Hot tears pool in John ' s eyes . He wipes them away to search for a way out , but he only sees dark tunnels boring deeper into the mountain .
The thought of climbing out flashes across John ’ s mind , but that requires standing first . He gingerly presses his heel into the ground , but the piercing pain reverberates into his molars .
" FUCK ," he bellows , " FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK . HEEEEEELP MEEEEEEE . SOMEONE HELP ME ." The tears fall , cutting rivers through the dirt on his face , and as he weeps , he remembers his friends ' warnings .
“ Forget the stories you hear about what ’ s up there ,” his best friend Dave advised . “ No one ' s mapped it because it ' s pockmarked with ravines , crevices , and pit caves ." John knew Dave was right , but John grew up in the mountain ’ s silent shadow .
“ I thought it was mine ," he whispers to the moon , as he lies broken in a hidden cave on an unknown mountain that will double as his unknown tomb . He takes a deep breath and sits up straight . " Fuck that , I ’ m getting out of here .”
Shaking his pack , John dumps out his gear onto the cave floor . The pile of gear kicks up a cloud of gray dirt , but John sees his orange Nalgene bottle of water , a Zippo , matches , and his phone .
He instantly grabs the water and water sloshes down John ’ s chin . He runs a hand across his mouth and checks his phone . A crack creates a spiderweb across the screen , but the Apple logo lights up . He half-expects interrupted service – having no service outside the cave – but disappointment still curls in his stomach when he reads " no service ." The disappointment deepens when he sees 7 % battery . He tries 911 anyway . Nothing . Biting his lip , he taps the flashlight .
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