peacekeeper•coriolanus snow ✓

𝟎𝟎𝟓. mining accident

chapter five
mining accident

Today was the day Avery was supposed to have Otto over for dinner. He was going to give them more of the money they needed, and she was going to treat him and her sisters to a dinner made especially from all of the new food she had been able to get.

The table was set, and the food was made. It was nearing close to the two hour mark of Otto's lateness.

After thirty minutes, Gwynn and Gretchen just gave up on waiting. They insisted that this was a waste of a meal if they didn't eat it. They dug in as Otto's meal began to get cold.

Avery was anxious for two reasons.

She was worried about Otto and his safety, and she was worried about her own family's survival. Without the resources Otto provided them with, they would be goners.

Avery was able to provide some income for them, but Otto was an important source of money in their lives.

There was another strange thing that happened this night. Avery heard a loud bang- the sound of an explosion. It had happened just twenty minutes ago, and she was terrified to even know what it was.

Avery was worried that she would endanger her family if she went exploring for the source of the noise.

She was startled when there was suddenly a loud banging sound on the front door. She peered out the window to see Jessie. Jessie was in tears and Avery frantically let her in.

Jessie stumbled into her home, putting her hands on both of Avery's shoulders. "Avery, have you heard the news?"

Avery was growing more worried by the minute. "What news?" she questioned.

"There was an accident in the mines! At first I thought it was just a minor and unharmful explosion, but they've recovered several bodies. James is in critical condition."

James is Jessie's boyfriend. He's a younger coal miner, becoming one right when he turned eighteen. He's recently just turned nineteen.

This made Avery want to become a miner even less. Actually, it made her decide that she would never be a miner.

Her mind immediately flashed to Otto. No, no, no. Otto must have been in those mines during the accident. That was why he wasn't here for dinner yet.

Avery assumed the worst; Otto was in critical condition like James or he was dead. She wasn't sure how to react.

"Jessie, please stay with Gwynn and Gretchen. I need to go down there, now."

Avery didn't wait for a response from Jessie. She ran out the door and sprinted to the nines as fast as her legs could take her.

The scene was terrible. There were small fired and embers emerging from the mines and clouds of smoke enveloped the area.

People were yelling, crying, and sobbing. There were large groups surrounding the area, and people were getting upset and violent. People were shoving each other to see what was going on.

That's when Avery saw Otto's body being dragged out of the mines. Her hand clasped over her moth in horror as every bone in her body weakened.

Otto was dead. She rushed to the front of the crowd. "Otto!"

Peacekeepers that happened to be less friendly than Coriolanus began to grab her by either arm and direct her out of the way. She cried, knowing that there was nothing she could do to bring him back.

That's when she made eye contact with a familiar person; Sejanus. They were both thinking the same thing. Sejanus ran to her aid, pulling her off to the side and surprisingly embracing her in a tight hug.