#tw rubble

The sirens have long since gone silent from the sheer magnitude of the damage the Site has sustained, and Lachlan and Jack are just trying to stay alive and get to a shelter before they’re buried under rubble for 343-knows-how-long. Another quake hits the hallway, and Lachlan barely manages to dodge the chunk of rock falling silently from the ceiling and slamming into the floor with a loud crack.

A cross between a gasp and a groan comes from behind him. He whips around and has to choke back a sob. 

Jack’s entire lower half is trapped, crushed underneath the rock Lachlan had managed to dodge. He looks like he’s actively trying not to react, clenching his jaw and screwing his eyes shut. He inhales sharply through his teeth and groans again, a single tear tracing a path down his dust-streaked face. 

Lachlan is there in an instant, kneeling next to him so quickly he nearly topples right onto him, taking both of his hands in his own and giving them a gentle squeeze. “Hey,” he says, trying to put on the most comforting voice he can. “Hey. Hey, Jack. You okay? What’s going on?” 

Jack chokes back a sob. “Take it. Just take it and get out, please. I’ll be okay.” 

He wrests his hands free and fumbles his amulet off of his neck, pressing it firmly into Lachlan’s hands. “I love you so much. Get to safety, alright?” 

Lachlan tentatively accepts, placing it in his breast pocket—the one closest to his heart. “Jack, I can’t just–” 

He looks like he’s barely keeping it together. “I’m not worth it, go. Go!” he nearly yells. “Just go, Lach, I’ll be fine, you need to get to safety!” 

“I’m not just going to leave you here!” Lachlan retorts, trailing off when the slightest of tremors travels up through his shoes. 

A small trickle of blood leaks out of the side of Jack’s mouth. “Then we’ll both die! Go!” 

Lachlan hesitates. “Okay. I love you so much. I'll see you–” 

“Go!”

Lachlan nods, turning to head off. He wants to say something, some parting words, but the ground heaves beneath him and he bolts, barely making it out in time before the entire hallway collapses with a deafening rumble. He’s gone, then.