Dwellers of the New World Chapter Six ( Pt 4 )

Waiting and waiting, Dawson decided he could sit there no longer so sliding his back up the wall, he put his hands down and lifted himself up. A blood-curdling chill went through him and his body was rigid.

The overpowering smell of decaying flesh was too much, he felt sick to the stomach, but not having eaten all he could do was heave.

The figures seemed to glide with feet hardly touching the ground. As they moved closer there was fear in their eyes, like they were running from something or somebody.

Time seemed to stop as their long-drawn-out advance seemed to progress in slow motion. Suddenly without warning piercing screams ran down the tunnel, with the blink of an eye the figures were upon him.

Dawson felt like his ears would burst the screams were so loud. Shaking and feeling traumatized, he covered his ears with his hands.
Whereupon a mixture of smog and gloom rushed his body. The figures
moved through him, he could feel all their pain and just wanted to escape but couldn't.

'Could his heart take much more of this?' he thought to himself as it pounded in his chest, but still the attack on his body continued, each figure an assault on his system.

Separation...a crushing of misery, all those emotions bombarded his senses. A feeling of being disconnected from reality brought tears to his eyes.

Dawson had never experienced anything like this before. Body shaking...his heart almost breaking with all the wretchedness and a feeling of light headedness, no longer able to stand the tunnel started to spin, he passed out.

The figures disappeared as quickly as they had come, fading away into the smog, their screams gone, once again there was silence. Dawson lay still, his torch by his side, still shining into the darkness.

It did not take long for him to come round, suddenly remembering where he was and what had just occurred, he rubbed his head and began to sit up evaluating the situation, deciding that if he got out of here alive, nobody would believe what had just happened to him.

Picking up his torch he shone it into the far end of the tunnel, but still nothing was clear, though his fear had left him and once again he felt safe enough now to carry on.

Taking his water bottle from his belt, he took a large swig, feeling really thirsty after what had just happened. His food tablets were in his backpack, so he opened it up and removed one, putting it in his mouth and chewing.

Not moving for a while sitting and having time to think, he started feeling a lot better especially after the meal. Dawson began to get to his feet, brushing himself down, he lifted his backpack onto his
shoulders and with torch in hand he continued walking.

Making his way in the direction the figures had come, he suddenly came to an opening in the tunnel. Moving closer he realised it was a huge chamber, for some reason the smog didn't enter. Dawson crept in and once again there was that putrid smell of rotting flesh.

He could not believe his eyes, for all around him were human bones and sculls, 'whoever did this had to either be a cannibal, or was into some kind of ritual gathering!' he thought.

It looked like some life form had been here in the past somehow surviving. Wondering whether people still lived in the caves, he decided to wait a while in case someone returned.

Making himself comfortable on one of the rocks, Dawson noticed some more openings with the smog lining the entrances. It made him
wonder why the smog never entered the chamber? Though he realised anything was possible on a new planet.

As he was waiting and waiting, he became tired, yawning he fell into a deep sleep unaware that eyes were watching him.

Dwellers of the New World Chapter Six ( Pt 5 ) | ABCtales