He let out a sigh of relief. He was almost there. Only a few feet to go.
Neil watched Geoff approach him. Where the hell were the others? He took a step out of the elevator when he saw Geoff within a few .
“Come on, Geoff!” Neil yelled, knowing full well his elder friend knew the seriousness of their current situation. But in the heat of the moment, some things are just said anyway.
Geoff ran straight at him.
Neil’s eyes lit up as something caught his eye. “No.”
So focused on reaching the safety of the elevator, Geoff forgot to look down. A knee-high boulder, not there this morning when they started their shift, took his feet out from under him, his leg snapping in the process.
Neil yelled as he watched Geoff stumble and lose his balance, arms and legs spinning in all directions. The sight of seeing the elder miner landing face first on uneven ground sent Neil fleeing from the safety of the cage to reach down to help Geoff to his feet.
“Ahhh!” Geoff yelled, wincing in agony and seeing the bone sticking out from the skin of his leg where his ankle should be.
“We gotta go, old man,” Neil wouldn’t let the sight of the elder miner’s snapped leg stop him.
“I can’t walk on this leg,” Geoff grunted through gritted teeth.
“We’re nearly there. We CAN get out of this! I’ll carry you if I have to.” Neil pulled Geoff along with only two feet of rocky ground between them and escape—the young man’s thoughts were far from surrender.
“You’re a good man, Neil. You’re like a son to me.”
“Hey, don’t get all sappy on me now. We’re not gonna let a sprained ankle finish either of us.”
A third thunderclap cut off the conversation. The resulting quake bringing down further showers of windpipe clogging dust and bone breaking rocks, Neil picked up the pace and had Geoff within a metre of their means of escape.
But the third roar of thunder accelerated the tempo of the avalanche above their heads. “Ah, now, come on. This isn’t fucking right!” Neil yelled hopelessly at the falling roof. The struggle of moving a man twice his weight already taxing his strength, the explosive noise and falling debris threatened to devour his morale.
A louder rumbling sound directly above his head made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Looking up in horror, he noticed a large jagged rock wriggling its way free from the stone ceiling amongst falling dust. Neil mustered up whatever strength remained in his body in an attempt to drag Geoff away from the soon-to-fall rock.
With a sickening thud, it fell, jagged end first onto Geoff’s back. The ear-piercing screech erupting from Geoff’s lungs scared the shit out of his younger co-worker. When the dust cleared, Neil guessed the rock to be almost as tall as him, and knowing he had no time to spare, he fiddled around to get a decent grip on the fallen rock.
But his efforts were in vain.
“Go, Neil,” Geoff said. The older man couldn’t move himself.
“No way, I’m...”
Geoff cut him off. “Come… here,” he whispered.
Neil lowered himself down next to Geoff.
The screeching downward movement of the metallic chain supporting the shaft cage took Neil’s gaze away from Geoff. Just one metre away, the shaft cage slipped a little on its thick cable under the weight of fallen debris building up on top of the elevator had now taken effect.
Neil turned back to Geoff. “…remember everything I told you… and… most of all… Operation Grasshopper… NOW, GO!” Geoff said through blood soaked teeth.
Neil noticed the fallen rock had pierced Geoff’s back. He stayed hunched over in shock, eyes widened in horror as he realized the old man’s back was broken.
“Dumb bastard,” Geoff said, grabbing Neil by the shoulders. He wished he could push Neil back into the cage, but in his condition, all he could do is urge the young man on. “GET GOING!!” he yelled.
Neil knew he had to go. There were no words to say, so he stood and charged through the rain of fragments coming down on him. He crashed into the far wall of the cage and took a few seconds to regain a piece of composure.
He fumbled for the button he knew the location of a couple of minutes ago. Panic filled him while rocks and earth smashed against the metal roof of the cage.
The noise was deafening.
Falling debris filled his sight wherever he looked.
He was alone.
He was scared out of his mind.
Hands fumbled in a desperate bid to take him away from this place of death.
He couldn’t see a thing.
He noticed Geoff’s groaning had stopped.
He cried like a boy who’d lost his father.
His hands bled but still searched.
Click!
The elevator roared into life.
Coming Soon
7PM – Part 2 – DS, aka Jack Griffin
Jack served his country in Afghanistan and now finds himself living in New York City. A man alone in one of the world’s largest cities, he finds the love of his life after a chance encounter. Living a life of bliss, tragedy strikes on the morning after he proposes, and he finds himself on the trail of a serial killer.
Befriended by a new neighbour and a New York cop, he soon finds himself recruited as a drill sergeant for a mysterious organisation known as the Praying Mantassassins.
Acknowledgements
First, my writing journey wouldn’t be where it is without the love and support of my family. Special thanks go to my wife, Glenda, for being there from near the start of my writing endeavours, and my three beautiful children, Ethan, Krystal, and Siobhan.
My parents, Noel and Barbara Heinicke, have always been supportive, encouraging me to chase my dreams and keeping me grounded to stay responsible in the process. My sister, Rachel Foster and her husband, Troy have always been cheering me along, and for that, I thank them, too.
My writing wouldn’t be what it is without the hard work of my editor, Rogena Mitchell-Jones. Not only is she great at her work, but a great friend in helping me get over my self-doubts.
My cover designer Rebecca Berto is another one who helps my work stand out. Thanks for making my covers so good to look at and catching people’s eyes.
Thanks to my beta readers, Kate Annabel, Tracey Hayer-Roberts, and Kathryn Booker. Your input and the time you took to read a yet to be published work is much appreciated.
Over my years on Facebook, I’ve met many fellow writers at different stages of their writing careers. A network of support and friendship has helped me learn not only about the craft of writing but marketing and networking as well. With each book, the list increases, but those who have been there and who have never hesitated in giving advice or helping to promote my work, and I promise to return the favour where possible. Special thanks to Laura Hunter, Lili Saint Germain, Jacinta Maree, Melissa Crowe, Stephen Ormsby, Kim Stevens, Hayley Coates, Earl Chessher, Desley Polmear, and Baer Charlton, just to name a few. Anyone I’ve forgotten, I’m very sorry.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank a local bookstore owner for not only stocking my books but also allowing me to use his store to launch my book releases. Thanks to Andy Gasson from Magpie Books for his generosity and friendship.
And most of all, where would a writer be without their fans and readers? Thanks to everyone who has supported me, given me feedback, and read my books. Thanks for the words of encouragement and spreading the word about my books. With your help, I know someday I’ll be a full-time writer and able to devote time to releasing more books. Special mention to those I call my cheerleaders, Bianca Lloyd, Tracy Grover, Leesa Barrell, Cooper DMSelector, Christine Dupre as well as a huge number of my work colleagues.
About the Author
Chris was born in the town of Port Pire, South Australia in 1971. Growing up in a family who moved a lot, Chris was able to see a lot of Australia as a child and teenager, meeting a broad range of people and living in four of six of the country’s st
ates and the Northern Territory. Although working as a baker, writing has been a passion for some time, starting in high school and reigniting again in 2006. Since then, he has worked on the first part of a science fiction series, The Man In Black, released in 2015, and a short story, which culminated in a 2014 NaNoWriMo project called 5PM.
Apart from writing, Chris enjoys travelling, reading, and watching movies, as well as all things geeky. He resides in the New South Wales beachside town of Coffs Harbour with his wife and three children and is currently working on projects connected with 5PM and The Man In Black.
7PM - Brittany (A 5PM Short Story) Page 6