The Number 8

by Joel Arcanjo

  “Release that and watch your fingers,” the old guy said calmly.

  Dante stood up straight letting his legs take his weight. His eyes were obeying him now. But what he saw wasn’t magical or breathtaking or any other positive adjective. It was endless grey masses of rock. He moved closer to the edge of the platform and saw the pool of colorless water below. Wholly unappealing and, he imagined, exceptionally cold. He stayed for a few seconds trying his hardest to see beneath the unmoving waters. He had never seen anything like it. The water looked solid, like one giant pane of glass. He knew monsters lurked beneath, but at this moment in time it seem impossible. He knew that eels moved slowly and with purpose and in this environment they would surely make the surface ripple. But that was not his main concern right now. Right then he was most concerned about what was laying directly behind him. It was the only thing in the cave that looked completely out of place. There were several rows of yellow rubber rings stacked against the wall, just like at a waterpark. It was bizarre, yet slightly comforting. It was something he recognized in a dark world where everything was unfamiliar.

  “Grab one and sit on it over there for now,” the old guy insisted.

  He did as he was told. He picked a spot close to the edge so he could keep an eye on the water. As he sat and watched his fellow passengers descend from the light one by one he listened to the sounds around him. Every movement, every squeak of the carabinier, every word echoed loudly. If he listened carefully he could even hear the faint rush of running water in the distance. It was so incredibly quiet that any sound, any sound at all rang throughout the cave like an airplane taking off. But that slowly changed as each passenger’s feet hit the platform. Dante had been sure that Asmir had wanted to go second but there were seven people on the platform now and he was yet to appear. After the fifteenth had joined them Dante was starting to get concerned that Asmir had chickened out. There were only sixteen of them who had opted to do black water rafting, mostly guys as the girls had chosen to walk through the glowworm caves in a different area. But the more adventurous of them had come, including their current hostel neighbors who he was sure would become friends.

  Sure enough, Asmir was the last to arrive. He wasn’t arriving gracefully either. He seemed to have forgotten the technique entirely. He was falling a foot then coming to a complete stop. It was comical. He did this all the way down. Unlike the others he clearly wasn’t enjoying it. The look on his face when he reached the platform was that of pure joy. He unclipped himself and looked about ready to kiss the ground beneath his feet but held back.

  He didn’t have long to compose himself because within seconds of him landing the old guy was running through the ground rules. In most of the caves the water was up to his chest so he could walk along dragging the rubber ring train behind him. They were told to jump in and grab on to one handle of the rubber ring in front of them. This was to form a giant floating snake. It all made sense in theory but in practice they had to contend with the dim wits of people like Viktor.

  Viktor was the first to take the plunge. He jumped in and landed on the ring. The sound rippled throughout caves. He fell under and for a moment there was silence. The glassy water finally rippled. One. Two. Three seconds he was under. Then suddenly he flew out of the water gasping for air.

  “It’s so cold. It’s so cold!” he screamed.

  The other passengers fell about laughing. He was splashing around trying to warm up and get out of the jump zone. Then, one by one they jumped in. Same outcome every time. Screams and loud gulping sounds as the air tried to stay in their lungs. Then it was Asmir’s turn. He copied the same action that Viktor had done. The ring cushioned his fall and he went under. Unlike Viktor though he didn’t hold back as he surfaced. He belted out a series of repulsive sounding phrases with expletives thrown in sporadically. It was a filthy phrase but no one even blinked because obviously the cold made it justified.

  Finally, it was Dante’s turn. He moved closer towards the edge and suddenly felt a hand shove him hard in the small of his back. He flew forwards. But mid-air he miraculously managed to swing the ring underneath him and land it perfectly. He wasn’t prepared for the wave of icy water that passed over him next though. It knocked the air clean out of his lungs. But even worse than that, his ring popped and he fell an extra three feet beneath the surface. He felt the bottom with his feet and pushed up exploding out the water.

  “Ahhhh!!” Dante screamed. His face was numb and instantly he knew why Asmir had uttered that phrase. It was crippling. Now without a ring he was floundering around trying to keep his head above water. A couple of times he tried to throw the yellow plastic back up but failed. Third time he got it. They threw him a new ring and he jumped in it. After a few minutes of floating about, his body got comfortable with the icy water and he barely noticed it any more.

  Finally they linked up and the old guy began to drag them through the darkness. Dante was right at the back with Asmir just in front of him. He was worried that he wouldn’t be able to hear what the old guy was saying but that was put to bed pretty quickly when he began barking orders. His voice reverberated around the caves easily.

  “Right, before we get to the glowworms I will tell you that below you there are very large eels that are almost completely blind and they like to chomp anything that comes across their path. So, try to keep all your parts off the bottom.”

  “What about you?” someone shouted. “You’re standing on the bottom!”

  “Protective footwear,” he said without flinching.

  Dante could smell the BS from where he was. It was another story that he was aiming to control with. It would probably work too.

