Secrets of The Cave

“I-I’m sorry!” Adriana backed away from the stone walls in front of her, lantern in hand. With the other she tried to feel behind her, searching for the mouth of the cave she had entered.
“What is it you came for?” The deep question growled across the cave, and Adriana nearly dropped her light.
“Nothing, I swear, forgive me!” As she backed away, the man in front of her became more visible. His long dark hair gathered near his shoulders, and his face was bathed in contrasting shadows by Adriana’s lantern. “I was playing a game with friends-”
“That was days ago.” Adriana gasped again. Had he been watching her then, when she first used the cave as a hiding place? Indeed it had been the perfect spot, but it held many other secrets.
“You’ve been back quite a few times since then. I ask you again. What is it you came for?” His voice boomed and echoed off the stone walls. Bursting into tears, Adriana fled from the cave, dropping her lantern as she went.

Daylight streamed into the small window, followed quickly by the cry:
“Adriana, up up up!”
Pulling the sheets over her head, Adriana groaned and waited.
“Adriana, UP!” Reaching the door of her room, Claudia sighed. “You lazy thing, up with you! Would you let your poor mother work in the garden all day by herself?”
“If I had a choice!” Adriana mumbled as she turned over. Grabbing the sheets from the bottom, Claudia tore them from the bed.
“Come now, there’s fresh juice on the table and chores to be done!”
Adriana rolled onto her back, and as the sun flooded her features she recalled what had happened the night before. A mix of emotions took her; fear, guilt and curiosity. That man, he must have been the one who painted the stone walls inside the cave! They were beautiful and detailed; indeed, that had been the reason for her return visits. They struck an undeniable resemblance to other paintings that had appeared throughout her town, though the graffiti had gained an increasingly harsh reputation due to their obvious message against the Church. Could she have found him, this mystery man, a hermit living in their woods that no one knew about?
“Adriana!” This time, there was no cheerful tone in the shout. Adriana put on her work clothes and rushed to the kitchen.

The day was hot and sticky, and Adriana yearned for a break.
“It’s not so much that I’m lazy, like mother thinks,” Adriana mused. “It’s just I’d rather be doing something else!” Finishing her drinking water, she wandered back into the house.
“Mother, allow me to go into town for a while. I’ll pick you up some nice bread from Colombo! He always has the freshest, I know how you love it!”
“You’re just trying to get out of your chores!”
“Oh mother! I haven’t that much more to do, I’ll finish when I come back!” Adriana widened her signature green eyes; with her curly hair bouncing around her pale round face, her mother weakened.
“You’re lucky to be so beautiful, my lazy girl! Go, and you better bring me a nice loaf for dinner!” With a few coins in her hand, Adriana sprinted from the house towards town.

Men were gathered around the side of the bakery, and Adriana tried to catch a glimpse of the wall as they chatted;
“How is it that we never see him?”
“We need more watchmen for sure!”
“Disgusting and heretical!”
Knowing it was another mural, Adriana strained on her tiptoes to see above the men’s heads. Suddenly she felt a pressure on her hips, and she rose off the ground.
“Is that better?” A familiar voice greeted her, and Adriana bit her lip nervously. “I haven’t seen you in a while, Adriana.” Joseph brought her back to the ground, keeping his grip on her body. “Not since the beach.”
Adriana wiggled against his control, and he spun her around to face him. He ran one hand up the length of her body, gently stroking her nipple before resting his fingers under her chin. Adriana knew Joseph could never be right for her, but he could occasionally make it easy to forget that. She caught a glimpse of another one of Joseph’s interests, Lynne behind them. The hatred on her face was unmistakable.
“Uh, I, I’ve been busy with mother on the farm.” She withdrew her face and he placed the hand back on her chest. Sighing, she tried to move back, but his grasp tightened. Coming close to her ear, he whispered;
“I want you again, the beach tonight!” Before he could say anything more, Lynne was tapping him angrily on the shoulder.
“I suppose your father had you come to town for the new horse shoes then? He told me earlier, why don’t you come along with me?” She smirked at Adriana from over Joseph’s shoulder, immersed in her jealousy. He gave Adriana a quick pinch on her hard nipple and she felt the wetness in her underwear as a chill climbed up her back. Finally letting go of her, he mumbled “See you later” and walked off as Lynne babbled in his ear.

After dinner, Adriana rushed to catch a quick bath before the sun set completely. As the water heated she studied her body in the bathroom mirror, torn between fantasies. Her curiosity to go back to the cave was burning inside of her- Could she face the man there? What would he say if she admitted his art fascinated her? She ran her hands over her breasts and thought of Joseph, gentle and slow, waiting for her at the beach. It certainly was tempting! Between her legs was even more wet now than at the market as she thought about both men. She dipped a finger between her soft moist lips and groaned. What was a girl to do?

