The Charnel Caves

by Guy N Smith

  Davenport examined the stony ground below the cliff face. Unfortunately, the tide had removed any tracks which otherwise might have been visible.

  ‘What’s that on the rocks above the pool?’ Adrian was peering closely at whatever had attracted his attention. ‘Looks to me like splashes of blood which the tide hasn’t reached and they’ve dried off!’

  Cliff Davenport strode ahead of his colleagues, peering closely where the other had indicated. He pursed his lips and an icy shiver ran up his spine.

  ‘It’s blood, all right,’ he announced in faltering tones. ‘And at a guess I’d say it has come from a human being. I may be wrong…’ he hoped fervently that he was.

  ‘There’s more there,’ Adrian pointed to the top of the flooded cave. ‘Like whatever was responsible dragged its victim through this pool and into the cave!’

  There was a stunned silence amidst the gathering. Maybe they had guessed what the caves hid from human view but now they were faced with stark proof. Crabs. Just a simple monster or several?

  ‘Well?’ Sanderson was the first to speak. ‘What do we do now? Where do we go from here?’

  All eyes focused on Adrian. He knew only too well what was going through their minds.

  Somebody had to go in there!

  ‘It might not be accessible,’ he was clearly in awe of the prospect of venturing inside the cave.

  ‘If a huge crab can get in there then the cave, or caves, have to be pretty sizeable,’ Danielson stated.

  ‘There might be a jellyfish in there,’ Adrian replied. ‘You saw for yourself what they did to that poor girl. They can reach an awful long way with their tentacles. If they get hold of you then you don’t stand a chance. As for crabs I can swim faster than they can shamble.’

  ‘There won’t be jellyfish in the caves,’ Cliff spoke as reassuringly as was possible. ‘What I know of those monsters, and I had plenty of experiences years ago, the jellyfish wouldn’t stand a chance. They would be ideal crab food, take it from me.’

  ‘Well,’ Sanderson was seeking a positive answer, ‘are you prepared to give it a go or not? If not, then I shall have to find some deep-sea divers from somewhere. Time is not on our side and according to the weather forecast a hurricane is due to hit this part of the coast very soon.’

  ‘All right, I’ll give it a go,’ Adrian nodded. ‘Tomorrow morning. I’ll need to get kitted out.’

  ‘Tomorrow morning, ten o’clock, no later,’ there was no mistaking the other’s relief.

  ‘And what if there are crabs in there,’ Danielson voiced the thoughts of the others, ‘how do we deal with them?’

  ‘I’ll have armed military on standby. We may have to blow up the cave entrance, trap them in there with no means of escape. All I’m asking you to do is to establish their presence there. We’ll see to the rest.’

  The party made their way back to the parked vehicles.

  ‘I’d like you to accompany us, Davenport,’ Sanderson placed a hand on the other’s shoulder; ‘You don’t have to do anything except stand by. We might be glad of your knowledge and experience. I don’t envisage any risk. After all, we’ve got ‘em trapped in there. All we need is confirmation by this young man that there are crabs lurking in those caves. We’ll set up an explosive device in readiness and once he emerges with positive information that will be it. No risk to anybody!’

  10

  ‘Oh, please don’t go with them,’ Pat Davenport wrung her hands together. ‘You’ve done your bit, established that crabs are using those caves. Why can’t you just leave it to the others to deal with them?’

  ‘I won’t be taking any risks, I promise you,’ he replied. ‘I shall just be a spectator, available to give any advice necessary. In all probability the crab, or crabs, won’t emerge. They’ll keep to their hiding place and once Adrian is back safely the military will blow up the cave entrance and trap them in there. As for myself, their final destruction will help to destroy all those damned phobias that I’ve had over the years.’

  ‘Well I guess I can’t stop you,’ she shook her head in resignation. ‘I shall sit here worrying myself to death the whole time you’re away.’

  Emotional blackmail. He shrugged off a sense of guilt. This time the entire crabs saga would be put to bed once and for all. It was important to think positively.

