"Hello?" My voice croaked as I pressed the cell phone to my ear, unsure of what to expect on the other line. Frankly, I was still bothered finding a stranger's phone in my bag. With a ribbon attached nonetheless. If I remembered correctly, my birthday had long past. Yeah, of course I remembered correctly.

I waited for a few seconds for an answer but all I heard was static and if it wasn't my disillusioned head at play, someone was breathing heavily on the other end. My imagination began its wild ride-what if the bad guys were on the other line? I'm practically inviting them over.

"Well?" Howie asked, sounding irritated. I ignored him and listened again. The breathing never stopped.

"Hello? Anybody there? Can you hear me? Hello?" I practically shouted into the phone, just so Kevin and Howie wouldn't pester me to keep asking. The breathing stopped, replaced instead by someone crying. Why the hell was this person crying? Does whoever on the line find it funny to call people up and start crying like that? Am I not getting the joke?

"Hello, is someone there? Can you hear me? Please, say something!" I cried into the phone.

"Baby?"

I froze. I knew that voice. Loved that voice. Treasured it for as long as l lived.

"Honey?" I asked, still trying to swallow everything in. It couldn't be her. How did she get the number to this phone? It isn't even mine.

"Oh my God, thank you! You're alive! I knew you were alive, I knew those people were wrong! Oh baby, are you okay darling?" It was definitely her. It was definitely my wife.

"Leigh honey, I miss you so much. I'm fine but we are lost somewhere in the woods." I replied, suddenly feeling like my breath was caught in my throat. I think I was just overwhelmed by it all.

"Bri, tell her to get help!" Kevin urged.

"Honey, they thought that all of you died in the bus and they didn't send out a search party into the woods. But Hon, they received DNA results early this morning and they found none of yours' and the boys' and they had begun sending out the search party about three hours ago. I never stopped calling you baby. I almost gave up, I thought you have gone too deep into the woods to receive any calls." Leighanne explained to me in one breath. I tried my best to catch everything that she had said without spinning.

"Listen baby, you have to help them to find us, can you do that?" I asked with urgency in my voice. Yes! AJ and Nick will be safe now.

"I've flown down to town this morning, I can call the head police officer and give him your number, he will call you and you can lead them to where you are." Leighanne suggested.

"Honey, just in case the transmission gets faulty again, tell them that three of us are in the North area, while two are to the south. And I love you." I said hurriedly when I realized that time was running out for us. Especially for Nick and AJ.

"I will. I love you baby, just hang in there all right?" And then the phone went dead once again. I stared at it for a long time. How the hell did it get in my bag? How did Leighanne know the number? Thank God for this wonderful invention. Nokia-connecting people. We call it the Human Technology. So true...

"Well?" Howie asked excitedly. Kevin looked at me anxiously. That was the first time in three days we wore that expression on our faces. The look of hope.

"Help is on the way."

********

Nick was crying and AJ didn't know why. His entire body was aching from having to support Nick's weight on his already injured shoulder. His fever had bloomed at an alarming speed and his body couldn't stop shivering. The last thing he needed was to have Nick brake down like that.

The young blonde didn't ask for a rest or complain of any pain that he couldn't handle but he was crying, and AJ knew not what to do. The wind felt like a ferocious blizzard, cutting through their skin. If they didn't get to the sewer any time soon, they might just freeze in place. Entombed forever.

"Want a rest Frack?" AJ finally asked. Nick gave a weak shake of his head.

"Am I hurting you? Am I holding you all wrong?" AJ asked again. Nick shook his head again.

"We're getting out of here alive buddy, just hang in there okay?" AJ said, hoping that he sounded convincing enough. Nick didn't say anything.

He had totally lost all feeling in both hands and he was beginning to think that his left foot was getting frost bite. It made walking difficult for him but he knew he had to go on for the sake of his brother. And the walking only encouraged the pain to his broken ribs to explode beyond description. His breathing was irregular, he could hear the gurgling sound he made when he actually did. His chest was burning in protest, every icy breath that he took only hurt him more and yet, he had to breathe in order to live.

He cried because he couldn't tell anyone how much he was hurting. He cried because he couldn't tell anyone how lost he felt when his brain kept telling him that the end was near for him. He couldn't tell anyone how much he prayed that his brother would not die because of his weakness. He cried because he couldn't tell anyone that he was helpless.

He felt a cough coming and felt helpless that he couldn't cover his mouth with his hand. He closed his eyes, waiting for the first cough to escape, waiting for the unbearable hurt that it was going to cause to his wrecked body. When it finally came, he couldn't use his hand to rub the pain away and that made it worse. And then there was the blood. He had to let it trickle down the corners of his mouth and down his neck and finally soak his sweater.