Adriana babbled another excuse at her mother as she flew out the door towards the road. She had half a loaf of bread and had even managed to smuggle a bottle of wine underneath her skirt. Smiling to herself, she placed it in the basket with the wine and hastened her pace; dark was nearing and she had left her lantern at the cave. Indeed, she saw it when she got there- standing near the entrance she had fled from in such fear last night. Inhaling deeply, Adriana tip toed towards the lantern, peering into the darkness of the cave. Hearing no breathing or sound of another person, she grabbed the lantern’s handle and pulled it quickly. Before she knew it, a hand came from the cave mouth and pulled her inside.
“Shhh…” The man had her against the stone wall, hands pinned above her. He hissed into her ear as she panted anxiously.
“I’m not going to hurt you if you stay calm!”
Adriana felt her body rubbing against his as she tried to slow her breathing. His breaths landed lightly on her neck, sending goose bumps crawling up her flesh.
“Ok!” she whispered, a curious smile on her lips. “I…brought you some wine!”
“What?” He looked at her with shock in his eyes, releasing his grip on her hands slightly.
“In the basket; it dropped but I don’t think it broke! I…I just want to talk about, uh, well, your art!”
“You can stop whispering!” The mysterious man let her go completely and stepped back. The last rays of the sunset bathed him in an orange light, and Adriana saw how truly gorgeous he was. His hair was dark and shiny, pulled behind him, and his build was surprisingly muscular. He was much more unkempt than the men in town, but seemed to pull it off without a problem. He looked around, and back at Adriana. “Grab your things and come inside.”

Adriana had no real reason to fear this man at all. Although there was an underlying fierceness to him, he spoke calmly and softly. His story was one of tragedy; when he was a young boy, his father had been executed by the church for heresy. Adriana recalled the event though she too was so young, and she marveled now at the little boy, Gabriel, who had run away. He had grown up in these forests alone, using caves as his shelter, killing or stealing what he needed to survive. Even after their first bottle of wine was gone he managed to produce another, along with some berries he had picked in the woods. They drank, ate and spoke all night, watching each other in the lantern lights. Adriana finished her glass of wine and turned her head, peering into his eyes.
“You should not continue to live here, all by yourself!”
“What else would you have me do?” His tone changed a bit, gathering that deep fearsome quality.
“Well, I don’t know…I mean it’s been so long now, maybe they-”
“And you would expect that I would want to come live in the town that killed my father?” His voice raised now, echoing slightly off of the walls.
“Well I certainly wouldn’t expect you to live your whole life in a cave!” Adriana rose from a seated position to her knees, looking down into his face. “Painting cryptic messages all over the place! Your talent should be used for something good!”
“Something good?” Gabriel rose too, and kneeled facing each other. “You know what? After all I’ve told you tonight, you have no idea who I am at all, do you?” His voice growled, reminding Adriana of the first night they had met.
“Why don’t you show me?” She pushed her face towards his, her breathy question more of a challenge than anything else.
Hungry, aching lips met each other in a moment of fervor, no telling who had started it. The heat in Adriana’s face continued to grow, spreading down her body. Gabriel wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her hips close to his. She felt his hard cock rub against her mound, both of them groaning at the touch. With the same intensity that was in his voice, Gabriel pushed her to the blanketed cave floor, his kneeling position now straddling her. Adriana yelped as he flipped her onto her stomach, his manhood pressing the fabric of her skirt and underwear between her thighs. With a few swift motions he ripped her bodice and skirt fabric apart, and she cried out, surprised at the sound. This was not like being with Joseph, who was always so slow and delicate. Gabriel had passion and ferocity, ripping at her clothing like an animal. She felt his lips on the small of her back, and goose bumps cascaded towards her blushing face as he worked his way up, tongue kissing and biting her soft flesh. His face stopped to suckle her neck, and one hand came underneath the torn fabric to meet her supple breast. Her nipple was rock hard, and she shrieked with pleasure as he manipulated it in his fingers. Another hand worked in and out of her dripping slit as she moaned and bucked against his cock. Gabriel removed his hands for a moment and as she turned to see him take out his huge member. A little shocked at the size, Adriana inhaled sharply. She exhaled just as he grabbed once more to her body, pushing his burning dick inside of her. Their moans echoed all over the cave as he rode her body, maintaining his tight grip. She moved her hips back and forth in rhythm, overtaken by the pleasure of his throbbing cock inside of her. He leaned down to neck again, breathing heavily in her ear.
“Adriana…if there is a way…” withdrawing his soaked member, he turned her to her back, and their eyes met in the shadowy cave. His wet dickhead rested against her tight hole as it pulsed in desire. “I would have you like this everyday-” He pushed partially into her as her liquid flowed onto his cock. Writhing, she tossed her head back.
“Please Gabriel!” He held her hips back as she tried to push onto him.
“Listen! I just want to say, no matter what happens, I am more than joyful to have shared this night with you…” He brought his arms underneath her body, pulling her torso towards his. “Thank you.” He whispered before plunging his cock inside her at last. Groaning and shrieking, they stared in each other’s eyes and kissed eagerly as their bodies rode back and forth. He felt her sweet opening contract sharply as she began to gush fiery juice onto him. In a explosive thrust he came into her, and she whimpered as he bucked in an out, slowing eventually to a halt. Gently he released her back to the floor, and his cock slipped out, dripping with a mixture of their fluids.

