Chapter 111
On the far side of the mountain...
The sound of steel striking stone echoed through the forgotten shaft.
Clang.
Clang.
Clang.
Turner swung the pickaxe again, ignoring the pain shooting through his bruised shoulders and his ribs.
Around him, the miners worked with the last of their strength.
Hands bled.
Muscles trembled.
Every breath burned their lungs.
No one complained. No one stopped.
Because on the other side of that wall...There might be hope.
The elderly miner wiped sweat from his brow before striking the rock again.
"Just... one more..."
Jake leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, "My arms are about to fall off."
Turner managed a tired smile, "Then you'll have to dig with stubbornness."
A few weary chuckles echoed through the tunnel.
Another swing.
Another.
Then—
Crack.
Everyone froze.
A cool breeze brushed across Turner's face.
His eyes widened, "Did you feel that?"
Jake's eyes filled with disbelief, "Fresh air..."
No one moved. No one dared believe it.
Then a narrow shaft of sunlight pierced through a crack in the stone.
For a heartbeat...Everyone simply stared.
Light.
Real light.
One miner dropped his pickaxe, "We..."
His voice broke, "We're going to live."
The words shattered the silence.
Several miners burst into tears.
One fell to his knees, sobbing openly.
Another laughed so hard he nearly cried.
An older man removed his helmet and whispered through trembling lips,
"Thank You..."
"Thank You..."
Turner swallowed the lump in his throat, "We're not done yet."
His voice was firm, "Make the opening larger...We still have to get everyone out."
Renewed determination spread through the group.
The miners attacked the remaining rock with a strength none of them knew they still possessed.
Piece by piece...The opening widened.
Finally, it was just large enough for a man to squeeze through.
Jake crawled out first.
He pulled himself onto solid ground before turning back, "It's safe!"
One after another, the miners slowly emerged into the fresh mountain air.
Some collapsed onto the grass.
Others lay flat on their backs, staring at the blue sky above.
One man reached out with shaking fingers as though trying to touch the clouds.
"I thought..." He laughed weakly "I thought I'd never see this again."
Turner was the last to climb out.
He stood slowly, his injured leg protesting beneath him.
For several long moments, he simply looked across the mountains.
Fresh air filled his lungs.
The silence felt almost unreal after days beneath the earth.
Then his instincts returned. He turned toward the men.
"Does anyone know where we are?"
The elderly miner slowly raised a hand, "I do..."
His voice was strained, "I worked this section when I was a young man."
He tried to stand.
Pain shot through his injured leg and he immediately stumbled.
Jake caught him before he fell.
"Easy."
The old miner grimaced, "My leg won't carry me very far."
Jake looked at Turner, "I can carry him."
The older miner looked surprised, "You'd do that?"
Jake smiled, "You'll show me the way. I'll be your legs."
Emotion filled the old miner's eyes, "I'd appreciate that."
Turner nodded approvingly, "Good."
He stepped closer, "I need both of you to find the rescue teams."
Jake's expression became serious.
"We'll bring them. "
Turner instructed, "Tell them exactly where this shaft is. Tell them we've found another way into the mountain."
Jake nodded firmly, "I won't stop until I find them."
Turner rested a hand on his shoulder, "I know."
The two men prepared to leave.
Before they did, the elderly miner turned back, "What about you, Captain?"
Turner looked toward the opening leading back into the forgotten shaft.
The darkness waited silently below, "There are still men trapped inside."
Jake frowned, "But we've escaped."
Turner slowly shook his head, "I didn't come here just to save myself."
Silence settled over the group.
One miner spoke quietly, "Captain...You've done enough."
Turner smiled sadly, "No. I haven't."
He looked each man in the eye, "Stay here...Don't wander. If the rescue teams arrive before I return, tell them exactly where I've gone."
The younger miners stared at him, "You can't be thinking of going back."
Turner's answer came without hesitation, "I am."
The elderly miner's voice trembled, "The tunnel could collapse again."
"It could."
"You could die."
Turner looked toward the darkness once more, "So could the men still waiting."
No one could argue with him. He adjusted the lantern hanging from his belt.
Checked the rope around his shoulder.
Then looked back at the rescued miners, "I'll bring as many home as I can."
Without another word...
Captain Turner disappeared back into the darkness.
None of them knew...
That while they searched for the rescue teams...
The rescuers had already begun breaking through to the trapped miners from the other side of the mountain.
Fate was slowly drawing both groups toward one another.
Neither side realised...
How close they truly were.
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