AN: Here is Part 2 (of probably 3 or 4) of this storyline! Based off of the prompt "I don't want to go", we continue to make our way through the mines, but not everything goes as smoothly as Peter hoped it would. The Sterling Hill Mining Museum is a real place, and although I have taken some creative liberties with it having never been there myself (and needing certain things to work out for plot points), you can check out some pictures of it to help visualise :)
I write these daily, so apologies for any errors in spelling, grammar, etc. Life is crazy and hectic, but I just love being able to put these short stories out xx
This isn't so bad.
That's what Peter had begun telling himself halfway through their tour through the mines. They had first passed through the Zobel Hall Museum that used to be the Change House for the miners, but it was now filled with mineral displays including a really cool periodic table filled with actual samples of each element. Sam was a good guide; his excitable energy reminded Peter of a young Labrador puppy and almost made him forget about where they were. Almost.
Next, they entered the 'mine' portion of the tour. It was cool and damp, and Peter was glad May told him to bring a hoodie 'just in case'. He had pulled it on not long after they began their walk through the tunnels, where he wasn't sure if it was anxiety or the temperature itself that was turning his insides to ice. His only reassurance was the hard edge of the eyepiece on his suit that his fingers brushed against at the bottom of his backpack. Since Vulture, he'd started packing it regularly on the off-chance that if anything did happen, the Friendly Neighbourhood Spiderman would be there. Sometimes he felt silly and naïve; after all, he was still just a kid from Queens. But he was part of something bigger now, and a grave sense of responsibility sat on his chest during every waking moment.
The thing about being underground was that the further they went, the thicker the air got until Peter was almost sure there had to be no concentration of oxygen down where they were at all. Of course, if that were the case, they would all be hypoxic by now. Then again, the early symptoms of hypoxia - anxiety, confusion, and restlessness – aptly described Peter on a good day, so who was to say for sure.
They walked through more tunnels in which they could only fit single-file, "I'm sure you've all been waiting for this portion of the tour!" Sam led them into a more circular and open area, fluorescent shades of lime green and flaming orange licking up the walls and snaking along the ground. Peter and Ned gaped at the sight before them, almost in sync with the way they spun on the spot, tilted their heads up and down, trying to capture as much beauty behind their irises as they could. "This is the Rainbow Tunnel. Appropriately named for the crazy fluorescent lights these rocks throw, although between you and me, I prefer to call this place 'The Rave Cave'," Sam finished melodramatically, eliciting a few chuckles from the class. "Anyways, long story short, shortwave ultraviolet light causes the minerals in the rocks to glow. The green is willemite, which is a minor ore of zinc, and the red is calcite. Now, feel free to have a look around, and we'll regroup in a couple of minutes before heading lower."
Peter was still in awe at all the colours surrounding him, and he felt like the rocks should be dancing, all things considered. His anxiety hadn't plagued him for a little while now, and he was finally beginning to relax. Naturally, that would have been too good to be true.
"It's like you haven't seen rocks before."
Peter started at MJ's voice, too lost in his thoughts to notice her coming from behind. "Oh my god, MJ," he breathed, hand clutching at his chest, "don't sneak up on me like that."
In response, she only lifted an eyebrow, sending him a questioning glance that asked more than could be said in words. To her credit, she didn't begin her sleuthing into what had him so tense and nervous, instead opting for a conversation start that made everything oh so much worse in Peter's brain at that moment. "You know, ironically if an earthquake hit, the roof'd be way more likely to collapse in a room like the one we're in than if we were in a small passage."
Sam cut back in before Peter got a chance to ask MJ to elaborate, if not only in the hope that he could prove her wrong and calm the racing that had begun in his heart once more. "Alright, if I could please have everyone checking the straps on their helmets, make sure they're all secure! We'll be heading back around now, so please form a line again and follow me out."
Peter had been frozen in place since he'd heard MJ. The nerves that he had so tightly kept control over had started to fray, and he could feel his pulse rising, his breath quickening, and his knees trembling ever so slightly. Incidentally, because he noticed himself begin to panic, the panic came all faster and all the harder.
Vaguely in the periphery of his mind he noticed that most of the class had filed out of the cave room, and soon himself and Ned would left to take up the rear. That was if he could get his legs to move. He wasn't sure if it was because he was in public around his classmates (particularly in front of MJ) that he felt he was keeping himself from absolutely losingit right then and there. It was different than any other anxiety attack he had ever experienced. Before, he felt as if he were reliving specific memories and he had the urge to run, to pump his legs like he never had before and just escape; he usually did, with varying levels of success. This time, he was glued in place, his mind racing and imaging scenarios that probably wouldn't happen, but he was convinced in that moment would happen. It was a level of catastrophising he hadn't experienced until that moment.
"Hey c'mon man, let's go, we're going to be left behind," Ned said, pulling at Peter's arm. When Peter's eyes met his but it looked like he didn't quite see him, Ned pressed again. "You okay? We gotta go."
Peter's eyes shifted to the long and thin tunnel before them that led back to the main lobby. He knew that the only way to freedom and the fresh open air he desperately needed was back through there, but he couldn't bring himself to move. Onwards it extended, stone deposits shaped like teeth closing around his classmates one by one. He felt more than heard himself say, "I don't want to go."
"What do you mean you don't want to go? We can't stay, we gotta stick with the guide, remember?" Ned nervously glanced back and forth between Peter and the exit.
It was MJ's voice that finally cut through the haze in his brain, calling out from the mouth of the tunnel. "Hey losers, aren't you guys coming?"
"Y-yeah!" Peter called back, voice quavering slightly.
In that moment, all the anxiety and sickening unease culminated into a crescendo, and then finally at its peak had all the hairs on Peter's arms attempt to rise straight up through the fabric of his hoodie. It sounded as if a faraway aircraft was passing overhead and was slowly but surely becoming progressively louder and lower in pitch. He felt his stomach drop as he felt the ground beneath him tremble and dip.
Adrenaline flooded his veins rapidly and he grabbed Ned's arm, yelling at him to "go, go go," as he pulled them both towards the tunnel. Pieces of stone fell like crumbs all around them, and it was only thanks to Peter's gifted (or maybe it was cursed in this moment) eyesight that he saw a micro-fissure appearing in the ceiling.
And then that micro-fissure wasn't so micro anymore.
He managed to yank Ned back from where a portion of the ceiling completely gave way before them, a large cloud of dust invading Peter's airways and he had to turn his head to cough. Rock fragments snowballing in size were falling with increasing speed from every angle. Every step Peter pulled them towards, they were cut off once again by what were now becoming boulders crashing from above.
There was no way out.
He heard an ominous metallic groan from beside him as one of the large steel support beams bent at the centre before beginning its descent towards them. He decided in that moment that he never wanted to see that look on MJ's face again. It was one of such profound horror and helplessness that he promised himself if he made it out alive, he would make it his personal mission to make sure she would never have to feel that way again.
Rapidly finding a small clearing he hoped would stay clear, he pushed Ned and threw himself to the ground as the beam above came to a grinding halt in a triangular position along the opposite wall. The roar of the earth beneath him had decreased to a faint rumble, but too soon he let relief flood his heart.
Mother Nature had one last gift to give, and with a resounding clang, an immense boulder slammed itself along the length of the steel, where it proceeded to slide down the wall, carving with it weakened and deteriorated portions of the cave wall.
With little support left, the rest of the cave walls came thundering down.
AN: So on that cliffhanger...
Tomorrow's prompt fill won't be Part 3 for this, due to the nature of the prompt, but Day 4 will be, so don't worry, you'll have some closure soon! x