krystalkatzficz | The Wall part 20

Masaki leaned heavily against the wall of the trying his best to force himself to breathe. It felt as though something large was sitting on his chest and pounding him with a hammer. The foreman had asked him to do a couple of shift to cover for one of the more elderly workers. Nino hadn’t been happy about it but had agreed when Masaki had pointed out that meant holding a job open as long as possible for one of their neighbours. His brother had offered to do it but as he had no idea how to work the mine Masaki had been the only real option. For three days, he had been in the mine and already he longed for when he could leave it. The thick dust had gotten to him almost as soon as he had entered the mine and already he was choking. It felt as though there were something heavy in his lungs and no matter how much he tried to shift it, it wouldn’t leave.

“Masaki? Everything okay?” Sekiguchi ‘Skipper’ Isamu, the shift leader asked coming up from behind him and, as try as he might, he couldn’t get his coughing under control and he breathed sharply through his nose.

“Just out of breath is all, been a long time since I worked down here” He breathed trying his best to play it off but of course, Skipper wasn’t convinced. Even in the dark Masaki could see the man’s expression change his eyes growing heavy with sadness as he came to look at his eyes with the aid of his candle. Masaki knew that he didn’t have the red ring around his iris yet but the very corner of his eyes was going yellow. Skipper sighed with sympathy and then gently brought his hand to rest on his shoulder.

“You’ve got it, already lad”

“…I believe so, Skipper” Masaki replied his grip on his pickaxe tightening as he squared his shoulders with as much determination as he could muster. The Ninomiya’s had always been unfortunate with the black lung. Nino had been born with a milder form of it but through careful training and his father refusing point blank to let him into the mine he managed to git it under control. Of course, that wouldn’t last long if they didn’t get out of this cesspool “I’m going to get my brother over the wall and that’s all that matters Skip”

“Masaki, you’re dying”

“We’re all dying, Skip, I’m just doing it faster than others.” Masaki sighed refusing to have anyone feel sorry for him. Nino thought that he was weak enough, already he acted like the older brother. “You can’t tell Nino. Promise me that you won’t tell Nino. If you do, he’ll stop the sponsorship”

“Masaki, if they find out how sick you are they will pull you from the sponsorship…” Skipper reminded him and Masaki nodded sucking on his lower lip for a moment though in his mind he was already on his goal. He would see that beautiful landscape that Sho had shown him in his books and he would get Nino where he could actually do some good. He wasn’t sure how he was going to do that but he knew that there was no chance of him doing anything on this side even if Nino had good ideas. “I don’t know how far its progressed lad but from the sounds of you it’s pretty far gone”

“I know, but I have time yet, I can get Nino inside and then I can worry about me…” Masaki muttered though he knew that there was nothing to worry about. His only hope that he would slip away in his sleep like his mother and not choke to death on his own blood like his father. “It’s not this bad when I’m away from the dust”

“You shouldn’t have come down here at all, lad” Skipper told him kindly and Masaki smiled remembering the times he had sat with Skipper and his father in the old goat. The only ale house beyond the wall. Skipper had been one of the lucky ones so far. The black lung stayed clear and he could make it to shift leader. He was always and kind and fair with those on his shift though.

“I know but they would have given away the spot”

“Junichi isn’t coming back lad, no matter if you stayed till next week, he’s lungs are worse than yours, there be no hope for him” Masaki felt his heart break at that but he still shrugged and muttered;

“I can give them another couple of days pay, it’s the least I can do”

“You kill yourself down here, who’s going to make that brother of yours go in the wall? Get yourself home lad, and don’t let me see you back in here…I’ll cover your shift and get the money to Old’ Will”

TBC
A/N: I hope that this is okay >.<