Page 74 of Trapped with the Covert Ops Soldier

Virgil spun around, reached for her once more, and... missed.

She kicked the lamp into the wall, shattering it and spreading the oil all around. Most of the light went out, but the wick was still lit with a feeble flame.

Virgil stepped toward her, reaching out, but slipped on the oil, and fell with an angry cry.

She ran into the dark, hoping her memory of the terrain of the floor would keep her from running into anything or twisting her ankle. After a few steps, she realized Virgil wasn’t following her, and slowed down to pull her phone out and turn on the flashlight app.

Now, sheran.

“Plan C,” she yelled. “Don’t come in any further, I started plan C.”

“Fucking, hell, Abby, you haven’t given yourself enough time to get out.” Ooh, he sounded so angry.

She could see him now, the light he carried bouncing across the rocks of the cave.

Behind her Virgil roared in pain and rage, sounding closer than she was comfortable with... “You fucking bitch, I’m going to gut you and leave you to die slowly here in the dark.”

“Abby,” Smitty shouted, “Where is he?”

“Behind me, I’m not sure where.”

A rumble built somewhere deeper inside the mountain, moving through the rock until it reached the cave and sent a shower of rocks and dirt raining down from the ceiling. One large stone just barely missed hitting her head, but it did score a painful line down the left side of her back.

She tripped and had to lunge forward to catch herself before she fell on her face. Something whipped past her head and clattered against the stone floor.

“Abby,” Smitty shouted. “Down.”

His body was outlined clearly from the oil lamp behind him as he lifted a rifle up to his shoulder.

She dove for the ground, and he fired past her once, twice.

Virgil cried out and she glanced back to find that he’d almost caught up to her. Now, he was on the ground, dark blood staining his shirt in two places, but he wasn’t dead yet. He struggled up to his feet and managed a wobbly step toward her.

“Abby, come on,” Smitty shouted at her.

But she couldn’t leave Virgil behind. In his condition, he’d bleed to death if she did.

The first stick of dynamite exploded. It rocked the whole cavern and a shower of stones, rock, and dirt rained down all over. Putting her hands over her head, she ran toward Smitty.

“Help,” Virgil screamed. “Don’t leave me.”

Abby slowed and looked back at him. He’d fallen and a large boulder was on top of one of his legs, pinning him to the ground.

Another explosion, followed by a third, and a fourth.

Smitty grabbed Abby by the hand and pulled her behind him with a grip tight enough to tell her he wasn’t going to let her go. Not for anything.

They reached the entrance to the man-made tunnel and squeezed inside just as a huge explosion went off.

Virgil’s screams for help were abruptly cut off as a massive amount of rock began filling the cavern’s space.

She’d just left a man for dead. Her stomach twisted and tightened and tried to turn itself inside out. Virgil had begged for her help, and she’d left him to die.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Smitty said, still pulling her along with him. “This shaft could collapse too.”

He looked at her like he was waiting for a response, so she nodded and tried to keep up, even though she wanted to find somewhere to hide from everyone, including herself.

The air became clogged with dust and dirt, enough to make them cough for every breath, but they kept moving and finally reached the end of the tunnel and her backyard shed.

---