John's right, of course. The issue here isn't that John wants to go into the cave, it's that Jim's so afraid to join him. He wants to push himself, force himself to take that step, but fear has nailed his feet to the ground. There's a shudder when he breathes out, and he closes his eyes, nodding reluctantly.

Reaching out without a word, he holds John in a tight hug, shutting his eyes and staying like that for a few good seconds. Then he eases his hold again and pulls back, hands still on John's shoulders.

"Alright," he swallows thickly, nodding again. "But I'm holding you to that. I'll be waiting for you to come back out and tell me what you find."