Sorry it's so short. Thanks for the replies!
Chapter.11
"Nathan. Get out."
"Listen, I want to. I want to..."
"Leave me?"
Nathan opened his mouth, then closed it. He didn't even know what he wanted anymore. This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for. Dan had been waiting for...or was it?
He pictured his father's face ...wondered. There was always the sneaking suspicion that Dan's antagonism toward Lucas and his mom was born, largely, of selfishness and guilt combined.
Nathan didn't love Lucas.
"Heck, I don't even like you!"
The thought burst out of his mouth, and he felt like an idiot that he'd let the bastard hear part of his inner turmoil.
"It's about you, son." Dan's voice rang clear in his mind, pushing other, more noble thoughts aside. Away.
One foot braced against the crooked ledge. Reaching for the exit ...
Lucas didn't offer any comment. He was silent, watching him go...
Haley. If Nathan returned without Lucas, she'd come down here.
"Oh, crap!"
He grabbed Lucas by the wrist and shook him.
"I'm not leaving. I wouldn't give you the smug satisfaction of thinking I was a coward. We're going to do it now, though. You're getting out before I get pulverized in here, I can certainly think of better ways to die and better people to do it with. Clear?"
Lucas didn't offer any resistance. "Clear," he said, simply. In that way of his that made Nathan feel like a jerk. And he hated thinking about his actions. What he said, what he did. Dan had securely brainwashed him into the "it's my team, it's my life, it's my girl" type of thinking. And he liked it that way.
"Wait a minute." Lucas fidgeted in the darkness.
"What are you doing?"
"Just fixing something...there."
Nathan caught the sound of ripping cloth. "Did you get cut?," reluctantly.
"Just a scratch. I'm ready."
Nathan heaved their latest addition to the boulder collection over, so it was right in front of his brother.
"You see that?"
"Yes." Lucas reached out and felt it.
"Okay. I'll scoop behind, you brace yourself on that and let's see if we can't get you out. "
"The rocks have shifted."
"Ya. That's what I'm hoping for."
The stones began to fly, and Lucas felt a subtle shift of the pressure against his legs.
"Okay." He strained, managed to pull himself up an inch or two. Out.
"Working?"
"Ya." He couldn't do much but gasp out an answer. Nathan didn't sound much better.
"There- come on-"
Nathan ran around to the front, took his arms.
"Whoah."
They fell on top of each other, totally exhausted.
Lucas barely turned his head, murmured, "thanks."
"Lets get out of here."
It was hard to move, but Lucas felt the feeling returning to his limbs. The little exit at the top of the newly made cavern had shifted when the walls settled that last time...
Nathan made it through, Lucas heard him drop onto the other side.
The cavern beyond was large. It seemed huge after the space he'd been confined in the past hours.
A flashlight lie on the floor of the cave, it's light cast toward them.
"Haley?" Lucas turned in a full circle, started to ask Nathan where he'd left the girls, read the same startled expression on the other's features.
Nathan raised his voice in a hoarse cry. "Peyton?"
Lucas ran over to his pack, the contents strewn about the cave.
"Nathan?"
"Where did they go?"
"Is there a way out?" Lucas scaled the reaches with his eyes.
"According to Haley, no."
"Trust her. She knows this cave inside out."
"Then where are they?"
"Haley!"
Nathan stopped him. "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't come down here with Peyton."
"Peyton followed me, I told her to go back, I was looking for Hales!" Lucas shook his head. "Haley."
Nathan met the accusing stare, shrugged. "She wanted to spend some time with me."
"I don't believe you."
"Suit yourself."
Lucas closed his eyes, took a calming breath. "Arguing isn't going to help us find them."
"Right. So just accept the fact and lets get looking."
Lucas bit off a retort and knelt before the scattered supplies. He frowned, trying to replay in his mind what might have happened.
"We heard the screams," he remembered.
"Yeah. I thought it was probably the bats..."
"Me, too." Lucas rested his head in his hands.
"You're bleeding."
"I know." He tightened the torn shirt strip about his shoulder and stood.
"I'm going to check every inch of this cave for cracks. That last shift might have opened a way out."
"You think that's what happened?"
"No." Lucas fought to stay calm, struggling against fatigue and the fact that the largest obstacles were still ahead. They were trapped in here.Together. And Haley and Peyton...were gone.[]
Chapter.11
"Nathan. Get out."
