...but it wasn't, really.

The sun was setting and none of the twelve had emerged from the cave. Even as the darkness crept closer, Beth knew what she had done, and she knew what she must do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anne dived beneath a low ceiling and cursed. What was the point of this again? Oh yeah, to scare those five snobs out of their classy garb. Where had it gone wrong?

Anne had been the first one in, setting the scary tricks and laughing all the while. Laughing until she realized she hand no idea where she was. She hadn't realized the cave was that deep.

She thought she could follow the booby traps she had set but she was unable to find a single one. Cursing again, Anne stumbled on loose rocks. As she fell, her head grazed the wall and all went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Man, I'm telling you that the exit is this way." Eddie stood with Carl and Maggie at the end of a long tunnel they had stumbled through, deciding to save the batteries of their flashlights.

"Where the hell is Beth?" Carl asked as they all gathered around Maggie's flashlight beam, taking small comfort in each other.

"Forget her. We need to get out of here." Eddie replied. "This was her loony idea anyway."

"That way?" Maggie pointed toward a tunnel on their left with the bright beam. "Or that way?" She pressed as she pointed at yet another tunnel.

"This thing is a damn labyrinth. I don't even remember going through a tunnel to get here." Carl murmured. "We need Beth."

"We need to get out of here and get help." Eddie said as he pushed them toward the tunnel on the left. "This way."

"Are you sure?" Maggie asked as she looked over her shoulder in the darkness at the other tunnel.

"No, but what choice do we have?" Eddie asked as Maggie focused once more on the tunnel before them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mark looked at his watch then over his shoulder at the horizon. He stood at the entrance, waiting for anyone to emerge, just one soul to prove that his greatest fears weren't realized.

Twelve had gone in, one had come out. Mark was no fool. Beth handed him the tape recorder and the motion detector but he didn't journey in far to place the traps in place. He lurked in the shadows near the entrance and watched everyone press forward. Now he waited.

A shuffling was heard and he almost smiled. Almost. Until Beth's blonde hair glowed in the late evening light.

"Beth! Where are they?" Mark demanded as she stepped into the sun.

"Lost." She said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tell me you can't find your way out of here and I'll kick your ass!" Robert told Samuel as Tabitha looked on.

"Knock it off." Susanne frowned, which looked scary in the flashlight beams.

"Kick his ass." Terra mumbled as she smoothed her perfect brown hair in irritation. "Let's just get out of this maze."

"Easy for you to say. I knew we shouldn't have trusted those lowlifes." Samuel spun in a slow circle, looking at the eight tunnels surrounding them. "Which one did we come out of again?" He asked in irritation.

"You'd get lost on a raft." Tabitha laughed.

"Yeah, well you'd sleep with a rat if it meant you'd get some." Samuel replied.

"Shove it." She growled.

"Gladly." Samuel said as he grabbed his crotch. "Where?"

"Shh!" Suzanne said and the group fell silent. They were all students at Master Praise Prep School and their subtle competitions with Marie Hughes High School had led them to the dark cave they were now lost in.

A shuffling sound was coming from one of the tunnels. "Turn off the lights!" Terra whispered harshly.

"You're a bloody fool if you think I'm going to stand here in the dark." Robert sneered.

"Scared of the dark." Tabitha mocked.

"Shh! Don't you hear it? It's getting closer." Terra said.

They all listened in a halo of fading light as the shuffling drew closer, closer. Soon, it was just outside the ring of light and the five teens trembled in unison.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Find them? You mean you want us to go in there and find them?" Mark shook his head. "Your nuts."

"Nuts I may be, Mark, but I do know my way out of there." Beth insisted as she placed two flashlights into her backpack and one in her hand. "Besides, it was our idea to do this."

Mark looked at the dark horizon and sighed. "Let's go."

He and Beth entered the cave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Think we scared them?" Came a deep voice as a flashlight turned on.

"I think so." Maggie smiled.

"You idiots! You're the one that got us stuck in this trap!" Robert hissed.

"We found you." Maggie said. "Maybe you should show a little gratitude."

"Who says we're lost?" Tabitha asked.

"You're not lost? Which tunnel is it, then?" Eddie asked.

"That one." Susanne said as she pointed to the one opposite of the group.

"Well, then, lets go." Carl said as he, Maggie and Eddie headed in that direction.

"We're not going with you." Tabitha stated.

"Look, we're lost too. All we can do is press on and pray that there is a way out of here that we can find. Or hope Beth finds us." Carl said as he faced the five preppies who faced him in a semi circle.

"You're lost?" Samuel asked in silent awe.

"Yes." Maggie said as she tugged on Carl's arm.

"So are we." Terra admitted.

"So, do we stay together or drift apart again?" Eddie asked as the trio moved toward the tunnel again. "It's your choice."

"Together...only I think that's the tunnel we came out of. We should pick a different one." Samuel said.

