Trapped Like A Bug
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It was a bright, sunny day in the middle of summer. The sun shone down on them as they stood at the edge of the forest. There were no clouds to be seen anywhere; it seemed like there would never again be rain or snow. It had been a long time since this kind of weather had graced their world.
“I’m not sure I can take any more of this,” said Mike. “This is too much.”
He looked up into the sky and sighed deeply. He’d already spent so many days out here that he felt like his body might melt away if he didn’t get some fresh air soon.
“Yeah…it’s really hot…” muttered Joann, who was standing beside him. She shaded her eyes with one hand and squinted at the sky. Her face glistened with sweat.
The heat wave that had hit town hadn’t let up for over two weeks now. They couldn’t go outside without sweating buckets, even when they went shopping in the evening. Even though she was wearing an outfit made from light fabric, Joann still felt sticky all over.
She wiped her forehead with the back of her arm and then took another look around. “Hey! Where are those guys?”
Mike turned toward where she pointed. There wasn’t anyone else nearby. Just the three of them, alone in the middle of nowhere.
“Where did everyone go? Did we lose them somewhere along the way?” asked Mike.
Joann shook her head. “No, they’re right behind us. We just haven’t noticed them yet.”
They both glanced back at the trees. Sure enough, there were several people hiding among the shadows.
“What do you think they want?” wondered Joann.
“Well, I don’t know what they’ve got planned, but whatever it is, it must be pretty important.”
“You mean they could attack us at any moment?!” exclaimed Joann.
Mike nodded. “That’s exactly what I meant. If they wanted to kill us, they wouldn’t have waited until now. And besides, they probably aren’t planning anything that bad.”
“But…”
“We’ll make it through this somehow,” said Mike. He put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a comforting smile. “Don’t worry about it. Everything will work out fine.”
Joann smiled weakly back at him. Then she turned her gaze forward again and scanned the area ahead.
There was nothing unusual about the scenery—just grassy hills covered in green plants. But something was off.
Mike followed her line of sight. “Huh…? What’s wrong?”
Ahead of them, the hill sloped downward. As they descended deeper into the valley, the ground became rocky and uneven.
“Is this the place we need to go?” asked Joann.
Mike looked around. There was indeed a large rock formation jutting up from the earth. It was shaped like a giant boulder, and its surface was rough and pitted.
“Looks like it,” he replied.
As they approached the rock, the three of them heard voices coming from inside it.
“So, how does it feel to be locked up in here?”
“Oh, shut up!”
“Why should I listen to you? You’re the one who brought me here.”
“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t have tried to kill me first. That’s why I’m doing this.”
“Shut your mouth! Don’t talk about killing someone like it’s nothing!”
“I told you, I’m not going to hurt you. So stop acting so scared.”
“H-How dare you?! How dare you threaten me?!”
“Calm down, will ya? Now, tell me: Why are you trying to escape?”
“Because I hate being trapped in here! I wanna get outta here!”
“And why do you want to leave?”
“Because I want freedom! Freedom from my master!”
“Your master?”
“Yes, Master! My master has imprisoned me here against my will!”
“Ha ha! You’re hilarious! Ha ha ha!”
“Stop laughing, you jerk! This isn’t funny!”
“C’mon, don’t cry. You’re making me laugh.”
“I won’t forgive you for this, you hear me?!”
“Now, now, calm down. No need to get angry.”
“I swear I’ll kill you!”
“Okay, okay. Calm down. Don’t get so worked up.”
“I’ll never forget what you’ve done to me!!”
“Good. Because I plan on doing it again.”
“You’re gonna regret this! I promise you!”
“Whatever. Let’s see how long you last once I start torturing you.”
“Ngh… Nnnngh…”
“Oh, quit whining. You’re lucky I decided to spare you. Otherwise, you would have been dead by now.”
“I’ll kill you for that! I swear I will!”
“If you try to run away, I’ll hunt you down and kill you. Do you understand?”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“Good. Now, get moving. I have other prisoners to deal with.”
“O-Okay… Okay, I’m going!”
“See? Easy as pie.”
“Ugh…”
“Come on, hurry up. The sooner you get out of here, the better.”
“W-Wait a second! I can’t move!”
“Of course not. You’re paralyzed. Get used to it.”
“Ngh… Ngh…”
“Get moving already!”
