fic: The Gravedigger (ficuary)

[csi_sanders1129]

Title: The Gravedigger
Chapters: 1/1
Author:csi_sanders1129
Genre: Drama.
Ratings: K+
Word Count: 736
Pairings/Characters: Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams
Synopsis: In which Steve wakes up buried alive thanks to Oahu’s latest serial killer.
Comments: Written for Ficuary 2021, Prompt: Underground. Comments and kudos would be awesome. Enjoy!

Steve wakes in complete darkness.

Unfortunately, he knows exactly where he is and he channels every ounce of his training to keep calm in this situation. He doesn't have time to panic. He can't waste the energy or the air it would take from him. He needs to be awake and aware and as calm as possible if he wants to get out of here.

He risks a few deep, steadying breaths of the limited warm, stagnant air. He tests the limits of his movement, presses his hands to the walls of his underground prison, judges the distance between the floor on which he lays and the boards just overhead.

He's buried alive.

The Gravedigger, the latest serial killer to strike Oahu, has already claimed five lives in the span of the last month and now he wants Steve as the sixth. The murderer has been targeting law enforcement, so Steve isn't exactly surprised that he's been caught up in the web of victims, especially given that he'd made himself even more of a target when Five-0 had started investigating the deaths. The last thing he remembers is checking out a lead with Danno. But then what had happened?

There's an ache in the back of his head that might explain the void in his memory.

But he needs to get out of here, needs to know what happened to Danny. He checks his pockets, hoping that the killer was dumb enough to leave him his cell phone, or anything else he might use to MacGuyver his way out of this situation, but he has nothing – no phone, no wallet, no knife, no gun, no cuffs, no radio. Even his belt and his shoes and his watch are gone. He doesn't know how long he was unconscious and using up his precious air supply, so he can't wait on his team to save him, either. He has to save himself.

He presses against the wood above him. He can feel that it's cracked from the weight of the dirt above. Good, he thinks, that's good. He carefully struggles his way out of his shirt, wraps it around his head to protect his airway as much as possible before he does anything else. With that done, he kicks hard at the broken boards of the pine box meant to be his coffin until it gives a little bit more. Dirt begins to pour in. He flings it down toward the open space by his feet and keeps at it until he can wedge himself through the gap and worm his way upwards.

From there, it's a desperate struggle up through the loose dirt of his would be grave until finally, finally an arm breaks through and he gets that first rejuvenating gulp of fresh air. He's so close.

Suddenly, there's a hand on his arm, hauling him up and out of the dirt. He clings to it – recognizes the familiar grip as Danny's instantly, surges toward the equally familiar voice calling his name. When he's finally free, when he's collapsed to the ground beside the grave and tugged his shirt away, he's alarmed at the sight he finds.

Danny is there with him. There's another grave, half-filled in with dirt, the edges clawed away like Danny managed to escape it before the Gravedigger could fully get him into it. Danny's covered in dirt and, of much more concern to Steve, a fair amount of blood.

"What happened?" Steve demands, forcing himself to move again, to look Danny over for the source of whatever injury he's gained in this latest adventure. His eyes scan their surroundings, too, in search of the man who put them here, but he sees no trace of the killer.

Until Danny gestures to the empty grave.

Steve peers over the edge, and finds it's not so empty. There's a body there, the blade of a knife jutting from the man's chest.

"Not my blood," he assures Steve, "What took you so long? You were a whole minute late to that fight."

Relieved, Steve ignores the teasing and pulls Danny into a crushing hug, holds tight for a long moment. "Next time we're buried alive, we'll switch," he counters. "What do you say we call this in and go home?"

Danny leans back, catches his breath from what Steve can only imagine was one hell of a fight. "Sounds like a plan," he agrees.