"Listen, I want to. I want to..."
"Leave me?"
Nathan opened his mouth, then closed it. He didn't even know what he wanted anymore. This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for. Dan had been waiting for...or was it?
He pictured his father's face ...wondered. There was always the sneaking suspicion that Dan's antagonism toward Lucas and his mom was born, largely, of selfishness and guilt combined.
Nathan didn't love Lucas.
"Heck, I don't even like you!"
The thought burst out of his mouth, and he felt like an idiot that he'd let the bastard hear part of his inner turmoil.
"It's about you, son." Dan's voice rang clear in his mind, pushing other, more noble thoughts aside. Away.
One foot braced against the crooked ledge. Reaching for the exit ...
Lucas didn't offer any comment. He was silent, watching him go...
Haley. If Nathan returned without Lucas, she'd come down here.
"Oh, crap!"
He grabbed Lucas by the wrist and shook him.
"I'm not leaving. I wouldn't give you the smug satisfaction of thinking I was a coward. We're going to do it now, though. You're getting out before I get pulverized in here, I can certainly think of better ways to die and better people to do it with. Clear?"
Lucas didn't offer any resistance. "Clear," he said, simply. In that way of his that made Nathan feel like a jerk. And he hated thinking about his actions. What he said, what he did. Dan had securely brainwashed him into the "it's my team, it's my life, it's my girl" type of thinking. And he liked it that way.
"Wait a minute." Lucas fidgeted in the darkness.
"What are you doing?"
"Just fixing something...there."
Nathan caught the sound of ripping cloth. "Did you get cut?," reluctantly.
"Just a scratch. I'm ready."
Nathan heaved their latest addition to the boulder collection over, so it was right in front of his brother.
"You see that?"
"Yes." Lucas reached out and felt it.
"Okay. I'll scoop behind, you brace yourself on that and let's see if we can't get you out. "
"The rocks have shifted."
"Ya. That's what I'm hoping for."
The stones began to fly, and Lucas felt a subtle shift of the pressure against his legs.
"Okay." He strained, managed to pull himself up an inch or two. Out.
"Working?"
"Ya." He couldn't do much but gasp out an answer. Nathan didn't sound much better.
"There- come on-"
Nathan ran around to the front, took his arms.
"Whoah."
They fell on top of each other, totally exhausted.
Lucas barely turned his head, murmured, "thanks."
"Lets get out of here."
It was hard to move, but Lucas felt the feeling returning to his limbs. The little exit at the top of the newly made cavern had shifted when the walls settled that last time...
Nathan made it through, Lucas heard him drop onto the other side.
The cavern beyond was large. It seemed huge after the space he'd been confined in the past hours.
A flashlight lie on the floor of the cave, it's light cast toward them.
"Haley?" Lucas turned in a full circle, started to ask Nathan where he'd left the girls, read the same startled expression on the other's features.
Nathan raised his voice in a hoarse cry. "Peyton?"
Lucas ran over to his pack, the contents strewn about the cave.
"Nathan?"
"Where did they go?"
"Is there a way out?" Lucas scaled the reaches with his eyes.
"According to Haley, no."
"Trust her. She knows this cave inside out."
"Then where are they?"
"Haley!"
Nathan stopped him. "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't come down here with Peyton."
"Peyton followed me, I told her to go back, I was looking for Hales!" Lucas shook his head. "Haley."
Nathan met the accusing stare, shrugged. "She wanted to spend some time with me."
"I don't believe you."
"Suit yourself."
Lucas closed his eyes, took a calming breath. "Arguing isn't going to help us find them."
"Right. So just accept the fact and lets get looking."
Lucas bit off a retort and knelt before the scattered supplies. He frowned, trying to replay in his mind what might have happened.
"We heard the screams," he remembered.
"Yeah. I thought it was probably the bats..."
"Me, too." Lucas rested his head in his hands.
"You're bleeding."
"I know." He tightened the torn shirt strip about his shoulder and stood.
"I'm going to check every inch of this cave for cracks. That last shift might have opened a way out."
"You think that's what happened?"
"No." Lucas fought to stay calm, struggling against fatigue and the fact that the largest obstacles were still ahead. They were trapped in here.Together. And Haley and Peyton...were gone.[]