"Then lets pick one." Maggie replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anne sat up, her head pounding furiously. She found her flashlight, which was dim. She clicked it off and sat up against the wall. She had no idea how long she'd been out but she knew that a dim flashlight with no reserve batteries was not a good thing.

Especially in the cave alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"There!" Mark dived into a tunnel toward a light weaving frantically about in the thick darkness. Beth followed, her eyes trained on the surroundings. She never should have let Mark talk her into the game they were playing. How could she have been so foolish? She knew how dangerous the cave was.

"Who is it?" She asked as soon as she noticed that Mark had stopped moving.

"Erik." Mark said, his voice sounding hollow. "You better come here, Beth, there's something wrong."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Another cavern with more tunnels. How are we ever going to get out of here?" Terra asked. Only three flashlights burned through the darkness as Eddie had convinced them to save their batteries. He believed they could manage with one but the preppies insisted on having as much light as they could manage.

"If we weren't following the losers, I'm sure we'd already be out of here." Robert hissed. "They just want us to lose the bet."

"The bet? Who cares about the bet?" Carl asked as he studied the tunnels before them.

"You know that this is just a ruse to get us to quit." Robert said.

"Sure. We go through great lengths to win a bet that means nothing if we're dead. Don't you understand what's in this cave? If we don't get out of here, we're all dead." Eddie said as he pushed past the preppies and peeked into a tunnel.

"We've got to get out of here and quick." Maggie said as she and Terra moved behind Eddie.

"I say we leave the losers to their own game and we go off on our own. Who's with me?" Robert demanded.

"Lets do it." Tabitha said.

None of the others seconded but Robert and Tabitha didn't seem to care. They took a tunnel that Eddie and Carl were sure led further into the cave.

"Which way?" Susanne asked softly.

"I hear someone in this tunnel." Eddie replied.

"Me too!" Terra insisted. "Lets go this way." No one argued as they moved forward, two less than they began with but more confidant than before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Erik?" Mark tried to take hold of his arm but the boy threw out his arms wildly. "Erik!"

Beth reached his side and shone the flashlight on Erik's panicked face. "He's seen it." She said as she knelt beside him.

Calmly, she placed her hands upon his shoulders and looked into his eyes. "What are you doing?" Mark asked.

"We need to get him outside but we can't if he's fighting us off." Beth said. "Erik? Erik, its Beth. Can you hear me?"

"Oh for crying out loud." Mark looked around and saw two beams of light traveling toward them. "Beth."

"Not now, Mark." Beth pressed Erik against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief as his eyes cleared.

"Beth?" Erik shuddered. "What was that?"

"We gotta go, Erik. Can you stand?" Beth asked.

"Are you kidding? I can run." Erik stood, bringing Beth to her feet with him. "I can run as far away from that thing as possible."

"Good." Beth said.

"Hey!" Mark nudged Beth. "It's the others."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Stupid punks." Robert mumbled again as Tabitha rolled her eyes. In her anger she knew she made a terrible decision. They stood a better chance with the others than they did with each other. "So, what are we going to do now?"

They had reached another cavern with three openings. Tabitha looked around and shrugged. "Back the way we came."

"Hey, baby." Robert moved closer and Tabitha shivered with delight. Secretly, she had wanted Robert since day one. Even in light of their current situation she still felt lust rise up in her. "You trust me?"

"Come on, Robert, we need to find a way out." She said as she craved his touch.

"I fully intend to come." He said as he took her in his arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"There it is." Beth said as the stood a few feet from the wide opening that marked the entrance. "I need to find the others."

"Who's left?" Eddie asked as everyone trekked happily to the exit.

"Anne, Robert and Tabitha." Mark answered.

"Those two preppies were sure they could get out all right." Carl said coldly.

"But I know they can't." Beth said. "Mark, are you coming?"

"Yeah...let's go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anne turned on her flashlight and tried not to cry as the brown light illuminated only inches before her. She would never be able to find her way out with no light. She could smell something sour and decaying and hear heavy breathing as something labored in the cavern at the end of the tunnel. She clicked off the light and stood. One thing Anne wasn't was a quitter. Quietly, she stalked off in the opposite direction of the smells and the noise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tabitha couldn't believe that she was having sex with Robert. Not only sex, but mind blowing, soul shocking sex. She couldn't believe her good fortune.

Even though he pushed her away when they were finished and they dressed in silence, Tabitha knew that Susanne would squeal with delight when she relayed the juicy details. All she had to do was get out of here.

"Ready, Robert?" She asked as she turned around. Her scream echoed through the tunnels.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anne heard the scream but it sounded as if it was coming from in front of her. She stopped walking and pressed against the cool wall, taking shallow breaths and listening. Another scream followed and Anne almost joined in with a scream of frustration. It now sounded like it was coming from behind her. She didn't know where to go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tabitha looked at the man holding Robert like a limp rag doll, blood oozing from his neck. The man tilted his head and tossed Robert aside. He landed with a sickening thud.

