He set her down. “I’m going to see if there’s a way out up ahead. That crack’s too high for climbing and I couldn’t carry you anyway. So you stay here and I’ll try to find a way to the surface.” She mumbled and was limp. She didn’t appear to notice anything he was doing.

Elliot walked away from her, towards the opposite end of the lit chamber. The slope was more pronounced and he knew they had to be close to the ground, because it’d only been that one latter length down to the first chamber. He didn’t remember any feeling of descent as they’d gone through the tunnels. Twenty feet, he thought. At most.

“Evajean,” he said, “I need to leave you for just a little bit. I want to see where this tunnel goes. I think it may take us out.” He waited, hoping, but she said nothing. She wasn’t babbling, though, and he took that as a good sign.

The light was brighter than it had originally seemed. The crack, which he stood looking up at, was the width of his thigh in places and the light coming in had the sharp whiteness of stars. Evening, then. How long had they been down here? It had been afternoon when the funeral started. Too long, then. They both desperately needed water and, eventually, food.

And if they did get outside, what then? That mass of crazies who’d come down the hill and surrounded the church were probably still out there. It’s not light they’d just leave him and Evajean alone, let the two of them wander off casually to the road after first stopping at the small house for the dog. Even if he could get Evajean to the surface, he couldn’t outrun the crazies while carrying her. That would just have to be something he wouldn’t worry about now. One step at a time.

“Okay, Evajean,” he said. “I’ll be back soon.”

As the cavern narrowed at the far end and continued along the same tunnel, but now the ceiling was close enough that he had to crouch again. He was starting to feel sick in his stomach and dizzy, too, and he knew it wasn’t just his body protesting. No, things were going wrong in his mind. Was this what it felt like as the plague set in? Callie had been too young to discuss it and Clarine had gone so fast. What was it like, to get that terminal sickness? It wouldn’t be too bad, though. Not really. Those three women in his recent life had been afflicted, and his continued health stung of unfairness. He couldn’t be the only one left, not when people so much better than him has succumbed.

Then he noticed the wood. Overhead, just visible in the last of the light from behind him, was a beam of wood set into the ceiling. It ran parallel to the ground, a support, and Elliot quickly realized that mean people had been down here. So close to the surface, that likely meant a reenforced entrance into the cave system. Of course, Elliot knew nothing about caves and the little knowledge he did have came from Discovery Channel shows and horror movies. But it sounded right and was an excuse to be hopeful.

Elliot inched along and the light grew. He was right about the wood, that quickly became clear. He walked past more supports and then a framework of wooden planks vertically supporting their horizontal brethren, like the stereotypical mine entrance in a a western. And the starlight. The tunnel was lighter and then he could see easily as he approached a hole displaying the silhouettes of trees.

He ran towards them, not excited, not thrilled to be out except in so far as it meant possibly getting Evajean help. The weight of futility pressed down on his shoulders and into his stomach, and his run was more of utility than elation. He needed to be sure the area was safe, that it was sufficiently clear of crazies and far enough away from Nahom that he could bring Evajean out and not have to worry about immediate pursuit.

The opening of the shaft was on the edge of a steep hill, a wooden structure build out of the earth, with steps heading down the slope. Below, Elliot could see the reflection of moonlight off a small creek. He’d have to be careful, working his way down the steps, carrying Evajean. They might not be sturdy and the fall might well kill her. He started slowly down, testing each step with his right foot, gradually working up the pressure until it was supporting his full weight. The boards creaked and once he heard a sharp snap, but none gave and soon he was at the bottom, balancing on moss slick rocks.

The stairs were about as steep as they could be without needing to become a ladder. The hillside they were fastened to was patched with occasional grass but mostly it was dirt and rocks. Sliding down carrying Evajean would be impossible. He’d have to do the stairs or head deeper into the cave in search of another exit.

The good new, however, was that he didn’t once hear the babbling of a crazy or the call of a town member. The woods were, in fact, silent, without the hum of insects he expected at this time of night. What time was it? he thought. It couldn’t have gone passed midnight yet; they hadn’t been in the caves that long. Still, there was no sunset glow through the trees. Which meant quite a while until daylight.

He began picking his way carefully back up the steps, again checking for give. But they appeared to have settled during his trip down and remained strong throughout the assent. Back in the cave entrance, he looked over his shoulder, out at the night, and hauled in a large breath. If she really were as sick as she looked, why was he going back? Really, what was the point? He’d made it out and could simply run, out of the cave, down the hill, and then follow the stream until it lead him to… something, some place that wasn’t Nahom and wasn’t overrun by crazies. That was the sensible plan, not going back for a woman who’d die anyway, might even be dead as he stood here. That was the sensible thing.

Yet he couldn’t, not to Evajean. There had to be a way to fix her.

He turned away from the moon and stars and headed deeper into the cave. When he was, by his guess, half way back to the chamber, he called out to Evajean, telling her it was okay, that he’d found a way out. She didn’t respond, but he knew she wouldn’t.

And then he was in the chamber, too surprised to take another blind step, staring at a soft glow of light from something in her hand, a light that illuminated Evajean’s upturned face. He couldn’t see what she was holding, and wasn’t looking for it anyway, because he could only watch in amazement as she turned her eyes to him and said, “Elliot, you’re back. Look at what I’ve found.”