Lost by S. A. Bodeen

Marco shivered.

 
    15
    Sarah watched Marco limp toward the cave. She pulled on his arm to stop him. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
    He nodded. “Hurt my knee.” He flexed it a couple of times. “Not that bad. Only bruised, I think.”
    She held up the bag. “We should put our shoes back on.”
    Marco also donned his shirt. When they were ready, Sarah said, “Well, I’ll go first.” She walked ahead of Marco and stepped into the cave. For the tiniest of moments as she passed through the mouth, a shock—more like a ripple—ran through her body. She gasped, but before she could say anything, or warn Marco, he was right behind her.
    His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.
    â€œDid you feel that?” Sarah asked.
    Marco nodded. He looked past Sarah, deeper into the blackness that lay ahead of them.
    Sarah reached into the bag for the flashlight, but jerked back at the touch of something ice cold. “What in the—” She reached in the bag again and pulled out the water bottle. The cold of it burned her hand and she dropped it, where it rolled next to Marco’s foot. He nudged it with his toe and the bottle rolled, no water sloshing inside.
    Sarah crouched beside it. “It’s ice. The water is ice.”
    â€œThat’s impossible,” said Marco. But he leaned over to touch the bottle. The water in the bottle was solid ice. “But it was warm. Not even half an hour ago it was warm .”
    Sarah said, “I’m getting out of here. Come on.” She turned to walk out, but suddenly a blue film covered the mouth of the cave and sent her flying backward, screaming. She landed on her back, and her head bounced off the floor of the cave.
    Marco knelt beside her. “Are you hurt?”
    Sarah scrunched up her face and put a hand at the back of her head. “I don’t think so. What was that?”
    Marco turned to look at the mouth of the cave, clear once again. He stood up.
    â€œDon’t try it!” called Sarah.
    â€œI won’t,” said Marco. With his foot, he rolled the water bottle to position it. Then he gave it a hard swipe with the side of his foot, sending it careening toward the mouth of the cave.
    Instantly, the space turned blue and the water bottle exploded, sending shards of cold plastic and ice everywhere. Sarah shrieked as they both put up their hands to shield their faces.
    When it stopped, Marco lowered his arms and looked at Sarah. “Well, I guess we’re not going out that way.” He looked at the dark passageway looming ahead. “Ready?”
    She got to her feet, still rubbing her head. “Do I have a choice?”
    Marco shook his head.
    She took the flashlight and walked just in front of Marco. She had to admit, she was happy he was with her. He seemed almost protective of her since he’d saved her on the cliff. And she didn’t know what she’d have done if he’d gotten eaten up on the beach. She was beginning to feel like she could trust him. And, to be honest, she liked him as much as she liked Nacho. As stepbrothers went, they weren’t all that bad.
    The rock ceiling was only a few feet above their heads. Sarah stretched her arms out to the side, and there were barely a few inches to spare. She sighed.
    â€œBetter than the last time,” said Marco.
    â€œ Oh yeah,” said Sarah. She was relieved that this time, instead of everything closing in as they moved forward, the ceiling gradually drifted higher, until it was way over their heads. The walls widened, expanding enough so that they could walk side by side.
    Sarah realized that the blackness of the cave had lightened considerably. She stopped walking and flicked off the flashlight. Although the way in front of them was dim, they could still see. She flicked the flashlight back on. “Why is it so light?” she asked.
    Marco pointed ahead of them. “It gets even lighter up