After what seemed like an eternity, AJ saw the opening of the sewer. It looked like a big circle from there. He managed a smile and encouraged his brother to keep on walking.

"I see it Nick! Can you see it?" AJ asked excitedly, his eyes never left the sewer. Nick never stopped crying.

"Hey, come on, lighten up, we're getting out of here buddy!" AJ consoled him. If only he knew, Nick thought. Soon, when AJ started to climb up the sewer, he would be waiting all alone beneath him. Waiting for death.

"Okay, cry as much as you want, I'm sure it's tears of joy you're crying about. We're not gonna die Nick, we're getting out of here. We will see Kevin, Howie and Brian again. Don't you want that?" AJ tried again, hoping that this time, Nick would come around. But the mention of their names only made him cry even more.

"Damn it Nick, what’s bothering you? I can't help you like this. How come you’re not happy? We are going to make it, you hear?” AJ sighed. Nick didn't respond.

Finally, they made it to the entrance. The water that flowed from the sewer and into the river, although icy cold to the touch, was only ankle deep. AJ wished they had their towels with them; they could definitely use the extra layer on their bodies. But they had agreed earlier that neither of them should be carrying anything and had left them behind.

AJ took the first step and the cold water seeped right through his Nike shoes and stung his already trembling feet. He stood there for a few seconds, adjusting himself to the new temperature. Nike, Just Do It.

"Okay, your turn now. It's not as bad as I had imagined." AJ lied. Holding on to his left hand for support, he guided Nick to his first steps into the sewer. He looked up to his face and was shocked at the new trail of blood. He swore he didn't even hear him coughing back then. He kept it to himself, not wanting to depress Nick more than he already was. His bluish lips still intact but at least, now Nick had stopped crying.

"Jeez AJ, you're right, this is not bad at all." Nick replied sarcastically.

"You know, for someone who is out of breath, you sure are funny." AJ retorted.

"What's left of it AJ, what's left of it." Nick murmured weakly. AJ heard it but didn't say anything. He didn't like the sound of it. He wished Nick had not said it.

The sewer was drilled through the underground of the highway and AJ was taken aback by the huge size of it all. It could be about three miles in height alone. It's going to be one long climb to the top, AJ told himself.

"This place is huge; we could start a party down here." AJ remarked, hoping to strike a conversation.

"A few hundred?" Nick replied, playing along. AJ smiled in satisfaction.

"A thousand." AJ chuckled.

"Hell, the whole damn stadium then." Nick smirked.

"What should we call it? Underground Party?" AJ continued, he was definitely enjoying the conversation. The tunnel had started to grow quite dark as they got deeper but it was still easy to see around.

"Nah. I've got better than that." Nick boasted.

"Oh yeah? What would you call it Carter?" AJ challenged.

"Hell freezes over." Nick replied casually. AJ laughed. Laughed like he had never laughed before.

"Dang, that’s actually a good one!"

"Don't laugh AJ, I can't." Nick said toneless. AJ knew he was serious and stopped laughing. Just about then, he saw the first corner of the tunnel and decided to take the turn. They were rewarded by the most beautiful sight ever. The steel ladders. The ladders that would lead them up to the highway. The ladders to definite freedom.

"Kaos man, we made it! We made it!" AJ cried excitedly.

"Yeah, guess we did." Nick replied.

"Okay, time to climb up bro." AJ declared.

"Bone, I have a confession to make." Nick said. His voice sounded so weak suddenly.

"What?"

"I can't feel my hands. Both of them. There's no way I can climb up if I can't hold on to the rings." Nick replied.

"Oh no, please tell me you're joking. You’re kidding right? The ‘lets get back at AJ’ thing right?"

"I'm sorry bro. I wish I could tell you that, but I can't. Besides, I don't think my ribs can take it all the way up anyway." Nick sighed. AJ was crying.

"What are we going to do now Nick? I have to get you up."

"Hey Bone, don't freak out on me all right. Listen, why don't you go up, I'll wait for you down here. Get help, I'll wait." Nick suggested. He had already leaned his body against the wall and had started to sink down. AJ helped him to sit straight so that he wouldn't cause further injury to his ribs. He took off his sweater, folded it into a bundle and placed it under his thigh.

"At least the water won't soak you too much." AJ remarked.

"Thanks bro. Now go, you don't have much time without your sweater on. I'll be waiting." Nick gasped, pushing AJ away.

"Promise me you'll stay alive for me." AJ said.

"I promise. Go." Nick gave him one last push and AJ stood up. He climbed up the third ring of the ladder and hesitated. He looked down to Nick and studied him for a while.

"I love you Kaos, hang in there." After that, he continued his way up and never looked back.

"I love you too bro." Nick mumbled as he lost consciousness.