The dawn was coming fast. Mathias woke chilled the bone, the fire the group had made the night before had burned itself out till now it was nothing but a pile of ash, radiating a faint orange glow over the dirt around it. James and Nathan were up as well and the three quickly packed their things neatly into a pile, leaving the small campsite on the edge of the overlook as barren as it had when they had arrived the day before. Carter’s corner of the site however, looked like a pile of trash had built up over the night. Empty water bottles and granola bar wrappers surrounded where he lay, still fast asleep, with drool steadily rolling down his cheek. Soon enough though even Carter awoke as the sun had peaked in rays over the ridge line above them, washing his face with early morning light. Carter opened his eyes and rolled around widely in his sleeping bag. “ Guys I had the worst dream..and I guess it wasn’t a dream” Carter's voice dropped as he saw that neither Eva, Merdoc, or Adao were amongst the people standing in front of him. “ I.. I forgot” Carter stammered. Carter rolled back onto the ground, his hands shading his eyes from the sunlight. In a flood the events of the past two days rolled over him. The cave in, the two days weaving through tunnels in the dark. Carter opened his eyes again, James, Nathan, and Mathias were already walking into the thick jungle once again, following the tiny goat path that was covered with vegetation and undergrowth. Carter gathered his things, crumpled the bottles and stuck them in his backpack, before pursuing James, Nathan, and Mathias. As he followed behind, nobody spoke, they trudged on through the thick brush down the side of the mountain into the valley. Twice they had to cut back because the undergrowth on the path and the rest of the forest were almost indistinguishable. Bugs bite at their necks, and the heat of the summer sun was bearing down on them as they weaved through the thick tangle of trees and shrubs. It was afternoon Carter realized it. He had been replaying the cave in again and again in his mind. He had been replaying the strange sensation as the group had entered the main cavern.. and the glowing rock that poised itself in the middle of the cavern. What happened after that Carter could not remember.
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