  For the first couple of minutes they talked amongst themselves but as it got darker it also got quieter until they were floating in silence. But there was a very good reason for this. Above them the roof of the cave shone a mystical shade of blue. It was like a sky full of stars. Dante knew that it was just worms up there making this fluorescent masterpiece but it didn’t take anything away from the magnificence of it all. In fact, it added to it.

  As they drifted through the darkness all of them were transfixed by the roof. Every single passenger was looking upwards. Dante noticed that the old guy had slowed down now. He shot a glance towards the front of the raft and sure enough, he was transfixed by the beauty of it. Dante imagined that this experience never got any less magical.

  As he lay there reclining in his ring and watching nature’s show, he felt a strange peace come over him. He had seen the brochure, he had researched the caves, he had even seen pictures of the glowworms, but nothing could have prepared him for this. It was mesmerizing. He didn’t want to talk or even move from this spot. But, after an incredibly short five minutes, the old guy moved on.

  Every now and then they came across small clumps of glowworms as they eased their way through the tunnels. Dante would know when he was about to see another because there would be a collective gasp from the passengers at the front. Even Viktor, it seemed, had somehow worked his way to the front of the group. He was positioned directly behind the old guy and, amazingly, was being quiet.

  Finally they came to a full stop in a large pool that could just about fit them all in. They all sat around listening to the old guy talk about the history of the caves for a little while. No one it seemed was as into it as Dante who had edged his way to the front. The minutes rolled by and the group’s patience was wearing thin so the old guy decided to move them on.

  “For this next section, each person will have to go through this small gap in the rock and slide out the other side. You can go through on your front or back but when you’re clear, shout back to let us know. Then, the next person will be allowed to go, understood?”

  There was a collective “Yes!”

  “OK, I’ve been instructed to let you through in reverse alphabetical order, so who’s first?”

  Everyone looked at Viktor. But he was too busy trying to say the alphabet backwards. There
was actually a William on the bus but he had gone with the earlier group.

  “Viktor, you’re up.”

  Viktor positioned himself by the open gap and jumped at it, landing hard on his stomach. There was a scream of excitement, then a splash and the sound of thrashing around. This went on for a while. It sounded like a child just learning to swim. Then, nothing. It was impossible to see through to the other side, it was too dark. A few moments went by and still nothing.

  “Viktor, is it clear?” the old guy shouted, slightly annoyed that the very first person had messed up the rhythm.

  Still nothing.

  Hushed whispers broke out amongst the group. No one actually liked Viktor except his sidekick James, who had decided to go in the first group, but everyone seemed worried. The old guy waded over to the gap and took it backwards. There was no scream of excitement and barely a splash on the other side. Once again there was silence. Then, out of nowhere, the old man shrieked. It was inaudible words enmeshed into what seemed like a command. Then, as if he had realized that no one had understood him he shouted again. This time it was audible.

  “Viktor’s dead.”

  Chapter 15

  The words hung in the air like a bad smell, made worse by the fact they echoed three or four times before subsiding. The word “dead” seemed to go on on forever. No one reacted at all. They were rooted to the spot. Like it hadn’t happened. Like they were all pretending not to hear those words. Except they all had.

  “Who’s the fastest runner? Get in here!” the old man screamed from beyond the wall.

  Dante didn’t wait for the others to respond. He may have been the fastest runner, he may not have been, but he definitely was the first to react. He waded as fast as he could towards the gap and dived through. Another time he may have enjoyed it too. But not this time.

  He entered the water on the other side face first and sprang up athletically. His head hadn’t been underwater since the beginning so he really felt the familiar numb sensation wash over every centimeter of his face. This side was pitch black and significantly colder than the other side of the wall. He waded through the deep water towards the sound. In the distance he could see something but he couldn’t process it quickly enough because a second later a hand grabbed him and dragged him towards a strange scene. The old guy had him clasped in one hand and the back of Viktor’s head clutched in the other.

  “I can’t move him. I think his foot’s stuck. Hold his head out of the water while I try to get his foot free.”

  “But wait…” It was too late. The old guy was under. Dante caught the back of Viktor’s head. His face was white and water was pouring down his face. But Dante knew why the old guy was rushing now. Viktor may still be alive.

  Dante tried to determine a pulse but between holding him up and the old guy thrashing around below he couldn’t. The other passengers were piling through now ignoring the one at a time rule. They made a circle around the scene watching closely, unable to help.

  Finally the old guy surfaced. He had gotten Viktor’s foot free and took his weight from Dante.

  “Kid, run and get help. I can’t feel a pulse but I’m gonna perform CPR. If worst comes to worst we will have to drag him out of here ourselves. Go!”

  As Dante made a full three-sixty he heard the old guy say, “Somebody help me move him to the flat surface over here…”

  Dante just started running as fast as he could, which wasn’t fast at all because he was in waist-deep water. But he kept going. He pumped his legs hard. He reached the back of the cave and there was a shriek from behind him but he didn’t turn, he knew who it was.

  “Through there and right at the end!” the old guy instructed.

  There was a tunnel at the back and finally it got shallow. He could really stretch his legs now. He was ghosting through the cave at top speed. But as he ran strange things began to enter his mind.

