© 2012 Phylicia Joannis
I wasn’t sure how long I was out for. As I lifted my head from the damp, dank earth it felt like centuries. I blinked and place a gentle hand on my temple. It was sticky with mud – and blood. I felt slightly dizzy as I pushed my body off the ground and onto my knees.
“Is everyone alright?” the Nurse’s sweet voice pierced the heavy darkness, and relief washed over me. I searched for her face, but I couldn’t see anything, not even shadows.
“I’m here,” I heard the weak, but clear voice of the Congressman. His voice was strained in pain, and immediately my muscles tensed.
I heard the Old Woman gasp and begin a quick prayer.
“We need some light over here!” the Climber shouted. From which direction, I couldn’t tell. The Nurse must have had the flashlight, because seconds later a beam of light flashed in front of her. She pointed the flashlight in the direction the Climber’s voice had come from, and I saw why the Old Woman had sounded so anxious.
The Climber and the Old Woman were hovering over the Congressman, who was sitting at an odd angle with a thick, long pipe protruding from his abdomen. A pool of blood oozed from the wound and I felt my own stomach double over.
“Where’s the girl?” the Congressman sputtered.
“I’m here!” I waved, though in the darkness I was sure they couldn’t see me. I rose to my feet and walked clumsily towards them.
The closer I got, the worse the wound looked.
“Should we pull the pipe out?” the Climber asked the Nurse.
She shook her head. “I don’t know, he might bleed out if we do that. We have no idea how deep it is.”
“Lord be with him,” the Old Woman whispered.
The Congressman’s face twisted in a grimace as he gasped in pain.
“This is all my fault.” I watched him struggle to breathe, guilt tugging at my insides. “I’ve killed him.”
“He’s not dead yet,” the Nurse replied with an edge in her voice. “Don’t talk like that.”
“I thought if we made enough noise there would be another cave in, and it would open up a way out,” I tried to explain. “I started the fight to get us to make noise. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” the Congressman spoke slowly. “You did good, kid.”
“You’re hurt,” I whimpered. “How can that be good?”
The Congressman forced out a small chuckle and tilted his head upward. “Take a look for yourself.”
I followed the direction of his head and looked up. The darkness was still there, deep and thick and dangerous, but across the ceiling I saw small flecks of light. The light was dim, but steady.
“The sky,” I looked at the Congressman, uncertain. “That’s the sky?”
He nodded his head, then winced in pain.
We all gazed up at the night stars, a fresh energy buzzing between us.
“How high up do you think we’ll have to go to reach the exit?” the Old Woman asked.
“Looks like about thirty feet,” the Climber replied. “If one of us could reach the outside, and go for help, the rest of us could stay behind and look after the injured.”
“Wouldn’t the odds be better with two?” the Old Woman asked.
The Climber shook his head. “Too much weight could cause another collapse. One thing’s sure, we need to act quickly.”
“Let me go,” I volunteered myself. “I’m probably the lightest, and I’m a good climber.”
“No, it’s better that I go,” the Climber shook his head.
“And leave the three of us ladies to carry two men if things get dicey?” I challenged him. “I’m not very strong, and how many of us would it take to carry an unconscious man?”
“I have to agree with her,” the Nurse frowned. “We need you here with us.”
The Climber looked at each of us before finally nodding his head.
“Alright, then. I’ll stay.”