Trapped

Angler

[[We're in the crack, correct?]]

It was a touching scene. Nothing like an underwater danger to pull two enemies together.

"Guys, look at this," Kate interrupted my thoughts. It sounded direly important.

Everyone turned and stared with her. The mineral was affirmatively shiny.

In fact, it was solid platinum.

Thaniel,

I have to keep my jaw from dropping. Solid platinum? In this amount, it would be worth millions, if not billions. Angler's dad would be rich in seconds. And whatever our shares would be...Well, they would be good no doubt about it. I swim up and stare at the platinum with Cate and Avery next to me.

"Well, I guess it's shiny, no?" I ask them. They laugh.

"You could say that," says Cate, giggling.

"Definitely," says Avery. I turn to Angler and Aisha.

"We're all gonna be rich!" I almost scream into my microphone. And that is when the crack begins to crumble.

Oh, shit.

At first the realization didn’t hit me. “I feel the need to blame you.” I joke weakly to Thaniel. The crack was closing, and of course I joke. “Swim!” Aisha screams into the radio, knocking me back into the seriousness of this situation.

We all swim towards the opening as it closed. The rumble vibrated through the water, making it slightly hard for me to swim in a straight line, trying to dodge falling stones. Instinctively I try and grab something for comfort and support.

Angler

I swam toward the crack, but now it seemed so far away. The sinking boulders from the ceiling hindered everyone's progress. But then, when it seemed we would finally make it, a boulder caught me by surprise, trapping my arm under tons of rubble.

"Go on without me!" I cried. But none of them went anymore forward.

Before they even reached me, though, the crack closed with an ominous rumble.

We were trapped.

Cate,

Even though Aisha had cried "Swim", I hadn't moved. My joy from a second before was crushed with fear. I was paralyzed. As the crack crumbled and I realised we were trapped, I began to hyperventilate using up precious amount of oxygen. Thaniel turned back and tried to heave the boulder of Anglers arm. Aisha went to help, but Avery noticed me.

"Cate. Cate, calm down, people know we are down here. They will get us out." I was still breathing rapidly clutching at the rock walls of the crack.

"We're going to die, and my mother dosn't even know where I am" I said. Tears began to fall down my face as I realised the truth of my words.

Thaniel,

My mind is a whirl of emotions, and even as I heave on the boulder that's crushing Angler's arm, I know. We can't get out. Can't get out. Claustrophobia closes in, which actually gives me an adrenaline rush. With one final grunt, I lift the boulder off of Angler, and he swims away. Then my vision goes foggy, and I start to shiver violently.


>>>Sorry for the short post. No time...<<<

Cate,

Angler rubbed his arm, it wasn't broken but he had torn his diving suit a little and a gash bled staining the water red. He checked his equipment and once he was sure it was ok he swam over to me.

"Cate, Avery is right. Calm down. We will get out." He pulled me into an awkward hug. I didn't relax. I pulled away from Angler and sunk to the cave floor next to the crack. Behind me I felt bubbles issuing from a tube poking through the crack in the rock. I was too worried to notice its value though. I let the bubbles run along my back, it was soothing. Aisha sunk down beside me. She noticed the bubbles too and her face lit up.

"Angler," she said. "I think we might be ok, at least until someone finds us."

Avery

I swim over the Thaniel and take his shoulders. "Thaniel it's okay. We'll be fine." I tell hem softly, pulling him into and awkward hug. "Stay calm and we'll be fine." I continue, trying to soothe him, and hopefully everyone else. In honesty I was shaken up as well, but I needed to stay strong and keep my hopes up, if not for me then for my team. "Look." I said pointing to the bubbles.

Angler

"Well, with this tube, we should have air until they rescue us. we'll be fine!" I say, trying to sound upbeat.

"didn't you mention the miners couldn't break through this rock?" Avery mentioned.

I decided to ignore this.

"We should split up, guys," I said instead. See what we can find. You never know, there might be some means of escape somewhere." This was doubtful, and I had a feeling that everybody else knew it.

