As Carson led the group through the cave he may have let a few of them run into the walls once or twice. Right in the middle of the tunnel, when he got bored, he left Carly behind, and pretended he had lost her. Of course he hadn't, it was just a joke, but he didn't do that again. He saw how much it scared her.
Finally they reached a circular room and everyone, except Carson blinked in the light. Everyone else could see now.
And what they saw was quite anticlimactic. The 'Weapon of Legend' was a yellow, domed, cylinder. That was it.
"Well, here it is." Eric said, trowing his arms out dramatically while trying to catch Issa's eye. "It's a lot smaller than I thought. I've never really seen it before."
"Now only a Shadow can carry this thing. Carly? Carson?"
"Oh! I will!" Carly said with her hand raised.
"No, you won't. I will." Carson corrected, and walked toward the weapon.
There was that voice again, right in the back of Carly's mind, whispering. 'You don't even know what this weapon can do, and your going to let him carry it?" This wasn't the first time Carly heard it, but it was the first time she listened to it.
Carson was about to pick it up. Carly wasn't going to take this.
"Why should it be you?" Carly asked as she put herself between Carson and the weapon.
"What're you talking about?" Carson asked. He tried to make his voice sound hard and indifferent, but it was becoming more and more difficult.
"Why you?! It's always you! You don't even want me here!" Carly knew she wasn't making sense but she was so angry, and she wasn't even sure why. Then the voice, which had been getting louder all the time gave her the answer. "He doesn't love you." That was it. If her own flesh and blood didn't love her, who would?
Carson jumped, almost as if he heard the voice that time. "Carly, I..." He just wasn't sure what to say.
"Fine!" Carly shouted, "It looks like you've got this covered! See you later."
"Carly wait!" Carson reached for Carly's hand as she ran past, but he jerked back. He had almost forgotten, they had almost touched. Carly ran into the cave, but she still couldn't see. She stumbled around until she was completely lost, then she leaned against the wall as the hot tears flowed down her cheeks.
Now you've got no one." that irritating voice taunted smugly.
And it was true. Carly had absolutely no one in the world.
She was so upset that she didn't hear the soft clicking noises, until she felt the jaws clamp around her ankle. Whatever it was, it jerked her feet out from under her and she hit the ground with a smack that left her unconscious.
Carly groaned as she slowly came to. The first thing she noticed was that she could see. 'I must be in a different part of the tunnel or something.' she thought. She tried to sit up and began to panic when she found she couldn't.
In fact she couldn't move at all. She was wrapped from head to toe in a sticky, silk-like, rope. Suddenly, there was a soft clicking noise, above and behind her.
Carly was frightened but she had to look, she had to know.
She slowly turned her head, then stifled a yelp. That was the biggest spider she had ever seen.
She didn't know what to do. She couldn't move, so there seemed to be only one option.
"HELP!"
Carly called over and over, but nothing moved except the spider.
The huge spider crawled closer and closer, as Carly kept calling for help, finally it grabbed her ankle in its pincer-like jaws.
"Ow!" Carly cried, pain now added to her panic. She wondered if the venom was poison.
As the spider dragged her up the web Carly found it was indeed poisonous. A white hot pain was spreading from her ankle all through her body. She began to feel groggy and her vision began to blur.
As Carly's eyes began to close, the last thing she thought was, "So this is how the world's hope ends. Selfishness, and stupidity. I'm so sorry, Carson."
And the last thing she saw, before she blacked out, was the spider lunging towards her once more.
What Carly didn't know however, was that this whole time, Issa had been waiting until the spider was distracted.
Issa leaped with practiced ease, and drove her blade home.
The spider fell to the ground with two thuds, but Issa hardly noticed, her only worry was Carly. She had to keep her alive... somehow.
When they finally had Carly out of the cave under the shade of the trees, Mr. and Mrs. Prince checked her over quickly. Carson sat nearby. To Eric, who didn't know Carson, he looked stony faced and indifferent. To Issa, who had practically grown up with him, he looked closer to tears than she had ever seen him.
Finally Carson broke the silence, "She's going to live, right." It was an affirmation, not a question. What he meant was, "She can't die."
You'll have to wait and see. >:) I hope you enjoyed this part and make sure to come back next Saturday for the next one!
~ Megan