Ezra had awoken in near darkness. Unsure of where he was. His body ached and he wasn’t sure if he was dead or alive. He lay there for a while. How long, he couldn’t be sure, but when he finally felt like the world wasn’t spinning and he had time to gather his thoughts, he sat up.

It took him a moment, but he remembered the tunnel and the fall. He was lucky he’d survived. He could have easily been buried. He was grateful to be alive, but he wasn't sure how much more his body could take. Beyond that, there was still the risk of further collapse and every moment he spent down here increased his chances of being buried alive. He had to find a way out.

The torch he’d had in hand hadn’t burnt out yet. And light still remained, though it was dim. He picked himself up, brushed off and took the torch in hand.

He began searching for a way out. After a quick inspection of the surrounding area, he came to the conclusion that there was no way he could get out on his own. His only hope was for Vincent to rescue him. The only problem with that was Vincent had no idea where he was.

He could still be asleep and even when Vincent did wake, how would he find him?

If he did manage to find Ezra, how would he manage to help him out? Especially considering the condition he was in. Ezra knew he had to get Vincent’s attention somehow.

He just hoped with the collapse that his voice would carry enough for Vincent to eventually discover where he was.

"I’m trapped!"

He cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Down here, help!"

"Vincent, can you hear me?"

"Vincent!"

This went on for a while. Finally, Ezra heard movement and rocks falling. His heart sank. If the collapse had progressed, he could be trapped more tightly than he already was or worse, be crushed. He thought he heard a voice.

"Vincent?" He called out again.

This time he heard a response.

"Ezra, are you okay?"

He smiled.

"I’m okay. I’m down here in a little alcove at the end of this tunnel. I’m not sure how I can get out of here."

Vincent shouted back.

"Look around, maybe there is another path that leads out of there. If not, look for anything that might help you out."

Ezra smirked cynically.

"Like what, climbing picks and a full sturdy rope?"

He picked up the torch and slowly moved forward, then stopped dead in his tracks and gasped.

He stared in stunned awe.

"I don’t believe it," he said incredulously. He stood silent for a moment, shaking his head.

The more it sank in, the more hysterical he became. This time he shouted.

"I don’t believe it!"

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Vincent found himself breathing heavily, unsure of how to respond. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to even consider what horrible thing might happen next. An insane part of him just hoped if he ignored it, it would go away.

Despite this, he gathered his courage and called out to Ezra.

"What is it?"

Vincent waited in agonizing anticipation for Ezra to respond. Nothing came.

"Ezra, what is it?"

He waited again for what felt like an eternity. He could feel his body getting tense again, a thousand horrific scenarios flashing through his mind.

"Ezra, are you okay? What is happening down there?"

Ezra finally responded.

"I can’t tell you."

"What?" Vincent said, confused and irritated.

"I’m serious. You have to see it for yourself."

Vincent breathed deeply, fighting back his rage. "How am I supposed to get down there?"

"It’s not that far down. Just be careful."

"What if I set off another collapse?"

"That's why I said be careful."

"Oh, well that's reassuring. It still doesn't mean it won't collapse."

"That's a risk you'll just have to take."

Vincent huffed in frustration as he continued moving rubble and widening the opening to the tunnel. He peered into the tunnel and to his relief, he found that the path down was a gradual slope for the most part.

Although it did have bumps along the way, some of them jagged, and a sharp drop near the end. He couldn’t quite see Ezra or where he might land. He imagined it going on forever, but the fact that Ezra’s voice sounded nearby told him that the tunnel did have a bottom beyond where he could see.

It looked painful and Vincent was reluctant to take the plunge. If he was in a fully functional state the situation would likely be different, but in his current condition he anticipated all would not be well. He went back and forth in his own mind on whether he should refuse to go, take the plunge or voice his concerns to Ezra.

"What are you waiting for?" Ezra asked.

"You have to come see this."

"How am I supposed to land it with my torn-up leg?"

"I’ll catch you," Ezra said casually. Vincent could hear the smile in his voice when he said it and it annoyed him to no end. He shook his head and moved to enter the tunnel.

"All right. You may come to regret that, but just remember you promised."

He heard no response.

"Hey now. I want to hear it. Promise you’ll catch me if I come flying down that tunnel. Otherwise, I ain't going."

Ezra took off his hat and held it over the left side of his chest.

"Cross my heart."

Vincent forced out a long slow breath.

"Here goes nothin’."

He struggled to make his way through the opening, but once he started to make his way down, he fell into a sort of rhythm. It wasn’t smooth by any means, but it was serviceable considering the circumstances.

He moved along slowly, huffing as he went along. He was relying heavily on his upper body strength to make up for the use of one of his legs. Beads of sweat gathered on his forehead from the exertion.

Ezra paced impatiently at the bottom.

"I don’t mean to offend partner, but If I planted a tree down here right now it would be fully grown by the time you reached the bottom. Then I could just climb the branches to get out of here."

Vincent paused to catch his breath.

"You go right ahead."

Ezra frowned to himself. As Vincent got closer to the end of the tunnel, he could see the bottom of the cave.

"Where are you, Ezra?"

"I fell asleep because you took too long." He responded sardonically.

"You said you’d be there to catch me, but you’re nowhere to be found." Vincent shot back. "Meanwhile, even as a cripple I've made it this far down and you’ve done nothing but complain."

Ezra tried to think of a clever retort, but nothing came to mind. He stepped forward into Vincent’s view. Then he put his arms out dramatically.

"All right, I’m waitin' for ya!"

Vincent shot him a look and continued his descent. His muscles were overworked from the abuse they’d endured earlier, in addition to compensating for the injured leg. He was becoming shaky as his muscles began to give out, sweat pouring off of him. He paused again, trying to rest for a moment before continuing, but his position did little to give his aching muscles reprieve.

He could feel his muscles reaching their point of exhaustion.

"I can’t hold on he said," his voice trembling.

Vincent cried out as his muscles gave out and he went tumbling down.

Ezra cursed and scrambled to catch him. He put out his arms and was summarily smacked in the chest with the full weight of Vincent’s limp body. They both fell to the floor in a heap, groaning in pain.

"If I knew you were going to try to kill me on the way down, I would have told you to catch yourself," Ezra complained with a cough.

Vincent didn’t respond. Instead, he writhed silently, waiting for the agony to subside.

"Stop your whining," Vincent managed to spit out. "I’m the one in pain here."

Ezra rubbed his neck and chest, his expression sour.

"I beg to differ."

Neither of them bothered to stand. Still nursing their injuries. Vincent turned to Ezra; his expression unpleasant.

"I don’t know what’s so important you made me come all the way down here, but it better be worth it or I’m going to have to smother you with your own pillow tonight while you’re asleep."

Ezra managed a smile.

"Trust me, it’s worth it."