She grabbed at a projecting stone, but it broke loose in her hand.
Then she fell through a narrow opening into darkness.
Her body struck a sloping surface.
She rolled, hit another rock, and landed heavily on the ground below.
Pain exploded through her leg.
She tried to move.
Something was terribly wrong.
She reached for her flashlight, but her hands were shaking.
The light revealed a narrow underground chamber littered with broken stones.
Above her was the opening through which she had fallen.
It was much farther away than she had expected.
She tried to stand.
Her injured leg collapsed beneath her.
She screamed again.
No one answered.
For the next several hours, she called for help whenever she had enough strength.
Her voice echoed through the chamber.
Sometimes she thought she heard a reply.
But each time she stopped shouting, the cave returned to silence.
She checked her phone.
