I couldn't die. I hadn't earned Noelle's forgiveness yet. I hadn't made it up to her. I couldn't die.
I felt around and stood up, using the weak light from my torch to look for a way out.
Rocks piled like mountains, completely blocking the way back.
"Fuck..."
I started clawing at the stones with my hands. One, two... my fingers were soon raw and bleeding, blood mixing with dirt.
But I couldn't stop.
"Noelle..." I mumbled. "Wait for me..."
I don't know how long passed—could've been an hour, could've been three—when I finally heard voices outside.
"Sir! Sir!"
"Still alive!" I called back.
"Hang on! We're getting you out!"
The sound of drilling started, deafening. Rocks cleared bit by bit. Finally, light broke through.
"Sir! Quick!" Abdullah's face appeared in the crack. "Grab my hand!"
I reached out, and he yanked me through.
The moment I saw daylight again, I gulped down fresh air.
"Sir, you're hurt!" Abdullah stared at my mangled hands.
"I'm fine." I stood up, swaying as I headed back toward the mine. "The lazurite... I didn't get it..."
"Sir! You can't go back in!"
"I have to!" I broke free from him. "I promised her... I have to deliver..."
"Sir!"
Ignoring his protests, I went back into the mine. This time, I wasmore careful, moving slowly along the walls. Finally, I saw that piece of stone again.
I carefully chiseled out the lazurite. When I held the cold stone in my palm, I finally breathed easy.
"Noelle... I found it."
The descent was even harder. The shoulder wound kept bleeding, every step pulling at torn flesh. Blood loss made the altitude sickness worse, dizziness hitting in waves. I nearly fell several times.
The convoy was ambushed on the way down, bullets whining as they struck the vehicles.
"Get down!" Abdullah yelled.
I ducked, protecting the wooden box with the lazurite, gunfire thundering around us. Ten minutes later, the attackers finally withdrew.
"Sir, you okay?" Abdullah looked back at me.
"Fine," I said, though my ears were still ringing.
"Too dangerous." He said. "We need to get out of here fast."