  The Military Land Rover picked him up from the hotel shortly after nine o’clock. He squeezed into the rear seat alongside Danielson and Adrian Thomas. The latter was fully kitted out in his underwater diving suit. He nodded to Cliff but did not speak. There was no mistaking his tension. He had hardly slept during the previous night.

  Down on the shore the party gathered. Once again Cliff inspected the pebbled beach in front of the cave. If that creature had emerged during the nocturnal hours, then the tide had removed any tracks it might have left. In all probability it had feasted on its human prey and had had no need to search for food outside.

  The soldiers set up an explosive device close to the cave entrance and just above the water level. That done they looked to Sanderson for further instructions.

  ‘Well, I guess we’re all set,’ their commander stated. ‘How about you, Thomas, are you ready to go?’

  ‘I guess so,’ the other gripped his headpiece. ‘Hopefully I’ll be back soon.’

  ‘Shine your light in every corner, and if you so much as see one of those crabs get the hell out of there as fast as you can. All we need to know is that the cave is being occupied by them.’

  Adrian nodded and lowered himself into the pool. It was waist deep at the entrance merging into a narrow channel which disappeared below the cliff face. He ducked under the entrance, shining his beam inside.

  From here on it was akin to a wide stream, dark foreboding water up to his waist. The beam lit up the area beyond and he noted that the channel veered to his right, then disappeared round a sharp bend. Ahead of him, on his right, a rocky shelf above the water level. He hauled himself up on to it, here it was easier than wading through the channel.

  There was another bend some fifteen meters ahead of him. He wondered just how far it penetrated the cliffs. There was only one way to find out…

  Outside on the beach the small party had clustered into a group, all eyes focused on that pool. Nobody spoke; there was nothing left to say.

  The breeze had stiffened, overhead the sky was clouding. A few spots of rain were a forewarning of the mighty storm which was out there crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

  Everybody prayed that before long Adrian Thomas would emerge safe and sound. If he had found any evidence that giant crabs were holed up in there, then this business could be bought to a swift conclusion. The soldiers would detonate that explosive device and then that would be that.

  The rocky tunnel divided into two, one going straight ahead, the other veering off to the right. Adrian’s beam only allowed him to see around ten yards ahead of each. Clearly both twisted and turned, shaped by a natural water flow from up above over many thousands of years.

  The ledge on which he walked splashed beneath his feet, but it was still navigable without swimming in the main channel which widened and then narrowed in places. It was a kind of underground river, now more than just a stream.

  Right or left? If he had had a coin to hand he would probably have taken a decision on heads or tails. He decided to continue to his left. He could always return and explore the other.

  After ten yards or so this rocky tunnel became higher and wider. The depth of water on the ledge beneath his feet was no more than a foot or so. The going became easier. Christ how much further before…

  Two diversions to the right and left. It was as if separate water flowed from higher up and converged here. He chose the left-hand route, it was a winding one, much wider than the others, a rocky ledge high above the watercourse below.

  Another tunnel led off to the right, but he ignored it. This place reminded him of a gigantic rabbit warren. He knew that he had to keep a mental note of a
ll the turns if he was to find his way back to the entrance.

  It was drier here beneath his feet, probably due to the increased elevation. That was when his powerful beam picked up something in front of him, a stain that stood out starkly from the dark rock. He bent down to examine it closely.

  God Almighty! There was no mistaking what it was… a blood stain. He recalled those scarlet splashes on the rocky entrance which Cliff Davenport said had come from a human being. Ioan’s disappearance, the fisherman was believed to have been taken by a giant crab, the corpse dragged back to wherever the monster, or monsters, hid from human presence.

  Until they were ready… for what?

  Adrian hesitated; he was trembling. Maybe he should go back now whilst he was still safe, tell the others what he had discovered. Yet it was not definite proof, not enough to blast the rocky entrance. That way they would never know for sure. The crab or crabs might be out in the ocean hunting for food.

