Survivor

Chapter 38

((Note: This next chapter takes place as a flashback as to what happened to Samantha. Basically how she remembers it, but she's still telling the story to Garrus. You just get the VIP access lol))

Shepard
  It seemed like horrible Deja vu, the feeling of falling suddenly reminded me of when I plummeted to my death the first time.
I didn't think that I had a fear of falling, but as I fell from the beam that I had been sure would bring my burned body back to Earth, fear was all I could comprehend.
Then, sooner than I had expected, my body hit the ground.
I could hear bones break, and the air was forced out of my lungs by the impact alone.
A cry of pain escaped me as debris from the beam and surrounding structures collapsed, showering me in dust and covering me in chunks of those structures.
It took a while after that to come to. I guessed my body couldn't take any more torture and shut down for the time being.
When I became aware, it was far too dark to see anything.
I gasped for air, but the pressure around me made it hard to take even a single breath.
I felt around, but there were very few gaps bigger than my arm's width. All of it felt like concrete and steel, but I knew there must have been a support of some sorts somewhere making this cave possible.
It must have been pure luck to have wound up in a caved section. Either that, or I would be believing in guardian angels very soon.
Either way, I knew I had to find a way out, and quickly.
The pressure at my chest threatened to drive me to hysteria, so I closed my eyes as I was trained to do and took in the feelings of my surroundings.
I could feel the rough grate of concrete rubble around my body. I could feel my tattered military casual uniform still clinging to my body. I could feel that I was missing a boot on my right foot, and my hair was a mangled mess around my head.
I let my breathing slow and concentrated on keeping a sane line of thought.
I have to make it out, I reminded myself. For Garrus.
A jolt made its way through my body at his name as I fully remembered him, and the way he truly believed in my ability to make it home.
I shook my head. "I can't die here. Not like this. Not after all that hell."
I felt around again, this time grabbing and clawing at the rubble above me, struggling to try to find a way to pull myself upright.
Dust and pebbles off the concrete crumbled around me and fell onto my face and eyes. I coughed from the dust being stirred up and I kicked with my right foot to try to push myself backwards out of it.
My head touched the end of the cave almost immediately, and I realized that though I tried to move my left leg, it didn't seem like it was moving. I groaned and reached down around the rubble surrounding my body to try to find my leg.
After I pushed off a bigger rock, I found my left leg, sticky with dried blood, the uniform torn off of it from what I could tell by my thigh.
I chocked back a sob, images of my bothers and sisters in arms in similar positions having been dragged away before.
I couldn't feel the pain, which was concerning but also a relief. It meant it was one less thing to comprehend at the moment.
I bit my lip and reached to my right and began to try to dig again, intent on making the effort to make it back alive. I always made it back to my team, there was no reason to stop that record now.
Dust rose around me again, making me cough and choke on the air I was breathing. It made me stop soon after starting my fight to work my own way out.
Frustration rose in me and I slammed my fists into the ground beside me.
"Damn it!" I screamed. "Help me! Someone! I can't move this rubble!"
I coughed again, rolling to my side the best I could to relieve the crushing feeling of suffocation.
When I laid back onto my back, I heaved a few breaths before I took a deep one to call for help again.
"Someone help! This is Commander Shepard of the Alliance Navy! I'm trapped in the rubble! Please!"
I turned and began to claw at the rubble again, trying to control my breathing.
I could feel it getting harder to breathe down here. I knew I was going to suffocate.
Everything in me told me to keep fighting, though I knew my body would shut down if I couldn't get some oxygen soon.
Dust rose again as I kept clawing, and I let out a cry of pain as I felt a nail ripped from my finger.
My fingertips felt raw but I couldn't stop. Not when stopping meant sure death.
"Help!" I called in between breaks to catch whatever was left of air in here.
I called my own name out in identification, I called for Hackett. I begged for help, but nothing seemed to work.
Deep inside me, as the air ran out, I wondered if the Crucible had actually worked or if I had become like the Prothean scientists that had never been found by the Reapers. The last of my kind, though to meet a much sooner death.
Tears streaked through the dirt covering my cheeks and I choked on the sob.
I shook my head and worked to slow my breaths, knowing I was just taking up extra oxygen by upsetting myself.
Though worry still ate at me, I kept working. It was all I knew, all I had ever done was to keep working.
My hands slowed, though, despite me willing them to lift and continue at the same pace they had been.
My movements became weaker, and it set in on me that it was the end.
It didn't take long after that for my hands to drop to my chest completely and I laid there wondering how long it would take for death to set in.
My lungs burned, but slowly, the pain eased and disappeared completely.
Garrus flashed through my mind.
"Meet me at the bar. I'm buying."
I wanted to smile at the thought, but my body wouldn't react anymore.
So this is what it's like to die slowly. At least I'm not afraid anymore. I'll at least see Garrus if the Crucible didn't work.
The thoughts set peace into me as I became unaware of everything.
Then it was over. Commander Shepard was no more once again.

((A/N: So, I don't know if that seemed a little shorter than usual, if it did I apologize. I had started on it before I had to take a split with Wattpad for a few days and then I was able to work on it today (Saturday) in the reminder that I had an update to do tomorrow! I hope you guys enjoyed it though!
Don't forget to let me know if you liked it by leaving a vote and a comment! Everything has cleared up basically so I'll be able to keep on schedule it looks like! Wednesday updates aren't looking likely right now, I'm just going to stick to keeping up with the Sunday only updates going until I figure out what my schedule is gonna look like. Thanks guys! Thank you for the well wishes too, I really appreciate the support! Keelah Se'lai!))