Me while reading: PENN NO!! LET ILLI HELP!! MY BOY MY SWEET BOY NOOOOO!!!
I had to finish my shift to read this but I was frothing at the mouth when I got the notification lmao
I have a request! Pennsylvania getting trapped when a cave collapses (maybe even injured for extra angst) and Illinois has to get him out. There’s only a small hole they can talk to each other through, and Illinois talks to Penn to calm him down and keep him calm while he digs him out/waits for help (it’s up to you). If possible, can we get at least a few parts (if not the whole story) from Penn’s POV?
If this request isn’t to your liking, you totally don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. If you do want to do it, you have my greatest thanks!
"pRaCtIcInG wItH sHoRtEr FiCs" lmao who was I kidding?
Ah, I've been meaning to try and give Penn a story of his own! Sorry this took so long, but then again, this might be the very first story that I've managed to finish in a single day! I hope you enjoy it!!!
(Trigger Warnings: descriptions of dark and slightly claustrophobic areas, descriptions of puncture wounds, blood, panic/fear, pain and suffering, exhaustion, bruises/scars/scrapes/cuts, strong language. Please let me know if I missed anything.)
___
Pennsylvania James was many things. A dinosaur tomb-raider was definitely one of them, but he was pretty sure claustrophobic wasn’t.
Then again, perhaps it would be at the end of the day. . .
He generally preferred to work out in the open. Sure, sometimes you had to wear a few pounds of sunscreen. And sure, no matter how long you thought excavation was going to take, it would always find a way to take much, much longer.
You got to have plenty of light with outdoor projects.
You got to have actual space with outdoor projects.
Penn sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. His eyes burned as fat tears streamed down his face.
Blistering pain wracked his entire body, racing up and down his tendons. He tried to move as carefully as possible, but even when his muscles merely twitched, that pain took it as an invitation to grow worse.
You typically didn’t find yourself in predicaments like this with outdoor projects.
Should’ve followed Illinois, a voice in Penn’s head chided. Should’ve read the writing on the damn wall!
“Penn. . ?” Illinois’ voice bounced along the craggy walls, but Penn could tell his companion was somewhere nearby. It was accompanied by the telltale sound of footsteps, which grew louder and faster and closer, then skidded to a stop.
And now Illinois had to be right outside the chamber—the entrance of which was now filled with rocks that came in various shapes and sizes—because he screamed, “PENN, OH MY GOD!”
“Illinois!” Penn finally responded. He hated how labored his voice sounded, but he knew he couldn’t exactly be blamed for that.
“I can tell you’re hurt!” Illinois declared. “Is anything broken? Did any rocks fall in there, too?”
“I-I’m not sure. I only know that I’m bleeding!” Penn stammered. Despite his pain, he felt grateful that Illinois hadn’t bothered asking if he was okay when he obviously wasn’t. “I haven’t been buried, but I still can’t afford to move too much!”
“O-okay, okay! Stay calm!” Illinois’ statement was punctuated by the cacophony of stone scraping against stone. “This pile isn’t too big—the rocks are loose! I can get you out of there! Just hold on!”
“Not much else I can do,” Penn snarked. His voice was dripping with reasonable anxiety rather than sarcasm, so his words didn’t really come off the way he wanted them to.
Illinois Jenkins (treasure-hunter extraordinaire) called this place Stamina Cavity. For one thing, Penn couldn’t deny how cool a title that was. For another thing, the Cavity consisted of multiple levels, with chambers that seemed to be connected by tunnels that stretched from almost the very top of the rock spire to the darkest depths of its underground bowels. Exploring the Cavity to its fullest would take a helluva lot of energy, even if the explorer in question was going at a casual pace.
Though their journeys together had been sporadic, Penn had gotten to know Illinois pretty well. He knew that Illinois preferred temples and the like, but apparently there had been some miscommunication in his recent adventuring plans. Apparently, it would take much more time and preparation than usual before Illinois could be flown out to the decaying shrine currently on his radar.
And there just so happened to be a forest on the outskirts of the town he’d been staying at. So, with not much else to do, he’d driven out there a couple days earlier, seeking to clear his head with a simple nature walk.
And in the middle of his hike, he’d come across the base of a mountain. One that just so happened to boast the yawning mouth of a cave.
Like a moth to a flame, he’d immediately taken the obvious invitation and, sooner or later, discovered that what this cave system lacked in stuff like hieroglyphics and golden trinkets, it made up for in different kinds of fossils.
One thing led to another, and Penn (who’d also been bored out of his skull due to not being able to dig up the skull of something that had died an odd million years ago) had met up with Illinois for some good ol’ fashioned spelunking. Those who made up the excavation team he usually worked with were all busy with their own errands at the moment. Besides, he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t wanted to catch up with Illinois.
There were a decent amount of trace fossils adorning most of the chambers here. And while trace fossils were better than nothing, they were still. . .small. Basic. Just not quite enough to sate a curious appetite.
So, of course, he and Illinois had ventured deeper and deeper. It’d taken some time, but their tenacity had been rewarded.
