“Jarrod, are you in here?” I call out to the shadows.
Just then, something grabs me by both arms and swings me around. My lantern crashes against the wall and shatters.
Something has a hold of me. It’s squeezing me tight, holding me in place. And I can’t see anything in front of me. All that’s left to do is thrash and kick, trying to break free as I’m forced into this impossibly tight spot.
My mind races. Did I enter the tunnel without realizing it? Did I walk right into the space where that man died in Jarrod’s story? Maybe it wasn’t made up. Maybe this is how I die too. But I’m not going down without a fight.
I kick backwards, catching what feels like a leg behind me, and I pull it forward with my foot. The grip on my shoulders releases and whatever has a hold of me stumbles and falls to the ground.
“Alright, Ian, enough,” a voice calls out breathlessly. “We’re just messing with you.”
A light appears, the flashlight of a cell phone. It takes a second for my eyes to adjust, and then I recognize the guy on the ground, covered in wet leaves and mud. “Chad?”
The prankster tries to laugh, but it comes out as a cough. “Fuck. Yeah, it’s me. You really knocked the shit out of me.”
The sound of hands clapping echoes from somewhere in the darkness. I spin around to see another cell phone flashlight floating near me. It’s Jarrod, a satisfied grin filling his face.
I help Chad up from the ground. He wipes himself off and then pats me on the back.
“No one’s ever come to the cave,” he says.
“What do you mean?”
“Beta Gamma Zeta has been pulling this prank for almost twenty years. It’s a longstanding tradition. Every single recruit has gone running up the hill toward the highway. You’re the first one who’s run to the cave trying to be a hero.”
“You must have a brave heart,” Jarrod adds, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and giving me a squeeze.
“You knew about this?”
He shrugs impishly. “I mean, yeah. Like I said earlier, I’ve been hanging out with these guys since tenth grade.” Then he turns to Chad with a glare. “What I didn’t know about was the unlined sleeping bags.”
Chad laughs. “That’s a new twist on the tradition. I thought of it myself.”
“It was brutal.” I know I should be more upset, but I can’t stop smiling. “Please tell me we’ve passed the test. I don’t want to go back to that cold tent.”
“You can sleep here in the cave instead,” Chad offers.
“Forget that.” Jarrod takes me by the arm and leads me out of the cave. “We’ve more than proven our worth to join the fraternity. And Ian here has proven he’s got bigger balls than any one of us.” He leans close to whisper in my ear, “And I should know.”
His warm breath on my neck makes me shudder, thinking about our secret sex.
Chad follows behind us. “Alright, boys, let’s head home.”
“I can’t wait to get back to a warm bed,” I say with relief.
Jarrod nudges me as we walk. Just knowing he’ll be sleeping on the other side of our room sends me reeling with filthy fantasies.
I look over at him and catch his eyes gleaming under the moonlight. From the way he’s looking at me, all hot and bothered with lust in his stare, I think it’s safe to say I’m not the only one imagining the next time we hook up.
He winks at me, and then I know for sure. This is the beginning of something wonderful.