Activity

Quin

The earth started to shake, and huge cracks split into it. Klein was the first to fall through, and everyone stared at the place he’d been in horror.

Now what’s it doing?

Then his strong, sarcastic voice floated up to them. “I’m alright.”they could barely hear it through the rending noise of as the rock floor and the very walls of the cave began to crumble.

Someone shouted to jump down where Klein was. Quin started forward. His side hurt from the fall he’d taken after that man had sent him flying.

He winced as he hobbled forward on his crutches.

Qatar was coming from the other end of the cavern. They would meet at the mouth of hole. Quin slowed his pace. He didn’t want to meet his brother. He didn’t want him to offer his grudging help.

Qatar leaned over and spoke to Niarok, who seemed to be having trouble getting Yila to jump. Quin felt sorry for her. There were so many things in life, and especially in this castle–if this was life–that seemed too hard to be attempted, but must be done.

He remembered trying to walk for the first time after It happened. The pain, the memories, the unbalanced feeling, and over all the crushing sense of weakness. Hopeless, endless weakness.

He couldn’t tell if it was the floor or his own body that was shaking harder as he remembered.

Qatar jumped in the hole. Everyone else was down already. A boulder fell from the cieling next to Quin, almost knocking him off his feet with the vibrations. Niarok glanced behind him anxiously and spoke more urgently to his sister. She was making up her mind to jump, but by the way she was clutching his hand she was telling him to go with her.

The doctor looked back. One helpless look at Quin. Quin only nodded. Go with your sister. I’ll be fine.

They jumped, and Quin was left alone.

Or will I?

He hobbled up to the hole and peered in. Everything down there was blurry, from the constant shaking of the cave. he tried to gauge the distance he’d have to jump, but it was impossible to tell.

This is gonna hurt. He tried not to notice the bruise in his ribs, but he couldn’t help but imagine the way it would feel hitting the floor.

I’ve been through worse.

He sat down on the edge of the hole and dropped his crutches through. He gripped the lip of the hole and braced himself.

One, two…

He hated the anticipation.

Three. Now!

He slid into the hole and spun around, dangling by his arms,

How far is it, anyway?

He closed his eyes and let go.

The impact was only slightly better than he had imagined it.

The sick jar on his one good leg that he could feel all the way up his spine, and then pitching forward onto the hard stone floor face-first with most of the force of his fall.

He lay there a moment, breathing. ‘Just breathe there, kid. Like this. One in, one out.  one in, one out.’ he could hear the doctor’s voice guiding him through the pain of those first days. This isn’t as bad as that. Not nearly.

He sat up. At least no one had seen him fall. He glanced around. Or had they?