Part five

Scott wasn't quite sure if his brother was trying to kill him with frustration or pneumonia, but as the time dragged on for what seemed an eternity, frustration won the emotional and physical coin toss. "D…damn it, J…Johnny, its j…just a d…damn r…rope."

Above ground, that 'damn rope' was the least of his brother's problems as the rain and his injuries continued to sap at the last remnants of Johnny's energy. Hampered by the limited movement of his injured shoulder, his icy cold fingers trembled and fumbled as they tried to secure the rope around a large rock. The effort left Johnny lightheaded and breathless, and he stumbled, his body shaking as he fell to his knees.

Fighting against the veil of unconsciousness that enticed him with its lure of a painless sleep, Johnny winced, pressing his hand to the raw and bleeding wound that had been left in his side by the cat's claws. He couldn't let anything stop him, not yet, not until his brother was free from his watery prison.

With a faltering breath, Johnny searched out the loose end of the rope and slowly clambered across the muddy and rocky terrain until he arrived at the edge of the mine shaft.

"R…Ready, B…Boston?" Johnny asked, his voice betraying his weakness, as the end rope disappeared into the darkness below.

While the rope was a welcome sight to Scott, the sound of his brother was even more so. Apart from saving himself from a watery grave, the semi-submerged blonde needed to be above ground so he could see for himself the reality of his brother's condition.

"M…more than r…ready, b…brother," Scott replied in turn with the same tired and cold-worn stuttering voice. Fingers dirt-caked and water-numbed reached out in vain for purchase on the swaying rope, but failed. Wiping the slippery coating of mud off on the shoulders of his wet shirt, Scott winced as he flexed and rubbed at his frigid digits in an effort to warm them before trying again.

"D…damn it!" he cursed as once again his fingers slipped down the rope with frustrating ease.

It didn't take long for Scott to reach the conclusion that even with the help of the rope, there was no way he was getting out of the hole without even more aid from his brother.

"J…johnny!" Scott called out, a little harsher than he intended as his threadbare patience finally snapped.

Flinching as he again painfully clawed himself closer to the edge of the mine's opening Johnny, peered over the edge. "W…wha…t's w...wrong?" he asked as wiped the rain from his eyes with the back of his hand.

Reigning in his anger, Scott calmed himself, unwillingly to take his frustration out on his brother, "J…johnny, I'm s…sorry I--can't d…do it--the r…rope--too w…wet—t--too c…cold. C…can't h-hold it."

Johnny's head dropped at his brother's words. For a brief moment, the enormity of his brother's problem became hopeless to the injured man. "No, d…damn it," he quickly chastised himself, "n…not g…going t…to happen."

Forcing himself to his knees, he called back down to Scott. "T…tie y…yourself t…to the r…rope."

"Johnny? W…what are--"

"J…just d…do it, d-damn it," Johnny ordered through clenched teeth.

Struggling to his feet, Johnny slowly made his way back the way he had come. After fighting with the same knot that he had painstakingly tied only minutes before, Johnny sagged against the rock with his energy spent.

"N…not y…et," he whispered, as he pushed himself away from the rock's support. Not willingly to waste any of his dwindling energy supplies on self-pity, Johnny took a depth breath before calling to his brother, "Y…you r…ready?"

Johnny nodded, as he heard a faint, but affirmative response from the mine shaft. With the rope looped around the rock, Johnny carefully lowered himself to the ground, now using the same rock to brace his legs. Trembling, cold fingers gripped the rope, his knuckles turning white as they prepared to take on Scott's weight. His legs shifted until his feet found a solid base to push against. Johnny prayed again for enough strength to save his brother.

The first tug on the rope was barely noticeable, but it was enough to raise Scott's hopes that his watery ordeal would soon be over.

With his eyes squeezed shut, Johnny swallowed back a cry of pain as the strain of his brother's weight pulled at his wounds.

Clinging desperately to the rope with one hand, Scott tried his best to help Johnny by attempting to scramble a grip into the wall as he was pulled inch by inch up toward the opening.

Johnny wasn't sure if was rain or blood that warmed his side, but he didn't stop to see. He couldn't divert the time and energy to check his own injuries. All that mattered was the constant pressure he felt at the end of his arms. The pain served its purpose, keeping the darkness at bay, while bringing Scott closer to safety.

Clawing at the rain-moistened walls, Scott looked up and felt a wave of relief as the mine's opening seemed closer than ever before.

"T…that's it, J…Johnny—j…just a l…little f…further."

Johnny growled with the depth of his pain as his trembling legs threatened to give way. "Noooo."

He locked his knees again and pulled on the rope with everything he had.

"T…That's it," Scott smiled in triumph as his fingers gripped the edge of the mine. 'You did it, Johnny.'

The effort Johnny gave had been his all. He felt the rope slipping through his fingers, and his last thought before the darkness claimed him was that his best hadn't been enough, and Scott would die because of his failure.

TBC