“Don’t talk like that. This can’t be permanent. Once we get out and make it to a hospital, the doctors will fix your eyes, you’ll see.”
Madeline lowered her head. Her voice was small, tinged with worry. “I hope so.”
Deep down, she prayed it was just a phase, that nothing was broken beyond repair.
Luke glanced around at the walls, eyes narrowing. “First, we need to figure out how to get out of here. Just stay put. I’ll look around.”
“Don’t wander off,” Madeline said quickly. She still couldn’t adjust to the suffocating darkness. Not being able to see in this unknown place made her panic rise, sharp and raw.
“I know. I’ll stay close.”
Luke walked a short circuit, then came back. His face was tight, jaw set. Madeline heard his footsteps and lifted her head. “Well? What did you find?”
Luke hesitated. “We’ve got a couple of real problems. Want to hear them?”
Madeline almost laughed. What could be worse than this—her blindness, his injuries, being hunted, no way to call for help, lost who-knows-where in the mountains?
“Just tell me already,” she said, rolling her eyes at herself.
“We fell into a pit.”
Silence.
“It’s deep. The dirt on the walls is loose. No way to climb out.”
More silence.
“We’re stuck, at least for now.”
Madeline should have felt surprised, or maybe hopeless, but honestly, what else could go wrong? Blind, injured, lost, hunted, no phone, no compass, and now a deep pit?
She tried to laugh. “And the other problem?”
Luke let out a soft sigh. “I saw lightning earlier. Looks like it’s about to pour.”
Madeline closed her eyes and let out a breath.
“And temperatures drop close to freezing at night out here. We might, uh, freeze.”
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