Seven Scenes Around Another Explosion
1
Sherlock Holmes' hand is flat against his collarbone, stopping him in his tracks. His mouth opens, then closes, and the indecision is written on his face. He turns away, saying nothing, walking towards the large manor house, Watson following him dutifully. It might not be ethical to bring a friend into a building with an explosive, but John Watson is coming with him regardless, and Sherlock Holmes knows it.
2
It's a strange feeling for both of them, knowing any moment they could both be dead, that they could be headed towards or away from the dynamite, that they might not know until it's too late. They go carefully, making their footfalls soft and silent as if that could possibly matter.
3
Their client is dead; the rescue attempt has failed, and the explosive's location is still unknown. They look at each other for just a moment, and in silent, mutual fellowship take each other's hands through the darkness. They don't say anything, but most prayers are silent anyway.
4
Holmes pulls hard on the hand he's holding as thunder claps and the walls shake, pushing his friend into a corner and shoving him downwards into a crouch. He leans over him, covering his body with his own. His eyes are squeezed shut tight, his ears are ringing, and the only thought in his head is the hope that his friend will live.
5
Watson reaches up and his hands ball into fists above Holmes' head just in time to deflect a falling piece of the ceiling. He cries in pain as a wood cracks against his fingers, drawing blood and shattering bone. He doesn't move them. Better his hands, even a doctor's hands, which will heal, than Holmes' head which possibly never would. He doesn't know how long or how loud he screams for, or even if he's screaming for strength or from fright.
6
The shaking stops. Debris is all around them, dust is covering them, but for now their part of the building still stands. Holmes pulls Watson to his feet, wraps a clean part of his shirt around his bleeding hand. His own breaths are still coming fast, and he moves just as quickly, finding a window and making their escape. Watson's eyes will sting for weeks from the debris, and his voice won't recover for several days. Sherlock Holmes will have bruises on his backside he won't admit to, but as they collapse onto the grass outside they are comforted by the knowledge they will both be alive.
7
Watson's hands take four and a half months to fully heal. The man who placed the dynamite is arrested; their client is still dead. Holmes avoids sleep for four days before collapsing; Watson sleeps with the lights on for two weeks. They take easy cases for a while, and six months later Watson takes over an hour to recover after a very slight earthquake. But when, a year later, Mycroft Holmes asks them to investigate a group of anarchists threatening to bomb parliament, they hesitate for only a moment before accepting, and the game is once again afoot.
For the prompt from W. Y. Traveller: Explosion
"Fun" fact: there were recently mass bomb threats made against some American schools, including where I teach. Even though the threats were shown to be a hoax and I knew we were in no danger, it was still a bit nerve racking in the moments leading up to when the threats said the bombs would detonate, mostly because I had students in my care. All that to say, I had a different personal perspective writing this "seven scenes."