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Troy took inventory of his body. His torso was bent around one big rock and his right arm locked into place by another, but he didn’t clock any injuries beyond scrapes and bumps. He coughed in the dusty air and tried not to panic. It was just like Greendale for a section of it to randomly collapse.
“HEELPP!!” yelled a muffled voice to Troy’s left. Abed.
“Abed?” he called. They’d been together when the cave-in happened, but the rubble that covered him blocked out all light, so he couldn’t see where Abed was. “I’m okay, are you okay?”
“I’m fyne.”
“Are you F-I-N-E or F-Y-N-E?”
“F-Y-N-E, physically,” Abed said, but he sounded breathless. “But I don’t like small spaces.”
Abed made those noises he made when he got upset, and Troy quickly jumped into Calm Down Abed mode, his own fear overshadowed. “Hey, hey, it’s okay, Abed. I’m sure help is coming!”
“I can’t move,” Abed gasped in between noises. “I’m gonna get squished. There’s not enough air, we’re gonna die!!”
“Take deep breaths, buddy,” said Troy, reaching out with his left hand, which was free. He found Abed’s hand and entwined their fingers. “I’m right here.”
“HELP!” he screamed again, making a thudding noise, probably hitting a chunk of concrete with his fists or legs or something. “WE’RE STUCK!! HELP!!”
“Abed, Abed, you’re okay!”
“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s cool cool cool cool cool cool,” he said rapidly, squeezing Troy’s hand. Troy squeezed it back.
“They’ll get us out soon,” he said. Abed’s gasps and noises slowly waned.
“Yes, they will.” Abed paused, breathing deeply. “There’s a scene in Inception where a building collapses. But no one gets stuck under it, Leonardo Decaprio just gets thrown into a bathtub.” He paused. “Sorry, I know you don’t like to talk about that movie because you’re ashamed you didn’t get it.”
“It’s okay,” Troy said.
“There’s also collapsed buildings in Threads. Except in that movie people suffocate under the rubble.” Abed took a shaky breath. “I’m glad I stopped hyperventilating. Can’t use up our oxygen.”
Troy looked around in the darkness of the little rock cage around his head. “There’s probably holes that lead to the surface somewhere.”
“I hope so. Otherwise we’re gonna die.”
“We’re not gonna die, Abed.”
Abed squeezed his hand a little tighter.
-----
It took a while, or at least it felt like it, but eventually they heard noises above them. Instantly, Abed was back to yelling, and this time Troy joined him.
“HELP!”
“Down here!”
“We’re stuck!”
“Help!”
“Heeeelp!!
A voice floated down to them: “We’re coming! Stay calm. Keep making noise so we can find you!”
Before Troy knew it, a rock was lifted from above him and he made eye contact with a burly looking firefighter.
Troy sat up and looked around for Abed, whose head appeared a few feet away from him shortly afterward. Abed got on his feet and brushed himself off, and Troy did the same. The firefighters led them to a bench where a few other people were also sitting and gave them blankets.
Abed smiled. “Blanket.”
“Nice!” said Troy. He sat next to Abed and put his blanket over both of them, and Abed put his blanket on top of Troy’s. They huddled together, and it was warm and comfy.
“That was scary,” Troy said quietly after a while.
“Yeah,” Abed agreed.
“But we’re fine,” he sighed.
“You were very brave.”
“You were too, Abed.”
Abed didn’t respond. He reached for Troy’s hand, and they were safe.