Sara had been laid eyes closed when she felt something wet on her head. She looked up to see the beams had changed colour and were now dark brown and water logged. It was dripping from where soil was falling though onto her side. Sara rolled over as there was a loud crack and a sudden weight fell on her stunning her. She began coughing as soil fell all around her.
The picture came back Sara was laid coughing her legs now covered in soil. Her face was lit up along with the top half of her body. Two beams were bending above her looking ready to go at any minute
"GRISSOM" screamed Catherine
Rain was now falling on Sara's face. Looking up the sunlight hurt her eye's she could see the top was a long way up and slightly to the left of above her. There seemed to be another tunnel which was when Sara realised she was in a mine. She tried desperately to move her legs but the weight was too much. She rubbed her forehead trying to wipe some rain off only to find it was blood.
"Great" she sighed realising a beam must have hit her and explained why she had a headache. She was so close she could see an exit but couldn't move she began clawing at the soil but every time she touched it pain shot through her raw fingers but she kept going. Frantically pushing the dirt away with what little strength she had until her body finally gave out, she began seeing white spots in front of her eyes. The white spots danced around warning her she couldn't' stay awake much longer as they did when she pulled a triple and didn't eat. Her arms fell limp at her side as she gave into the darkness and her head lulled.
"Is she….." Greg started but couldn't' finish.
"No she fainted, exhaustion," said Cath watching the rise and fall of her chest with such intent that she may set fire to the screen.
"We've only got an hour left," said Warrick looking at his watch.
"No we haven't" said Grissom his heart seeming to have caught up after temporally stopping when he heard Cath scream.
"There's daylight," he pointed to where light shone on her flushed face. "That means she has fresh air, but they don't' look stable we need to get her out before they go" he said pointing to the broken beams.
"GRISSOM" Nick appeared in the room oblivious to the drama unfolding "oh my god what happened?" he asked looking
"Roof collapsed," said Warrick
"Is that a beetle?" asked Grissom looking at the jar in Nick's hand.
"Yes found it on that beam.
Grissom took the beetle from him and disappeared.
"GIL" Catherine and the others followed him leaving Archie to watch Sara.
"Got it" he had several books lying on the floor and one open on his desk. "This little fellow feeds on decaying wood"
"And that is good why"? Asked Greg confused.
"Well the wood in that shaft looked new, I assumed it was just a more recent mine" he said getting a map out "but it's got to be old for this fellow to be there feeding"
"Meaning someone replaced some rotten beams," said Catherine excitedly.
"Not that many people know how to replace them, but how do we know its not just maintenance?" asked Warrick
"If it was a working mine then putting someone in it your going to get noticed" said Greg grabbing a print out of mines in the Nevada desert.
"There's still too many," said Grissom sighing.
"WAIT" Cath shouted startled everyone "Dan, he trained as engineer, he'd have that sort of knowledge" said Catherine
"Ok see if he's ever worked any mines," said Grissom as Nick ran from the room. What felt like hours but actually a few minutes later he appeared "Dan Martin inspected the west highland demand mine in 1997 two years before it went out of commission" said Nick proudly.
"Ok call Brass were on our way"
"I'll stay see if I can find anything on the tunnels in that junk form the house" said Catherine as the others loaded up and headed out.
Catherine was sat with Archie boxes pilled around her feet flicking through bits of rubbish and newspapers. Occasionally looking up at the screen where Sara lay still unconscious the sunlight cast down on her face made her look like a sleeping angel if it wasn't for the small red cut across her forehead that was drying and turning a deep maroon colour.
"What we looking for?" asked Archie pulling a box over.
"Anything to do with mines, plans of them anything like that" said Cath flipping through pile of paper.
"What about articles?" asked Archie looking at a old newspaper heading reading 'mine accident?'
"Not unless it's got a plan of he tunnels," said Cath
Archie quickly skimmed the article as he put it down.
"Hey" Cath snatched the article up as Archie placed it down.
"What?" he asked confused. Cath began scanning the article after spotting a name.
"Oh god" Cath muttered under her breath before picking her phone up and dialling frantically.
"Cath" Came Grissom's reply from the other end.
"YOUR GOING THE WRONG WAY" shouted Cath down the phone at him causing him to brake suddenly sending the car and everyone in it into a spin.
TBC