In the Land of Giants - Book 2 of the Acropolis series

Chapter 12

  Everett fell backward and his bandaged head struck the rock. He feared he was bleeding again but ignored it as he scrambled to his feet, the world consumed in dust and the sound of crumbling rock. He stumbled, his eyes searching, finding Nikki, leaning against a wall nearby. Maxwell came into view, crawling on his hands and knees alongside Patches. Somewhere, he could hear two women shouting to one another, trying to locate one another – the Ronholm sisters.

"Is everybody all right!?" Everett called out, stumbling toward Nikki and falling against the wall beside her. "Anybody hurt!?"

"I'm fine." Said Nikki beside him, and in the distance, through the dust that was beginning to settle now, he saw one of the sisters, struggling to her feet. Maxwell had managed to stand, and was leaning against a wall with a hand on his chest. There was no blood, and despite his labored breath, he seemed to be in working order.

"Help!" Came a shout, and he turned to see the sister waving at him. He recognized the desperation in the voice immediately. It was Ava.

Everett ran over, finding himself facing an immense wall of rocks – the cave-in. It reached up to the ceiling, and Everett couldn't see any way around. They were completely sealed off.

Ava was standing at the edge of the rock pile, and now Everett could see the real issue; Jo laid at her feet, her leg trapped beneath a particularly large rock. "Oh, dammit. You all right, Jo?"

"Peachy." Jo said, propping herself up on her elbows. "I'm not being crushed, I just...can't fucking move." She looked up at Everett almost apologetically.

"Help me!" Ava shouted, and Everett came over, bracing himself against the various heavy boulders around them. He put his hands on one side of the rock that was over Jo's leg, looking up at Ava on the other side. It was perhaps the size of a hay bale, and appeared to be much heavier. They lifted, but it barely budged before Ava fell back and Everett let go.

There was a coughing sound as Maxwell came over, with Nikki trailing behind him. "Need extra hands?" He asked, stripping off his lab coat.

With the four of them together, they managed to move the rock just enough that Jo's leg came free, and Ava immediately embraced her when she stood up. "Goddamn, I thought we were going to have an amputee in the family." She said with relief.

Jo rolled her eyes. "Please. I'd have eaten that rock before I let someone cut off my leg."

While Maxwell retrieved his coat and everyone checked their belongings, Everett grabbed his radio and quickly clicked it on. "This is third squad, can anyone hear me?" He asked, waiting, listening to the static on the other end. He looked around as everyone gathered, worried faces glancing to one another.

Silence greeted them. "Hello?" Everett asked again, frowning and looking up at the pile of rock again. "Anyone?"

"Must be being blocked by the cave-in." Maxwell said, stepping forward. "Give it here, maybe I can boost it a little." He took the radio and Everett pushed away from the wall, sighing as his eyes scanned the dark cave. A sound entered his ears, and he tilted his head to the side, listening and walking away from the collapsed area.

"Allers?" Someone asked, and he was fairly certain it was one of the Ronholm sisters. "You okay, buddy?"

Everett held up a hand for silence and turned around. It had indeed been Jo, who stood a few feet away from him, watching him with calm concern. Ava was sitting against the wall nearby, a glare stuck on her face, staring at the opposite wall. "Did you hear that?" Everett asked. There it was again, off in the distance – that low rustling sound, almost seeming to come from two places at once.