© 2012 Phylicia Joannis
Mac gave the line a stiff tug and was lowered deeper into the hole. Despite the late hour, he and his team had been dispatched to make the initial assessments of the first sinkhole. The only trace of light was coming from the helmet on his forehead. The late afternoon sky sat several feet above him; its faint light was no match for the thick, black blanket surrounding the subterranean walls. Though the area around the hole seems to be settled, the danger of being trapped by falling debris was very real.
“Mayor Blume is a real piece of work,” Mac muttered into the radio clipped on his front pocket. “Got us working down in this hole with no idea what we’re looking for.”
“At least we’re getting overtime,” one of his teammates, Jimmy, answered back.
“Yeah, right, and I’m sure the city will take plenty of it right back in taxes,” Mac chuckled. “It would have been better to block off this area and wait ‘til the morning. That way we get a better sense of what we’re looking at, and the ground is less likely to-”
Mac’s words were cut off by a loud crack to his left. The line tied securely around his waist went limp, and Mac careened into the darkness below.
“Mac? Mac?” Jimmy called frantically into the radio but Mac’s response couldn’t be heard.
“Mac if you can hear us, find something to grab on to! The ground is giving way and the line’s been compromised!”
Mac slammed into the tunnel wall with a thud. His helmet fell off his head and Mac clamored to find something to hold onto. He located a thick pipe entrenched into the wall and held on tight.
Mac shut his eyes as pieces of the sidewalk came crashing down around him.
“Lord if you get me out of this I promise I’ll quit drinking,” he prayed quickly. Something grazed his fingers and his grip loosened on the pipe.
“And I’ll be in church every Sunday, I swear!” Mac added. “I’ll leave my adulterous ways, and I’ll never step foot in another gentleman’s club.” The rumbling continued and Mac felt the pit of his stomach drop.
“I’ll even stop pulling pranks on the guys at work,” Mac whimpered. “I’ll apologize to Jimmy for putting Jello in his hardhat and apologize to Ralph for telling Jimmy he did it.”
The rumbling subsided and Mac slowly opened his eyes. He scanned the area below him and found a solid chunk of cement directly beneath his feet. He placed the weight of his body on the slab while still holding on to the pipe. Satisfied that the ground beneath him was secure, Mac let go of the pipe and carefully made his way towards his hard hat.
“Mac, you still with us?” His radio crackled to life.
“I’m here,” Mac responded. “I lost my hat. I’m going to grab it and take a look around.”
“We’ve secured the line, Mac,” Jimmy replied. “Just say the word and we’ll get you out of there.”
“Copy that,” Mac responded.
“Oh, and Mac?” Jimmy’s voice cackled in.
“Yeah?” Mac waited.
“Apology accepted.”
Mac’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “How much did you hear?”
Mac heard the chuckles of his other teammates as Jimmy responded. “Let’s just say me and the guys will be keeping an eye on you to see if you’ve truly given up your adulterous ways.”
Mac shook his head as obnoxious laughter erupted on the other end of the radio. He reached his hard hat and replaced it on his head, giving a low whistle as he surveyed the mess of debris in front of him.
“Cleanup crew’s gonna have their work cut out for them.” Mac squinted as he spotted something sticking out of the ground. “Hey guys, I think I found something. Or someone.”
Mac inched his way towards the spot. The closer he got, the more the hairs on his neck stood up. He stopped a foot away and crossed himself. He resisted the urge to gag as the fallow remains of a human face stared blankly at him.
“Hey guys,” Mac spoke gravely, “we got a corpse down here.”