The dust hung in the air like a living thing, thick and suffocating. Every inhalation scraped my lungs raw, sharp and unforgiving, leaving my chest aching as if knives were twisting with each desperate gasp. Janneh shivered violently against me, her small frame pressed tight, hair plastered to her forehead with sweat, each tremor shaking through my own body. The jagged rock pinning my leg dug deeper with every tiny shift, pain shooting up my calf in rhythm with my heartbeat.
Then—a faint, rasping voice cut through the choking silence.
"…Habeel…?"
Relief slammed into me like a tidal wave, colliding with the terror still coiled in my chest. My heart surged, threatening to burst through my ribs.
"Are you guys okay?" Habeel's voice was tight, strained, trembling under the weight of urgency.
"I… I guess… but it's… suffocating…" My words were choked, weak, and almost drowned in dust and panic.
I forced myself to draw in a breath, gritting my teeth against the sting.
"No matter what you do—don't panic!" Habeel's tone was firm, the edge of desperation slicing through it. "There's a large rock. I'll move it with ropes and the truck. Then I'll dig you out. Okay?"
The ropes cut into my palms as I tied them around the boulder, my fingers slick with mud, sweat, and blood. Each knot felt like it might be my last connection to survival. My heart leapt when I hooked the ropes to the truck—but then the engine coughed, wheezed, and died with a pitiful, mechanical gasp.
"Ababeel… don't panic, but… the truck is out of gas!" His voice rose, panic threatening to overtake him.
"WHAT!? NOW!?" My own panic mirrored his, sharp and brittle.
He slammed his fists against the truck's hood, nails biting into metal. "I… I'll run along the street, find a gas can! Wait for me, okay?! I'll come back for you!"
I pressed Janneh closer to me, her small body slick with sweat, fists curled into mine. My leg throbbed beneath the rock's unyielding weight, each pulse of pain a cruel reminder of my vulnerability. I shoved against the debris with everything I had, but the stone would not budge. Her tiny hands grazed my sweat-streaked arms in tentative, comforting touches.
Hours dragged like lead. Each second was a knife twisting inside my chest, each breath a battle. Janneh's body sagged in my arms, tears and sweat streaking across her pale face. My hands cradled her cheek, desperate to transfer some sense of protection, some shred of hope.
"Stay with me… it's almost over…" Her whisper trembled, fragile.
Panic clawed at me, a roaring flame consuming every rational thought. My hands pressed harder against the unyielding rubble, arms shaking, muscles screaming, mind fracturing.
Then—a low, grinding groan split the silence.
The truck moved. Just slightly at first, but enough to spark hope.
"I… got this…" Habeel's voice was rough, guttural, each word strained under the weight of sheer effort.
He shoved with every ounce of strength, muscles quivering, dirt and mud plastered across his sweat-slicked face. The boulder screeched against stone, a tortured, metallic wail. My fingers dug into the debris, nails breaking, but the weight still held firm. Then, finally, with one final surge, the rubble shuddered and shifted, clattering aside in a violent, liberating roar.
"Are… you okay?!" Habeel's voice cracked, tight and raw.
I lifted Janneh toward him, and she wriggled, half-conscious but alive. He cradled her quickly, running her to the truck and setting her gently on the seat. My turn came next. His hands found the gaps beneath the rubble, and with teeth clenched, he lifted me from the ground. Blood seeped from his old bullet wound, streaking mud and sweat across his arm, but he gritted his teeth, pushing the pain aside, focused only on getting me out.
"Can you walk?" His voice was soft now, almost trembling, eyes searching mine.
I nodded weakly, legs threatening to collapse.
"Nope. Not today." He muttered through gritted teeth and lifted me bridal-style, his strength straining but steady. My head rested against his chest, listening to ragged breaths, feeling the quiet storm in his heartbeat beneath the solid resolve he offered us both. Every step was careful, deliberate—unyielding.
Inside the truck, Janneh stirred, blinking up at him, tiny fingers finding his. He gave a fleeting, weary smile before turning back to me.
"We're safe now… finally. Just… finally." His voice was hushed, exhausted, carrying the weight of everything we had endured.
Outside, the rain had stopped, leaving only the oppressive, damp silence. I sank into the seat, trembling, soaked through with sweat and mud, and for the first time in hours, the outside world—the collapsing pharmacy, the suffocating rubble—didn't matter. We were alive. Together. Somehow, against all odds, still breathing, still holding on.