Yes, but...

« The sun will rise in an hour, they should be back

« They were probably slowed down, walking on this rocky ground is tedious and you can't run, they sh… »

« THEY’RE BACK » Rhoda shouted, interrupting Lin’s discussion with Mark. Indeed, a group of three survivors were in sight. They

***********

«FUCK! I HATE THIS PLACE » Howard yelled as he grabbed a fruit before smashing it at his feet. The violent impact broke the thick shell, the fruit ended up split in two. Jill sighed as she tried to stay calm while Amos was still at the roof fall site, trying to clear the passage. But despite his best efforts, the large rocks were too heavy, the passage was totally blocked.

« Damn its heavy » he grunted, trying to regain his breath. I’m gonna try to find a stalactite and use it as a lever to move them. Good thing we have these lamps » he added, trying to stay positive despite everything.

« Yeah, great! So we will see each other clearly as we die of thirst or get crushed by another fucking rock! » Howard answered as he frantically paced in the cave.

Neither Amos or Jill tried to talk with him more. They both knew in this state he needed to calm down by himself so the duo grabbed a lamp and moved back into another tunnel, searching for something useful to move the rocks.

************

The next hours weren’t better for the trio. As the sun rose, the temperature did so. Fortunately, the cave was colder than the outside but the dry and hot atmosphère was painful for the trio who quickly drank the small ration of water they had. Jill and Amos’s efforts to clear the entrance were also fruitless, increasing their stress. They finally came back into the larger cavern, only to find Howard sitting against a wall, gulping something from a fruit.

« Howard, what are you doing? » Jill yelled as she ran toward him, pushing the fruit away from his mouth.

«Hey! Come on what’s the big deal? » Howard protested. « This thing really looks like a coconut, there’s water inside. »

« Are you nuts? » Amos said. « It could be dangerous, we don’t know if its safe, we should… »

« Look, man, » Howard said. « We’re out of water, I’m thirsty and there’s water inside these things. I don’t care if it makes me sick or something, we’re trapped in a cave remember? Also, it didn’t taste bad at all, you should try. »

« No thanks, I don’t want to die because of some poisonous fruit « Amos answered before moving into another tunnel in search of another stalactite. Jill hesitated, she was thirsty and watching Howard grabbing another water-filled fruit was like Tantalus's punishment for her. The dark skinned man cracked it open with a rock and handed her half of the fruit.

« Come on Jill, I assure you it’s good, try some. »

She grabbed it and brought it toward her face, sniffing it warily. Finally, she let its water touching her lips. Soon enough she was gulping the fruit’s water hungrily, forgetting any reservation she had. In the cave’s dry, sulfurous atmosphere, it was a huge relief for the dehydrated woman. She didn’t protest when Howard gave her another one. Soon several cracked shells were littered around them. Neither of them noticed the subtle side effects that were affecting their bodies.