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‘Ned,’ Arlo said. ‘Thank goodness we found you.’

‘Thank fuck you’re here. I thought I was going to die.’

Arlo crouched down next to Ned and smiled. ‘No way. We guessed you might be here and thought we’d be annoying and make sure you’re OK.’

‘I’m glad you did. Argh!’ Ned let out a yell as another rock fell a few feet from them. ‘Christ, the whole roof could come down!’

Katie flinched and looked up at Arlo.

‘It won’t but there are a few slates that have been loosened by the rainfall. I think the sooner we get you of here, the better.’

‘No shit, Sherlock!’ Ned muttered.

Arlo managed a grin for him and patted his arm. ‘Hold on. Katie and I are going to work out the best way to move you.’

‘G-good!’

Arlo straightened up and took her aside. ‘This isn’t going to be pleasant for Ned and I’m worried about what will happen when we move the rock. That wound is probably bleeding internally, at the least. In an ideal world,’ he added with a glance at the roof and at Ned, ‘we should wait for the MRT but I don’t think we should risk another rock fall.’

As if to emphasise his point, another crash came from near the entrance to the cave. Katie shuddered. What if the roof did fall in with them all inside? Or blocked the way in?

She felt light-headed and her palms were sweaty. History didn’t repeat itself, did it?

Having escaped one life-threatening situation, surely she couldn’t be involved in another …

‘Katie?’ Arlo’s voice snapped her back to the moment. ‘Are you ready?’

She nodded. ‘Yes.’

Together they crouched down by the rock.

‘Sorry, Ned. This might be a bit tough on you,’ Arlo said.

Ned mumbled something incoherent as he shivered violently.

‘Is he in shock?’ Katie murmured.

‘He’s cold, aren’t you, mate? Don’t worry, we’ll soon have you out of here,’ he soothed Ned before he and Katie braced themselves to lift the slate boulder. ‘We do this in one,’ Arlo said, and Katie realised with a dread that made her turn icy cold that they couldn’t let the rock fall back on to Ned.

Arlo touched her arm. ‘We can do this. We are going to do it. Ready. On three.’

‘Ready,’ she said. ‘One. Two. Three.’

With a groan, Katie put every ounce of strength into shifting the hunk of slate. Arlo was straining to lift it too and let out a cry as they managed to move it off Ned’s leg and drop it away to the side.

Ned’s scream of pain and the crash as it hit the cave floor melded and echoed around the cavern.

‘Jesus! Argh.’

Katie’s stomach lurched. Ned’s lower leg was a mess. It was badly gashed with blood congealed around the wound and fresh red trickling down his shin.

Fighting her nausea, she knelt beside him. ‘I’m sorry, but you’re free now. Can you walk?’

Ned’s voice was faint. ‘I – don’t th-think I …’ He seemed to be fading.

Arlo spoke urgently in her ear. ‘Katie. You have to go and find a signal and call the MRT as quickly as you can. Ned may have internal bleeding from that leg. It’s probably broken. I’ll stay with him and do what I can but you have to get help now.’ He delved in his rucksack. ‘Here’s a head torch. Use that.’

Katie sprang into life, rushing out of the cave.