Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromTheCreeps/comments/1t5lkzg/the_den_of_a_thousand_voices_part_1/
If John was serious he would have called a rescue team out here already and they’d be on their way. They would have to come across this point. I figured I could search the cave a little bit longer and hopefully find this damsel in distress before the rescue team arrives. Then they could help us both across the jump. At the very least, it'd be better than just sitting around and waiting.
After I regenerated the strength in my legs, I stood and proceeded onward.
The cave halls were wide again. I didn’t have to crawl or shimmy through any tight spaces anymore. As I continued my search for the lost woman, something dawned on me. I’ve been in this cave for probably ten minutes at this point, only going in one direction, and the volume of the woman hasn’t seemed to change. Was she fading away from me as I pursued her? Maybe she was disoriented and looking for a way out but couldn’t tell where my voice was coming from. Maybe it's just hard to tell the distance of sound in a cave and I didn’t know because I had never been in one before. My mind buzzed with solutions for this strange realization until I stumbled upon a new area. The wide crevice I was walking through cut into a massive opening. I stuck my light into the new territory and was taken aback.
It was a giant tunnel. It was almost perfectly round, about nine feet in diameter. It was like a giant gopher had dug a tunnel through the stone. I stepped out from my crevice and into the tunnel. I couldn’t see the end of either side with my shitty phone light. I walked to the other wall and laid my hand on it. The stone felt and looked the same as the rest of the cave, only this time it was all smooth. No rough edges protruding anywhere. There was a new decision to be made. Left or right?
“Hello! Can you hear me?” I called out, hoping she would give me the answer.
“Help!” she echoed. The sound came from my right.
I stepped to the right and a breeze followed me. It was light but definitely noticeable. With this new found information I continued on. The tunnel was completely uniform. It was so wide it was uncomfortable. Like something lurked in the dark waiting for my misstep.
As I walked through the ominous tunnel I was left with just my thoughts. What was this tunnel? Why was it so round? I thought maybe it was a mineshaft at some point in time but that didn’t make sense. There were no indicators of humans having ever been here. There were no wooden support beams or signs of tracks on the ground and most mines in stone like this would not be round, they would be square. If humans had made this then it was for a peculiar reason.
Continuing through, I noticed something bizarre coming out of the ceiling. It was wood. But it wasn’t cut or processed like you would see in a mine and it definitely wasn’t something you would see this far underground. They looked like roots, thick and firm, cutting through the stone roof and re-entering the wall. Was I not as deep as I thought I was? These roots persisted and raised in quantity the deeper I journeyed into the tunnel.
Eventually I reached a dead end. I stepped to it and reached out. This wall was different from the cave I had grown bored of. It was cool like the cave, but was smooth and sleek, no grainy stone texture. It appeared to be a bunch of smaller stones stacked on top of each other with tight grooves between each other. Each rock was a slightly different color of orange and formed a sort of diamond pattern in certain points. Had someone built this wall? I examined the edges where the end met the tunnel and recognized that they were flush against each other, but they definitely weren’t joined together.
It must be a door of some sort. I ran my dirt coated fingers along the grooves, searching for any sort of clue on how to open it. It was fruitless. Each stone felt the exact same. With no other options, I did what I had gotten so accustomed to doing.
“Ma’am can you hear me?!”
Silence.
Either this woman somehow found a way through this door or I missed something on the march through the tunnel. I decided to back track and thoroughly search the walls for any signs. I wasn’t sure what signs I was looking for, but I had to look for something.
As I retraced my steps I noticed it. There was a crevice on the right side of the wall. It was thin. I would have to shimmy through it.
“Help!” the crevice shouted.
I was getting tired of this cry. However this time the plea was loud. She must have been close.
“Are you through this crevice?”
“I’m right here!” she responded nervously, her voice shaking slightly.
“How far in the tunnel are you?” It was nice to finally get a direct response to something I said.
“I’m right here!” Her voice quivered in the exact same manner as before.
A chill ran across my skin. The way she said it was wrong. It was like she was on a recording and had played the same audio twice in a row. I suddenly became extremely aware of my surroundings. The gap I had originally come through was maybe a hundred feet away. I considered how long it would take for me to run there. I calmed myself before asking another question. Maybe I was over reacting.
