was a familiar voice, the voice I hated the most in the world, my brother's. I thought I was in heaven Or hell maybe, at this point. But I just went with it. I told him not to call me that to which he replied " Yeah. What will you do? sit on me ? " and started laughing his heart out and added " well this all went to shit, ain't it now ? "

Where am I? I asked to which he replied,
" It's a place in between".
" in between? " I asked and he replied,

"Yeah. Between death and life "

So I'm not dead yet? I asked him to which he replied " you will be, soon "

it was still wierd listening to my brother say that to me so I just asked,

"Is it really you?" and he replied " I'm merely a manifestation of your brother, In your mind ".

" What are you? " And it said, " I can't explain but I can show you " .





end of chapter 2


chapter 3 coming soon...
© donatello050