Johnny Gets Stuck

Johnny slowed his breathing. Panicking would do no good. He tried moving his hands to get a feel for what he was up against. They were both stuck. Johnny closed his eyes, more for the psychological effect as it was pitch black in here. He kept his breathing slow. A bead of sweat made it’s way down his back.

Fucking Robbie. All he wanted to do was help Robbie out of a tight jam. Now he was in one himself. And where was Robbie? Probably halfway home by now. With the money. Again.

The rock was cool and unyielding against Johnny’s cheek. The pain in his ankle was subsiding, maybe it wasn’t broken after all. Johnny still did not know which way was up. Apparently, the moonlight didn’t reach this part of the cleft that he slipped into. With his eyes still closed he tried to envision the fall, and most importantly, the stop. He had jumped, just as Robbie had, but the rock disappeared under his foot. He crashed down on his knee, then went tumbling down. He bounced several times while the light was dimming. Then he wasn’t bouncing anymore, he was sliding between two rock walls.

Johnny’s left knee got stuck first, and he started to pinwheel to his left. The rest of his body came to a halt quickly, moving to the left. So it seems that up would be somewhere on his right, which is where his head was facing. Great, Johnny thought, things are starting to look up. 

The night started like any other Thursday night. He got off work, heated up a frozen dinner, and headed to the bowling alley. He was on fire tonight. To think, just a year ago he was happy to break 100 in all three games. He started with a 201, then his personal high of 212, and was up to 78 after a strike in the fourth. Johnny was well on the way to his first 600 series.

That’s when Robbie showed up.

“Dude, I need some help.”

That was Robbie’s standard greeting. Five words that seemed to come out of his mouth any time he breathed. It was like that when they were kids and the bullies were after him. It was like that in high school when he wanted the good fireworks. It was like that in college when he started making fake IDs. And it was like that last year when he lost it all in Vegas.

“It’s gotta wait,” Johnny had said. “Six more frames.”

“No time,” Robbie said. “We only have a couple of hours. Then I’ll pay you the twenty grand that I owe you.”

“That car was worth sixty grand,” Johnny retorted.

“Maybe when it was new,” Robbie said.

Johnny just stared at Robbie. He had heard this all before. 

“Look,” Robbie continued, “we just need to drive up the mountain a little way. There’s a stash of cash. We can get up there, peel fifty grand off the pile, and be back here before midnight.”

“If that’s the case,” Johnny said, “then we can wait until I finish my game.”

It was Johnny’s turn, and he hit the pocket perfectly for another strike. He high-fived his teammates and sat back down.

“There’s no time,” Robbie said. “The cabin is empty now, but they’ll be heading back up there in about a half hour. If we leave now, we can get in and get out before they get back.”

Johnny sighed. “There’s never any time. And it never turns out like you say it’s going to. And don’t forget that I was the one who got caught last time.”

“But you didn’t serve any time,” Robbie said. 

“Yeah, I got a suspended sentence,” Johnny replied. “So if I get caught again, I serve that on top of any new ones.”

“It’s not like that this time,” Robbie said. “It’s in and out. The cabin is not on the beaten path. Nobody will even know we were there.”

Johnny thought about it. Robbie owed him $20,000, and that money would help a lot. Johnny was not hurting for money, but who couldn’t use an extra $20,000?

He got up and put some money down for the next round of drinks. “Sorry guys, but I have to bail. I’ll catch up with you next week.” His teammates were too stunned to protest. Their mouths were still agape when the doors closed behind Johnny and Robbie.

Johnny didn’t know how long he was down here. He tried to move his right arm again, and this time he felt his hand sliding. He tried to close his hand into a fist, but there wasn’t quite enough room. He did manage to loosen some dust that fell on his face and confirmed that up was to his right. He searched for a hand hold so he could try to pull himself up, but he found none.

He couldn’t move. He was stuck. He was going to die down here. Robbie left. Nobody knew he was here. Nobody knew he was missing. Nobody.

Breathe. Johnny closed his eyes again and took a deep breath. He realized that his chest was able to expand. Not a lot, but if he exhaled as much as possible, he may be able to push up a little. Of course, he could also slip lower and lose the little space he does have.

Johnny braced his left knee and left elbow into the wall the best he could. He reached with his right hand. Then he pushed with the left side and pulled with the right as he exhaled everything he could. He kept going until he started seeing stars. The effort paid off as he moved a few inches. It was a little pivot, but his left arm was able to move a little. He could also take a deeper breath. 

His right hand searched the new area and he found something to hold on to. He shifted his left leg to try to get more purchase. Once again, Johnny pushed with his left and pulled with his right. He shifted again, but could not tell how much. He could move his head and almost turn it into the wall. The dust and small gravel that fell on his face seemed to fall from his forehead to his cheek. He was closer to standing up now. 

Robbie had a little trouble finding the road that led to the cabin, but they still managed to get there at about the time that Robbie thought the owners would be starting their journey. There were no cars in the driveway. The lights on the porch made Johnny nervous.

“Relax,” Robbie said. “Nobody’s home. They’re all getting liquored up downtown.”

“How do you know?” Johnny asked.

“Where did you think I came from?” Robbie responded. 

They got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Robbie opened the door and walked in.

“So much for security,” Johnny said.

“Nobody knows about the cabin,” Robbie said.

“But you know,” Johnny replied.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t two hours ago.”

