Wrote this the other day when i was feeling depressed (or more depressed than usual i guess). I wrote it to send to my dad to help him understand my depression but it does have some scary elements to it so i figured i would post it here. Thank you if anyone takes the time to read

The Cave

The smell of the ocean air met violently with the putrid odor of blood and viscera, the waves crashing around him as he stared blankly at the horizon while the Spanish galleon he arrived on grew increasingly smaller. He launched his pockmarked breastplate to the ground in disgust as his skin morphed from a sunburned olive to a pale alabaster.

He was never the most popular officer, but the thought of abandoning a man in this manner was something he could not conjure up in his wildest fantasies. He gradually shifted his attention to the stifling darkness of the jungle behind him, the ground littered with limbs, entrails, and more things that he did not care to spend much time identifying. The stench grew unbearable as he unsuccessfully resisted the compulsion to evacuate the contents of his stomach. He qualmishly gripped his midsection as he hobbled to a shadier area of the beach.

The heat was powerful and all encompassing, a tropical heat that was certainly not agreeing with him at the moment. The sun was slowly setting which would usually provide a respite from these circumstances, but the temperature felt no different as he attempted to gather himself. For a brief moment he recalled fondly the time he spent as a youth hunting and camping in the forests surrounding his family's hacienda in the Iberian countryside.

This fleeting moment of nostalgia ended abruptly as he felt the air break next to his head caused by the whooshing of a lightning fast arrow. He did not wait around to find out who or where the arrow originated from as he quickly gathered himself and broke out into a dead sprint deeper into the jungle, gradually being swallowed by the abyss and entering what appeared to be another planet entirely.

The discordant squawks and screeches of what sounded like an orchestra perpetrated by an array of various avian creatures met his ears in a dizzying cacophony. The combination of his exertion and nausea coupled with this symphony of noise proved almost too much to bear as he collapsed to the ground, gradually accepting the fate he now found himself in. Although the setting sun provided a dissipating amount of light outside, deep inside the jungle the density of the lush green flora prevented much of the light from entering.

He had led this expedition off the coast of New Spain several weeks ago with the intention of it being solely exploratory in nature, but his men possessed other ideas. There had long been whispers about this island, part of a chain of islands off the western coast of New Spain. The indigenous population on the mainland spoke of these islands with a deep reverence and respect, sharing fanciful tales of an advanced ancient civilization that predated their own and once inhabited much of the Pacific Ocean before several worldwide cataclysms and rapidly rising sea levels rendered both the land they populated and the inhabitants themselves functionally extinct.

The shattered remnants of this society branched out eastward and settled various regions along the coasts of South and North America, bringing with them advanced knowledge of architecture, agriculture, and astronomy. Some of the more fringe theories concerning these enigmatic people spoke of ritualistic sex magick as well as human and animal sacrifices in an effort to achieve communication with various deities, but their level of success was not documented.

The men on this expedition caught wind of this island possessing many secrets, including stories of incalculable amounts of gold and jewels that made them ravenous with lust. Unbeknownst to their commanding officer, a small detachment of men ventured out into the jungle one night to explore and search for leads regarding this vast fortune, never to return. The next morning, when the officer found out what had transpired, he sent out 4 more men to search for their comrades despite his indignation. When they too failed to return, he made the decision to put an end to the expedition early with the intention of preparing the ship and leaving in two days time. That night the universe appeared to have other plans.

Several hours after the sun fell and most everyone had fallen asleep aside from a few men on patrol, an army of what appeared to be men comprised and made out of shadows descended upon the camp and began savagely and indiscriminately eviscerating and ripping the limbs off of the previously slumbering men. The ones on patrol were nowhere to be found, and the camp descended into pure pandemonium. Those that had the ability to run did so in all directions, including the officer. As he reached the outer perimeter of the jungle he was struck swiftly in the back of the head by someone or something, and did not wake again until the following day, just in time to witness his beloved El Hermés sailing off without him in it.

