@febuwhump alt 2 - trapped under a collapsed building
He holds it still, strong and steady. The large piece of rubble ready to collapse and kill them all, he keeps it in the air, above them.
His team huddle by his feet. The youngest, closest to him, looks up at him, watching, with fear and adoration dancing in their eyes.
The techie is trying to establish communications, to call for help. She keeps yelling into a small box, hoping for a sign that someone is listening, that someone is coming for them. She doesn’t look up at him, not once. He only ever sees the top of her covered head. She somehow knows that he’s not going to let it drop on her, on any of them.
He locks eyes on his second-in-command whose foot was trapped under rubble. He twists his body to hold on to the youngest, hugging them tight and using his body as a shield if the rubble were to come down. He knew that their leader wasn’t superhuman, just a man with muscles that could tire even if his will didn’t break.
His arms start to shake with the strain, his muscles twitching and aching. The enormous weight he carries on his shoulders and neck, threatens to crush him at any second. He feels his legs start to bend and give out. With a groan he straightens them anyway.
The tech’s voice gets louder still, disturbing some small parts of rubble and dust. She was getting a response finally as she gave their location and other details. The words fall out of her mouth at an accelerated rate until it stops suddenly. After a pause, she looks up at him finally, eyes wide with fear and flinching when some pebbles dropped beside her.
“They said two hours.”
He winces as his second-in-command groans out. The youngest lets out a whimper and holds the other man tighter.
The tech gasps suddenly when parts of the large piece break off beside her. She gets ushered closer to them as tears slip out of her eyes.
He can’t find his voice so he mouths at her instead.
“It’s going to be okay. I’m not gonna let it drop, alright? You’re safe, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
She nods before huddling with the other two. The leader lets out a small strained sound as he holds the rubble further from their heads.
The second-in-command looks up, eyes creased with worry. “I wish I could help you.” He says simply. He tries to pull his leg out but only lets out a moan in pain for his efforts. The two beside him hold him tighter.
“It’s okay. I’ve got this.”
He has got this. He can hold this piece of rock up. For 2 hours. 120 minutes. 7200 seconds.
Every painful second dragged longer than it felt like it should. His arms were bent and locked in place, his fingers were splayed and numb, he couldn’t feel the roughness of the stone anymore. He couldn’t feel his legs. The only sensation was a throbbing pain, emanating deep in him and an ache in his bones that begged his mind to let them rest.
He feels his arms start to give so he looks back at his, huddled and scared and strength surges through him again. He’s not going to let them down. He promised them he’s going to keep this thing up. So he will.
The minutes tick by in silence, his left arm starts to weaken and the large rubble begins to slide down from the left before he catches it again, just above the tech’s head. He gives a hoarse apology before continuing his duty.
He guesses it’s been about thirty minutes since his tech had made a call and nods to her. She gets the signal and tries to make contact again. It’s a few scary moments of just static before a voice crackles out of the small device.
“We’ll be with you shortly, hold on.”
“How long?” the tech asks tersely.
His sore muscles tense during some muttering before an answer.
Please don’t be longer.
“About 30-40 minutes. Please hold on until then.”
He sighs in relief, that’s less time than he expected. He has no excuse not to hold the rock up until then.
His body aches in protest. He has no idea how he can hold it up for another thirty minutes, likely more. He doesn’t have a choice. He tries to adjust his grip but the position ends up being even more painful and he lets out a hiss.
The team look up at him for a moment, he gives a single nod.
I’m fine. I have to be.
Every minute seemed to drag on for eternity. He lets out a growl and shifts to hold the slipping piece of rock. Exhaustion starts to weigh in him, his shoulders, arms, back and neck screaming at him to let go. He can’t. He licks his dry lips and tries to blink away the black dots in his vision.
He’s not passing out. He can’t. He has to hold on.
It’s another twenty minutes before they can hear the rescuers above them. He watches the team quietly cheer, not wanting to disturb the rubble. He meets the tired gaze of his second-in-command. He frowns, the other man’s leg was probably worse than he thought.
He hopes that the rescuers will be here soon. He feels himself start to give out under the massive weight. He can’t hold it for much longer.
The rescuers’ voices get closer and closer until there’s an arm that sticks out of a gap. The tech gets up suddenly, in a desperate attempt to get help sooner. It knocks the leader off balance slightly and the rocks slips from his arms.
No. NO!
There’s a moment where he is certain of their death, he feels himself being pushed to the ground, a second from being completely squashed when the rock stops suddenly in mid air.
He looks over, eyes wide with surprise, to see the youngest holding the rock up. They let out a yell in effort and their arms shake under the weight. He moves to hold up the other end of the rubble as the tech guides the rescuers to free the second-in-command.
Then she’s pulled out, he gives a smile to the youngest as they are reluctantly carried from the wreckage. Finally, he lets the large piece go once he’s pulled out of the way of its collapse. It makes a large crash as it slams to the ground, covering the surrounding area in a thick dust.
