Dawn of the Epoch

Chapter IV - Stumbling in the Dark

Hunter awoke. He felt pain. He knew that he had scrapes, bruises, and cuts, but he wondered if he could add broken bones, internal bleeding, or muscle strains and dislocations to that list. He gingerly staggered to his hands and knees and opened his eyes. At least he could do that much. He felt a very timid sense of relief at the realization that moving his limbs meant that the fall had not paralyzed him. He saw nothing. He waited patiently for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He thought about calling out, but the sharp pain in his head screamed at him not to make the attempt. Waiting accomplished nothing. Not a single ray of light entered the void that he found himself in.

Tiyana had a similar experience, except that she could not get up onto her hands and knees. Her left foot, caught between a rock and a piece of excavation equipment, would not budge. She could not recall anything about the fall except for her life flashing before her eyes. The vertigo that she felt as gravity gave way had transported her back to her childhood.

She remembered making breakfast for her littler sister, Janie, while her mother slept off a hangover on the couch. She remembered using her college tuition check to bail her mother out of jail when her mother was arrested for driving while intoxicated. She remembered Dr. Fiona Cresswell, her Advanced Chemistry professor and mentor, giving her a place to live, employing her as a Teacher’s Assistant, and then finding her post-graduate employment at an artificial flavoring company.

In the course of time, Tiyana found herself at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences doing radiocarbon dating like she used to do with her mentor. There, while dating archaeological finds, she met the man who changed her life.

As Tiyana came to her senses, she heard that man calling her name, “Tiyana!” “Tiyaaaaaaaana!”

“Over here sweetheart.” “Oh, Hunter, I’m over here.” Tiyana softly murmured while trying to keep the pain out of her voice. She felt fingers on her leg.

“Tiyana, Tiyana, is that you?” Hunter said.

Tiyana spoke, “Yes, that’s me. I’m stuck. I think a support beam is on my foot. There’s no pressure on the foot and it doesn’t hurt too bad, so I think I’m not seriously injured. Can you get whatever it is off of my foot?”

“Hrmph! No, I don’t think so.” Hunter replied as he bent his knees low, grabbed the beam, and lifted with all his might. “Where’s Hongo when you need him?”

A deep Kenyan voice spoke, “Just here, Bwana.” Hongo started barking orders instinctively, “Most of us are okay. Geb, Haji, Andwele, come help us lift.”

The five men felt blindly for a grip on the heavy beam. Once each man secured a firm grip, Hongo began counting, “Moja, mbili, tatu, lift!”

They all grunted as they lifted the beam. The beam did not come straight up. It was tangled in the rocks that had broken its fall. After shaking the beam, it budged upwards. Tiyana bent her knee and pushed back with the palms of her hands. She breathed a huge sigh of relief as she felt her foot move unobstructed through the opening and into freedom.

“Thank you everyone. I’m free.” She said.

All of a sudden Hunter was kissing her. They forgot the darkness and silence for a few moments as they embraced.

Hunter, Tiyana, and Hongo rallied the troops. They had about fifteen men. Geb and Haji, the Egyptians, were fine. Andwele, the Tanzanian, had a few nasty cuts, which they effectively bandaged with an emergency first aid kit. The rest of the crew had bumps, cuts, and bruises, but, almost miraculously, no serious injuries. Shenouda suffered the most severe injury. She could not stand up and by touching it, they could tell her leg was swollen. She almost certainly had broken a bone. She bore it well, but by her whimpers, they could tell she felt serious pain.