As he sat there recounting the events of the days and weeks past, he was suddenly struck with an inexplicable eerie feeling, as the hairs on his arms and neck stood straight up in contrast with the sinking feeling he felt in the pit of his stomach. He began wondering if he was hallucinating or if his hearing was somehow impaired by the blow to the head he endured the previous night.

He slowly rose to his feet and, blinking his eyes intermittently, gradually came to the realization that all the animals that were previously overwhelming his auditory system were now completely silent. The only thing he could hear was the sound of his rapidly increasing heart rate, every pump of blood causing his head to throb. He picked up a stick and snapped it in half, confirming that he had still retained his ability to hear. The sounds of leaves rustling and someone approaching from behind him brought him quickly back to reality, and he sprinted onward without looking back.

Eventually he encountered a small waterfall, and as he approached closer he could see a cave concealed behind the cascading stream of water. He was happy to have at least found a source of fresh water and potentially some shelter, but was very apprehensive when approaching the cave as he pondered what may reside in its bowels. Regardless, he deduced that it would provide him the best option of surviving through the night as he trudged forward.

As he entered the mouth of the cave and gathered his wits about him, he came to the realization that there was a glowing light emanating from the portion of the walls closest to the floor. It appeared to be some kind of bio luminescent fungi or plant matter and was somewhat soothing in its soft green glow. He wearily collapsed in a heap, too tired to traverse deeper into the cave. As he tried to resist the urge to fall asleep, he thought he noticed the dull green of the glowing light flash and turn into a bright deep red, but was snoring before he could think on it further.

What felt like several hours later he woke up with a jolt. He frantically swung his head left and right and realized it was pitch black, and the waterfall could no longer be seen or heard. He yelled out until he was hoarse but could not get an idea of what direction his voice carried to, almost feeling as if he was perhaps in a large cavern. He tried walking and feeling around but his efforts were futile, and as he began lowering himself to the ground he slowly turned to his side in resignation, getting into a fetal position. A single tear trickled out of the corner of his eye and he could feel it rolling over the bridge of his nose and dripping off, meeting the ground with a pitiful plopping sound.

At this precise moment, he slowly opened his eyes and could not believe his surroundings. He looked up and was almost blinded by the bright sun and, shielding his eyes, scanned around the area he was in. He was laid out in a patch of soft grass on a hill and could see his parent's hacienda below. Incredulous, he ran down the hill and was at the front door in an instant. He opened the door to see his mother preparing breakfast. She looked him over with a warm smile as she beckoned him over to sit. She fixed him a bowl as she listened intently to his vivid description of the fantastical dream he had just had. She laughed along with him and reflected on his intelligence and active imagination while he basked in the flavor of the gazpacho that he was slowly eating, savoring every bite. His father was picking some things up in town, but would return later and take him out on a hunt. All was right in his world.

                2 Weeks Later

El Hermés arrived in the Nueva Viscaya port city of Mazatlan several days ago, and to the absolute shock and consternation of the first men aboard, it was empty and completely devoid of life. Their best minds could not conceive how this was possible or what may have transpired with the officer and his men that had occupied the ship. More men were gathered and some of the finest admirals in the area were consulted.

Today they finally arrived on the island that the officer was said to have been exploring. The men decided to split up and fan out in several different directions in order to cover the most ground. After a few hours of searching, one detachment stumbled upon a clearing that contained a small waterfall, and they made their way closer.

As it came into focus, they saw a cave tucked behind the falling stream of water and carefully shimmied their way in. When they finally reached the cave entrance, they were surprised to see a glowing green fungus-like substance along the bottoms of the wall that illuminated the cave. They gradually made their way deeper when they happened upon a large and oddly shaped clump of this substance. As they got close enough to discern what it was, they realized in horror that it was the officer they had come to locate laying lifeless and seemingly being consumed by the strange fungi. At the exact moment of this revelation, the green glow shifted to a bright red, and in a flash all of the light was now gone. Nothing more remained in this abyss of darkness. Nothing at all but the shadows.