“Collapse”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “Take it!”

“Take it!” she hisses. She shoves the small pouch at me.

My eyes widen, but I don’t take the pouch. “Wait, but what about you?”

The ground shakes. Around us, the walls begin to crumble. Small pebbles begin rolling down, followed by larger and larger rocks. In seconds, entire chunks of the wall are smashing to the ground around us.

She shakes her head. She’s biting her lip; there’s something that she’s not telling me. But I can figure that out later. Right now, we have a bigger problem.

“Come on, we have to get out of here!” I yell, reaching for her hand.

I can barely touch the tips of her fingers. We have to get closer together.

“Come on!” I shout, waving wildly at her. “The exit’s this way!”

Tears well up in her eyes. “I can’t,” she says, her trembling voice just audible over the crumbling rocks. “My leg…” She trails off with a shake of her head.

My heart drops. Panic sets in. “Which rock is it? I can try to lift it up. I can get it off. Just tell me where. Come on, which one is it?”

I try to climb over to her, but only manage to get a few steps closer before a jagged rock plants itself firmly in my path.

“Nathan, stop.” Her voice echoes around me, soft but commanding. “You need to get out of here before it’s too late.”

“No. Not without you.”

I squeeze around the rock. I’m almost at her.

Desperately, I reach out. I’ve got her.

I hold her hand tightly, gripping her fingers with all the strength I have.

“Nathan, you have to go,” she says, her voice strained.

I have to get that rock off of her.

An especially large tremor runs through the ground. Pebbles drop to the ground around me, followed by fist-sized rocks.

She looks up, eyes wide. “Nathan, get out,” she says before her voice rises to a shout. “Now!”

The cave groans. I look up just in time to see the ceiling falling toward me.

Against all my willpower, my instincts kick in. Her fingers slip from mine as I scramble backward.

My body moves on its own. My hands stay in front of me, searching for a clear path. My feet carry me to the exit.

I make it out just in time. The cave gives one last sickening groan before collapsing entirely.

I look down. My fingers slowly curl open. A tear rolls down my cheek and lands on the worn leather fabric of the little pouch.

Final Comments: I really got into this one!

Overall Rating: 😍