JQ writers: Let's give Jessie claustrophobia! It makes perfect sense after all she's been through, but we shall never bring it up ever again.

Whumptober day 8. WHERE DID EVERYBODY GO? (Isolation) with a touch of day 4 (Caged | Buried Alive | Collapsed Building)

AN: Ah, ffn formatting, my old nemesis! We meet once again. (Yeah... the formatting on this one matters, but no worries, ffn won't let me double space paragraphs! Why would it?)

This is how it ends

This is how it ends.

This time, she won't find her way out.

This time, the boys won't be able to find a way in.

This time, her Dad will get there too late and all he'll find is her corpse.

She paces the small, irregular cavern. It's twelve paces at the longest, but she probably walked miles already. Round and round. Like a goldfish in a too small fishbowl.

At least there's no water.

She thinks there's no water.

She's deep in the mountains, hundreds of feet above the water level.

There might be a river.

The cave must have come from somewhere.

There was probably water running through the walls. She could almost hear it, if she paid close enough attention.

If she put her ear to the cold stone wall.

If she held her breath and waited.

It rumbled in her ears like a torrent.

This was how she dies – alone, and trapped, and drowning under the furious gush of water bursting through stone.

Except… it's not.

It's not the sound of water carving its way though stone she hears.

She can hear voices echoing on the other side.

Muffled though the rock, she can hear her name.

Her heartbeat picks up, but it's not fear this time.

She starts to shout. As loud as she can.

She needs to let them know where she is.

She bangs her fists and kicks at the wall.

Eventually, she can hear rock scrape against rock and familiar voices become clearer.