Day 2
Theme: Talking is Overrated
Prompt(s): Choking
Gordon wandered through what was left of the building. He had almost finished his search, and when he was done he'd move onto the next building to look for more survivors.
They'd already been at this for hours and he was starting to feel the effects of a non-stop rescue. His muscles were starting to protest every time he moved, and an ache was growing in his back.
He paused to stretch in the hope that it would alleviate some of the discomfort in his back and shoulders. He lifted his arms above his head and held them there for a long moment before he dropped them. It only made him feel a little better, but should keep him going a little while longer.
He continued through the building, which must have been a convenience store before the earthquake hit. A bag of chips crunched under his foot as he walked, and reminded Gordon that it had been a while since he had last eaten anything. Maybe he should grab an energy bar from Thunderbird 2 on his way past.
His movements were stilled when he heard a loud groan above him. Gordon sent a fearful look up to what remained of the ceiling, just in time to see it crashing down on him.
He didn't have time to brace himself before he was sent to the floor. He was thrown onto his back and something heavy landed on his throat.
Panic consumed him as whatever it was pressed down on his windpipe. Gordon scrambled to push it off of him. His fingers wrapped around something round and metal, like a pipe, but it wouldn't move. It was trapped under something, and therefore Gordon was trapped underneath it.
Gordon could only wheeze in a small amount of air as he fumbled for his sash and pressed down on the comm button. He pushed it several times frantically, hoping that someone would notice something was up before it was too late.
Gordon tried to twist away and lessen the pressure on his neck as he opened his mouth to cry out in case anyone was listening.
"He-"
His voice was cut off as something shifted and the pipe pressed even harder down on his throat, cutting off his air supply.
He pushed at the pipe with as much strength as he could. His feet tried to find purchase on the floor as his back arched. Gordon's mouth was open wide as he tried to gasp in a breath, but he couldn't get anything in.
His vision started to grow blurry and black spots appeared above him. He pushed against the pipe as hard as he could, but he could feel his strength was already sapping. His legs feebly kicked out as the last of his strength was used to fight, but then he slumped as the rest of his vision went dark.
Something pounded hard on his chest and Gordon gasped in a mouthful of air.
However, he wasn't expecting the burning pain in his throat that the motion caused, and it sent him into a coughing fit. The coughs made the pain worse, and Gordon wanted to just collapse into the world of unconsciousness again if it meant the pain would stop.
Something was placed over his mouth and Gordon panicked that it was something that was going to block his airway again. But then his throat was soothed by something cool that he breathed in on his next gasp for air. His coughs were eased, and the pain subsided just a little.
Gordon slowly blinked his eyes open. His vision swam, but he could see the familiar figure that hovered above him.
"Vir-" Gordon barely made a sound before he started coughing again. Even talking made his throat burn.
"Don't try to talk." His brother placed a hand on Gordon's shoulder as the coughing subsided again.
Gordon intended on listening. He allowed the oxygen to feed into his lungs as his brother fiddled with something above him. Something cool was placed on his swollen neck. He didn't know what it was, but it was much better than that pipe that had weighed down on him.
He heard Virgil as he continued to move about, presumably fiddling with a first aid kit. Even though Gordon had only just woken up, he was already feeling exhausted and was struggling to keep his eyes open. He tried to stay awake, but he soon lost the battle.
He knew that his brother was nearby and he could breathe again. There wasn't anything pressing down on his neck anymore, and Virgil was there to make sure that wouldn't happen again. The idea of sleep meant that he didn't have to deal with the constant ache in his throat, which appealed greatly to Gordon. So, he allowed himself to drift off once more.