ENDING OF PREVIOUS POST:

"How'd Mary Pat find you?"

"She didn't." Paige stopped. "I know you won't believe this, but Bradley helped me find my way out. When I found out you were still inside, Mary Pat and I came looking for you."

"You'd be surprised what I've come to believe."

Cash and Paige turned toward the sound of a thunder of rocks falling.

Paige yelled. "NO!" She dropped her crutches and followed Cash.

TODAY'S POST:

When Cash and Paige got to the doorway, Paige glanced from friend to friend. "We heard the cave-in. It looks like everybody's all right." She scanned the area. "The rocks and dirt blocked the tunnel. We'd better hurry and get out before the whole thing caves in. Come on, follow me. Mary Pat and I found another entrance."

Morgan sniffed a pile of rocks.

"Come on, boy. It's nothing but fallen rocks." Paige waited for him to respond. When he didn't, she walked over and watched him dig. "What is it?" Paige knelt down and brushed some dirt and rocks away. "Cash, come look at this."

The group came over and stared. Amos said, "Dat be da treasure!" He motioned to his two friends. "Dat dawg found da treasure. See dat wood box."

The men dug for a while, and then pulled the box into the open. Billy Joe took a slender pointed rock and pried off the lid. "Hot damn! Look at all them jewels." He held up a brick. "Is this a gold brick?"

Amos and Cash knelt down as Amos said, "It shore is." He lifted up a few. "Dey shore be pretty." He smiled at Paige. "What ya gonna do with dem?"

Paige stepped closer and continued to stare. "I have no idea."

Cash stood. "We'd better get to safety, or Paige won't have a chance to decide what she's going to do."

Cash turned his head toward the opening Paige and Mary Pat had come through. "Did you hear that?" When his friends shook their heads no, he continued. "I'd better check anyway." He hurried to the hallway. "We might need to find another way out."

After a few moments, Cash returned. "It must've been the wind. Come on, let's get out of here." He took his hand from his pocket and reached it out for Paige.

One of the young men who came with Amos said, "It looks like there's two more boxes."

"Ya youn'uns get dem." Amos bent to pick up the third one.

Billy Joe dodged in front of him. "Let me get that."

"Much obliged." Amos wiped sweat from his forehead with this red kerchief.

With a nod from Billy Joe, the group started through the tunnel with Morgan by their side.

Paige hobbled with her crutches. Cash grabbed them and handed them to Mary Pat. "Would you carry these? We need to move faster. I have a bad feeling about this." He glanced over his shoulder, before he picked up Paige. "We can move faster this way."

"But, but, but..."

"Ah hush." Cash brushed a kiss across her forehead. He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of another rock slide. "There's not much time before this whole thing is filled with rocks and dirt." He sped up the pace, and Morgan trotted ahead.

When they came to the secret door, Mary Pat leaned the crutches against the wall. "There's an opening here. Paige found it. The lever's in the floor."

Cash leaned Paige against the wall and searched for the opening. "Do either of you remember about where the door was?"

Paige ran her hand along the wall. "I think it's right here. See how the dirt and dust moved." She scooted her foot along the side of the wall. "It'll be down here.

Billy Joe set down the box and helped.

"Found it!" Paige pointed to the spot.

"She's too light to activate it. Billy Joe, stomp on it." Mary Pat stepped aside. "I'd better warn you. There's a skeleton on the other side."

Cash and Billy Joe's glances switched between the two women. Finally, Billy Joe said, "No shit?"

"No shit." Mary Pat nodded.

"I ain't never seen a real skeleton." Billy Joe adjusted his toothpick before he stomped on the lever.

"Now isn't the time to examine it. We need to get out of here." Cash picked up Paige.

As the group walked by the skeleton, Billy Joe gawked. "It's real, all right."

Before long, they arrived back in Paige's kitchen. The men set the boxes on the dining room table.

As Billy Joe and Amos opened the two boxes, Nala came into the room. "Good, you're all safely back." She glanced around. "Where's the rescue squad?"

Cash and Billy Joe looked at each other and both said, "What rescue squad?"

"The one I called when Paige made it back and you guys weren't nowhere in sight." Nala got Morgan a bowl of water.

"We'd better go back after them." Cash turned toward the door.

Paige pulled out a chair and sat. "It's too dangerous. Nobody's going back. I'm sure the men will walk through that door any second."

A loud crash caused them to close their eyes.

"Please God, show dem men da way. Amen." Amos prayed.

As the sound of rocks crashing against rocks thundered, tears rolled down the cheeks of the three women.