Ryder’s breath became raspy as he was trapped down in the darkness.
For hours, he’s been lying in a coffin, buried beneath the soil, with no response to his calls to Theo.
On his way back to get Ryder out of the grave, Theo has unknowingly slipped down a ravine. Time is running out, and the only person who can assist is now unconscious!
Will their blunder become Ryder’s final moments?
Ryder (Lukas Radovich) is running out of oxygen in the horrific season return of Home and Away. The teen checks the live feed where their prank is streaming as his phone battery runs out.
One viewer claims that he has only 19 minutes until he runs out of air. Ryder laughs it off because he doesn’t want to reveal his worry, but panic has taken hold.
“When Theo stops answering the phone, he realises it’s no longer a joke and he’s in serious trouble,” says Lukas, 27.
Theo (Matt Evans), who lives nearby, wakes up with his leg caught in barbed wire and his phone out of reach. He is unable to express what has occurred to Ryder, and his leg is in excruciating pain. No one knows where they are, and night has descended upon them.
While perilous, Ryder’s prank was a last-ditch effort to repay his family. He borrowed money from Alf (Ray Meagher) and Roo (Georgie Parker) to start his catering business, and when it failed, he promised to repay them. It may now cost him his life.
“After losing the food truck without insurance,” Lukas continues, “he feels a tremendous sense of duty and obligation and believes this is the only way to make enough money to pay everyone back.”
Back in Summer Bay, Alf and Justin (James Stewart) run into one other and ask each other, “Have you seen Ryder and Theo?”
Alarm bells ring when they learn that neither of them has returned home.
Justin tracks to Roo to see if she has any information about their whereabouts, but she confirms his worst fears: they’re disappeared.
Justin accesses their video library and locates the burial challenge. Roo recognises the location, and the two set out to find them.
But it’s possible that it’s too late. Ryder’s phone falls from his grip in the coffin, and he loses consciousness.
Ryder, hold on!
