Finn rushed towards a narrow crevice, every second stretching into an eternity. The creatures' screams echoed off the walls, creating the sensation that they were already right beside him. Squeezing into the passage, he crawled forward, pushing off with his elbows and knees against the rough stone.
The tulwar in his right hand illuminated the path, its golden glow trembling with his movements. Behind him, the scraping of claws on stone could be heard – the creatures were trying to squeeze into the passage. Their screams now sounded muffled, but no less frightening for it.
The passage seemed endless. The damp walls pressed in on him from all sides, cold drops falling down his neck. His backpack snagged on protrusions, slowing him down, but Finn didn't dare abandon it – it contained all his supplies and equipment.
Finally, the crevice led him into a gallery with ancient drawings. In his haste, he barely noticed them – the figures of hunters and animals merged into a blurred mass in the flickering light of the sword. The pursuers' screams grew louder – it seemed the first of them had managed to overcome the narrow passage.
Finn ran past scenes of ancient hunts, past dancing figures and mysterious spirals. His footsteps echoed off the walls, mingling with the roars of the creatures behind him. Handprints on the walls seemed to reach out to him, as if the ghosts of long-dead people were trying to grab the fleeing boy.
The air grew stuffier as he approached the place where he had woken up. His lungs burned from the rapid run, but fear drove him forward. The light of the tulwar darted across the walls, casting bizarre shadows that seemed to move on their own.
The corridor narrowed, turning first right, then left. Finn remembered this path, though now everything looked different – perhaps due to haste, or perhaps due to fear distorting his perception. Behind him, the sounds of the chase grew clearer – the creatures clearly knew these caves better than he did.
Suddenly, he stumbled over a protruding stone and almost fell. Regaining his balance, Finn leaned against the wall for a second, trying to catch his breath. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it would leap out of his chest. At that moment, a particularly loud scream echoed through the corridor – they were approaching.
The final sprint brought him to a small pocket of the cave where he had woken up. The place looked exactly the same – the same uneven walls, the same stone ledge that had served as his bed. Only now everything seemed smaller, tighter, as if the cave had shrunk from fear of the approaching creatures.
Finn frantically looked around, trying to find a way to escape. There had to be another exit – he couldn't have just materialized in this cave! The light of the tulwar slid across the walls, picking out every crack, every protrusion from the darkness. The creatures' screams grew closer, their echoes seeming to fill the entire space.
Suddenly, a beam of light fell on a barely noticeable crack in the far corner of the cave. It was so narrow that Finn hadn't noticed it before. But now, with death breathing down his neck, this crack seemed like his only chance of salvation.
He rushed towards it. The crack turned out to be slightly wider than it looked in the dim light. Finn began to squeeze into it, feeling the sharp edges of the stone scratch his skin even through his clothes.
Behind him, the sound of crumbling stones echoed – the first pursuers had reached the cave. Their screams now sounded triumphant, they sensed their prey was close. Finn redoubled his efforts, wriggling like a snake, trying to squeeze through the narrow passage.
The cold air blowing from the crack gave him strength. His backpack, wedged between his chest and the stone, hindered his movement, but Finn continued to push forward. Sharp protrusions scratched his back, his clothes caught on every stone, but fear drove him onward, not allowing him to stop.
Furious roars from the creatures could be heard behind him – they had reached the entrance to the crack. Finn heard their claws scraping on the stone, their attempts to squeeze in after him. But their hunched backs, too wide for the narrow passage, prevented them from moving further. Their roars, full of rage and disappointment, echoed off the walls.
The passage gradually widened, leading into a small cave pocket. Finn literally fell out of the crack, breathing heavily. The space was so low that he had to bend over – the ceiling was about at chest level. The light of the tulwar picked out smooth walls, as if polished by water, from the darkness.
From above, through a thin crack, barely visible in the sword's light, water droplets fell rhythmically. They broke on the stones with a monotonous thud, creating a small puddle in a depression on the floor. The crack was so narrow that even Finn's hand couldn't fit through it, but it was through this crack that fresh air entered, bringing with it a faint scent of earth and grass.
The creatures' screams became muffled – the thickness of the stone between him and his pursuers created a reliable barrier. Finn could hear their furious attempts to widen the passage, but even their strength was powerless against the monolithic rock. Their claws left deep gouges in the stone, but could not break through the natural defense.
In the dim light of the tulwar, the cave pocket seemed almost cozy. The walls, polished by centuries of falling water, created intricate patterns resembling frozen waves. The floor was relatively even, interrupted only in places by small depressions filled with water.
Finn cautiously knelt down, trying not to hit his head on the low ceiling. His backpack, still pressed to his chest, was wet from the water, but its contents should have remained dry.
The sounds of the chase gradually faded. It seemed the creatures realized the futility of their attempts to break through the narrow passage. Their screams now came from a distance, as if they had retreated back into the wider corridors of the cave. But Finn was not deluded – they were surely looking for another way to their prey.
The water droplets continued to fall with monotonous regularity, marking the seconds of his respite. There was something calming, almost hypnotic, in their sound. Finn leaned against the damp wall, feeling his racing heart gradually calm down.
The tulwar in his hand still glowed with a soft golden light, but now this light seemed calmer, more confident. The sword seemed to sense that the immediate danger had passed. Its glow evenly illuminated the small space, creating bizarre shadows on the uneven walls.
Finn cautiously straightened his stiff shoulders, trying not to touch the ceiling. Despite the cramped space, this place seemed like a safe haven. The creatures couldn't reach him here, which meant he had time to catch his breath.