OK, sorry this took so long, but I've been suffering from a particularly
nasty case of Writer's Block. It seems to have gone now, so I can carry on
with the story! YAAAY! Oh yeah, I'll probably end it at chapter 6, if you
guys want it to end later, just tell me. Now, on with the show!
Psymon woke up to the sound of scraping. He opened his eyes wearily, and looked around. Kaori was still fast asleep, resting against him. He was tempted to push her off, but decided to let her sleep. He leaned over, and looked through the hole in the snow wall. Marty was asleep, but Zoe had disappeared. He shrugged, and lay back down, assuming that she'd probably gone off to get help. However, as soon as he'd closed his eyes, a load of snow hit him in the face. He grumbled and looked up, to see Zoe perched on top of the snow wall, with a snowball in her hand, grinning. He grinned back at her.
"What are you doing up there?" He called up, slightly confused.
"Thought I'd wake you up," she replied, and hopped down. After a moment, she scrambled back up, this time with a rope in her hand. "Here, catch!" She shouted, and threw the rope down to Psymon. He tugged at the rope a bit, before looking up at Zoe again.
"What did you attach it to?" He asked, tugging again.
"The snowmobile," she replied casually, then slid off the wall and shook Marty awake, who grumbled and got up slowly. Psymon gently woke up Kaori, who smiled once she saw the rope, instantly knowing what was happening. Marty appeared above them.
"Hey, Psymon," he called, and the older boarder looked up. "Pass Kaori up here," he instructed, and instantly shied away, worried that Psymon would have a go at him for ordering him about. However, Psymon simply nodded and picked Kaori up carefully, and helped her get on top of the wall. She beamed and hugged Marty, relieved to be with him again. Marty held her close for a few moments, wanting the moment to last forever. I'll never let her out of my sight again, he promised himself, before lowering her down slowly. Zoe came over and caught her, placing her in the snowmobile.
"OK, now you, Psymon!" She yelled, a lot braver than Marty. Psymon climbed up the rope, and leapt over to where the others were. Kaori looked back through the hole, obviously concerned about something.
"What about -" she hesitated before carrying on. "What about, you know, Seeiah's body?" Psymon thought about this, then shrugged.
"I dunno. We'll tell the officials what happened and where we've left the body, and they'll take care of things." Kaori nodded, and moved over as Marty got in the snowmobile. Psymon jumped into Zoe's snowmobile since his stomach was still too weak for him to snowboard, and Zoe strapped her boots to Psymon's board.
"We'd better head back," she said, and everyone agreed. The engines started, Zoe kicked the board into action, and they all sped off together. The snow was still pretty loose, so they had to be careful not to start the avalanche again.
Kaori knew that this was it, the nightmare was finally going to be over. She had to see all her friends again. She greatly missed Brodi and Eddie, as well as the others. She was even eager to speak to Luther and JP. As they raced on, she felt a sense of confidence she hadn't felt since before that fateful race. She looked up at Marty, and felt thankful that she was with him once more. She had wondered about these feelings in the past, but now she knew it. She loved him. She loved him more than everything else in the world, and she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. She looked back at Zoe and Psymon. She trusted Psymon now. She wasn't scared of him anymore, he was a friend. As she looked back at the snow wall, she realised how lucky she had been to survive such an ordeal. Seeiah hadn't been so lucky, and Kaori could've easily suffered the same fate. Now, she just wanted to put it all behind her. She looked down the track, and could already make out the riders and officials far off in the distance.
"I see the others!" She shouted out, and Zoe and Psymon smiled.
"Told you I'd get you out of here," Psymon exclaimed, and Kaori laughed. However, they hadn't noticed the faint rumbling below them as they sped on.
*****
Below the surface of the mountain, a group of miners were hard at work, collecting the coal that had just been detected in the rock. Two workers travelled down the dark tunnels, with only a single flashlight to guide them. The dust was heavy and suffocating, but still they had to keep moving. They pushed a wheelbarrow full of dynamite across the bumpy floor to the main chamber. Once there, one of the workers walked off, while the other pushed the barrow to men with clipboards.
"Is this okay?" He panted, slouching against the barrow. The men nodded.
"Nice work, Brian," one of them said. "For your first day here, you have done really well." Brian smiled. Maybe his family would make it after all. This job could save his wife and children from poverty at last.
"Should I prepare the explosives?" He asked, and the miners in charge nodded and cleared everyone out of the chamber. Brian hooked up some dynamite to wires attached to a detonator, and moved back, preparing to push down the handle. He didn't realise that a few sticks of dynamite had fallen out of the barrow, and were scattered around the floor. As he pushed down, he didn't even notice the stick that he was accidentally standing on until it was too late. The last thing that crossed his mind was the excruciating pain that he felt as his body was torn apart.
*****
Marty stopped suddenly, hearing the loud boom coming from beneath them. He looked around nervously, then down at Kaori. She had heard it too, and her face was pale with fear.
"What was that?" She whispered, shaking a little. Marty didn't reply, but looked back at Zoe and Psymon, who had also come to a halt. They were looking up at the top of the mountain. Marty followed their gaze, and his eyes grew wide with astonishment as he saw what was coming towards them. Snow was crashing down towards them, taking massive chunks of rock with it. The rumbling was like an earthquake now, and the vehicles and the board were being jolted around as the ground shook violently. The group rushed off, but the landslide was too fast. A boulder smacked into the back of Zoe's head, and she fell to the ground. As soon as the others slowed, the snow was on top of them. Kaori screamed, but all sound was drowned out from the rushing and crashing of ice and rock. The force of it was enough to tear a ship to pieces, and Kaori couldn't struggle, as the pressure jammed her arms in place. Marty tried to grab her, but was lost in the commotion surrounding him. She screamed for someone to help, but her cries went unheard. All she could think about was her inevitable ending, as she was dragged further into the oblivion of the avalanche.