“Whats your name?”
The air was silent for some time. Then I got the response I was afraid of.
“Help!”
I gasped.
It all came to me at once. Every time she had cried out for help, it sounded the exact same. I don’t know how it took me so long to notice. I guess I hadn’t paid much attention to it because it was only one word. I mean how different can a distressed cry for help really sound.
I turned and ran. Something was luring me.
The earth trembled under me as I bolted. The wind came back. It was weaker than it was at the jump, but still strong. It fought me as I rushed to the exit but it was no match this time. I reached the crevice I entered the tunnel from when a sound echoed through it that froze me in place.
“I’m right here!”
I didn’t know what to do. The gale drove stronger now and it knocked me on my ass. Everything halted at once. My heart pounded and my mind raced. I froze up. It took me a whole minute to decide what to do. All my senses came back to me at once and I shot up. I sped off through the tunnel but this time I went to the left.
Whatever haunted me moved quickly. It wanted me to go through one of the crevices. The only option was to explore the other side of the tunnel. There was air flow in this cave which meant there had to be another way out and it must have been through this side.
I walked briskly through the new path, my legs too shaky to run. The wind picked up again, opposing my determination. The roots reappeared, but this time they were plentiful and made their presence known. They lined the walls and ground like a web of timber. I now had to be aware of my steps so as not to trip. I walked and walked until I encountered a crossroad in the tunnel. The wind fell into a slight chilly breeze.
This crossroad was peculiar. The paths to the left and right both rounded forward and made a wall around the path directly ahead. It was shaped like a trident. Without much thought, I went left.
My phone shook slightly in my anxious hands. The roots were everywhere now. They caked the floor and demanded attention with every step. I quickly stumbled upon another crossroad, however the tunnels were straight in all four directions. My light barely illuminated any of the routes. I kept left again.
Only this turn did not greet me with a tunnel. It was a small chamber, about the size of a middle-class bedroom. The walls curved in all directions forming a sphere. The roots did not dress the floor here, only the ceiling. Dust particles floated in the air like pixies. I shined my light in the center of the room. The silhouette of six giant ovular shapes held in the distance. I stepped cautiously towards them when my foot sank a moment. The floor was no longer stone but mud. I trekked forward hoping they weren’t what I thought they were. But hopes don’t determine reality. They were eggs. They were bunched up, pale white and stood as tall as my hips, hugging each other for warmth. I stuck my hand out toward my discovery and pressed my palm into them, only to quickly retract it out of surprise once I felt them. They were like leather. The shells sank with pressure and were slightly warm and damp.
“Get away!” a deep voice yelled this time from behind me.
My heart sank. I spun around as quickly as I could to face whatever stalked me.
Darkness.
The wind picked up once more and practically forced me out of the incubator. I ran straight ahead, high stepping over the roots in the hall. It wasn’t long before I entered a new chamber and the wind relaxed.
This space was at least twice the size of the previous room. I stood still in the center of it, puzzled. There was light in this room. It was dim, but still light. I looked up and became more confused. The roof was made of wood. The roots shaped a multilayered web and light barely shone through the gaps between. I must be close to the surface. After taking in the environment above me, I twirled around slowly to meet the surroundings on my level. I held my phone out in front of me and realized that this room had four entrances, it was another crossroad. However this time one of the paths was blocked.
In the way of the blocked exit was a large, tan stone structure, almost shaped like corn, and its tip pointed out towards me. It was as tall as me. I stared at it for a moment before it did something shocking. It began to move. It slowly lifted off the ground and began pointing upwards towards the roots. The cave quaked lightly beneath me. The breeze flowed through me softly. Hairs all over my body stood up in anticipation. The tip was now aiming directly up. It held still briefly, displaying its marvelous frame. Then all hell broke loose.
It shook violently and my ears were attacked before I knew it.
A thousand pleas begged at once.
“HELP ME!” the woman cried out.
“WHAT THE FUCK!” a man screamed.
“OH MY GOD!”
“HOLY SHIT!
“PLEEEEASE NOOO!”
“GOD HELP ME!”
