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Tears fill htens What happened?

Heaway from me as he sits back on his heels “There was a mudslide Rockslide I don’t know” He blows a breath out “Maybe an earthquake When it happened, we got knocked off our feet I grabbed you and took off down the hill, and…I don’t know” He shakes his head, notton of rock Like part of that peak fell It ca fast I threw you over ht on us”

“Where are ?”

I sit up—or try to I feel weak and strange, and can’t seem to coordinate htly as I feel his hands on oing to be sick “Where are we?”

I look around, nize this place, and y

I watch as his htens He shakes his head once “I don’t know”

I look around again, gauging the space It’s bigger than the living roo room plus kitchen The walls are da is not far overhead—maybe just six or seven feet above the cool stone floor I hear the tinkling of water, likely from a stream, as most caves on the island are intersected by small rivulets of water

“I don’t think I understand How did we get in here?”

He looks as confused as I feel “I ducked underneath so his head— “into here”

I feel ill as he looks away, trying not to meet my eyes “What’s it like now outside?”

He blinks, and I know the truth by the roundness of his eyes, the stillness of his features In the space between that look and his words, I turnfro It’s perhaps a meter and a half away, this six-foot-tall rubble pile that’s rass and rock

My stomach bottoms out as I look at it

“Listen—don’t be worried I know it looks like we’re blocked in, but I can get us out You woke up pretty fast I haven’t had a chance to start, but I can get the rocks and mud moved quick”

I squeeze

“Does your head hurt? I think a rock hit you right here” His fingertip brushes le not to recoil