P4L, carpe diem (JJ Maybank)

026

-|-

"They said when Hollis disappeared—" JJ began.

"That you should shut the eff up," Pope cut in.

We watched at the sensor light turned off, and we heard the generator shut down. I took a deep breath. "They did it," JJ said. "Go time."

My brother began a countdown. "Three—two—-" I stood up, pulling JJ and Pope with me. "Alright, just go."

We made our way back into the basement, and hopped down towards the hole, aka the well.

"Holy crap, you know what this is?" JJ questioned. "It just hit me. This is C.H.U.D. Full C.H.U.D," he explained and I looked at him, confused.

"What are you talking about?" John B asked Pope and I. I shrugged.

"Canniballistic humanoid underground dwellers? Have you guys not seen that film?" He asked me, and I shook my head with a smile. "We're watching it," he promised me.

"It's actually a good film. It's about cannibals that live in the sewers and under New York City, and it's like—"

"Shut up," John B commanded him. "How deep do you think this is, Pope?"

"Really deep," I said with a dirty chuckle.

We began hooking everything up.

-|-

"Hey boys," my brother said, holding tightly onto the rope. "And girl. I have one request. Don't drop me."

I tightened my grip on the rope. "Yeah."

"Woah!" Messing around, JJ let go off the rope, letting it slide through his fingers, sending me backward onto him, and he immediately grabbed it.

"You're going to die first, for sure!" I laughed, grabbing my end of the rope once again.

"All right, just keep playin it out nice and slow like that," Pope explained. We kept on feedin' the rope down.

"Slow, boys," I warned. I watched as my brother disappeared in the hole.

"Keep going'!" My brother whispered, as we continued to feed down the rope.

As it continued, it was harder to hold onto the rope and keep my brother safe in the well. "Wait, hold on one second," JJ said, wrapping the rope around his buddy for a better grip. "I'm gonna get situated."

"You good?" Pope asked him.

Almost immediately, JJ slipped, and fell on his ass on the floor. Everyone fell too, and I hit my head on the floor. I got up immediately, reaching for the rope. "John! Shit! Shit!" I whisper-shouted, grabbing it and stopping him.

"Jesus!" I shouted, trying my hardest of to keep the rope in check.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO DROP ME!" My brother shouted up at us and I shrugged.

"You good, bro?" I asked him, not loosening the rope just yet. "What the hell was that, Dylan? I swear to God, if it was you—"

"Technical difficulties," I answered.

"Keep going. Slow."

"Alright. We're gonna start paying you out again, all right?" I told him, beginning to feed the rope slowly.

-|-

I was beginning to feel the ropeburn in between my thumb and my pointer finger. Shit, it stung. "Bird, we've got about 15 feet left. You almost there?" I groaned, taking a deep breath.