I Hate Raisins
A couple on their second date find more than they expected deep inside the Lechuguilla caves. The first writing competition I ever entered, NYC Midnight 500-word Fiction Challenge. The words given: Horror / Freshening Up / Trail Mix.
Maybe a second date with Steve wasn’t my smartest decision. Or, maybe it was letting him convince me to follow the hand drawn map into the Lechuguilla caves, which the old man had called, “luces increibles,” which probably meant, “thanks for the money suckers!”
“I think we got ripped off,” I said as we both stood next to a pool of glowing goopy blue water. I spent four hours mostly crawling trying to get excited about this, and that was four hours I was never getting back. “Steve?”
“Sorry babe, this is so cool!” He said, transfixed on the water. Was he high, again?
I dropped my pack and knelt down. Hot and tired of being dirty, I reached into the water and splashed some on my face to freshen up.
“Ever heard of the mile down club?” Steve asked as he attempted to seductively gyrate into my shoulder while inadvertently kicking my bag into water. “Oh shit!”
“Really?” I said as he fished it out.
“What’s in your bag?” He asked, showing me the front pocket that was now pulsating.
“It’s just trail mix I bought at Allsup’s”
He unzipped the front, squatted, and shook out the contents between us. A lot of raisins and a few peanuts dropped out, now fluttering on the cavern floor.
Steve’s glassy eyes looked at me for an answer. I shrugged, the international sign for _I don’t fucking know!_
As I watched, tiny black threads telescoped from one of the raisins before twitching it forward. An opening formed, stretching wide, that sucked in a peanut wobbling near it. The raisin immediately grew in size.
“Did you see that!” Steve said.
It wasn’t long before the raisins finished off the peanuts and were now the size of plums. That’s when they started consuming one another.
“We should leave! Steve! Are you listening to me?”
Apparently he wasn’t.
I guess it was luck when the only remaining raisin chose him instead of me. It lunged and tore at his neck. The gurgling was my cue to get the hell out of there. Scrambling towards the cavern entrance, I glanced back. The creature ate quickly, almost Steve sized now.
I crouched into the tunnel and crawled as fast as the passageway would allow. My lungs burned as swirls of dust blinded me in the bloom of my headlamp. Was this the right way? An erratic pounding overcame the sound of my labored breathing. It was coming for me.
Finding a narrow crevice, I forced myself inside until I got stuck. I emptied my lungs and pulled with all my strength, finally dropping spent on the other side. A sinewy leg flailed out of nowhere, slapping the walls behind me.
The scream that followed, I’d never forget.
I winced as I rolled over and pushed myself up onto shaky arms. My headlamp, now flickering, illuminated two tunnels that stretched out before me.
I really wish I’d grabbed that map.
Also, I hate raisins.