There are two ways to deal with the possibility of death before you. Well, running away may be an option for others, but for us, it was never and never will be. So, once running is out of question, you either can shake in your boots while driving to your doom — or you can laugh right in its face.

Every one of us decided to laugh instead. Not because we didn’t realize the danger, but rather because we were so strongly aware of it, that this was the best method to keep one’s sanity. 

Pam started to chant the lyrics first in the most horrible singing voice you can imagine. Honestly, if it was any other person than her, we would have asked her to stop right away. But not here, not in the middle of the few people who truly understood what it meant to have another rendezvous with death.

I began to sang along, mixing my voice with hers, until Greg and Charles joined in. In the end, we probably managed to sing in seven different voices, with just four people taking part in the chorus. Still, our smiles could not have been broader as the car stopped near Greenwich Park.

We left the car, took out the GPS coordinates we were sent, and walked up to the roadblock the police had set in place.
“Gregson Edwards, we are the rifters send from the BRS to take care of the rift. Please let me and my team through.” Greg showed them his license plate, and we walked past the officers. They didn’t care much for it either way, as long as they weren’t the unlucky fools who had to take care of the rift.
“Glad you came so fast, Mr. Edwards. We got the measurements for you. We could detect nothing out of the ordinary with the riftographs. Furthermore, we expect you to clear the upcoming rift with minimal casualties.” 

Minimal casualties — the two favorite words of police officers and politicians nowadays. No one dared to claim that a rift would be overcome without any losses within rifters.

So, basically minimal casualties referred to a rift whose strength was around the same level of rifts a group of rifters had cleared before. Politicians have a simple mindset if it’s come to this.

In their opinion, once you’ve survived a certain difficulty of a rift for the first time, your chances for success are rather high. Yeah, chances of success. Success doesn’t mean you’ll get into the rift and out without losing friends or comrades. It simply tells you that you’re unlikely to lose so many at once that you’ll fail to complete the mission. And no one couldn't care less about rifter casualties, as long as the mission succeeds. 

“Thank you, officer. We will start with our preparations.” Greg motioned as to walk through the blockade, so we picked up our equipment from the car’s trunk and moved to our designated waiting point.

Let’s be clear — fighting monster’s is no fun thing to do, but at least it’s better than waiting. While fighting, at least your actions matter somehow, and you’re too busy to worry about what might happen. But sitting and waiting for the fights to begin? Your thoughts can get caught up in worries easily, and you need a lot of discipline to focus on your upcoming task.

This time it didn’t take too much waiting through. About an hour after we had set up on our waiting point, the air started to shift. We watched closely as the sky teared upon like we’d seen it many times before.

The pull of the rift started to reach us, and soon our feet lost connection to the ground. From that point onward, it’s always going really fast.

Lightning flashes before your eyes, foreign scents capture your attentions. When the flashes die out, you’ll find yourself in a different place. This time, the rift led us to a cave that resembled many caves where we had been before. The air felt chilly around us, but as soon as we started to move, the cold became bearable quickly. 

“Be careful”, Greg adjured us. “It seems to be another bearhorn’s cave.” 

My gaze fell upon the indentations on the rocks to our right.
“Yeah, probably. They seem to have taken their time to sharpen their horns. The scratches are fresh.” I brushed my thumb against those markings. “They still feel warm. We should move with caution.”

Greg nodded, held up the shield and took another step in front of us. Charles and Pam followed only a few steps behind him, while I took the position of taillight.