Ain't Shady Baby, I'm Hot

65

JJ, Pope, and I held tightly to the rope as John B dangled over the well. Our pulley system working good so far as we waited for John B to give us the go ahead.

"Hey, boys, Xena. I have one request."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah?"

"Yup?"

We all three chirped as we strained, gripping the rope so tightly our knuckles were white.

"Don't drop me." I gave JJ a playful smirk and a nod causing him to grin back before acting up.

"Whoa!" JJ called out as he popped the rope for a quick second, grabbing back on immediately after causing John B to drop a few centimeters. John B shouted panicked as he held on tightly.

"Okay, you're gonna die first, for sure." I coughed out a laugh as I kept the rope tight.

"Gotcha." JJ's voice sounded like a grandpa as he teased John B.

"Alright, just keep payin' it out nice and slow like that." Pope spoke as we slowly lowered John B down.

JJ was at the rear, slowly giving us slack. I was in the middle the rope going from one side of me to the other as I let it run along my lower back. JJ's hoodie wrapped around my waist gave me some cushion. And Pope was up closest to the pulley as he fed the rope up.

"Here we go, keep going." I heard the pulley rock as the rope swayed. I kept working to steadily give Pope the rope he needed without sending him too much.

"Keep going." Our grunts audible as we kept the rope from completely slipping through our fingers and making it harder on us to get John B out later.

"Wait, hold on one sec. I'm gonna get situated." JJ was trying to move after I'd already warned about it.

"JJ, no!" I called out as I watched him slip, the weight of John B falling all on Pope and I as I stepped backwards trying to stay on my feet as the rope started moving fast.

"Oh, shit! John, shit!" JJ cussed as he struggled, Pope was nearly lifted off the ground as I gave a small yell pulling the rope back to where it was situated around me. John B's cry echoed from the well matching the squeak of the pulley.

I'd finally got my feet planted right and strained enough to get the rope to stop. Pope's feet both back on the ground as JJ clung to the end of rope. My chest rising and falling as I looked at the blond struggling on the ground.

"John B?" JJ asked. John B's yell reassured us he was fine.

"I told you not to drop me!" If I wasn't doing a workout I would have laughed.

"I told you," I grunted as I stepped towards him as Pope pulled back to give us more rope. "Not to move until the rest of us were ready to catch the slack." JJ gulped, nodding as he waited and caught his breath.

"You good, man?" Pope called out, a light illuminating his face.

"What the hell was that?" John B's voice came in waves.

"Little technical difficulties."

"Keep going, slow." He added as if we didn't already know.

"Okay, we're gonna start paying you out again, alright?" Pope led us as JJ got back to his feet and we started to drop John B again.

"Alright, keep comin'." I looked to see JJ closer to me, the excess rope much smaller than when we'd started.

"Hey, we've got 15 feet or so left." I called out for Pope to tell John B. My leather gloves groaning as I slowly fed rope through them.

"We've got 15 feet left. Are you getting close to the bottom?" Pope relayed my message.

"I can't tell."

"Yup, definitely a good thing we didn't stick with me going down there." I murmured as I turned my gaze to the ceiling.

"Give me more." Pope ordered. The two of us complied.

"Whoa!" John B was quick, "stop!" My hands clamped down quick as JJ and I both stopped feeding Pope. "I'm hanging over some sewage-water lookin' shit." I could barely hear him over the blood rushing in my ears.

"You want back up?" Pope called down to him.

"Keep goin'." He seemed to mumble more but I couldn't hear.

"Nice and slow." JJ strained as he spoke, feeding me rope that I gave to Pope.

"Okay, okay! I'm at the bottom."

"I'm disgusted for him." I croaked as I thought about the worst possible scenario.

"I'm moving." JJ spoke up, making me step back as I braced for it. Pope held tightly as I gave JJ the go ahead.

"How is it down there?" Pope asked as JJ shuffled forward.

"It's worse than I thought." I held back a shiver.

"You find any gold?"

"Uh, nothin' yet." John B called up responding to JJ.

It was quiet for a few moments, then he was coughing. Panic flood my system as I got ready to yank him up by myself.

"What's going on! B?" I called out keeping my voice low still.

"JJ! Hey! Pull me up!" I was already pulling, the two boys quick to help me, "pull me up! Come on! Pull me up!"

He sounded like a mad man. Panicked, voice raw as he sounded nearly on the verge of tears. "Go! Come on man!"

His panicked voice kicked me into overdrive as I adjusted my grip and footing and started tugging. Pope yanked down on the rope as JJ and I pulled.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!" We stopped, all three of us panting as John B went quiet for a second. The sound of rocks moving filled the silence.

"Hey, I think I found something." John B finally spoke. My chest still rising and falling as I caught my breath.

"Just give me a minute, hold on." I heard an echoes of his grunts and the rope pulled sideways before it was quiet.

The three of us looked at one another as we gave John B more slack. Whatever he was doing he was fully focused.

"John B, you okay?" JJ called out as we all watched the well waiting for a response. John B's weight now gone from the rope.

"Any dead bodies?"

"Pope." I snapped holding onto the rope. "Not the time." I hissed. But I was curious too.

"John B, please don't tell me you found a tunnel?" A shiver traced along my spine at the thought. But he didn't answer still.

"Guys!"

"Guys!"

"Guys!"