“Gah… Gaaaahh…”
The voices grew louder and more distorted as they continued their conversation. They sounded like they were arguing over something.
“Hey, Mike. What do you think those two are talking about?” asked Joann.
“I dunno. Maybe they’re fighting each other or something.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“No. I just thought it might be fun to imagine they’re having some kind of epic battle inside there.”
Joann laughed. “It sounds like they’re actually fighting, though.”
“Maybe they’re both evil villains and they’re battling for supremacy.”
“Or maybe they’re just normal people who got caught up in something crazy and ended up here.”
“Either way, I hope they survive,” said Mike.
They stood quietly for a while longer, listening to the voices echoing within the stone.
Then, suddenly, the voices stopped.
After a few seconds, the rock began to shake violently.
“What is this?” wondered Mike.
He watched the rock closely, but it didn’t seem to change shape or anything.
Suddenly, the rock split open. A pair of eyes appeared in the opening.
“Whoa!” exclaimed Joann.
Mike quickly stepped backward.
“Wh-Where did that come from?” he whispered.
“I don’t know,” she answered. “But whatever it is, I’d stay away from it if I were you.”
“That thing looks dangerous.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
A moment later, another eye popped into existence. Then a nose. And then a mouth.
“This is weird,” remarked Mike.
“Well, yeah. But it’s also kinda cool.”
Soon, the creature had fully formed. It was humanoid in appearance, but its skin was grayish white instead of flesh tone. Its face looked vaguely human, but it possessed no discernible features. There were only two holes where its ears should have been.
Its body was covered in thick black hair, which made it look even more alien.
“Wow, it’s creepy,” said Joann.
“Yeah, it does sort of remind me of an insect.”
“Is it a bug?”
“I don’t know. Something like that, anyway.”
“Hmm…”
The creature tilted its head slightly to one side and stared at them with its blank eyes.
“Um, hi,” said Mike.
“Hi,” replied the creature.
“Uh, we’re new here. We’re trying to find our way around.”
“Welcome to the dungeon.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you lost?”
“We’re looking for the entrance.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. Follow me.”
The creature turned and started walking toward the exit.
“Wait, wait! Where are you going?” shouted Mike.
“To the entrance. To lead you back to your world.”
“What?!”
“Yes. This is my job. I am a guide.”
“Huh? Wait, you mean you’re supposed to help us escape?”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
“Because I want to go home.”
“Home?”
“Yes. My home. The place where I belong.”
“So, you’re telling me you’re trapped here too?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“You see, when I was young, I went exploring deep into the forest. All alone. I never came back.”
“And you’ve been stuck here ever since?”
“Yes.”
“How long has it been?”
“Twenty years.”
“Wow, that’s pretty old.”
“I’m getting tired of living like this. I want to return to my family.”
“Your family? Your real parents?”
“Yes. My mother and father.”
“Oh, man. Sorry. I wish I could help you get out of here, but—”
“Don’t worry about it. I understand.”
“Okay. Well, thanks for helping us.”
“My pleasure.”
“Bye now.”
“Goodbye.”
As soon as they left the room, the creature disappeared.
***
When they exited the stone chamber, they found themselves standing on a narrow ledge high above a vast chasm. Below them, the ground sloped down sharply. They couldn’t tell how far below they were, because the cliff wall blocked their view.
“Hey, what’s that over there?” asked Joann.
She pointed to a small cave on the other side of the chasm.
“Let’s check it out,” suggested Mike.
“Sounds good to me.”
They walked across the ledge and entered the cave. Inside, they saw a large pile of bones.
“Looks like someone died here,” observed Joann.
“Maybe we can ask him for directions.”
“Or maybe he’ll bite off our heads,” added Mike.
“Not likely.”
“So, uh…how do we get down?”
“There must be some kind of ladder somewhere.”
“Yeah, but where would it be?”
“I don’t know.”
Joann searched all around the cavern, but she couldn’t find any sign of a ladder.
“Guess we’ll just have to jump,” said Mike.
“No way!”
“Come on, Joann. You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”
“Of course I’m scared! I hate heights!”
“Then let’s climb up to the top of the cliff and come back down again.”
“That sounds like fun.”
Mike led her to the edge of the cliff.
“Whoa, look at that drop!” exclaimed Joann.
“It doesn’t look so bad from here.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yep.”
“Well, okay then.”
“Ready?”