Psymon woke up to the sound of scraping. He opened his eyes wearily, and looked around. Kaori was still fast asleep, resting against him. He was tempted to push her off, but decided to let her sleep. He leaned over, and looked through the hole in the snow wall. Marty was asleep, but Zoe had disappeared. He shrugged, and lay back down, assuming that she'd probably gone off to get help. However, as soon as he'd closed his eyes, a load of snow hit him in the face. He grumbled and looked up, to see Zoe perched on top of the snow wall, with a snowball in her hand, grinning. He grinned back at her.
"What are you doing up there?" He called up, slightly confused.
"Thought I'd wake you up," she replied, and hopped down. After a moment, she scrambled back up, this time with a rope in her hand. "Here, catch!" She shouted, and threw the rope down to Psymon. He tugged at the rope a bit, before looking up at Zoe again.
"What did you attach it to?" He asked, tugging again.
"The snowmobile," she replied casually, then slid off the wall and shook Marty awake, who grumbled and got up slowly. Psymon gently woke up Kaori, who smiled once she saw the rope, instantly knowing what was happening. Marty appeared above them.
"Hey, Psymon," he called, and the older boarder looked up. "Pass Kaori up here," he instructed, and instantly shied away, worried that Psymon would have a go at him for ordering him about. However, Psymon simply nodded and picked Kaori up carefully, and helped her get on top of the wall. She beamed and hugged Marty, relieved to be with him again. Marty held her close for a few moments, wanting the moment to last forever. I'll never let her out of my sight again, he promised himself, before lowering her down slowly. Zoe came over and caught her, placing her in the snowmobile.
"OK, now you, Psymon!" She yelled, a lot braver than Marty. Psymon climbed up the rope, and leapt over to where the others were. Kaori looked back through the hole, obviously concerned about something.
"What about -" she hesitated before carrying on. "What about, you know, Seeiah's body?" Psymon thought about this, then shrugged.
"I dunno. We'll tell the officials what happened and where we've left the body, and they'll take care of things." Kaori nodded, and moved over as Marty got in the snowmobile. Psymon jumped into Zoe's snowmobile since his stomach was still too weak for him to snowboard, and Zoe strapped her boots to Psymon's board.
"We'd better head back," she said, and everyone agreed. The engines started, Zoe kicked the board into action, and they all sped off together. The snow was still pretty loose, so they had to be careful not to start the avalanche again.
Kaori knew that this was it, the nightmare was finally going to be over. She had to see all her friends again. She greatly missed Brodi and Eddie, as well as the others. She was even eager to speak to Luther and JP. As they raced on, she felt a sense of confidence she hadn't felt since before that fateful race. She looked up at Marty, and felt thankful that she was with him once more. She had wondered about these feelings in the past, but now she knew it. She loved him. She loved him more than everything else in the world, and she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. She looked back at Zoe and Psymon. She trusted Psymon now. She wasn't scared of him anymore, he was a friend. As she looked back at the snow wall, she realised how lucky she had been to survive such an ordeal. Seeiah hadn't been so lucky, and Kaori could've easily suffered the same fate. Now, she just wanted to put it all behind her. She looked down the track, and could already make out the riders and officials far off in the distance.
"I see the others!" She shouted out, and Zoe and Psymon smiled.
"Told you I'd get you out of here," Psymon exclaimed, and Kaori laughed. However, they hadn't noticed the faint rumbling below them as they sped on.
*****
Below the surface of the mountain, a group of miners were hard at work, collecting the coal that had just been detected in the rock. Two workers travelled down the dark tunnels, with only a single flashlight to guide them. The dust was heavy and suffocating, but still they had to keep moving. They pushed a wheelbarrow full of dynamite across the bumpy floor to the main chamber. Once there, one of the workers walked off, while the other pushed the barrow to men with clipboards.
"Is this okay?" He panted, slouching against the barrow. The men nodded.
"Nice work, Brian," one of them said. "For your first day here, you have done really well." Brian smiled. Maybe his family would make it after all. This job could save his wife and children from poverty at last.
"Should I prepare the explosives?" He asked, and the miners in charge nodded and cleared everyone out of the chamber. Brian hooked up some dynamite to wires attached to a detonator, and moved back, preparing to push down the handle. He didn't realise that a few sticks of dynamite had fallen out of the barrow, and were scattered around the floor. As he pushed down, he didn't even notice the stick that he was accidentally standing on until it was too late. The last thing that crossed his mind was the excruciating pain that he felt as his body was torn apart.
*****
Marty stopped suddenly, hearing the loud boom coming from beneath them. He looked around nervously, then down at Kaori. She had heard it too, and her face was pale with fear.
"What was that?" She whispered, shaking a little. Marty didn't reply, but looked back at Zoe and Psymon, who had also come to a halt. They were looking up at the top of the mountain. Marty followed their gaze, and his eyes grew wide with astonishment as he saw what was coming towards them. Snow was crashing down towards them, taking massive chunks of rock with it. The rumbling was like an earthquake now, and the vehicles and the board were being jolted around as the ground shook violently. The group rushed off, but the landslide was too fast. A boulder smacked into the back of Zoe's head, and she fell to the ground. As soon as the others slowed, the snow was on top of them. Kaori screamed, but all sound was drowned out from the rushing and crashing of ice and rock. The force of it was enough to tear a ship to pieces, and Kaori couldn't struggle, as the pressure jammed her arms in place. Marty tried to grab her, but was lost in the commotion surrounding him. She screamed for someone to help, but her cries went unheard. All she could think about was her inevitable ending, as she was dragged further into the oblivion of the avalanche.