I covered my ears and held my head down. What the fuck is happening? The chamber echoed the cries and shook my whole being. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed with fear. The wailing held for what felt like an eternity but stopped abruptly when it had. The structure held still once again. Everything quit at once but my body took it all in for another minute. Once I finally recovered my hearing, I noticed a dragging sound coming from behind me. The sound stopped and I whipped around to confront it.
The exit behind me was closed off. However, this blockade was familiar. It was the same door that had halted me at the dead end. Only this time the center was different. A large yellow and black ball stared at me. Its colors spiraled beautifully like a camera shutter. I held its gaze for an unknown amount of time. Its mere presence was exhilarating. Suddenly my body felt warm. My dry mouth was now moist and my ringing ears quieted. My strength had been restored. My fear had been washed away. I desired nothing more than to be in this moment for eternity. I took two steps toward the magnificent spiral before it moved. The door slid to the right and the cave grumbled. Once the eye retracted behind the cave wall, all of my senses, thoughts, hopes, dreams, emotions, everything came back in an instant. I was suddenly aware of the situation.
The monster was about to strike.
I sprinted towards its tail with all the might in my scrawny legs. I covered the ground in an instant and a split second after reaching its other end, it lunged. I hugged the tail last second before it reached me. It missed. The fangs sank into its rattle and it recoiled in pain.
Chaos ensued once again.
Red warm blood splattered across the cave walls and soaked my whole person. It flailed even more violently than before. A billion more screams deafened the room, each shriek belonging to a different voice. I covered my ears but it was no use.
I have to get out of here.
The serpent’s head and tail blocked two of the exits and the other one, where I came from, was blocked by its thick body. With my replenished strength, I took advantage of the monster’s distracted state and raced out of the only exit left. I lunged into the tunnel and my foot caught a protruding root. I fell face first and rolled down a small ramp.
The taste hit me first. It was the most foul flavor my palette had ever beheld. I vomited on the spot. I got a mouth full of shit when I tripped. The smell hit me second as I hurled out everything I had ever consumed. I had dropped my phone but thankfully the light was pointing upward so I found it quickly after my oral release. I quickly panned the light across the room and was astonished. It was the same size as the incubation room, but the roots lined every wall, ceiling and floor. In the center of the room was a pile of feces and I had fallen into it. What was in the feces made everything in me drop. Half digested bones. Most were just random bones that could have been from any animal, but one especially caught my eye. The left half of a human skull. The roots sank into the feces and feasted like greedy kings.
I had never feared for my life before this moment. My blood was boiling as it raced throughout my body. I began to hyperventilate. I would have fallen into cardiac arrest in that moment had the monster not snapped me out of it.
The beast stopped writhing. The earth fell still and the shouts of the damned hushed.
I was brought back.
The serpent rushed off, supposedly hunting me. It must have lost my scent when I fell into its toilet.
I stood, dressed in snake shit, blood, and puke, and felt my heart fill with determination. I have to get out of here.
I sprinted off to the left, dancing over the roots. If my orientation was correct then I was in the right tunnel of that curving crossroad and hugging the left wall would get me out. The tunnel shook violently as the snake bashed around rapidly in my search. Dirt loosened from the roof and the roots tangled at my feet. Wind blew through my hair like a blow dryer on the highest setting.
I had never been so terrified. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and I glided through the tunnels. I came back to that curved crossroad and took a left. The roots returned to the walls and ceilings, allowing my pace to quicken. There would be a crevice on the right tunnel wall that led back to the jump and the exit. The floor vibrated underneath my every step and the rattle called out randomly.
“Hello?”
“I’m starving.”
“What was that?”
“Fuck I wish I brought my flashlight,” all said in alternating voices from different walks of life.
It abandoned its strategy and threw everything at the wall. It was just repeating nonsense hoping something would stick and lure me. It’s plan was stupid, but it almost worked.
Maybe I had just imagined it. Maybe my mind was fucking with me in my frightened state. But I could have sworn I heard my own voice mixed in with the other desperate calls.
It said “Ma’am can you hear me?” in my own voice.