  “What if I get bitten by an eel right now?! Then, I might not make it out of the cave on my own and certainly not back. Viktor will be dead and the old guy will almost certainly kill me too,” he thought. But it didn’t matter because his legs were still moving.

  Finally he saw light. There was a rocky section which was on an incline. Just beyond was the exit. It was a large oval-shaped hole big enough for a couple of cars to pass through. Just beyond that he saw the old guy’s son so he just started screaming. He wasn’t saying real words but it didn’t matter because it got the son’s attention.

  “What the hell’s happening?” he yelled.

  “Guy…down…maybe…dead…help!” Dante said trying to get all the words out but having no wind left in him.

  But luckily the son understood. He was on his phone instantly calling the emergency services. But Dante didn’t know what to do. He could run back and let them know that help was on its way or stay here and explain to the arriving EMTs what had happened so as not to waste any time determining the injuries. He chose the latter.

  Dante scaled the rocky incline trying his hardest not to slip. But there was moss on the rocks, his legs were exhausted and he was trying to climb way too fast. His right leg buckled and his knee collided painfully with the edge of a rock. He grimaced but righted himself and carried on climbing. It was a mixture of adrenaline and purpose that stopped him screaming in agony.

  Finally at the exit Dante rushed over to the old guy’s son who was off the phone now.

  “What the hell happened?” he asked nervously.

  “All I know is that he trapped his leg under water and it looks like he drowned. I’m not sure if there’s any other injuries right now.”

  “Have you been in situations like this before?”

  “Once or twice.” Dante undersold it, but this wasn’t the time.

  They paced nervously for a minute in complete silence. Then, in the distance they heard chatter and splashing. As they came into view Dante saw four guys holding Viktor. His beard was matted and his long, unruly hair covered his face. The old guy was walking backwards and had a hold of Viktor’s head and neck which he was trying to keep very still. It made sense for him to be at the front because he knew the route and where all the dangers lay. Asmir was at the back holding the feet and shouting out directions. That also made complete sense because he had the biggest mouth on the bus. Two other guys held each side. Two could’ve moved Viktor easily but it seemed they had opted for four because it allowed them to step up the pace.

  The old guy’s son went to a spinal stretcher which was attached to the caves exit. He and Dante grabbed it and made their way down the rocky hill to give it to his father who was waiting. Dante and the son were ready by the time they arrived. They had positioned it so that Viktor could easily be slipped on. The next part was difficult. They had to move 190lbs of dead weight up an incline that was littered with wet, mossy rocks. Dante blanked out this part completely. But all he knew was that eventually they reached the exit. It took nearly ten minutes but they did it.

  As they placed the spinal stretcher on the ground, the EMTs arrived.

  “How long has he been out? Did you move him at all?” they bellowed all at once.

  “Uhh…maybe fifteen minutes and yeah we had to,” the old guy replied breathlessly.

  They looked at the old guy disapprovingly but went to work on Viktor. Five minutes later Viktor was pronounced dead at the scene. Everyone involved in his extraction was exhausted and it had all been for nothing. All the other passengers were sat at the bottom of the rocky incline watching on helplessly. Silenced reigned. No one cried, probably because they were too exhausted to. The EMTs took the body away. No one could say a word. The death had been a tragic accident. A novice who had got his foot trapped underwater and had drowned because of it. It looked cut and dried. Clear for all to see. An accident pure and simple. Or that’s how it looked to all but Dante.

  Chapter 16

  “What happens now?” Asmir finally said, his voice low and lifeless.

  “A whole lot of paperwork,” came
the reply from the old guy.

  It was a cold reply but nobody had the energy to object to it.

  “What do we do now?” Asmir asked.

  The young guy gesticulated towards a clearing about 100 meters away. “Your bus is waiting for you just through there. But you won’t be going anywhere for a while. The police may want to talk to you.”

  “Police,” Dante chimed in.

  “It sounds like what happened in there was an accident, but for the purposes of our insurance we’ll have to call them in. No doubt they’ll want to talk to some of you about what you saw,” the young guy explained.

  “No one saw anything, it was too dark,” came a voice from in the cave. By the sound of the hushed whispers from in the cave, many agreed. So did Asmir.

  “The only person that saw anything was you,” he said pointing at the old man.

  “That’s probably right,” he admitted, “but it doesn’t mean they won’t wish to talk to you lot to confirm exactly what you just said, that I was the only one that saw anything.”

  “I guess I might have seen something,” Dante said quietly. It was so quiet that they asked him to repeat himself.

  “I said that I could have seen something but I can’t think clearly at the moment.”

  The old guy pushed himself off the wall and towards the caves exit. “OK, let’s get you all back to your bus. What are you all still doing down there anyway?”

  For some reason half the group had decided not to make the climb up to the exit. They were stood and sat on the rocks leading up to the landing. It was as if they felt the energy up there and wanted no part of it. Like their minds had instructed them not to go up there otherwise it would all be real.

  The group answered the question with a sea of shrugs that probably would have set him off under any other situation but he let it go.