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downward he crept, the squeaky wood grunted its disapproval. the air was thick. "not many people have ever been down here before," the man thought. he gazed intently at the inky blackness for something that would signal the end of the stairs. he saw nothing but continued downwards, feeling it was too late to turn back.

when he reached the bottom it was very hard to see. the darkness was as thick as the musty air. something caught the man's eye, he turned, and saw only darkness. "i should've brought my lighter," he thought. the man was starting to realize that there were a lot of things he would like to do differently. "why the hell did I come down here?" the man whispered to himself.

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back in the car the dog was starting to worry. the man had been gone for longer than the dog's bladder was designed for. the dog moved to the front passenger seat and scanned the forest for any sign the man would be back soon. squirrels were nearby, so were several birds. then the dog heard a sound that it hadn't heard before and was frightened.

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the man heard the sound too, and he didn't like it either. but unlike the dog, it was a sound the man knew all too well. the man reached into his back pocket and drew out his wallet, he fumbled with a small knife that flipped open from the shape of a credit card. nothing could be seen in the darkness. silence roared loudly in his ears as his heart beat rapidly. he wondered if the dog would survive this.

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