INTO THE ABYSS

Samantha's POV As we trailed Marcus farther into the forest, it loomed dark and threatening all around. Every twig break underfoot caused jolts of anxiety for me. An uncomfortable canopy that felt both protecting and confining was created by the branches overhead entwined like fingers grabbing at the night sky. Alex was right next to me, his presence a stabilizing agent even as doubt tore at my stomach. "How much farther?" I asked, attempting to keep my voice firm despite the flutter of anxiety. "Just a little more," Marcus said, his voice steely. Leading the way, he looked over his shoulder every few seconds as though he expected shadows to rush out from behind the trees. "We will shortly reach an old cabin—safe for now." My mind became inundated with old cabin recollections. Marcus had grown up there, spending many hours hiding from The Order. Would the walls hum with the weight of our present situation, or would it still feel like a haven? "What if they come across us?" Alex's voice pierced my consciousness and carried real anxiety. "What if our safety there is compromised?" His face was clearly marked with anxiety, which reflected my own. "We will have a plan," I said, trying to project more confidence than I did. "We have to reorganize and decide what to do going forward." The sound of running water got stronger as we continued forward, leading across the underbrush. I started to get hope. One advantage would be a nearby stream covering our sounds. Ahead the trees thinned out, exposing a little clearing illuminated in moonlight. Marcus exclaimed, pointing to the cabin tucked against the rocky outcrop: "There it is." Though the wooden beams were battered and deteriorated, it felt like a lighthouse of safety among the tumult. My pulse pounding with both relief and dread, we raced toward the cabin. I saw a flutter of motion in the darkness as we got close. My breath seized in my throat, and I moved automatically toward Alex. Marcus said, "Wait," waving a hand. "Let me start by checking first. Every muscle tight, I watched as he walked warily toward the door. Reaching for the handle, he stopped and turned back toward us. He said, "It's clear," pushing the door open with a creek that reverberated over the evening. Inside, the illumination was low and dust motes whirled in the air. White-sheet covered old furniture loomed like phantom forms. Entering, I felt the weight of the past weighing down on me. I asked, gazing about, "What now?" Marcus replied, walking toward the windows to close the frayed curtains, "We have to barricade the door and locate supplies." We cannot afford to be discovered. Alex assessed the cabin's corners while I helped him shove a large wooden table against the door. From the little kitchen, Alex yelled, "There's some old food here," drawing out jars of stuff unidentified and bean cans. Great, I answered, attempting a smile. We'll figure it out. I sensed the strain in the air as we assembled tools. For the moment we were safe; nevertheless, the menace loomed just outside the door. As Alex set a can on the table, his brow wrinkled in contemplation. I caught his look. "What do you have in mind?" I stepped in closer and asked. I simply... I wonder constantly what The Order expects from us. Why are they so committed to locate us? His voice was strained, and his worries clearly weighed me. "I wish I knew," I said. But just now we cannot fix on it. We ought to concentrate on our controllable factors. He nodded, but I sensed a flickering uncertainty in his eyes. And what would happen if we seem out of this? "We will," I answered with great conviction, yet I felt a twirl of uncertainty inside me. I could not let it show. "We will work this out together." The cabin's vibe changed as the hours went by. We ate a little dinner, and our conversation tried to drown out the approaching anxiety. Though beneath the surface the reality of our circumstances loomed large, we told tales of our past and laughed and bonded to fill the void. "Do you recall our first meeting"? Alex questioned, a little smile flickering through the stress. I laughed, then recalled. How could I forget? You were quite sure you could defeat the lads in your school. You basically entered the den of a lion. "Yeah, well, I didn't expect you to leap in and save me," he said, his warmly glistening eyes. "I couldn't just stand there and watch!!" I answered, warmth bursting on my cheeks at the memory. "You were outmatched!" His smile dimmed somewhat, then something more somber took the front stage. "I suppose I have always looked on you to have my back." Feeling the weight of our common past, I responded, "You have had mine too, you know." "We have traveled through so much together. I have not scheduled stopping here just now. Still, the weight in my chest got heavier even as I said those words. Suppose things were different this time. Suppose we keep one another safe? The moment was broken just then by the sound of far-off feetfall. As I looked terrified at Marcus, my heart fell. He snarled, glancing toward the window to catch a glimpse outside, "they've found us." "Quick! We have to hide, I said, a surge of adrenaline pumping through my veins. "Where?" Alex's voice shook as the truth of our circumstances collapsed upon us. "There!..." Marcus gestured toward a little trapdoor in the room's corner, half covered by a rotting carpeting. "We cannot inform them we are here." We rushed toward the trapdoor without thinking, lifting it open to show a dark stairway down. As I looked at Alex, my heart surged and terror danced in his eyes. "We have to go," I whispered, urgency tumbling across my voice. He nodded, resolving burning inside him as he descended the steps initially. Marcus brought up the rear and I trailed closely after. The air heavy with dust and anxiety, we dropped into the darkness. I held my breath as the trapdoor creaked closed above us and strayed to hear the sounds above. The footsteps got louder, voices whispering softly. A voice urged, "Search everywhere," and I shivered down my spine. They couldn't have gone far. Fear coursed through me as I pushed myself against the wall. My heart thumping Alex was here right next to me, his shoulder softly brushing against mine to offer a little solace. "Do you believe they are down here??" He whispered. Trying to keep my voice calm, I said, "I don't know." "But we have to keep quiet." We waited in the stifling solitude, the sounds above receding as the men turned away. I closed my eyes in an attempt to regulate my breathing. This was it—our lives depended on our hiding. Minutes went by, or perhaps hours. I become totally blind to time. Ideas of The Order and their expectations from us flew through my head. "Why are they following us??" At last I murmured, shattering the stillness. "What are their wants?" Alex answered, his voice almost above a whisper: "I wish I knew." "We cannot let them catch us though. We must resist. "Fight back"? I repeated, the weight of his remarks setting in. But in what way? They are orderly; we are simply... ourselves. Exactly, he answered, resolving to return to his voice. "We are simply ourselves. Still, we have each other and can work out a strategy. They cannot rule over us. In his eyes, I could see the fire—the same spark that had initially drawn me to him. It brought back the reasons we were fighting, the reasons we couldn't give in to terror. Feeling the weight of his comments, "You're right," I said. "We cannot let them triumph." The trapdoor creased open out of nowhere, and a shaft of light tore across the shadows. A person slumped down the stairs, silhouetted against the weak light, felt my heart. "Hide!!" Hissing, dragging Alex behind a stack of old boxes, the figure entered the room. I waited, praying they wouldn't locate us. The man looked about the room, the light from a flashlight streaming across the walls. "Nothing here," the man said, clearly frustrated. "They have to have gone through the forest. The man turned to go, and relief flooded over me; nevertheless, I knew we couldn't hide for very long. We had to migrate in search of a path out of this dream. I looked at Alex as the footfall receded. "We have to go," I said, urgency pounding through me. He nodded, resolved clearly on his face. Ready to face whatever came next, we crawled out from behind the boxes. Carefully climbing the steps, we listened for any indication of peril. I stopped when we came to the trapdoor, looking back at Marcus. "What do we do next??" Marcus inhaled deeply, his look austere. "We have to figure out a means of compiling information about The Order. Should they have plans, we should know what they are based on. "I agree," Alex said, a gleam of will in his eyes. "We cannot allow them to surprise us once more.