MIne 17 (standard:adventure, 1328 words)
Author: Nathaniel	Added: Jan 10 2008	Views/Reads: 2865/2072	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Short story about collapsed mine.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

unstable ceiling, wide eyed; looking up. 

“Get out from underneath there!” I yelled. He turned towards me and
started to jog to safety. About that time, another large rumble came 
from above him, but unlike last time a long, thick piece of timber came 
slamming down on his back tossing him forward and landing on top of 
him. He lay there without making a noise. I rose. 

“Tiny?” I whispered. “Are you alright?” I found myself asking a dumb
question. A moan came out from him. I took a few steps toward him. 
Looking down, a tear trickled down my check. I kneeled down beside this 
man; A man that I only met an hour ago. Placing my index and middle 
finger on his neck, I could feel one beat, a second beat, but it 
stopped. My hands went cold. I became light headed. In my hands, I held 
death. 

“Big P?” A raspy voice came over the two way radio. “Phoenix, was that
collapse near you?” I recognized Paul's voice coming over the radio. 
“Phoenix, are you alright?” I was frozen, standing there in disbelief. 
“Phoenix, answer me!” Paul's voice began to break. Dropping the head of 
my fellow miner, a large thud came through the tunnel. I grabbed the 
radio dangling on my side. 

“I'm alright.” I answered. 

“Good, the others and I are safe also.” 

“I'm alright” I repeated, looking down at the face of Tiny. A trickling
stream of blood snuck out from the corner of his mouth. “But Tiny, 
wasn't as lucky. Sorry boys.” 

“It's going to be alright Phoenix.” Paul reassured. “The tunnel comes
back together up here. We'll see you in a few minutes.” I kneeled back 
down to Tiny. 

“Over and out” I clicked the radio off. I stood up, and started walking
the opposite direction. The next few hundred yards seem to last miles. 

“Hey buddy.” Paul's voice surprised me. 

“No hope?” Tipsy butted in before another word could be spoken. “None” I
shook my head from side to side. 

“Well, let's get out of this hell hole before anything else happens.”
Paul lead the group down the tunnel they came from. 

We came upon another large mess of concaved rock and wooden support
beams. In great disappointment, we realized there was no escape out of 
the mine.  We stood there in disbelief. A loud buzzing noise came over 
the mine all at once. The mine lights flickered a few times, followed 
by a hard flash. The lights blew. The mine grew dark and silent. In 
unison, flashlights clicked on. 

“Now what?” a whinny voice came from Tipsy. 

“We lay,” Paul breathed deeply out, “and we wait.” 

“Wait for what?”  Jonathan said in confusion. 

“A rescue team” I said as I took my place on the damp floor, “or death,
whichever comes first. We don't have much air. Use it sparingly.” 

Not long after this event, a loud weeping came over the mine. An
uncontrollable weeping, the weeping of a man, a man whom had accepted 
death, but who was not yet ready to embrace this fact. 

Muffled words from the left of the weeping man caught my attention. 

“My shepherd...if I die before I wake...my soul to keep...” Those being
the only words of the prey I could make out threw the unstoppable 
weeping of the other man. 

Paul lay there silently, not making a sound that I could hear. He had
either accepted the thought of death, or death had swept over him 
already.  The praying stopped. The tears of the weeping man seemed to 
slow down to a stop. Sleep seemed to be getting the best of me. 
Deciding to get a little rest, I closed my eyes. 


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