"Hello." The man said as he smiled a bloody smile and Tabitha screamed again. "Are you lost, little one?"

Tabitha backed away toward a tunnel to her right. The man approached slowly. "Stay away."

"He screwed your brains out, didn't he? I'll do better." The man opened his mouth, showing fangs tainted with Roberts blood. Tabitha turned and ran.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Did you hear that?" Erik asked as he stood with the others outside the cave.

"That sounded like Tabitha." Terra said.

"She must be close for us to hear her screams." Susanne shivered.

"No...that's not how this cave works." Maggie whispered and they all fell silent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anne was knocked aside by Tabitha's harried flight from the cavern.

"Wait!" Anne called but the girl with the bobbing beam of light just ran faster. "Please, wait!" Anne took a blind step after her but a hand closed around her arm.

"I'm here...you're not alone." Came a deep voice. Anne fainted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tabitha ran into Mark, who latched onto her and halted her progress.

"Let me go! He killed him! Let me go!" She kicked and struggled but Mark held tight.

"I'll do you one better." He said. "I'll get you out." He looked a Beth. "You coming?"

"Anne is still in there. I need to get her." Beth said. "Can you get out all right?"

"Yeah." Mark sighed. "I'll come in after you."

"No, don't." Beth said and they both knew that she was saying good-bye...just in case.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anne woke to semi darkness and a man who was too tall and pale to be normal. She saw the broken body of Robert against a wall. She swallowed.

"I won't hurt you. I never hurt the girls." He moved closer then and Anne tried to stand. "You've hurt your ankle."

Even as he said this, her leg buckled and she was lying upon the ground once more. "What do you want?" She asked.

"Puzzling. Most people ask who I am first. Ah, well, I want Beth." He smiled and Anne cringed.

"Beth?" Anne felt a throbbing pain in her ankle and it made her mad.

"Yes, she belongs to me." He moved closer and knelt beside her. "You, I'm afraid, are merely bait."

"Who are you?" Anne asked as she leaned away from the man.

"My name is Rynathe and I am a vampire, last of my kind actually. But Beth will change all that." He stood then, towering over Anne. "But only if she comes after you. Do you think she will?"

"How should I know?" Anne asked. Rynathe shrugged and they sat in silence waiting for someone both knew would come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beth stood just outside the ring of light and looked at Rynathe. Anne was lying on the ground. Beth knew that Rynathe had used his mind power on her to make her think her ankle was injured. As soon as Beth sacrificed herself to him, Anne would go free.

The horrible thing was that Beth had escaped him so long ago and now she was back, doomed to be his. There was no way around it and she blamed Mark. Only partly, she had, after all, agreed to go along with it. She hadn't believed that Rynathe would still want her.

Calmly, Beth stepped out into the light. Rynathe smiled. "Welcome back, my beloved."

"Let Anne go." Beth said.

"Of course." He nodded and Anne noticed the pain leave.

"Remove the confusion." Beth insisted.

"You have grown wiser, my love." Rynathe stated. "It is done."

"You know the way out now, Anne. Robert is dead. I am sorry about this, truly. Go. Tell the others that it is over. No one else should enter this cave for they shall never make it past the entrance." Beth hugged Anne.

"Be strong." Anne said, though she knew not why.

"Forgive me." Beth replied and Anne took the correct tunnel, everything suddenly so clear to her. She didn't need light...she knew her way.

"Well." Beth watched him closely, waiting.

"My goddess has returned to me." Rynathe said.

"Why did you kill him?" Beth asked.

"Why not?" Rynathe advanced. "You have been very naughty, my love."

"Have I?" Beth knew she could not escape him...not again.

"You owe me life." he looked at his long fingers a moment. "You owe me your loyalty."

"I was young and foolish when I made those vows." Beth said.

"Were you? Indeed. Well, I must say that was an excuse I didn't expect. A young and foolish goddess."

"I already told you I'm not a goddess." Beth felt a tremble deep within her at the denial. But, she was not a powerful goddess, not powerful enough to fight Rynathe and that meant her doom.

"I know that you are, Beth." He moved forward. "I know that you are."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The story that the papers ran told of a prank gone wrong...horribly wrong. Robert's body was never found and all the students would say was that "it was supposed to be funny."

The feud between Marie Hughes High School and Master Praise Prep School ended that day. The remaining students of the groups became close friends, although some didn't believe what lurked in the cave truly existed.

But every once in awhile, they would have a nightmare. Always together, all would dream the same dream. Tunnels dark and damp with blood twisting beneath the earth and they would wake with bloody kisses upon their necks and whispered promises in the air.

"For you...I will come for you..."