Requested by ImmortalSpuffy202, my very first fanfiction I wrote but never got around to posting it. Enjoy!
Note: I do not own the dialogue in this scene
"Just drop the mask! Give me your other hand, Randall!" Hershel yelled, hanging onto my left hand very tightly as I swung over a deep ravine. Was Hershel crazy?! He didn't understand how hard I had worked to find this mask. Although my heart was pounding and I was frightened, I wasn't about to just drop my first and only archaeological find into this bottomless pit. I refused to go home empty handed. An archaeologist must be brave!
I placed my foot on the side of the cliff and tried to climb back up, but my breath was taken away as slipped and swung back towards the abyss.
"Randall! I can't hold on!" Hershel cried, the strain in his voice evident from holding my entire weight by his arm. This really was the end. I felt the perspiration forming between our hands. I was going to fall.
I looked down sadly, a crippling ache shooting through my soul as I saw my fate beneath me. I closed my eyes tightly. So many thoughts raced through my mind, but I knew I didn't have much time to tell Hershel everything I wanted to. I felt terrible that Hershel was going to get all the blame for this, even though it was my own fault. "I'm sorry, Hershel," I apologised. "I let you down. Tell Angela I'm sorry!" I felt a lump forming in my throat. So much guilt overwhelmed me as I hung, knowing that I promised Angela that I would return. I was so selfish! She probably wouldn't even believe that I truly loved her after this...
Hershel, however, wasn't giving up on me. "I can't pull you up! Now give me your other hand, Randall!"
So much denial, even before I was dead. He didn't want to admit that I was going to die. I truly felt just as bad for my friends, if not worse than I felt myself. I swallowed my fear and remembered I was a true archaeologist to the end. We couldn't have come this far for nothing! "Take the mask. It's yours. You must solve the final puzzle, Hershel!" I implored.
Hershel's grip slipped further, and I knew we were both going to fall if he didn't let go soon. Thinking of our last, great adventure, I gave him one last smile. I wouldn't have wanted to share this journey with anyone else. I was proud that my best friend Hershel would finish this for me.
"Here," I handed him the mask, but as I did, the sweat between our hands made Hershel's grip slip entirely.
My heart stopped. It felt as if I were in slow motion while I watched Hershel's horrified face as I fell into the deep ravine. Everything became dark, and I heard Hershel call my name right before I hit ice cold water.
The freezing feeling surrounded my entire body. It stung terribly to hit water from falling from such a high distance, and my breath had been taken away. I struggled to come to the surface for air, the Mask of Chaos still in my hand, but the water had too strong of a current. Giving it all my strength, I pushed myself to the top of the water. I gasped for air and tried to stay above the rapids. As I paddled ferociously in the darkness, I felt something buoyant. Quickly grabbing ahold of it, I realized it must have been a log. Still grasping the mask of chaos, I tried to catch my breath. My pounding head and aching body couldn't handle the cold, and everything faded slowly...
