The cave

"If it blows, it goes."

Ford said the words softly to himself. In the mining world, whenever wind came through the rocks, it meant there was a tunnel on the other side.

A cave.

Remaining calm, the man methodically moved the next rock out of the way. The blockage could still go on for a long way; this just meant it was no longer airtight. There were enough gaps to let the wind from within the cavern and the pressure of it come through this exit.

How far? A few steps? A stone's throw? More?

He made no comment to Gary when the man came to the slightly wider part of the tunnel to collect the moved debris.

Why Ford didn't share the information immediately, he really couldn't say. Working steadily onward, he removed stone by stone at a pace that would have exhausted anyone not used to this life.