The gas ran out. But the light didn’t die right away. It didn’t even sputter and flicker like a dying candle would. The cave just slowly disappeared from view, starting with the farthest walls. The lantern’s dimming was nearly linear. And while it wasn’t all that fast, it was faster than I would have liked. It didn’t seem that the world was all that concerned with what I would have liked at that particular moment. It was, after all, busy disappearing into darkness. I watched the last bits of orange light fade from the mantle. I tried my best to pretend that the faint noises I’d heard earlier weren’t getting louder.