“Sure.”
“Here goes nothing.”
He grabbed hold of the rock wall and pulled himself upward. He climbed quickly, using his hands and feet to pull himself up. When he reached the top, he jumped onto the ledge.
“See? Easy peasy.”
“Wow, you’re amazing.”
“Just doing my job.”
“You’re awesome.”
“Thanks.”
“Now, let’s try it together.”
Together, they began climbing up the cliff face. It wasn’t easy, but eventually they made it to the top.
“Whew! That was close.”
“Yeah, I thought you’d fall.”
“I didn’t think I had much choice.”
“You did great.”
“Thanks.”
“Do you feel better now?”
“A little bit.”
“Me too.”
“So, what next?”
“We need to figure out how to get down.”
“Agreed.”
“Where should we start looking?”
“The cave with the bones.”
“Right.”
They headed toward the cave. As they approached, they heard a loud sound coming from inside.
“Did you hear that?” whispered Joann.
“Hear what?”
“Something big fell in there.”
“Probably just an animal.”
“I hope so.”
“Let’s keep going.”
Inside the cave, they saw a huge pile of bones. The floor was covered with bones, and there were piles of bones stacked against the walls.
“What is this place?” wondered Joann.
“This looks like a graveyard.”
“Why would anyone bury their dead here?”
“I guess they didn’t have anywhere else to put them.”
“I wonder if they’re human.”
“I doubt it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“How do you know?”
“Because they’re not wearing clothes.”
“But why would people live here without any clothing?”
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe they’re naked.”
“Naked?”
“Yes.”
“Like, completely nude?”
“Exactly.”
“That seems weird.”
“I agree.”
“And gross.”
“Definitely.”
“Whatever happened to decency?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s creepy.”
“Very creepy.”
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
They left the cave and continued exploring the area. After walking through several more caves, they came upon another one. This time, when they entered, they found a man lying on the ground. His arms and legs were bound, and he was gagged with strips of cloth.
“Oh no!” cried Joann. “Someone’s been kidnapped!”
“I’m not surprised,” replied Mike.
“What are we gonna do?”
“First things first.”
“Which is?”
“Get him free.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. We’ll think of something.”
“Can you untie his ropes?”
“I can try.”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
Mike knelt beside the man and gently removed the gag.
“Thank you,” said the man.
“Don’t mention it.”
“My name is James. What’s yours?”
“Michael.”
“Nice to meet you, Michael. My friends call me Joann.”
“Joann. Nice to meet you.”
“Would you mind telling us who took you?”
“I’m not sure. They told me to wait here for someone named ‘the doctor.'”
“Doctor?” asked Joann.
“Yes. Doctor.”
“Doesn’t that mean he’s a doctor?”
“No. He’s a witch doctor.”
“A witch doctor?”
“Yes.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“Bad.”
“Really?”
“Very.”
“Well, what does he want with you?”
“He wants to study me.”
“Study you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To learn about my powers.”
“Your powers?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of powers?”
“Telekinesis.”
“Telekinesis?”
“Yes.”
“That sounds cool.”
“Cool?”
“Yes.”
“I guess.”
“Do you guys have telekinetic abilities?”
“Not really.”
“Neither do I.”
“I’ve never tried.”
“Have you ever wanted to?”
“Sure.”
“Then why haven’t you?”
“I don’t know.”
“I wish I could move stuff around with my mind.”
“Me too.”
“I bet you could make some money doing that.”
“I don’t know.”
“I think it might be fun.”
“You think so?”
“Of course.”
“I guess so.”
“So, how did you get captured?”
“I was out hunting.”
“Hunting?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“In the woods.”
“Were you alone?”
“Yes.”
“Who were you hunting?”
“Animals.”
“What kinds of animals?”
“Big ones.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Wow! That must have been exciting.”
“Exciting? No. It was scary.”
“Scary?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because there were lots of them.”
“Lots of what?”
“Wild animals.”
“Did you kill any?”
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“Four.”
“Four wild animals?”
“Yes.”
“That’s amazing!”
“Yeah.”
“I’d love to hunt like that someday.”
“I hope you do.”
“Will you help me escape from this place?”
“We’re trying to figure out a way to do just that.”
“Are you going to rescue me?”
“Maybe.”
“Please do.”
“All right. Let’s see if we can find anything useful in these caves.”
The End