The Third Man

Chapter 8 - Days Go By..

Peter woke up before his alarm could do it for him. He didn't even remember when and how he had fallen asleep but he felt more relaxed now. His hand was still bothering him, but he had done everything he could. He ate a little, drank a cup of lukewarm water he had heated by burning some of his clothes and now he was ready.

But only after an hour he was feeling dizzy, just what he had predicted.

He was hungry, hurt, and the temperature wasn't helping either. To make things worse, being in an enclosed place, at 3000 metres above sea level, meant low atmospheric pressure and less oxygen. This led to reduced oxygen in his brain and body, less energy at his disposal and even a little work made him dizzy. He needed time to get acclimatized to the surrounding. Something he couldn't afford.

Peter kept going but he soon gave up and went to his sleeping bag.

When he woke up, it was 2 in the afternoon. He had slept for 4 hours straight. His chances of getting out in the next 3-4 days were looking grim, and now that the facts were staring at his face, all his encouragement was fast eluding him.

He dismissed all the thoughts out of his mind, picked up his tool and was soon back to work. This time he managed 3 hours before he started feeling terribly hungry and dizzy. He had a small bite of whatever he could get his hands on and settled back into his sleeping bag.

Another 5 hours gone, and all he could manage till now were 14 holes. This is not how he had imagined it. In two days he had managed just 26 holes and there were at least 50 more to go, and with each passing moment, it was becoming more and more difficult.

He had another small bite of food and started his work. Only this time he had no plan, or a time limit anymore, he just kept hammering the wall, hoping that he would get out.

He worked till midnight before he decided he couldn't anymore. He wasn't sleepy, just exhausted beyond a point where he found it difficult to stand.

He got down of his makeshift harness, took several sips of water, few bites of packaged food, and sat by his sleeping bag. Soon enough he was thinking about his soon to-be ex wife, their kid, his old house. If there was something like a perfect life, he had lived it, for a long time.

He remembered how everytime he walked past that dress store near their home, Mia would always stare at the lovely red dress hanging at the window. She never asked for it, but Peter knew how much she adored it. How he always wanted to gift it to her but his budget always made him postpone his plan. And now he regretted it. He remembered Joey always wanting to go to the amusement park, or his love for video games, or for that new bike. "God, that kid." he thought and chuckled. If he got a chance he would never say no to any of their wishes.

It was his family.

He just kept thinking, staring at the wall. Time flew by and he drifted off to sleep.

Next morning he woke up at 10. He must be really exhausted, since he had missed the alarm. Quickly he got ready and by 10.30 he was back at his work station. This time he worked a good 6 hours before taking a break. And after taking a long 5 hour nap, he looked at how much he had completed. The number looked promising. He had dug 50 holes since he started.

'Almost there, 25 more to go' he thought and smiled to himself.

He climbed again and started. Things went on smoothly for 3 hours. But after a while, Peter felt something wrong. The snow formed over the bridge he had fallen through was eroding and cold winds were seeping in. He bore it for sometime but it was getting too cold for him. He climbed down and slid into his sleeping bag. After about 15 minutes the ice bridge formed again, fell, and the wind started whirling inside the crevasse, dipping the temperature even further. Peter started shivering, his feet going numb. He had no choice but to go deeper into the crevasse. Last time he had tried, he had come back, scared he will fall deeper. But now he had no choice, either stay here till hypothermia sets in or take a chance and go inside.

He decide to go inside. He filled his bag of all the lose items, held his torch and hammer and slowly started moving inside carfully, one step at a time. The crevasse had twists and turns, and even after walking for 5 mins he couldn't see its end. He decided to move just a little further, when suddenly he heard movement from what seemed to be the end of the crevasse. He suspected that the crevasse had an opening.

Just as he moved a little further he saw something he could not have imagined in his wildest dreams.

_______________________________________

If you enjoyed reading this chapter, please do like it before going to the next.
I would really appreciate your thoughts on the story.
And please don't forget to share if you think it's worth sharing.