Wednesday March 10 12:00 AM ET

Chicken Soup for the Geek Soul:
The Saviors

By Brian Briggs follow me on Twitter or Buzz.

I struggled to breathe as the boulders that pinned me to the ground slowly crushed my chest. I told my friends that we shouldn't explore the cave. I said it looked too dangerous, that we should just cut through the woods, but I was outvoted.

I hope the rest of them were OK, because I wasn't going to be digging out of this myself. I had the strength, but rocks from the cave in had done quite a bit of damage to my arms. I just hope they could get me out in time. It wasn't looking good. The clock in my head tick-tocked as my lungs continued to struggle for air. Tick-tock.

I had been through a lot with these guys. They weren't the type to leave a man behind. We'd had many close calls, but always made it out alive. Like the time in the woods when we were being chased by wolves. Dave couldn't run as fast as the rest of us, so we circled around to save him. That seemed like mere child's play compared to this situation. Tick-tock.

My vision began to blur as my oxygen-starved brain fought against the coming of the night. I strained to hear any sound of my rescuers, but no sounds of my saviors reached my ears. Could they have left me here to die? Were they all pinned underneath the rocks like me? These were my last thoughts as consciousness faded. Tick-tock.

Even without consciousness and oxygen, I held onto the last fragile strands of life. Only six more seconds and it would be all over. I would be irretrievably lost. Tick-tock.

I sprang back to life feeling fit and fresh. The ordeal was over. Tornon the Goliath Fighter had used his pick-axe and awesome strength to break through the rocks, and Eldebar the cleric quickly healed my wounds. "Thanks to you, my friends," I said.

But the danger had only been avoided for a moment, "Roll for init," said Dave.