George got to his feet clutching his upper chest and cursed as he steadied himself on the cave wall. “Damn it! That son of a bitching kid! We shoulda stuck to the plan and taken him out back there. This mother hurts like hell.”
“What the hell did he shoot ya with?”
“I got no idea in hell,” George spat back. Eddie searched the cave floor with his flashlight and eventually landed on the gun.
“That old gun I gave Johnson. I didn’t think that even worked?” said George.
“Son of a bitch,” Eddie said under his breath.
“Let’s end this thing now and then get the hell out of here,” George said through clenched teeth.
“We’ll break out into two directions. But George make sure ya pay attention to each turn ya make. If ya don’t find him then reverse your steps and meet me back here. Got it?”
“But what if he went the other way and he got out of here?” asked George.
“I don’t think he did . . . he tried shooting me before he took off, and I saw the shadow from his light head straight across. If he was heading out, he should have gone around that bend over there instead. Nah . . . he ran in a panic, and now we’re gonna go get’em. And I don’t give a shit if he did find his way out . . . I’m gonna hunt his ass down,” Eddie replied.

Mike panicked when the gun didn’t fire, and he hadn’t really paid attention while he was running. As he stopped to catch his breath, he flicked off his flashlight. The only sound in the darkness was the pounding of his heart. Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead and he reached a hand to wipe them off. What the hell am I gonna do now? Think. Think. As he stood silently, he began to hear the echoing sounds of Eddie’s voice taunting him. It sounded like Eddie was far off, but he couldn’t be sure. Did he go in another direction?
Mike replayed in his mind all of the turns he had taken since leaving the chamber. If he was correct then he had only made one wrong turn. He needed some light in order to find his way back out, but he felt afraid to let his flashlight shine too far ahead. Eddie might see me coming first . . . and he’s the only one with a gun now. Slowly, with his hands cupped over the end of his flashlight, he inched his way around the cavern walls. As he walked, his senses became more aware of his surroundings then they had ever been before in his life. The darkness of the cave no longer seemed to be pitch black, and he could hear the tiniest drops of water pecking the ground. After fifteen minutes of circling, Mike gave up. Where the hell is the path to the exit? He was obviously lost, and he had to fight the constant panic that kept rearing its ugly head within him.
It had been several minutes since he had last heard Eddie’s voice calling his name, and now, there was only silence. He was lost, and he had no idea how to get out. Suddenly, from around the corner he saw a light, and his ears caught the sound of someone approaching. The corner he stood in was tight, and he wasn’t confident he had time to run for it. Eddie would be on him in a minute, but he couldn’t get his mind to free up his legs. They were frozen as he backed up tighter into his corner and tried to conceal the sounds of his breathing. Mike could not believe how loud the sound of his breath was as he tried to stand in complete silence. And then, Eddie was there. Mike could see the shadow of his gun bounce off the wall as Eddie’s flashlight illuminated the tunnel when he made the turn.
“There ya are boy. Where ya think your goin?” Eddie said sadistically. “George, I got’em!” he yelled out.
In the far distance, Mike heard George’s voice bounce back with a single, “Okay.” This confirmation that George wasn’t dead made Mike sick to his stomach. He had wasted his last bullet, and there was now no way out . . . no where to run.
“Smart kid. I give you credit. You got some serious balls,” Eddie said as he leveled his gun.
“Go to hell!” Mike shot back.
“Not today boy,” Eddie replied cooly.