“So, you find out about a stash of cash at a party and disappear. Then, when they get back and money is missing, they’re not going to know it’s you?” 

“Dude, chill,” Robbie said. “They’re not going to notice until they count the money, and by then they’ll have forgotten I even exist.”

Johnny was able to move a little more. He reached up and found another hold. He was even able to get his left hand over his head to help pull. It was awkward, his elbows and knees only had room to move sideways, but he was making progress. He guessed that he fell about twenty to twenty-five feet. He should be able to climb out without too many issues. The biggest problem was getting out of this narrow bottom section.

Once he moved up a foot or so, he no was no longer supported by being wedged in. Johnny now had to hold himself up. The lessons at the rock climbing gym were going to come in handy. After gaining another foothold or two, he reached up and did not feel the wall. Johnny looked up and saw a sliver of moonlight. The top looked like it was a little farther up than his original estimate.

Johnny used the wall behind him to help him up enough to get his elbow on top of the ledge he found. He boosted himself up and was able to lay down on his back. Looking up, he was able to see the walls above him. The light wasn’t great, but it looked like it would be a relatively easy climb. He would just rest a little, then he would start his ascent.

Robbie led the way through the cabin. Both of them searched for a hidden safe or hiding spot. Finally, Johnny pointed to a duffel bag sitting next to a chair. 

“Would they have it just laying out?” Johnny asked.

“Who would be that stupid?” Robbie asked.

Johnny opened the bag. “I guess we’re that stupid for not looking in the first place.” 

Robbie came over and looked at all of the banded bills. 

“How much is it?” Robbie asked.

“Well, it looks like $10,000 per bundle,” Johnny said, “and there’s probably around fifteen to twenty bundles in here. So, a couple hundred thousand?”

They both saw lights through the window. A car just pulled up.

Johnny started his climb. It was even easier than it first appeared. There were outcroppings that were easy to grab and had plenty of room to stand on. He was starting to feel all of the bruises that he got from bouncing off these outcroppings. It did not take long at all to reach the top.

The full moon gave enough light to see the trees. He would have no problem finding the road. It was about a twenty mile ride up to the cabin, but that involved many switchbacks. If he just headed downhill, he should be able to get down by sunrise.

Johnny’s first order of business was to find the stream that ran down the mountain. When he got to the road, he turned left and followed the road. He stayed on the other side of the trees to avoid any traffic that may be looking for him. After about a half mile he was able to hear the stream. A hundred yards later and he was climbing down the bank. He swallowed a few handfuls of crisp, clean water.

He decided to follow the stream because the road was built to switch back before the stream. Johnny was not keen on running into the owners of the cabin. He still didn’t know if Robbie went back for his car. Johnny didn’t ask, but he figured that it was one of Robbie’s “borrowed” cars. It wasn’t even one of his nicer ones. Johnny figured that Robbie was planning on ditching the car at some point, but not this early.

The sun was not even brightening the sky yet when Johnny reached the edge of the woods at the bottom of the mountain. He stayed away from the main roads on his way into the nearest town. Luckily, this is the town that Robbie lived in. Johnny had no clue what he was going to say when he got there. What he did know was that he was done with Robbie. He needed to cut ties to keep himself out of these situations. 

Johnny looked up and saw that Robbie’s eyes were as big as his felt. Robbie grabbed the bag and ran out the back door with Johnny close behind. They ran into the woods as fast as they could. Johnny could not hear what was being said behind them, and he didn’t want to. They ran hard in the dark. After a few minutes, they stopped to listen for pursuit.

“What were you thinking?” Johnny asked. “They may not miss a few stacks for a few days, but the whole damn bag?”

“Sorry,” Robbie said. “I didn’t think we had time to take some out and close the bag and put it back where it was. I just grabbed it, and now we’re rich.”

“We’re not rich,” Johnny said. “That won’t last you a month the way you spend money.”

In their silence, another voice made itself known. “We’re coming for you, and when we find you, we’ll be the last ones that ever do!” Gunshots punctuated that remark.

“Now what?” Johnny asked.

“Now we go home,” Robbie said as he started walking.

There was just enough moonlight to see the ground. They came to a cleft about five feet wide. Robbie threw the bag over the gap, then followed with a nimble leap. Johnny’s leap was not quite as nimble. His foot slipped as he jumped, and his landing foot hit the edge. The rock gave way, and he fell into the cleft.

“Shit, Johnny, are you OK?” Robbie shout-whispered.

“No,” Johnny heaved. “I’m wedged in here.”

“Hold tight, I’ll run home and grab some rope.” And then Robbie was gone.

Johnny knows that Robbie’s not coming back. Fucking Robbie.

Johnny banged on Robbie’s trailer door just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. Robbie finally opened it.

“J-Johnny,” Robbie stammered, “I was about to go out and get a rope.”

Johnny pushed past Robbie.

“C’mon, man,” Robbie said. “I was coming back for you. I even set out your money.”

Johnny grabbed the two stacks off the counter. Then he grabbed two more out of the bag.

“OK, I guess that’s fair,” Robbie said.

Johnny put the four stacks down and grabbed the bag. He shouldered past Robbie and was at the door before Robbie could react. Johnny looked at the key hooks by the door and picked the one for the Mustang. 

“Not my car, Johnny!” Robbie shouted. “That’s the only one that’s mine!”

Johnny took two more stacks and tossed them over his shoulder on his way out the door. He got in the car, put the top down, and drove off into the sunrise.