'Please. Please. Please. I hope this works.'
Eli blew the whistle until his lungs burned, the shrill note cutting through the cavern like a blade.
The sound ricocheted off the jagged walls in desperate waves, a signal that screamed louder than his voice ever could.
PREEEP!PREEEP!PREEEP!
His chest heaved between each blow, throat raw and stinging, but he didn't stop.
He couldn't.
"Enough."
Mio's hand shot forward. Fingers clamped around Eli's wrist like a steel trap, halting the whistle against his lips.
The next breathless note died in his throat.
Mio ripped it away. The sharp clatter of silver against stone echoed once before his arm swung wide.
The whistle splashed into the black water and vanished beneath the surface, its faint glow swallowed whole.
"No—!" Eli's voice cracked, panic hitting him like a hammer. His eyes darted frantically, searching for even the faintest shimmer, but nothing came back.
His only lifeline… gone.
'Motherfucker!'
