Cave Dwellers Read Online Free PDF Page A

was beating rapidly. She broke out in a sweat.
       What was going on?
       In fact, her body was far from normal. A change was taking place, the first of several that she would experience as a result of the bat bites—for that’s what the marks on her skin were. The bites were not infected with rabies. These bats had never seen the open air. All their lives had been spent in the vast network of caves into which Zaac and Ramira had tumbled. No man had ever encountered their kind before. Their saliva was special. Being bitten by one bat might not cause much reaction but being bitten by several could infect and alter the victim. Ramira was now experiencing the transformation from these bites. It would require several days for the full effects to be noticeable.
     
     
       Zaac stopped and took a couple of deep breaths. There had to be a way to turn around. Sticking his head out of the opening, he looked to either side. There was nothing useful that he could see on his right or left. He noticed a ledge about four feet below the opening, protruding about three inches.
       That should work, he thought, as long as he could hold on, maneuver his body out and get a foot onto the ledge. He wriggled forward, keeping a grip on the inside of the tunnel with his left hand. He located a handhold on the cavern wall for his right hand.
        Supporting his weight, he was able to work his right leg out and down. With his left foot on the tunnel floor, he lowered his right foot carefully. He shifted his body until he finally touched the ledge. Readjusting his grip, he lowered his left leg onto the ledge. That done, he was able to reverse his body and crawl back into the tunnel.
       He paused to catch his breath, grateful that the maneuver had worked. Now he had to get back to Ramira. She would be worried. He was gone longer than he had planned.
       Crawling back as fast as he could, he reached the point where she was at last able to hear him.
       “Hello,” he hollered.
       Without a pause he heard a shout back, “Hey, are you okay?”
       “I’m fine. I’ll be back with you in a few minutes.” He rushed as fast as he could under the circumstances until finally he reached her.
       “I’m so glad to see you,” Ramira said. Without thinking, she threw her arms around Zaac. “I was really starting to worry. I tried hollering for you but you didn’t answer.”
       “I know. I’m sorry.” He looked into her frightened eyes and regretted the anguish he had caused her. “I crawled up to the cavern that I saw. It was big, but I couldn’t see the bottom. There was no way to get out into it, to explore, without the proper equipment. It was tough to turn around so I could crawl back front-first.”
       “If something had happened to you, I don’t know what I would have done. Anymore exploring you do, I’m coming.”
       “Okay by me. I’d enjoy the company. That particular cave wasn’t a good one for two people, though. I had a hard enough time turning around myself, much less with another person.”
       Zaac noticed that something seemed strange about Ramira. It was cool, yet she had small beads of perspiration on her forehead.
       “Are you feeling okay?” he asked. All he needed was for her to get sick.
       “I’m not sure. Something seems off with my body, but I don’t know what it is.”
       “I hope you aren’t coming down with something. Let’s have some water, then see if we can find a good spot to rest and spend the night.”
       “Sounds good. Do you have a watch?” She looked at his wrist. “I don’t have any way to tell time. I normally use my cellphone.”
       “Yes. My waterproof Casio is still running smoothly.” He laughed. “It’s just about four.”
       “Wow. Only four. It feels like it should be much later.” In fact, it felt like days had passed, not hours.
       They finished off the half bottle of water and started back down the cave using their