Zoe had long been interested in the cave at the north end of town. It was an anomaly of earth and stone that seemed to have risen unnaturally in the middle of the flattest area of town.

At a young age, Zoe was told to go into the cave if a war were to break out. Inside the cave she would discover something unexplainable. The world within the cave was neither good or bad, but under no other circumstance was she to enter.

Zoe, now an adult, would run to the opening of the cave at any sign of difficulty in her life and wonder if the cave’s contents were better than those in her life. She had always heeded the warnings until now.

Standing at the cave’s opening, she knew almost assuredly that whatever was in the cave had to be better than her own life. Zoe tried to peer inside, but the darkness blocked her view. It wasn’t until she finally crossed the threshold that she began to hear the shrieks. Turning to go back, Zoe found that the entrance had disappeared.