  He had to continue, a little further at least. Then if he did not come upon definite proof that this awful place was inhabited by monster crabs, he would call it a day.

  Jesus, it was awful in here, Nature’s own catacombs!

  Again, the passageway divided, a narrow stream to the left, a much wider one to his right. He decided to follow the latter.

  More blood stains. If the creature was carrying Ioan then the latter was bleeding heavily.

  Something else stood out on the dark ledge up ahead. He hesitated, focused his beam on it.

  A human leg, torn away from its body just above the knee. Ripped flesh trailed from it in gruesome strands!

  Turn back whilst you still can!

  It was as though a voice inside him was issuing a frantic warning. Just one more bend up ahead. He would take a look around it and then make his departure. Surely, he had seen enough already.

  Somewhat hesitantly, fearfully, he crept around the ledge which veered off to his right.

  Then suddenly he found himself standing on the perimeter of a mighty cavern, maybe thirty feet high and even wider, its base a large and deep underground lake.

  There was a massive rocky shelf on the opposite end with the water lapping at its edges. A kind of island with the channel much narrower and flowing down from beyond it on both sides.

  Yet it was this unusual ‘island’ which bought a gasp of horror from him. Crouched there amidst a virtual jungle of marine growth a pair of massive crabs regarded him with wicked tiny eyes which reflected his torch beam. Around these were a group of much smaller crustaceans, their sizes varying from those of a large dog down to domestic cat proportions.

  Even Adrian’s shocked brain recognised the purpose for which these underground caves were being used. Doubtless the huge creatures were a breeding pair which were in the process of rearing a revolting nursery of their own kind, hidden away from mankind until they had enough to launch an attack, continuing where their ancestors had been annihilated four decades ago. Mankind’s most dreaded foe had returned to their former haunt!

  Adrian was trembling in every limb, his legs threatening to crumple from underneath him on that rocky ledge. He gave a stifled scream of terror, deafening within his waterproof headgear. Already the larger of the two parent crabs was easing its way into the underground lake, its evil twin orbs fixed unwaveringly upon yet another feast of human flesh.

  Somehow, he forced his shaking body to move and made an unsteady turn to his rear. He almost fell but somehow regained his balance. Flight was the only option to him, back the way he had come.

  Christ, he hoped he could remember all the twists and turns. One factor in his favour was that once he was back on the narrow ledge the crabs could only pursue him in the water. He would be within its reach but maybe he could travel faster than his pursuer.

  Please God, I hope I can make it make it back to the beach!

  He heard the crab splashing in the water, its mighty pincers scraping on the rock.

  Certainly, it was hampered by its narrow surroundings. Don’t try to run, you’ll fall, he kept telling himself, and don’t look behind. Just keep going.

  A turn to the right where the caves and watercourses temporarily parted. They would join up again further on and then it was a left turn for Adrian. He prayed that his memory served him correctly.

  Down below, just a few yards behind, his pursuer was scraping its way through the channel. Thank God the ledge was too narrow for it to clamber up. A massive pincer was uplifted but it could only scrape the edge of the elevation.

  For a moment he lost sight of it as he entered the left-hand passageway. After that he would emerge back onto the ledge. One final turn and he would come to the big pool at the exterior. He would need to hurry then in case his pursuer caught up with him. Once he was out of the caves the military would doubtless put paid to that crab and blow it to smithereens.

  Back on the ledge, his beam picked out another passageway. It had to be the one he was seeking although the entrance seemed much narrower than he recalled. Still, he told himself, one’s surroundings were likely to seem somewhat different in this murky darkness.

  He had to squeeze through. Behind him that crab was rattling a pincer on the edge of the ledge. It was clearly angry and frustrated by the disappearance of its intended human prey for which it hungered.

  Adrian groped his way along the rocky passage. It had not been so narrow on his previous exploratory mission. Even narrower still; something was definitely wrong.

  Then, suddenly, that tunnel ended, just a rock face that denied him any further progress.

  He fought down rising panic. There were so many caves leading from this narrow ledge, he must have passed this one without noticing it. Maybe the one he sought was further down.