My body shuddered and I nearly tripped. The rumbling was getting louder. It was getting closer. The wind alternated directions randomly. I wasn’t much further from the crevice I slipped out of. My heart pounded and pounded. My legs felt like they were about to fall apart. With nothing to lose, I prayed. My feet alternated expeditiously as I begged God to help me and let me live. Then I recognized the crack in the wall. I launched myself through it and floated along until I heard a loud crash behind me.
It was so strong it almost knocked me off my feet.
“HISSSSSSSSSS,” reverberated through the small crevice.
It was at the mouth of the entrance I had just crossed, slamming its head against it.
BANG… BANG… BANG.
It had caught up.
The walls shook. My legs were a mess trying to support myself. BANG. I snapped out of my stupor and headed towards the exit once more. The path was easy to traverse and I quickly made it back to the jump. I didn’t even think about it this time. I kept up my pace and used all of my momentum to launch myself over the abyss. I leapt off my left leg with all my vigor and barely cleared the void. I landed on the ball of my right foot, my heel hanging over the lip of the abyss. My momentum carried me forward and forced me into a roll. I sprang up instantly and took one last glance at the pit. Thank God.
I continued my escape and met the crawlspace. All of the rumbling had gotten the better of it. It was lower than before, but I could still fit. I dropped to my chest and began wiggling through. If I attempted a push up now it wouldn’t even count as half a rep. The cave continued its tremors. I began to worry that the crawlspace would collapse on me. With the fear of being crushed ever so present, I practically slid across the rubble. I didn’t know it was possible to crawl as fast as I had. I reached an expansion point. I could now crawl on all fours instead of my belly. I moved like a greyhound with a steak at the finish line. The stone slab above me began to quiver. I was nearly at the end when it lost the battle to the pebbles sitting atop it. The small stones rolled on my back as I pried myself out of the crawlspace. They weren’t too heavy, but they were hard and cascaded into the back of my head. Little gumballs flicking against my cranium. The den made a final attempt at imprisoning me and the slab dropped on my right foot. It was the only part of me that hadn’t made it out of the crawlspace. The pain wasn’t noticeable in my state of adrenaline, but my lack of movement was. My foot was stuck. I wiggled it around until it slipped out of my shoe. I bounced up immediately. Back on my feet, I used every last bit of adrenaline to traverse the clearing and escape, leaving a memento of myself in the cave.
Rocks shifted loudly behind me. The snake hissed and mimicked endlessly. I finally saw the light of the forest and heard a giant crash behind me. Somewhere in those stone corridors, the walls had collapsed. Any ongoing commotions were silenced and the earth held still. I could see John from the cave.
I jogged slowly out of the mouth, all of my energy sapped. At first John didn’t notice me. He was pacing back and forth staring at his feet while Kenny laid down next to him. It wasn’t until he smelled me when he reacted to my arrival.
“Oh my god! What happened? Are you okay?”
I dropped to my knees and hunched over. I tried to hurl one last time, but there was nothing to release. Saliva hung from my lips as my hands slapped the grass. I rolled over to my back and panted like a chihuahua in a hot car. My muscles were so weak they could have fallen off like a smoked rib. I thought my heart would explode at the speed it was pounding. After a few minutes, I began to relax and finally caught my breath. John just stared at me as I laid in my disheveled state.
He lowered himself next to me and inquired in almost a whisper “What the fuck happened?”
I couldn’t respond. I was just happy to be alive. I tried to recall everything that happened but my mind was a mess.
“I’m … okay,” I finally got out, still panting.
John dropped down on his butt and said “There’s a rescue team on the way. They’ll see if you’re really okay.”
Kenny pranced up to me and helped himself to a long lick across my filthy face.
“Hey stop that, that's disgusting!” John yelled.
We sat in silence for I don’t know how long before a crew of three firemen arrived.
“Are you John?” asked the head of the crew in a deep firm voice, looking at my friend. He was tall with dark hair and a full beard, probably in his 30s.
“Yes I am,” he responded
“Name’s Paul. Is this the friend you called about?” the leader questioned while examining me with an eyebrow raised.
“Yes he is. He just made it out a few minutes ago.”
“What happened to you buddy?” The man now spoke to me.
I couldn’t muster a response.
“Are you hurt?”
I shook my head unassuredly.
“Can you stand?”
I laid there for a moment and tried out my legs. I leaned into a squat and pushed my weight up. Back on my feet, I looked at the man and nodded.
