“Well, we can’t stand here all night talking about which direction we feel like going,” Cain argued. “I’m going this way and you can follow or not.” Of course, the threat was empty– being alone was not a position he was willing to be, but he hoped no one would care enough to call him on his bluff. He began to walk toward the direction he and Venus had just come from, waiting until it was no longer his footsteps alone padding through the sand before he turned around again to see the women following.
The next few hours crawled slowly by, and the tunnel seemed to stretch on endlessly before them. There was little to talk about, so they moved wordlessly through the night. Cain’s legs felt heavy as fatigue caught up to him, and he didn’t remember the distance being this far when he and Venus left the cornucopia. “It should be coming up any second,” He assured the group, but even he was starting to doubt himself.
Valeria agreed to go if begrudgingly; she did need things, and though Mandi made a good point about not returning, this time it was with a group. She signed as much back to her. I was alone then. This will be fine. I’m armed now.
They walked mostly in silence, and she had never felt all of her nerves so alive. She was aware of everyone else’s movements; even though Mandi had helped her, she couldn’t trust anyone down here. She wasn’t in the business of getting caught unawares by someone she’d been dumb enough to think was her ally.
They’d been walking for quite awhile and hadn’t yet found the Cornucopia or anything at all. She had seen what she was sure was the same footprint in the sand twice now, as if someone had dug their toes into the sand. The second time, she had subtly toed a V into the sand next to the footprint.
Just as Cain said that they were approaching their destination, she spotted it again. “Well,” she spoke and signed, “this is just splendid. We’ve been going in circles. I’ve seen that footprint twice before.” She pointed at it. “Lovely! What a great fucking night this is!”
Mandi looked at Valeria pretty much exclusively before Valeria guestured for her to look at venus. Figuring the woman was doing something particularly visually interesting, the girl turned to look and nearly burst out laughing when she got two pristine middle fingers in her face.
well, you should’ve said something. now who looks like a fool, chatting up the deaf girl when we could’ve been signing this whole time? Mandi grinned, a glint of respect in her eyes for Venus now. the girl was made of sarcasm, she appreciated seeing it from another source. i like you. she decided, before looking back to Valeria when cain started talking.
She agreed wholeheartedly with the boy, because of course she did, and they all headed on their way. Mandi followed, purposefully not looking at Venus so as to give herself the last word. and then…. three times? she signed, quick and confused. what the actual fuck? where are we? weren’t there exits before? at the very least we should be able to get back to the cave. it was quick but not frantic. mostly, Mandi was trying to see what Venus could keep up with, sign wise.
V, what do you think? she didn’t have a namesign to work with, a letter was faster. the first time she’d actually addressed her this whole time.
Venus kept her mouth shut as the foursome of a group walked through the tunnels, Venus had to admit they were kind of pretty. Venus stayed vigilant but as the hours passed and no danger seemed to come, Venus allowed her mind to wander some.
Venus was pulled back as Cain stopped moving when Valeria spoke up and said they had been walking in circles. Venus’s palm slapped the back of Cain’s head, hard. “You idiot!” She looked to Mandi as she signed quickly. ‘I think we shouldn’t have let Cain lead us. Men are terrible with directions.’ The corner of her lip curling up to show she was joking. “Cain, you’re demoted.” She stepped forward to the front of the group. “Well, if we were circling from this direction then it means we need to keep going this direction but we need to take a different turn then the one we’ve been taking already.” She set off in the direction she knew the Cornucopia was in.
