The surrounding events occurred so fast that Bernis' brain was too overwhelmed to register them. One bully, Big Brother Lion, suddenly shoved him out of the way as he screamed, 'Run!' The terror in his voice was enough to make everyone else follow suit. No one was curious enough to see what the 'braver' ones had just witnessed.
In the chaos, Luka was thrown against the cave's wall. A sharp stone that curved out from the wall pierced his thigh. Blood trickled down his leg profusely, and Bernis was sure even though a lot, it couldn't have possibly wet his pants around his crotch. Worried, Bernis stared at Luka. He decided to help, but his legs failed him. Not even a shiver, not even a twitch. He was frozen on the spot. It was as though the dark aura had sucked the strength right out from them. He was still yet to see what had made everyone run.
A growl made him jump. It came from up ahead. Bernis turned to look at what had made the brave and manly Big Brother Lion run for his life; like a bird set free from a cage. It was a coffin. Its lid was open. Chipped-up paint ran down its sides, and it rested straight ahead, right in front of him.
A thick fog had started to cloud the air, and he needed not to be told that both the growl and the fog came from the coffin.
He turned toward Luka, but the man was gone. Bernis was alone. There was no one else in the cave. He wanted to think that maybe, it was all part of a plan - a trick set up by the bullies - but the aura told him different. There was no way one could fake something so dangerous it made one's soul quiver.
Bernis tried hitting his thighs. His hands helplessly applied pressure to try trigger some muscular power and get him moving, but he was unsuccessful. He stared ahead. With the fog clouding his vision, Bernis could no longer spot the coffin clearly. However, its shadow was still visible. He stopped all attempts to run away when a shadowy figure of a man rested in the center of the coffin, before moving to stand right beside it. He was ready to die; his mind was tormented, that he - a man - was about to die without a fight. He watched as the human shadow was getting closer and closer. Taking slow, painful steps towards him. Bernis shut his eyes and waited for the last fleeting moments of his life: a strike that would finish him.
A whisper softly brushed against his ear, activating his motor response to a flight mechanism.
"Get out, but do not run," it croaked.
Bernis turned and ran toward the mouth of the cave. By sheer luck, he avoided all trips and falls. However, before he reached the exit, the shadow blocked his path. He did a rapid 180-degree turn, running deeper into the cave.
A cold hand grabbed him with a grip so strong it nearly broke his wrist bones.
"I told you not to run, human." It sounded irritated, cranky, as if it had been awoken from a deep sleep.
"Yes, sir," Bernis found himself whispering. "I will not run," he said softly. He half rolled his eyes to the back of his head, hoping he would faint; wished he would faint. He nearly fell. The grip on his arm loosened and in a flash of a millisecond, a cold hand supported his lower back. Bernis shut his eyes, attempting to protect himself from whatever evil he was in the presence of. He did not want to meet it one on one. No, he was not brave enough for that.
"Do not run, angel. If you end up hurting yourself, I might hurt you," the raspy voice spoke.
Bernis shuddered and nodded. The mysterious man propped him up, and after a second, the touch from the cold hands was gone. He opened his eyes to find the fog had lifted, and the path clear. He calmly walked out of the cave to find his peers. Luka was narrating how he last saw him looking unbothered by the coffin and the creepy sounds.
Big Brother Lion spotted Bernis. He seemed shocked to see him walk out alive and unharmed. Bernis' face was flat. Only his hands were shaking. He had crammed them inside his pockets to keep the rest of the group from noticing his fright.
Big Brother Lion walked toward Bernis and slapped his shoulder with an open palm. "I guess you are brave after all. What were you doing back there. Did you get a good look at it?" He asked, hoping his answer would be no. He could not accept that Bernis had mustered enough courage to check out something he ran from. It would be too much shame on his big head.
"Um..." Bernis hesitated. He pressed his lips together. "Mmmm..." he said simply as he gave a firm nod. Now that he had proven himself, he needed to maintain the new name. The party would probably suck, but he promised himself he would attend - for the sake of his new status.
"It looks like we were wrong," Big Brother Lion said, laughing awkwardly. His laugh gave away his shame. "You are a man," he said again, delivering another hit to Bernis' shoulder, nearly dislocating the joint. Bernis reached out to soothe it. "Join us for the boys' party at my place tonight. You are most welcome," he said as he looked at Bernis proudly, shaking his hand firmly. He had underestimated the man.
Bernis spotted Luka limping. His heart was sorry for the fellow. Big Brother Lion noticed and turned to Luka. "Tinkling was so scared that he peed his pants," he said, then cackled, demanding backup laughter.
Bernis approached Luka and bent to check his injury. He shuddered when he remembered the growl of a warning, that if he ended up hurting himself, the man with the voice would hurt him. A shiver ran down his spine, and he arched his back. What if the hurting meant killing? "You are lucky, Luka," he said out loud.
"Why am I lucky," Luka asked curiously as he felt there was more to the statement than just being able to escape with a small injury.
Bernis stared at the wound. "The cut is not that deep." He shrugged. "Let's go home and treat your wound."
"Watch out. Make sure that Tinkling does not seduce you, Bernis," Big Brother Lion said before his ugly laughter erupted. Bernis nodded awkwardly to dismiss the topic. He was initially the one getting the type of mockery that comes with a less-than-masculine body. Now that he had faced what even the bullies had feared, the mockery had been turned to Luka.
"Do not mind them," he whispered, just enough for Luka to hear. Bernis then pulled Luka's arm across his shoulders and back of his neck to support him.
As the group slowly walked down the hill, Bernis felt eyes boring into his back. Everyone was ahead of him and Luka. Bernis shuddered, and Luka turned his head to face him.
"Is something wrong," he asked, concerned at the intense twitches Bernis' body had made.
"Sorry, I was just thinking," he paused. "What if we did not get out alive."
Luka felt like he should be the last person to comment on the occurrence. It had left him with shame. He however, needed to reassure. Not only for Bernis' sake but also for himself.
"I am sure there was an animal in there… As for the coffin, someone could have buried their loved one there… years ago. It looked old and torn," Luka said as his eyes went back to paying attention to the path he trod on.
Bernis could have sworn a whisper brushed against his ear, telling him they shall meet soon, but he wanted to believe that he had hallucinated. The growl was real, but the rest was not. He wanted to believe so.
"Luka," Bernis called out softly.
"Yeah?" Luka replied as he winced a bit in pain
"Did you see any fog?" he asked, silently hoping his answer was yes.
"No. By the time I heard the second growl, I was out… Why? You saw fog?"
"Yes. But I might have been hallucinating. I was terrified, you know," Bernis said as he giggled.
"Me too. Now the boys will pick on me till I marry," Luka said, shaking his head in frustration.
"I am sorry for the times I have picked on you." He paused, trying to form his explanation.
Before he spoke, Bernis interrupted. "That's okay. I understand, really. Peers and the pressure."
Luka bit his bottom lip. The shame of the day was already enough.
"Let me get you home," Bernis said when they found themselves at the bottom of the hill: the entrance of town. He looked up the hill to where the cave was and silently told himself. I hope that was nothing but my imagination. It was just a coffin and an animal. No human, no evil presence.