“We’re in this together, but I’m not sure I can trust you,” he confessed under his breath.

Only silence followed the admission as his words echoed across the dank cavern walls.

The creature he spoke to watched the man from the shadows, black pupiless eyes unmoving as its skinny head cocked to the side in a wordless question. Bone on bone rubbed together to make a grating sound alongside the gesture, as if the noise was a suitable alternative.

“Don’t look at me like that,” the man responded, voice raspier than intended. “Saving my ass from that rock collapse isn’t an invitation to be friends, acquaintances even. Just…help me get out of here, okay?”

A beat, quieter than anything that would exist above ground. The creature blinked. Wet, rotting flesh meeting. It made the sallow-faced explorer gag.

“Fine. If you get me back to the surface, whatever you need or, whatever you’re looking for. I’ll help you get it. Do we, uh, do we have a deal?”

Another jarring silence had the explorer worried, before that grotesque mouth which had never spoken a word curled upwards in a nauseating attempt at what looked like a smile. Decaying bone peeked out of its mouth like broken wood chips. A horrifying sight to anyone else, but one of hope to the man so desperate to once again see sunlight.

No handshake was necessary; a curt nod and the gathering of supplies worked just as well.

“Alright then. Let’s get going.”