Beyond The Bridge [ONC 2023] // Longlisted

Chapter Sixteen

"Levi?" I say, my voice cutting through the silence that settles over the chamber like a thick blanket. My heart thumps in my chest from the running and the fear of being buried under all that rock.

"I'm here, I'm still here."

"Is it over?"

"Maybe. I hope so, anyway."

The acrid scent of dust fills the chamber as Levi untangles himself from me, taking deep breaths and trying not to choke on the dust. Even in the darkness, I can see the plumes of dust from the fallen rocks, but I cannot see how badly we're trapped. Levi takes the candle from my hand and I listen to him search for the matches, wondering how many we have left. With us trying to ration the candles, we weren't doing a very good job at rationing the matches.

A few seconds later, light once again fills the chamber, but it struggles to penetrate the thick cloud of dust that has nowhere to go. Levi's hand finds mine, and he leads me towards the tunnel that we had emerged from not long before. Large rocks cover the entrance to the tunnel, blocking it from being used again. If we want to turn back at any point, we can't.

We turn and hold the candle out to the other side of the chamber where our only chance of escape lies. The three tunnels remain clear, but that doesn't mean that they won't collapse too. I cough, clearing my throat of the dust that continues to linger around us.

"Look." Levi knocks me on the shoulder and points across the chamber to the wall we had been leaning against. "Water."

I smile, watching the water drip from the ceiling at a much faster pace than before. "You drink the last of the inkpot and we can refill it."

"You should have it."

"Just drink it, Levi. We can fill it up again in no time and you haven't had anything to drink in ages."

"Fine."

In the flickering candlelight, I watch him pull the ink pot from his satchel and drink the last of the water in one go. He moves towards the drip with the candle outstretched, but he stumbles, falling against the wall and releasing in my hand. With the candle still in front of him, his other hand clutches his leg, a grimace of pain crossing his face. All the running has taken its toll.

"I'll do it. You sit down."

I take the candle and the ink pot from him, watching him slink down the wall with his legs out in front of him. With the candle still glowing, I place the ink pot under the drip and listen to the methodical noise of the water against the glass of the pot. Even though the drip is faster, it will still take a while to fill the pot, so I settle on the floor beside Levi, leaving the candle burning rather than blowing it out.

Levi grips his upper thigh, the pain evident on his face, but I can see he's trying to fight it or put on a brave face for my sake. I lace my fingers with his, dropping my head onto his shoulder, wishing I can somehow make everything better. My attempt at stabilising his leg only went so far and there was nothing else I could do to help him, not when we were so far into the tunnel system.

I look at the three tunnels we have to choose from, hoping that one of them will take us to the surface once more. It feels like we have been walking forever with no sign of the end if there even is an end or a way out. We've come so far and I hate to think that it might have all been in vain, but the further we walk, the less likely it seems that we will find our way out. We could die in the tunnels with no one ever finding us.

But I cannot think like that. I refuse to let the doubt creep in, not when we have walked such a distance. Mother wouldn't want me to give up and I have no intention of doing so, no matter how much my head throbs or the back of my feet ache from where my shoes have rubbed against my heel.

When the ink pot is full, I sip the water slowly. The dirt taste that comes with it isn't too bad and I savour each sip until the thing is empty and I slide it back under the drip to refill.

"Blow the candle out, Gracie. We don't want to waste it," Levi says.

"Are you sure?"

"We're not going anywhere in a hurry. I think we need to rest for a little bit, maybe get some sleep and have something to eat before we keep going. All that running has taken it out of me."

"Alright." I blow the candle out and place it on the ground beside me. "How's your leg?"

"It hurts, but I'll be fine." He sighs. "I wonder how long these tunnels have been here for."

"A while, I expect. It's probably why Mother doesn't like me wandering into the woods on my own. She didn't want me to fall down a hole or something."

"And yet here we are. Because of me."

"I followed you. Besides, neither of us knew the floor of the cave would collapse like that. It could have happened to anyone. There's no point in blaming yourself for something out of your control. I certainly don't blame you for what happened. Besides, if you hadn't noticed the rumbling back there, we would have been buried in the tunnel."

"I suppose."

"Let's just get some sleep. I think we need it."

Levi moves a little, bringing his arm over my shoulder once more and pulling me against him. I sigh, snuggling up to his side, and let the exhaustion from all the running to wash over me like waves at the beach. The methodical dripping of the water into the ink pot acts as a small lullaby to lull me to sleep, my eyes closing as I lean into Levi.

He shuffles once again and rolls his head towards me. Levi places a light kiss on my forehead, something I hadn't expected before he settles himself against the wall.

"Goodnight, Gracie," he mumbles, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Goodnight."

~~~

First Published - March 14th, 2023