Chapter 9: Accidents Happen
Greer and Rae were swimming a few feet a head of Tyler and Strode. When they heard Strode yelling and screaming over their radios.
"Strodey!" Rae yelled, turning around and swimming back in the direction that Tyler and Strode were last seen before Greer could stop her. "Tyler!"
"Cassie wait!"
"Strodey! Tyler!"
Then there was a rumble and the whole ground shook. A shock wave knocked Tyler into Greer and they both flew backwards towards where the open water and advance base camp.
"Tyler! Strode! Rae! Greer!" the dark skinned man heard Jack yell and someone pulled at him from behind trying to get him to his feet.
Greer struggled and got away from whoever had him. "Greer! Greer, where's Rae? Huh?" Top demanded. "Where is she?"
"Goddamn it, Cass!" Greer yelled, putting his mouth piece back in and diving back under the water before anyone could stop him.
The water was murky with the dust and debris from the tunnel explosion; it was hard for him to see, his flashlight was next to useless. She he had to rely on his ears and his sense of touch.
"Cassie, got a copy?" Greer asked into the radio in his mouth piece as he felt his way through the water. "Cass, you got a copy? Are you safe?"
She didn't answer his call and he started to panic until he heard coughing over his ear piece. Then someone brushed up against his arm.
"I'm on your starboard, Greer. Your starboard," came Rae's raspy replied.
Greer quickly got her by her underarms and started dragging her to safety.
"Is that, Rae, Greer?" Jack asked over the radio.
"Roger that," Greer replied. "I'm gonna get her up to the surface and check her out."
"Copy that," Jack said. "Top and I are gonna see what the hell just happened."
Greer continued pulling Rae up to the surface. When they broke through the top Tyler and Dr. Nicolai were waiting to help him with her.
Tyler took her by the biceps and pulled her up on dry land while Greer heaved himself up.
The dark skinned man quickly made his way over to Rae.
"Is she alright?" Charlie cried out.
Rae ripped her off her mask and yanked her mouth piece out of her mouth. "I'm fine. I'm fine." She turned to look at Tyler. "Are you alright, Ty?"
The younger McAlister nodded. "I'm fine, not a scratch."
Rae suddenly gasped in pain when Greer touched her arm. She looked down and saw a large gash going down it that was oozing blood. "Damn. Wish I could say the same."
"Here, let's take a look," Greer said, helping her pull off the top of her wet suit.
"Someone get me the medical kit," Greer called.
"I got it," Charlie got up and went to retrieve it.
"What the hell happened down there, Rae?" Briggs demanded.
Charlie arrived back with the kit in her hand and she handed it to Greer. "Thanks, Charlie."
She nodded and sat down on a near by rock to watch.
"I don't know what the fuck happened," Rae said, wincing as Greer cleaned to wound. "Strodey was screaming like something had him then the whole world went topsy turvy."
She looked at Greer. "How deep is it?"
"Not very deep but I'm gonna cover it anyway. I don't want it to get infected," he replied, applying a fresh bandaged to her arm.
"Son of a bitch!" Rae snapped, throwing her goggles to the side. She combed her fingers through her wet curls.
"Where the fuck is Strode? Do you know?" Briggs demanded, grabbing Rae by the shoulders and forcing her to look at him.
She glared at him and shoved him away from her. She didn't know where Strode was but she knew that he wasn't coming back.
Rae knew that Strode had to be dead.
"I don't fuckin' know Briggs, alright? I couldn't get to him the tunnel collapsed before I could," she snapped angrily. Then she gasped and clutched the left side of her ribcage.
Greer was instantly on alert and lifted up the edge of her blue tank top. Her ribcage was badly bruised.
He touched it gingerly and she hissed in pain.
"Are they broken?" Tyler asked, shining his flashlight onto the discolored skin.
Greer shook his head. "Nah, but they are badly fractured at the least. Do you want me to wrap them?"
Rae shook her head. "No, I think I'll be alright." Then she tried to lift her left arm above her head and she gasped, dropping it back to her side. "On second thought, yeah, it wouldn't be a half bad idea."
Greer nodded and turned back to the medical kit while everyone else kept themselves busy by setting up the equipment.
"You know that Strode maybe dead don't you?" Greer asked quietly as he started to wrap her ribs.
She winced. "I know."
Two sets over bubbles broke the surface of the water. "Ahh, look there they are," Rae murmured. "And Strodey isn't with them."
Top and Jack climbed back up the embankment.
Jack's clear blue eyes studied her. "Are you alright?"
Rae nodded. "Yeah, couple of fractured ribs and a cut on my arm. Nothing that won't heal if given a little time."
"You want me to take a look at it?" Top asked.
"Nah, Greer's got it but thanks anyway Top."
He nodded as he and Jack walked away to get changed out of their wet suits.
Rae did the same before she walked over to where Jack was standing near the edge of the water, by himself, just staring.
She stopped beside him, clasping her hands behind her back, she too stared out over the now still water.
She took a deep breath. "Jack?"
He looked over at her.
"What happened to Strodey wasn't Ty's fault," she said, not taking her eyes off the water. "It wasn't yours either."
Rae took a deep breath. "These kind of things happened."
"What happened down there, Rae and tell me the truth," Jack said and she looked up at him.
"I don't know, Jack," she replied. "I heard him yelling for help and it sounded like he was being attacked. But before I could reach him there was some kind of explosion and the tunnel started to collapse. The pressure pushed me away from him."
Jack nodded. "You said it sounded like he was being attacked. What the hell could of attacked him?"
"I don't know, Jack," she replied. "As much as I hate to say it, he could have been hallucinating, you know as well as I do what happens when you screw up your mix. He panics and wrecks his scooter, it happens Jack. Even to the most experienced divers."
"Do you think that's what happen, Rae?"
She shrugged helplessly. "I don't know Jack but what I do know is that something isn't right. I can feel it in my bones. Something is very, very, wrong with this cave."
TBC…
AN: Well I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! I'm open for suggestions R&R