Adriana squinted and blinked, catching a glimpse of the nearly extinguished lantern. Her first sensation upon waking up was her aching pussy, sore and pulsating for more cock. Gasping she arose, and peering out of the cave she could see daylight outside. She turned to Gabrielle, who squinted at her with a sleepy smile.
“Gabriel, it’s morning!”
“Perhaps.” his smile widened.
“Who knows what time it is, in the blackness of this place! My mother is going to be crazed!” She stood up, the torn fabric falling around her body. “Oh my! They’re going to think I was attacked by some kind of animal!”
“Wouldn’t you say that’s true?” Standing, Gabriel grabbed her wrist and pulled it above her head. Pushing her to the cave wall, he kissed her passionately and her breath heaved against his chest.
“Oh Gabriel!” She whispered. “Please, let me just go home so my mother doesn’t get worried!”
He let her go, dropping his head. “If that’s what you want.”
“Gabriel, I’ll come back, I promise! The last thing you want is for people to find you in here, especially standing her with me and my ripped up clothing!”
Gabriel chuckled and nodded his head. “You’re right. Do what you need to do. But I want you to take something.“ He went to a corner of the cave, producing a rolled up piece of paper.
“This is for you.“ Unrolled, she inhaled as she saw a beautiful sketch of herself. Her eyes looked large and a little frightful, shadowed by the lantern she had in her hand. “This is what you looked like the first time we met…so scared, and still so beautiful.” Rolling it back up, he handed it to her. Adriana extended her hand, and Gabriel kissed it and gave her the sketch. “I hope to see you soon.”

Adriana ran down the street, her dress knotted up to prevent it from falling off. It looked like it was still early morning; there was a chance she could make it to her house before her mother went to wake her. Her mind raced with excuses and lies, broken sharply by a voice behind her as she turned onto her road.
“And where could you be coming from, Adriana?” She tried to stop in her tracks, falling onto the stone street. She peered into the sunlight, the laughing body shadowed from her view. However, Adriana knew that loathsome voice anywhere.
“I know that you were supposed to meet Joseph last night,” Lynne crossed her arms as Adriana rose from the street. “I went to the beach to try and catch you two…but only he was there.” She smirked, her upper lip raised smugly. “Needless to say, three would have been a crowd.” Her expression changed as she looked Adriana up and down.
“But what DID happen to you, eh?” Lynne walked slowly around her, and with a quick motion grabbed the sketch out of Adriana’s hands.
“No! Stop it Lynne, what do you care anyway?” She snapped for the picture futilely as Lynne’s eyes widened.
“…It…it’s in the same style…” Lynne looked at Adriana. “As the murals in town!” Pointing her finger, Lynne began to shout. “You know the man who’s been torturing our town, and you’ve remained silent?”
Behind them another shout rang out;
“Adriana! Heavens girl, where have you been?” Claudia was sprinting up the street. As Adriana turned to face her, Lynne began running.
“No! Stop! Please Lynne, you can have Joseph! Please give me the picture!” Adriana tried to run after her, but her mother grabbed her.
“What do you think you’re doing young lady? Are you crazy? And what in God’s name happened to your clothing?”
“You don’t understand, Mother! They might kill him!”
“Who?” Claudia turned her daughter around. “What happened to you?”

After a long while of blubbering and trying to explain things to her mother, a sturdy knock sounded at Adriana’s door. She looked up in fear as Claudia answered to several men from the village, demanding Adriana’s company.
“There are other men waiting at the caves where you were seen coming from this morning.” Adriana began to cry again as they grabbed her by the arms. “You’re coming with us!”
Indeed, there were men at the caves when Adriana arrived, but no sign of Gabrielle whatsoever. They turned to her and she saw Lynne pointing and whispering to Joseph.
“Where is he, the man who defiles our village?”
“I…I…” Adriana looked into the cave, surprised by the lack of paintings visible in the light. From where she stood it looked like the large murals she had first seen where gone, replaced by something else. She could make out a few letters, and gasping she ran into the first part of cave wall. Indeed, the paintings had been replaced by a message, one Adriana knew was just for her;
“if there is a way…” Adriana kneeled before the stone wall, wondering if there ever would be one.