The Final Hole

Trying to cover the hole with my palm, I began yelling.

"Why!? Fucking why???" Despite the waters crashing onto my chest and straying droplets leaping to my face, I couldn't stop questioning no one.

"Haven't I suffered enough?"

Just when I believed I had grasped hope, fate was threatening to drown me!?

"Shit!! Tch." Covering the hole wasn't working much. I had to plug it close somehow.

So I shoved my left arm.

My hand first hit wet soil which was quite a surprise. Without pausing from the displeasure of touching wet earth of unknown content which even started to turn mushy from the pressure, I continued thrusting, gritting my teeth against the bruises my arm was suffering along the penetration.

It was even bigger surprise when the earth gave way easily for my arm to extend out without much resistance compared to dry soil. And nothing blocked the way for it to reach out fully either. It was unfortunate that I couldn't feel any empty space beyond the thickness of earth over the box. It was all moist and plastic soil. The findings started to boggle my mind.

'I was actually buried!?'

'No but! Why? How?'

Only by shoving the arm up to the shoulder, I was able to block the greasy water flowing in considerably. But some still traced down the arm. The sound of water dripping was disturbing to say the least.

Since the seal of doom had been broken anyway, calm duly returned in me. And with the blade, there was still more to be done. So for now I started to think back as I couldn't be wrong to analyze my situation thoroughly in order to proceed further with utmost caution.

'When I 'woke up' first, the place was cold and air was plenty.'

'Which means I was put in here recently at the time. Otherwise I would continue 'sleeping' or wake up from shortness of breath.'

'The sound wasn't getting through as I was underground the whole time.'

'Definitely below ground but how deep?'

'Water permeates the earth over me and disturbing it further can turn it into mud. It's just silt and some pebbles.'

'Which also suggests that the depth isn't much to give considerable soil pressure and force the mud to surface. I can also expect the absence of any large boulder among possible obstructions.'

'Below ground water level? At the bottom of a shallow river or lake? Or just that it rained recently?'

'Though I panicked seeing water at first, this is also a huge chance. Since the soil is loose and turning muddy, it will be much easier to crawl out than facing stiff dry soil.'

I didn't need to have studied 'Soil Mechanics' for having this idea. It was just basic understanding.

'If I can make hole big enough to get out before the box is flooded, it's a win. And further more if the ground above caves in as the base soil flows into the box, that also gives me a way out.'

'I just have to make sure that more mud flows in than water at a time.'

"No matter how deep, I will crawl my way out! Definitely"

'So what will I find once I get out? Will some psycho congratulate me?'

'Obviously it won't be my parents.'

'That freak is gonna get crowned with an axe! And turn unicorn. I will call it self-defense one way or any other.'

'Surely I won't find myself at the bottom of sea or something right? My fate cannot be that fucked up.'

My thoughts were running wild while the state I was in was turning even wilder. I still could not come up with any explanation for finding an axe under unless the whole setup was some crazy game. And what were those things giving me electric shocks?

That's all I concluded thinking past the complete absurdity of the entire situation. Truthfully speaking the logic had already abandoned me but I was still trying to hold onto it, like an unrequited love.

The time for thinking was over. It was now time for action, to end this nightmare.

So I grabbed the axe and readied to release the plug. It was going to be a race against time...and luck.

As I yanked my arm off, the mud I had disturbed came flowing in and fell on my chest. It was cold and slimy and wetted me instantly as it slipped past my body and started accumulating beside.

Although the wetness and coldness felt like they were sapping my energy, I didn't put any more thought into it as I began clawing at the hole with the pointy side of the axe. I began prying as soon I could and it worked.

As the hole became big enough to insert the axe-head whole, I did and disturbed the soil further to let more mud pass in than water. I had never dug in upward direction before, I was having multiple first times this day.

And I had to be careful to not hurt myself as I became more aggressive to widen the hole faster. I didn't forget to push the mud down into the hole on the floor frequently so I could keep the space workable and prevent myself both from being buried and drowning.

With the use of axe, the whole thing became much easier. There was no need to hurt my hands over breaking the cover or clawing at the earth. The carving on the handle gave enough grip to my grimy hands as well.

After few minutes, before me was a hole out big enough that I could now sit up with some struggle against the mud. It was still pitch black so I had to study the surrounding with touch-n-feel and fill the gaps with some imagination.

Over me was a concave ceiling as the soil above was holding together firmly, hopefully a near underside of the desired surface. The sides however were moist and felt unstable, water was seeping in faster. While I studied them with soft touches, the mud that had stopped falling had also stopped just below my waist. But water still continued rising to my chest.

A critical juncture had been reached anyway.

"DO or DIE!!" After a low shout, I held my breath and gave a powerful thrust at the overhead with the axe's top end.

My tired arms felt wonderful pleasure when the axe went through, lifted the ceiling earth a little and plunged out into the outside world.

No water poured in, just that the collapsed ceiling joined the mud around me.

"FUCK YEAH!!" A victory cry erupted without my control or definitive intent as some trace of light enveloped me and the suppression of all kinds was washed away. The F-word seemed to accompany me in joy as much as in distraught. My filter had stopped working some time ago.

'It's over.....hahhhhhhhhhhhhh...…' I breathed a long and deep sigh of relief. The new air was fresh, even hundred times fresher. A cool lungful filled me with unparalleled joy and ecstasy as both my soul and body felt thrill from the magnitude of sheer excitement.

It felt as if I had won a very…..very long war. Or I had climbed out from the pit of hell itself. A tough battle for life had been won nonetheless.

The light was dim still, a time of morn or eve. But it had no effect on my victorious moment worthy of celebration.

If it was dawn, then it was my new life beginning. If it was evening, it was my peril ending. I guess it's true that when you are truly happy you can interpret anything in a positive way.