“Can you walk?”
I looked at the ground, picked up my right foot and took a tiny step. I looked back at the leader. He wasn’t impressed. Slowly, I took a slightly bigger step, and then a bigger one until I finally walked like a grown man again.
“Alright friend. we’re gonna escort you down the trail and we’ll take a look at you and clean you up back at the truck. Is that okay?”
I nodded weakly.
“Alright then. You don’t have to talk right now, but once we get back down you’re gonna need to tell us what happened,” he spoke in a fatherly tone.
The walk back was silent. The pain in my foot was starting to set in and I began to limp slightly. John’s eyes were glued to me the entire time. He was like a mom who had just watched his son get laid out in a football game. I glanced at him a few times, but never said anything.
It took half an hour. It gave me enough time to reflect on everything that happened. Once we returned I shed my soiled outfit and the firemen gave me a change of oversized clothes. I washed off with damp rags and felt like a new person. Any evidence of that awful experience had been wiped from my body. I sat on the edge of their truck with a coat laying over my shoulders like a blanket when Paul started.
“Sorry we don’t have any shoes for ya, you’re just gonna have to pirate this one out. Anyway, are you ready to tell us what happened?” he said in a low, warm tone.
I relayed everything. From the sentient winds, to the giant eggs, to the rattle that lured me there in the first place. Saying it aloud, I felt insane. I mean a giant snake lured me into its lair with its hypnotic powers. The only evidence of any of my story was the feces that coated my clothes, but you could find a billion excuses for that. I could only hope that they’d believe me.
After I spewed my story, John pulled the crew aside and conversed with them privately. He spoke silently but I could make out some of what he was saying.
“He has a history… it’s like a coping mechanism… he just needs some time.”
All my years of silly meaningless lies had caught up to me.
The group broke and the leader approached me cautiously. “Alright friend, we’re gonna let you go now. There's not much we can do for you at this moment. In a few days, when your mind is right, you can file a report at your local police station if you want to tell them what happened.”
I was tired. I didn’t want to argue with them. I’d try to convince John some other time, but I just wanted to go home and lay in my bed now.
“Okay,” I whimpered.
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” Paul said in his best customer service voice. Then he and his grunts got back in the truck and drove off, leaving me with John and Kenny.
I stared at John, life drained from my eyes. “Can you take me home?”
“Yeah. Let’s get you home.” He was tired too.
The drive back was just as silent as the descent from the trail. The air was awkward. I was disappointed that John didn’t believe me. He tried to crack a joke.
“So I guess we’re not getting Mexican food huh?”
I didn’t respond. I was looking out the window but I could tell he was half smiling when he said it. I sensed his lips turn from a grin to a frown in response to my silence.
We finally reached my house after the painful 30 minute ride. I got out of his corolla as soon as it stopped in the driveway. I gave Kenny a pat on the head and waved bye to John, slamming his door shut.
I heard the window rolling down as I walked away. “Nick!” John exclaimed.
I stopped and turned my head to face him, keeping my body square to the walkway.
He turned the car off and leapt out of the driver’s seat. He sped over to me and his words left me with more disappointment.
“Can you please tell me what actually happened?”
“I did.”
With that I stomped into my house and left John in my walkway. I didn’t look back. I jumped in the shower and knocked out the moment my head hit my pillow.
It’s been three days since that happened. John has been texting me like a therapist.
“I understand… What you went through must have been traumatizing… Please come to me when you feel comfortable talking about it.”
He still didn’t believe me. He just thought I was some helpless puppy. I’ve told a few other people about this but they all give me the same look. Even my parents don’t believe me.
I’ve run out of options. I just need someone to believe me. Someone to maintain eye contact with me when I tell them my story. Someone to tell me I’m sane.
This is my last ditch effort. I’ve come to the internet in hopes that someone can fulfill any of those criteria. So please believe me. I swear on everything I love, this story is true.
If you don’t trust me then I can’t blame you. I understand how absurd it is. But if anyone gets anything out of this, I want them to beware of any ominous caves. If you hear a cry for help under the earth, think twice about being a hero. And if you choose to ignore my warnings, be prepared to be written off as insane.