87 Below

Chapter 26: Aftermath

The blur of noise surrounded Atlas like the wind. It was everywhere and nowhere all at once. Screams came from his left, his right; The ringing was incessant as it bombarded his eardrums. Atlas watched again in numb horror as people fell on top of one another. They were hurtling towards the mouth of the mine shaft. As Hope and Atlas stumbled into the dark dank caverns, he ripped his head forward to focus on anything but the site behind him. He should be used to it now, but losing people was never easy. No matter how many you lose, it always leaves that same familiar emptiness in your heart.

In a grand finale, several explosions sounded from behind them. The force didn't just knock them off their feet, it blew them several feet ahead of them. Even amid the chaos, Atlas heard Hope hiss in pain, they had always been in tune with each other's emotions. Catching his breath at the eerie quiet, he could hear distant desperate screams. Peeling his bloodied face off the wet cave floor, blinked trying to find a source of light. His eyes scrambled to focus, but couldn't pull any light from his surroundings. Naturally, panic caught him as he held up his hands to see nothing but black. He instinctively reached for Hope, making contact with what he assumed was her elbow as he fumbled for her hand. She didn't move.

"I can't see," Atlas forced the words out of his sore throat, "Does anybody have a light?" Nobody answered, but he could hear shuffling as people hopefully searched. Scrambling to orient himself, he gently shook Hope, fearing the worst. "Hope?" His voice felt small as he trailed his hand from her back to her neck. He primed his fingers when he felt it. He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt her quick pulse under his fingertips.

"Is everybody okay?" Atlas asked, hopeful that some had survived the large explosion. Several moans told him there were at least some still kicking. Light suddenly pierced through the darkness. Colin sat a few feet away from him holding a small green flashlight. DIt's beam was pointed to the ceiling of the mine shaft, saving everyone's eyes.

Atlas looked to the mouth of the cave. The way they had entered was now closed off to the world. A mountain of rocks varying in size had crashed into its place. Atlas coughed, clearing the dust from his lungs, trying to tune out the gunshots and screams that could be heard just beyond that wall. Some seemed to come from within the wall, trapped forever.

"Oh damn," Hope grunted from beside him. Flipping towards her, he carefully helped her sit upright. A large trail of blood smeared down her gorgeous face. Instinctively, Atlas moved to clean it. Hope put a hand up, stopping him mid-move.

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch," Moving to dust herself off, Hope stood examining the tear-streaked faces of their remaining soldiers. Over half of the group had made it through the cave. Atlas knew Hope. He knew that she would be less concerned about herself and more concerned about the others, primarily her mother.

"Mom?" Hope's voice echoed in the cave as many still laid unconscious on the floor, other are still coughing up dust and blood. Hope's eyes scanned the room. The girl's memory hadn't returned yet, but he could see the fear in her eyes. Perhaps she remembered the emotions she had once felt? Hope pushed her way over the half-living corpses as her eyes skipped over the crowd until she saw the flash of red she had been searching for. She carefully but quickly tiptoed over the others, pulling her mother out from underneath some of the rocks.

Atlas followed close behind, checking up on the others as he went. Many were crying, others still in shock, slowly everyone started sitting up, a numb sadness taking them all. Adira's arm was badly injured, probably broken from the looks of it. Large gashed wound through her delicate skin. The deep red of her blood was just a few shades darker than her golden hair. Atlas helped Hope pull Adira away from the entrance, careful not to cause another landslide. As they pulled her, a hand slumped from the ruble. Atlas quickly reached out to the hand, searching the wrist for signs of life, but he had found none. Hope, meanwhile, was occupied checking on her mother. She pushed her hair away from her face and pressed her ear to her chest, closing her eyes with relief, Adira was still alive. A man to Atlas' right was sobbing quietly, shaking with grief. He reached out and touched the hand that had fallen from the rock pile, gently taking the ring off the corpse's second finger. Rocking back and forth, he held the ring close to his heart, the dust showing the path of his tears down his cheeks.

Atlas placed a hand on the man's shoulder, not being able to fathom the gut-wrenching pain he must be feeling. His physical wounds looked severe, but it would be nothing compared to the emotional turmoil he was in. Atlas stood, limping slightly as his scraped knee fought against him.

"We need to keep moving. Wake up anybody who is still breathing. We will carry anyone who can be saved," Atlas paused, hating what he had to say next, "And leave those who can't."