  No big deal, he told himself. All he had to do was to retrace his steps, continue along the rock shelf until…

  As he turned, his beam picked out a mighty pincer clawing a hold on the ledge, reaching up with another, lifting it threateningly.

  There was no way the crab could climb up onto that raised track, there was not room enough for its huge body. Yet that claw could reach up and across blocking his exit. There was no way Adrian could continue his flight.

  He was trapped within that narrow opening, crouched at its extremity, transfixed by that claw poised to rip him to shreds if he approached within reach of it.

  It had already tasted human flesh and now it hungered for more.

  11

  ‘Where the hell’s that boy got to?’ Sanderson glanced at his watch; it was now past mid-day. ‘Something’s gone wrong. I’ll see if I can get hold of Wilson, a diver who has helped us out in the past when we’ve been looking for drowned migrants trying to cross from Calais. As it happens, he only lives at Dolgellau. I wish I’d contacted him before we began this business!’

  He reached out his mobile. The incoming tide was now strengthening, waves dashing against the cliff face. The small gathering moved further down; they were already soaking wet up to their waists. Dark clouds were moving in, bringing increasing heavy rain with them. The hurricane was approaching sooner than had been forecast.

  ‘We’re in luck.’ Sanderson pocketed his phone. ‘Wilson was at home. He’s heading out here right away, but he’ll have one helluva job coping in this storm.’

  They huddled, waited, there was nothing else they could do. Even the two soldiers had retreated to a rock pile which afforded sparse shelter.

  Nobody spoke. There was nothing to say. Clearly Adrian was in trouble of some sort.

  An hour later a 4-wheel drive mini pulled up on the cliff road above. Calvin Wilson had arrived.

  ‘He’s somewhere in there,’ Sanderson had to shout to make himself heard as the other donned his diving gear. ‘And for God’s sake don’t you get lost too!’

  Wilson was small and lithe with a close clipped beard, an experienced diver since youth.

  ‘I’ll do the best I can,’ he promised, ‘but it looks real bad and will only get worse as the w
aves increase. If I can’t see any sign of this guy, then I’m packing it in. Diving in open water is one thing, in there is highly dangerous. I’ll give it half an hour, no more.’

  ‘All right. Best of luck.’ Sanderson watched the other make his way towards that pool which was already starting to overflow. The diver disappeared and the long wait below the cliff face began.

  Cliff Davenport considered returning to the hotel in Barmouth to put Pat’s mind at rest.

  He regretted not having come here in his own car for no way were his companions going to pack up yet. Certainly not until one or both divers emerged safely. If there was no sign of Adrian, then surely they would not detonate an explosion and risk trapping him in there along with whatever else might inhabit those caves.

  The final decision was up to Sanderson.

  ‘All we can do now is wait,’ Sanderson and the others had grouped behind some jutting rocks fifty yards or so down from the entrance to the cave. The two soldiers had joined them, leaving their explosive device by the overflowing pool. The wind was gathering force, the heavy rain horizontal. ‘The Terror from the West’ as the media called it would be at full force early in the coming evening.

  ‘It will be interesting to hear how the Russians explain the presence of what appears to be their latest and most technically advanced submarine in UK waters.’ Cliff smiled wryly.

  ‘Doubtless Putin will come up with the usual lies, blame the British, claim we wrecked it.’

  ‘I’ve no doubt the Foreign Office have already contacted them,’ Sanderson replied ‘and we’ll hear something ridiculous shortly. The corpses will have to be returned but I’ve no doubt that sub will be remaining in Britain until every aspect of its technology has been unravelled. That way our armed forces and coastal patrols will know exactly what we are up against. The Cold War can only intensify. I guess the crabs have done us a big favour, If they had not attacked the sub then it would have sneaked back to Russia and our authorities would have been none the wiser. Nevertheless, if that cave is the crustacean’s secret refuge, we have to destroy them. It will be interesting to know, if possible, how many of them are in there.’