Day 8 Earth
One minute they were walking along, the next his left foot carried on going and his body followed through the hole that opened up beneath him and he was falling. He let out a startled yell that ended in an exhaled shout as he landed on his back and all the lights went out.
Some time later he came to, unable to remember quite what had happened. He tried moving and felt weighed down and there was an odd pattering noise and intermittent yelling from above.
He moaned and slowly shifted his body working out what, if anything he done to himself. He forced his sluggish brain to work. Walking. Hole. Oh, yeah. Unscheduled landing. Ouch.
He opened his eyes only to get dirt in them, he slammed them shut and spat dirt out of his mouth too. He was partially pinned down by soft earth from the rim of the hole above him. He finally registered the shouts from above.
"Sheppard!" Someone peering down loosened more soil and he tried to yell at them to stop, but coughed dirt instead.
"I thought I heard something. Sheppard are you okay?"
Radio. He keyed the radio and pithily told them a) he was okay just a little banged up b) to get away from the hole because they were burying him already and c) had anyone gone for some rope?
He pushed the soil away from his torso with his hands and sat up, ready to try standing and look at his new surroundings, but was stopped by bruising pain up and down his back. He lay back grimacing at the setback. He didn't think he'd broken his back, but for the moment there was no way he was going to be able to stand up and climb up a rope. He hit the ground with his fist in frustration.
He keyed the radio, once more
"Ahh, guys. I have a slight problem...."
Sometimes he swore the Galaxy was out to get him.
