Max grunted as he wiggled through the narrow tunnel. The rough walls scraped against his clothes, the sharp edges almost cutting his skin.
This wasn't what he expected; this was too narrow.
He hooked his leg over a rock, using it as an anchor before he pulled his body over to the other side, only to curse his luck, "Fuck!" His voice was dry with bad luck, the walls had gotten thicker, and the space narrower.
Still, he pushed through. After all, for a professional caver, this wasn't the end of the tunnel yet.
He checked the time on his watch, a little something kept by his late adopted father, who taught him to be a caver, which he now does full time.
Crawling through the cramped passage, he soon reached its end, which led to a large chamber, large enough for him to stand and stretch his limbs.
It was almost the size of a small room, dark and damp; he could hear the steady drip of water in the corner. He turned his hand torch on; coupled with the head torch, it lit up half the space.
"Let's see…" he mumbled as he took out a GoPro from his pocket, starting to record. "What do we have here…" His voice was dripping with anticipation.
"Hey guys, I'm back…" His voice was low, matching the atmosphere of the cave. "Today, I'm in a cave that was rumored…to be a hiding spot for a great thief back in the day."
He then began to slowly walk towards the walls, touching the damp wall with his palms. "Legend says that he stole a priceless artifact from a royal family in Europe."
He turned around, capturing the rest of the chamber in his camera. But he frowned when he saw marks of red stocking on the walls. "Is that…" he whispered with a frown, all while smiling in glee. This video is going to be a banger!
"You know, guys, it is said that there are people still looking for—"
Suddenly, Max froze.
BADUMP
His heart thumped against his chest. His once calm breath turned ragged while blood drained out of his face.
"What the fuck?!" He exclaimed in horror while the GoPro slipped through his hand and fell to the ground, still recording.
His feet seemed to have been glued to the ground while his knees almost gave out. And through the large breaths that stuffed the depleting oxygen into his bloodstream, he saw words, sentences…written in blood!
My name is Theodore, a thief. I am writing this knowing full well that no one would come down here to read it. Yet, something in me compels me to write this.
I stole something precious from a family, something no amount of gold could buy. Something that could cause an endless war and an endless stream of blood.
It was all worth it, and…isn't at the same time.
The necklace I stole, and the power inside it. The power to grant immortality—I wanted it.
I wished, no, I yearned for immortality and the power to grant immortality, yet I was unqualified.
I wasn't a virgin.
I dreamed of eternal life, a life of debauchery with my lovers. But the moment I learned that I cannot have it, I decided. Then no one else can! And that is why I came here, to a new continent.
I wanted it buried with me. Yet my fears that someone would find it…it kept me up at night. And so in my last days, I came down here, a small ignored section of a cave that is hard to find. And so, I rest here. Knowing peacefully that no one else can have this accursed thing other than me.
And if, in case, I'm found ... I CURSE YOU! I CURSE YOU A TERRIBLE LIFE FILLED WITH PAIN AND ANGUISH!! THIS NECKLACE IS MINE! MINE! MINE ALONE!!
Max was now scared shitless! If before it was fun and adventure, now it has turned into a freak guy's death and his obsession.
Yet he couldn't move. He felt stuck, as if the ground had swallowed his legs. He struggled to manage his breath to calm down. Oxygen was the currency here, and he was running very low on it.
He read the writing one more time, his mind still working to believe what he was seeing. And yet, he didn't dismiss it. After all, from the corner of his vision he could see it.
In fact, he could see it from the start, but…his mind refused.
It was a skeleton.
The white bones were glistening under the torch. Max slowly turned towards the skeleton, his face shaking. But then something made the light reflect back into his eyes, causing him to squint. Something that's around his neck.
BADUMP
His heart shuddered, yet he forced his eyes open, turning the torch away as he approached it. Avoiding the writings written on the wall, he reached the skeleton, flashing the torch directly at the necklace.
It was more than just morbid curiosity; it was…a question. What if?
The necklace was more of a pendant, probably made of platinum. Etched onto the pendant was a massive tree, with its inverted image blossoming from its roots into another tree.
Max's hand extended out of its own. His breaths were small and shallow, while his pupils narrowed at the pendant.
His fingers hovered before the rectangle-shaped pendant for a moment, as if hesitant, before pressing forward, touching it.
And the moment he touched it, something zapped into him, a violent jolt. His back arched while his eyes rolled.
The image on the pendant glowed bright green, partially covered by his fingers, still pressing together, while a dark green screen materialized in front of Max.
[Suitable candidate found]
.
.
[No. 7 has been activated!]