Alone

Embers of a dying fire smouldered at the head of the cavern. The hot flashes of brilliant orange and fiery red provided for the bleak illumination. The cavern walls were pocked with fissures, and an adder lay coiled in a crevice. Had it been present somewhere else, the distinctive markings and the menacing forked tongue would have evoked a wild spasm of fear, but here it blended perfectly into the rest of the cave. Outside, the aspens rustled in the wind that carried with it the chill that comes naturally after caressing snow-capped peaks. The creatures of the night skittered around, making their nightly rounds, and the momentary glint of their lithe movements tore through the grim darkness. The silence was stifling which could make one gulp hard and the only feeling that arose in the benumbed mind was to hide oneself and be as inconspicuous as possible. It wasn't the fear of the  beasts or the darkness but of the unknown. A behemoth spirit encompassing in itself all its devices and rising above its victims; commanding complete submission. Suddenly, a violent shriek punctured the silence and obliterated it, which had a moment ago been so oppressive and overpowering. The source, a human figure... her head thrown back in defiance and lips curled derisively and this went in sharp contrast with her exquisite beauty and her emaciated, frail and bruised structure which could hardly support itself and was trembling all over; evidently exhausted by the effort. She was crouching in a corner and did not stay in the same position for long. She brought her chin close to her knees and pressed it hard against them. Her gimlet-eyed stare was fixed on something, but whether she was looking at it, past it, or right through it, it was difficult to tell. She wore a school uniform and her dress was frayed at the edges. It was very likely that she had come wandering off to the place and had lost her group. She moved her fingers over her forehead in an attempt to set her hair aside, they had been blocking her view. Her hair, disheveled and hung loose.She suddenly pulled herself together with a jolt and sat bolt upright. Something had caught her eye, and she strained to peer in that direction. Her eyes narrowed to slits, she looked hard and saw it again. A flash -- a beast dashing off in that direction. It was like a trigger and all the energy in her came back, concentrated. Grabbing a stone, she set forth in the direction, in pursuit of the beast. She summoned all her courage and willpower to fight off the nightmarish delusions and the mind-numbing atmosphere of the place, and sets forth on her quest. A strange new instinct told her that since it had dashed away from her, it probably meant her no harm and could instead lead her to an escape from the hellish cavern she found herself trapped in....