Not only had they discovered a definite Big Boy (or Girl)—Penn couldn’t tell what it had been right now, but he knew it was some kind of carnivorous theropod—but said Big Boy (or Girl)’s skull was partially exposed! Like the creature had been standing; scratch that, had been practically posing at the time of its death!
Oh sure, digging the fossil out would still be extraordinarily difficult, but that was very much overshadowed by the fact that tHIS WAS THE FIRST EXPOSED SPECIMEN PENN HAD EVER FOUND! This type of circumstance was so. Damn. Rare!
He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d heard about another paleontology team finding something like this!
But then. . .just as Penn had been pacing around the fossil, listening to Illinois jokingly ask where his “thank you” was, jotting down notes, trying to decide the best way to eventually start excavation. . .an odd, distant rumbling manifested from elsewhere in the Cavity.
It’d made both of the archaeology buffs give pause, but Illinois had been quick to stroll out of the chamber, promising to investigate.
The rumbling failed to let up after that. In fact, it seemed to have grown louder and stronger with every second that Illinois was gone.
Things had happened so insanely fast from there. . .Penn wasn’t sure when the fossil had started shaking. . .
But that didn’t matter right now.
What mattered was that part of a huge skull was now on top of him, pinning him to the ground.
What mattered was that a number of large, jagged teeth had sunk into one of his legs, as though the dinosaur’s ghost wanted to bite him and had almost succeeded in an attempt to reanimate itself.
What mattered was that, even with a (admittedly high-powered) torch as his only source of light, Penn could very easily see blood saturating his clothes as it oozed out of his skin.
The stench of iron was heavy, apparently having filled the chamber at breakneck speed. Penn was sure that it’d wafted out through the rock pile blocking the entrance, as Illinois seemed to be gagging between his panicked reassurances.
The canvas rucksack Penn always brought on trips like this lay just a few feet away from him. The muscles in one of Penn’s arms shrieked as he reached out to claw at the bag. He managed to drag it closer, shakily propping himself up on his elbows in order to open it up and dig through it.
He was quick to find Old Reliable: a large, sturdy rock hammer that he’d received on his very first expedition.
Even with Illinois actively working to dig him out of the chamber, Penn wouldn’t be going anywhere. Not unless he managed to get out from underneath the skull—to get the skull’s teeth out of his leg.
Penn wrapped his free hand around the fossil’s premaxilla; there was just barely any space between it and his thigh. He dug Old Reliable’s claw into the dirt beneath him, then forced the hammer’s face up against the maxilla’s edge.
THWACK!
The tool reverberated in his grasp, but the skull indeed budged a millimeter or two. Unfortunately, ancient, almost dagger-like teeth shifting while still partially inside his flesh didn’t make for the most pleasant feeling.
A short scream escaped Penn’s lips before he could even try to bite it down.
“What was that?” Illinois blurted. From the sound of things, he didn’t pause his movements. “Penn, what’s going on?!”
“I’m trying to pull my damn weight, that’s what’s going on!” Penn replied. “I-I’m fine, just keep going!”
THWACK-THWACK!
Old Reliable had to offer up several more strikes. Which were accentuated by more agonized wails on Penn’s part.
The progress was slow, but it was still progress.
Yet another howl tore itself from Penn’s throat as the fossil’s ivories were finally dislodged. Thankfully, he was quick to leverage Old Reliable between the fossil and the ground, which allowed him to crawl a couple feet away before the skull could fall back onto him.
His skin stung and seemed to throb as the Cavity’s cold air met the fresh, deep cuts. The way his blood seeped almost felt like newly-hatched snakes crawling out of his skin.
Penn floundered in place, his fingertips turning slick and red as he gingerly prodded at his injured leg. After determining which of the lacerations was the worst, he rushed to take off his hiking vest.
He’d just finished tying the makeshift tourniquet when the ground near his head ever-so-slightly shook. He startled badly at what sounded like grinding gravel on steroids, barely able to process the sensation of hands grabbing onto his shirt.
Instinctual panic was just about to start welling up, but was quickly overpowered by relief as Penn heard Illinois’ familiar voice, as he remembered what had been happening on his friend’s end of this.
Penn was quickly dragged into an upright position, and while he gave no resistance, a sharp, hitching gasp still slithered through his teeth. Illinois flinched, quickly bowing his head to allow Penn to grab onto one of his shoulders for extra support.
Way back when the two of them had first met, Penn had been willing to put money on Illinois being unable to make any facial expression that wasn’t at least somewhat suave or suggestive.
Right here, right now, however. . .
Illinois’ naturally tan skin had turned an almost sickly pale shade. His dark brown eyes were full of fear, concern, guilt.
Of course, that transitioned to partial disbelief when he glanced at the fossil's bloodstained teeth. "Holy shit. . !"
“I. . .I don’t think a major artery was hit,” Penn coughed. “If that was the case, I definitely would’ve bled out by now.”
“Y-yeah, well, there’s still a chance for infection,” Illinois replied, his normally silky voice shuddering. “We’ve got to get you to a hospital!”
Penn raised an eyebrow, possibly more incredulous than he’d ever been before. “What, does it sound like I’m denying that?!”
And with that, the duo began half-sprinting half-limping up the tunnel they’d wandered through no more than fifteen minutes ago. . .
@insane4fandoms
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