(Excerpt from “The Dam”)
”What are we going to do?”
Denver remained motionless, huddled up against the wall. ”Nothing, Copernicus.” came the reply back. ”Just pray that it’ll be over soon.” He fumbled at some dirt, making clumsy finger circles on the floor. ”What? No!” Copernicus shrieked, charging over to the window to glance out once more. His face filled with a renewed horror. ”They’re almost here! Please, don’t go bye-bye on me now!” He stumbled over to Denver in a disorientated hysteria, grabbing him by the arm. ”Get up! We gotta signal to the guys up top that we’re OK and need help!” In the next instant, he felt a huge fist stretch his shirt collar up to his chin, sending him reeling back only to slam into the thin metallic interior wall. Denver's breath was dry and musky against his ear. ”Are you such a damn retard that you can’t see when you’re a dead man.” He gritted at him up close. ”Best thing to do now is suck it up. Be a real man for what’s left of your miserable life.”
A brief shard of dazzling bright light filtered through the rag cloth covering the window. ”It’s them!” exclaimed Copernicus, ”They’ve come to rescue us!” Pushing Denver off with a burst of strength, he rushed over and pulled the threadbare covering aside. A brilliant glare caused him to wince his eyes whilst flailing one arm around in a wild panic. The next moment, he found himself hurled back into the corner of the room, in addition to ripping off a small section of the rough fabric in his hand. He crashed to the floor, hitting his lower spine onto a wooden leg of the table opposite. ”Are you crazy, you dumb bitch!” Denver roared, descending upon him like a wild animal. ”We’re already done for and now you wanna offer our friends above the same fate while attempting to save our sorry asses?” Copernicus held his head in despair, beginning to sob with irregular splutters. ”I don’t wanna die, man! Please, there’s still time for them to do something! Don’t give up on us so easy! Those things aren’t close enough yet. There’s nowhere to hide here!” His trembling burbles trailed off as he sunk down and wept into his chest.
”What did you say?” Denver whispered, seemingly caught off-guard by some remote thought. He struggled to his feet, leaving his anguished colleague in the corner. He moved to the other side of the room and appeared to be going for the door handle to the entranceway outside. ”Have you lost your mind!” a shrill bellow came from behind him. ”You’re going out there?” Denver shot him a quick, angered stare. ”Shut the hell up! I’m trying to think here.”
A cool rush of breeze met his face as he shuffled out onto the narrow porch overlooking the dam. The flimsy iron sheets below his feet groaned under his weight. He slid down into a prone position and poked his upper torso over the edge of the corner panel. Nodding to himself in self-assured agreement, he pushed himself up onto his elbow. ”Hey, get over here quick!”. Wiping away the few remaining tears, Copernicus rose to his feet in obedience, though not saying a word. The bright cones of light emanating from the high-beamed spotlights above were now entirely focused on the formless monsters, crawling up the bottom of the concrete face. Denver took one last look under their fragile structure before pushing back up again. Copernicus was standing beside him, looking distressed and confused. ”OK, listen. Follow my lead if you wanna have a shot at getting out of this alive.” Denver signalled to him to shut the door. He shook his head back in defiance. ”No way. And leave the safety of our room behind us? You’ve lost the plot. We’re be left sitting ducks out here!”
”There won’t be a room left by the time those pieces of shit get here. They’ll crush the walls in like there’re made of paper. The only thing sturdy enough to give us a fighting chance are the steel scaffolding beams holding this damn hellhole up. I say we get down there and pray it’s strong enough to support the weight of those things when they arrive.” He watched as his partners eyes darted about, trying to assess the justification to this brave new plan of action. ”By the time your done mulling it over, you’ll be halfway digested in one of their empty bellies. If I had my way, I’d do this shit without you, but unfortunately, I need your help getting down there. Now stop trying to “think” and move right now!” Copernicus took one small hesitant step back, before clenching his teeth with a reinvigorated determination. ”Yes... Yes, I think it makes sense, Denver. Let’s do it!” He slammed the door shut and crouched down.
”OK, so what do we do next?”
”Take a look at that beam. The one nearest to me that’s bolted onto the wall.” Copernicus leant over and saw the one being referred to. “Got it.” he replied. ”Now, lower me down there. I’ll hook my legs around it and crawl along to the main mesh of steel bars and joist at the centre. It’ll be our protective cage, if you like. Again, let’s just hope it holds up. You understand?” Copernicus bite his lip. Something he was known to do when either excited or nervous. ”Yes, totally.”
Denver gripped the edge of the outside floor panel with the tips of his fingers. He glanced down and saw the infinite vertical drop below. In the distance, a carpet of black, rippling forward on their stomachs towards them. He realised full well that if, for whatever reason, his legs came unlocked from that beam, he would probably be dead before his bloodied corpse even reached the multitude of expectant jaws beneath. ”Grab my arm.” he ordered Copernicus. Also moving into a prone stance, he managed to interlock his own arms with Denver’s. ”You got a good grip there?” he asked, scouring the area downward. ”Yes, good and tight.” came the reply.
With that, Denver gradually shifted the rest of his body over the panel, clinging on with his fingertips until they were rigid and white from the pressure. One final lunge and he tipped his legs over. Lowering himself down with the aid of Copernicus, his feet felt for the support of the steel beam. ”OK, now. When I tell you, slowly release my arm and grab hold of my jacket collar.” Copernicus acknowledged and whilst keeping one arm held firm, let the other loose and scooped a handful of clothing near his neck. Denver gulped a mouthful of spittle, steadily bending his knees until stable and balanced upon the sturdy beam. ”Right… On the count of three, I want you to let you. Not until I say so. Got it?” Copernicus tightened his balled fists around the neckline material in his grasp. ”Yes.”
Denver took in a deep inhalation, before letting out a slow, drawn breath.
”OK. One… Two… Three.”
Copernicus parted his fingers and Denver responded by tucking his legs into himself fast. For a split second, his whole body teetered over to the right, ready to send him plunging into freefall. However, a quick reflex action and some fast thinking caused Denver to catch an exposed metal piping section. Then another hand came up from the rear. He flicked the rest of his body skyward at a perpendicular angle, until each limb was clasped onto a long, cold section of beam.
”OK.” A voice shrieked from above. ”Now me!”
Denver started to push with his ankles along the narrow shaft, awkwardly sliding himself toward the main inner mesh that held their temporary home above secured in place.
”I wish you all the best, my friend.” Denver replied, straining with exertion. ”Let’s just hope those… damn things take as... much a disliking to… your… dumb ass... as I do.”