Cate,

Even though we had found a supply of oxygen I was still worried. There were plenty of other ways to die down here. Starvation, or the crack could cave in completely cutting the oxygen tube off. The others set to work looking for somewhere to get out, I stayed where I was. What was the point, we were done for anyway. Thaniel noticed me and he sunk down to sit beside me.

"All hope isn't lost yet you know" he said. I shook my head.

"Yes it is, I'm so sorry I was such a bitch on land. And I'll never get to tell anyone that. And my mum will find out about my death through a newspaper or something, like she found out about dad. She will be distraught. Two diving deaths in one family. Is that even possible in the real world?" Thaniel shrugged. And then added,

"but if we do get out, think of the riches we will take with us! I didn't think that platinum under the sea exsisted in the real world, but apparently it does." I smiled a little. And he put an arm around me.

"Come on, lets go and help at least" he suggested. I nodded and we kicked off searching for anything that could mean survival.

Thaniel,

As Cate and I swim over, my almost-nervous-breakdown now forgotten, Angler is coming up with a plan. Angler says something about splitting up, and assigns us to split into two groups, and swim in different directions. Cate and I would go one way, and Angler, Aisha, and Avery the other.

"Just look for anything," Angler says, "Anything that might help."

Cate,

As me and Thaniel set off to look for, something, anything that might help us I decided that it was a good time to get to know him better.

"So," I began. "What are you into, besides diving I mean." He laughed.

"Nows not really the time for small talk."

"It's as good a time as any" I replied. He just shrugged and replied

"I like, well you know, stuff. Guy stuff." He smiled. My face echoed his, our predicament forgotten for the moment.

"Quit the chat lovebirds" Angler aimed in our direction. Thaniel spluttered,

"Lovebirds?!" But the way he said it implied he didn't really mind. I smiled and took his hand leading him over to a corner of the cave.

"Alright, we're looking" I called over my shoulder to Angler who tutted and turned away.

Thaniel,

As Angler and his group swim away, Cate and I continue chatting as we swim along the passage. We see several alcoves in the rock, but no tunnel of escape, unfortunately.

"Well, now that Angler's not around to get on us..." says Cate.

"Yes?" I reply, amused. She's already seemed to have forgotten that he can still hear every word we say.

"Well, I dunno...D'you have a-"

I cut her off, as I stare at something that makes my heart leap, "Cate look at this!"

She starts. It's a continuation of the large passage, going down.

Cate gasps, "It bends up, and ends in..."

"A cave," I finish, "A cave that's not filled with water."

"We've got to tell the others!"

My radio crackles, "We've already heard, Cate," says Angler, "We're heading your way now."

Cate blushes as she realizes that they had heard every word of our previous conversation.

Angler

We hadn't separated long, so it was only a short swim to the air pocket.

Thaniel climbed into it. After a moment, he called;

"There's enough room for everyone. Come on, guys,"

The room was roughly circular, with the entrance to the water in the very center. To it's side, a freshwater pool lay. It didn't look natural.

Aisha reported that there were no tunnels branching off from the cave in the dark corners.

"Well, this is good. At least, if you guys like seafood," I joke. "We can catch fish and eat up here. But let's head out again, for now. It would still be nice to escape."

We split up again and traveled down into the waves.

The cave was massive.

There's always a chance... I thought.

Avery

"This is so cool!" I exclaimed loudly. "Avery.." Angler sighed. "I nominate Avery for the stunt man, er woman. We send her into the deep dark places that no one wants to be near. The 'go to' girl." Thaniel joked through the radio. "I second the nomination." Cate laughed. "I third it if possible." Aisha continued. "You guys." Angler nagged, but I knew he was smiling.

"No seriously, since she's tiny she can fit into places, and the only reason Cate and Aisha shouldn't is because they are more.... cautious." He exclaimed. I knew that when he meant cautious, he meant they actually had some common sense.