Travelling these past decades are a great deal of journey. But when I look back, I only see myself in a sea of blood. I am alone with no one remembering me other than B.E.G. I think it's enough time for me to abandon the solitary journey.
So, I nodded. Besides, another set of eyes is a beneficial factor for escaping B.E.G.
I know that my pursuers are expecting me at next stop so we booked it when the train passed through a mountain tunnel. It was dark but my cat eyes lit the barren tracks. On the left side of the tunnel was small crevice leading to a tunnel. Steven told me that the hole leads to a cave system leading to the outskirts of Lake Pend Oreille. But there's one problem with this tunnel.
"You're too big." Steven said.
With Steven's mousy appearance, he can fit inside like as cast. He was a perfect fit. As for me, my feet can barely enter.
"Then I'll make myself small then." I said.
Focusing inside me, tentacles wrapped around my whole body. It changed my innards down to my very skin. The tentacles writhed and burst forth with enzymes. My form changed to that of a mousy blond hair kid with outward stretching ears. This one's a farm boy that had the misfortune of running into me.
Smaller tentacles formed once more. They wrapped around one another and formed a fabric mesh around my body. Then their bloody tint turned white with farm dirt at the fringes.
"Let's go."
Steven saw me transform back in the train. But when compared back then, it's amazement not fear are the ones present in his dirty eyes.
---
The trek inside the cave was long. Very long. And it was made more hellish when Steven's supply of food fell inside a crevasse. Steven cursed himself; and afterwards, I cursed him even harsher.
We passed by wide globes of internal space within the cave. Bats hang from the stalactites in the cave ceiling. Their guano reached the cave floor to which, Steven disgustingly reached and ate.
"I've seen disgusting things in my life but what the fuck?" I said.
"This is a delicacy in Africa you know." Steven said as he gave himself another mouthful.
I've absorbed thousands of Africans in my entire life and not a single one of them eats this shit. Maybe it's from a weird tribe I guess. But still, whatever he's doing is fucking disgusting.
After munching on bat shit, we went back on our way. Amidst smaller passages and slippery pathways, we found a source of light after a few hours.
"Are we there yet?"
"Umm no. It'll take us by midnight till we reach the lake. The light you're seeing is from up there."
I looked up and saw a hole. Like an eye, it peered at me. The small waterfalls at the side sounded like the cave was laughing at me.
But suddenly, I heard a noise from the ceiling hole. A man and a woman. With a slight clank of metal.
"The truck's back and ready Neil. You ready?"
"I've done this a million times Karen. You don't need to ask me."
"Well sooory Mr. Grumpy face. I guess I'll keep the Apple Pie back at the lodge to myself."
"Okay. I'm sorry. Now, you're gonna guide me down or what?"
From the mouth came a man with a harness. He descended slowly and came to a stop at the cave floor.
"What do you see?" the girl from above said.
"Caves caves caves caves. All I see are caves Karen."
"Ta ta ta. Apple Pie Neil."
"I hate it when you take advantage of my weakness. I'll take the cave samples now."
"Attaboy."
The person named Neil roamed around the cave floor and took samples of the soil and water. But as we wait here, the man was slowly moving closer to us. Steven looked at me and his eyes is screaming for me to do something. What do I do?