Kayo realized way too late that the tunnel was sloping down.
Okay, right may not be always right, but there is no way I'm going back to that thing… There has to be another way out.
The deeper into the cavern's throat he went, the colder it got, and his still-moist hoodie certainly did not help.
I'm gonna fucking die of hypothermia.
Then, something else struck him, something he should've realized far earlier: the darkness, or rather the lack thereof.
Wait, why can I see? Aren't I underground or in a mountain or something? Where is the light coming from?
He inspected the mushrooms and moss that framed the entire tunnel. They were glowing, that much he could tell, but they shouldn't be enough to illuminate the cave to the extent it appeared to be, and he could not find any openings. Nevertheless, the hope of getting out seemed that much brighter.
• • •
He only realized how eerily quiet it was when he began to hear distant echoes. Scratching, he thought.
The noises became more pronounced the closer he got, until it was interrupted by heavy footsteps and a faint whimper.
Slowly but surely, Kayo could make out two silhouettes around a nearby glowy mushroom cluster. One small, possibly winged, cornered, and the source of the whimpers. The other much larger, with a maw that could swallow the first shade whole. A sound reminiscent of a sadistic giggle escaped the larger creature's mouth.
Nope.
Kayo decided to follow the smaller one's lead and slowly backed away, leaving whatever natural order this was to play out. At least that was his intention.
He focused too much on the beast in front of him to watch where he was going, and accidentally fell down a small opening. Though he was uninjured, there was no way the monster up there did not hear his yelp.
And sure enough, the footsteps above him changed direction. Slow and steady, almost exaggerated, the noises echoed down the dark cavern until Kayo could no longer tell whether it was behind him, in front of him, or everywhere at once.
Kayo shut his eyes, hoping it would help him wake up from whatever nightmare this was. But when he opened them again, not only was he met with the same darkness and stone, but a pair of glowing eyes staring right at him over the ledge.
Their size suggested something panther-like, but it was difficult to measure distance like this. But its maw was far wider than any wolf or lion. More like a crocodile. Its skin wrinkled and pale, never touched by the sun. Slowly, the eyes began to descend, sharp claws piercing the stone like climbing nails. Whatever this was, it could not have been an animal.
Kayo pressed himself against the wall as if to let the stone swallow him. He desperately threw a nearby stone towards it, only for it to bounce off with but a leathery fhwomp. He buried his face into his hands, ready to accept his second death...
The air shifted as a sharp blur cut through the cavern and into the opening, wings snapping open with a crack like a whip.
The predator hissed as a gust of wind slammed it against the back wall, away from Kayo. Before it could recover, the blur landed between Kayo and it. Upright, small and long body, wings spread wide, and tail swooshing like a banner in the still-setting dust. The meerbat stood on its hind legs, chest puffed out, a small shriek of defiance escaping its mouth.
Kayo blinked, dazed, "...What the fuck, a bat-ferret?"
The monster hissed back, and the meerbat's shrill caused the stone beneath its feet to tremble, sending small fractures outward.
The monster laughed again, and began to slowly approach. The meerbat spat a burst of electricity and shards of stone into the creature. It flinched, but didn't stop advancing. The meerbat shrieked, trying desperately to look bigger than it was, a snowman against an avalanche.
Kayo's heart pounded. He had no weapons, no strength, nothing but...
He fumbled into his pocket. His phone.
Please please please please...
Luckily for him, it wasn't dead yet, though it was close, and the saltwater soaked into his hoodie only made it worse. He thumbed the screen for a second, then shoved the maximum brightness flashlight into the beast's face.
The monster roared in pain, thrashing blindly as its eyes seared. Kayo didn't wait for it to recover. He scooped the meerbat against his chest. The meerbat, getting his message, used a gust of wind to propel them upwards. Kayo ran, feet splashing against unseen puddles, stone scraping his shoulders. The phone flickered and turned off, battery indicator glowing a sickly red. He had no idea where he was going, towards safety or something worse.
• • •
Kayo staggered deeper into the cavern until he had no energy left. He collapsed against the wall, letting the meerbat slip out of his arms.
"You're welcome," Kayo muttered in-between gasps for air, "Pretty sure that makes us even."
The meerbat didn't chirp this time. It stepped closer, claws gently tapping against the stone floor. Kayo flinched, backing further into the wall.
"No no no, I'm not looking for a pet right now. You go your way, I go mine, and we both try not to die again. Sound fair?"
The meerbat sagged like it was disappointed. Tapping the stone and making circles, Kayo understood it was trying to say something, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what.
"You wouldn't happen to be able to speak, right?"
The meerbat shook its head. That's at least some communication he could comprehend.
"Yeah... That would be asking too much."
The creature rolled its eyes as it pounced towards Kayo's chest, and... disappeared. For a moment, Kayo felt his heartbeat double, threatening to burst, but then come to a calm, steady rhythm, more relaxed than he was even before.
"What the hell was that about?!"
A voice from somewhere within his mind appeared. It wasn't his, that he was sure.
"I say want make pact," it said with horribly broken English, "This possession temporary, can't take over and not want anyway. But it let me speak you."
Kayo panicked, scratching at his scalp furiously.
"Get out of my head, I didn't invite you!"
"Stop, that will not do anything!" the voice managed to yell through Kayo's chaotic thoughts.
Kayo, realizing he wouldn't be able to dig into the abstraction of the mind through his skull, gave up.
"I am having you exorcised as soon as I can."
"Not need. I leave when pact make."
"I am not forming a pact with something that just invaded my fucking brain, are you insane?!"
"But you save me… You have my debt."
"Okay look, I can tolerate you until we get out of this creepy cave system, but then you're out!"
"Temporary pact then."
Kayo sighed in annoyance, "Okay fine, temporary pact or whatever, as long as my soul is not the price."
"Isn't. Price is get out here. I payment with what you want."
This sounded too good to be true, but Kayo really needed some important questions answered.
He sighed deeply, "Alright, fine. I'll get us out and you'll answer me some questions along the way. That good?"
The meerbat agreed, and Kayo set out in a direction he believed was correct this time.