2025.02.18 — Night
Even after nightfall, the air outside remained warm and humid. The sounds of insects and frogs could be heard from the forest without pause.
Ronald just kept driving, looking straight ahead. Mercer watched the dark forest slide past her window.
Neither of them said much on the way to the cave entrance.
Andrea had been found. That, at least, was a relief. But what had happened?
When they reached the cave entrance, two or three staff members were waiting for them. When Ronald got out of the vehicle, one of them pointed deeper into the cave.
“She’s in there. She’s responding when we call out to her.”
Mercer quickened her pace slightly.
As they entered the cave, the air grew slightly cooler.
When they reached TB-3, several staff members had already gathered. Andrea was sitting near the center of the test unit.
She was still in the same work coveralls she had worn during the day. Under the white work lights, she sat on the ground with her knees drawn up.
She looked up when someone came near. Her eyes were focused. At least she was conscious.
Mercer looked her over quickly from head to toe.
Other than some mud on her coveralls, she seemed to have no obvious injuries.
“Andrea, are you okay? What happened?”
Ronald asked gently.
Andrea looked at him for a while.
“...I don’t know.”
“How much do you remember?”
Andrea frowned slightly as she tried to answer.
“I remember... being at the site.”
“This afternoon’s subsurface survey?”
She gave a small nod.
“Do you remember getting in the car to go back?”
Andrea thought for a moment, then gave another small nod.
“Do you remember getting back to our lodging?”
“...Yeah.”
“What happened after that?”
“...I don’t know.”
Ronald looked at Mercer.
Mercer asked,
“Did you come all the way here by yourself?”
“...”
Andrea looked down at the floor.
She seemed to be thinking, or trying to remember something, but in the end she said nothing.
Mercer stood and looked around the cave.
Had Andrea walked all the way here alone from their lodging, along the dark road through the forest?
Mercer noticed that Andrea’s left hand was tightly clenched.
Her right hand had been resting on her knee the whole time, but she had not opened her left hand once.
“Andrea, are you holding something?”
Andrea looked at her left hand.
She looked as though she had only just realized there was something in it.
“...I don’t know.”
Ronald waited without rushing her.
After a while, Andrea slowly opened her fingers.
A worn coin lay in her palm, gleaming dully in the work light.
The coin did not look like any currently in circulation there.
“Where did you get this?”
Ronald asked, but Andrea kept looking at the coin and shook her head.
“I don’t remember.”
“Did someone give it to you?”
This time, she did not answer.
Andrea looked at the coin for a while, then closed her hand again.