“Is he a normal ghost,” Steven asked, “or one of the fucked up ones, like at St. Thomas?”
“Everything down here’s fucked up one way or another,” Deem said. “Nothing’s normal. Everything you run into can be different, mutated in its own way. With him, if you don’t leave after he asks, he’ll start swinging. And you’ll feel it.”
“I’ll go with you,” Roy said. “If he shows up, I’ll draw his attention so you can keep working.”
Deem looked at Roy skeptically. “OK, but I’m warning you, he’s nasty.”
“I’ve dealt with nasty before,” Roy said. “I’ll handle him.”
“Alright,” Deem said. “Let’s go do it now. I have to swing by my place for the protection and the lanterns, then the mine is north from there. You want to ride with me?”
“Sure,” Roy said. He looked at Steven. “You got things under control if I go?”
“Yes,” Steven said. “I’m going to call Eliza and find out what I need to know to get Jason an IV.”
“And I’ve got some things I’ve got to get done,” Winn said, finishing his meal and putting down his fork. “Why don’t we meet at your motel room at midnight tonight and see if we can get Jason to meet with you.”
“Alright,” Steven said. They all stood and walked out of the restaurant. As Steven opened the door to the outside, he was assaulted by a wave of heat.
“Goddamn,” Roy said, “10 a.m. and it’s already hotter than a billy goat’s ass in a pepper patch.”
“Is it normally this hot this early?” Steven asked.
“Ain’t nothin’,” Winn said, strolling into the parking lot. “This here’s a normal day.” He gave Steven a wink and climbed into his Jeep.
◊
Roy rode with Deem to her house in Mesquite and helped her load up some gear and water in her truck. Then Deem drove the two of them north, eventually winding onto small dirt roads that kicked up a lot of dust.
Roy looked around at the landscape – everything here was flat, the hills were all in the distance. They’d have a way to go if the mine was in the mountains.
“How much farther?” Roy asked.
“Only a couple of minutes,” Deem said. “It’s up ahead.”
“Must go straight down?” Roy said. “We’re too far from the hills.”
“There’s a depression up ahead, it starts there,” she said, bouncing as the truck rolled over deep ruts in the dirt road. “There’s a short downward shaft, then an adit that angles up. Not easy to get into if it’s been raining. But this area gets so little rain, especially the last few years.”
“Anything else I should know?” Roy asked. “About the mine?”
“Not really,” she said. “I told you about the snakes. It’s a little freaky to see them floating instead of on the ground. Don’t let your light go out and you should be fine. The scorpions aren’t deterred by the light but they don’t pinch or sting as long as your protection is strong. I’m bringing a full canteen. You’ll need to take some every ten minutes; it wears off fast. I’ll set my watch to remind us. Neither the light nor the protection helps against Tonnaquin. If he shows up, the best option is to just leave, unless you think you can reason with him.”
“I’ve been known to stall a ghost or two,” Roy said.
“If he raises the pickaxe to you,” Deem said, “it’s over. It’s time to leave, OK? Stick tight with me, and hopefully it’ll be over quick.”
“Whatever you say,” Roy said.
Deem stopped the truck and climbed out. Roy looked around – he couldn’t see anything. “It’s here?” he asked, climbing out.
“Camouflaged pretty well, huh?” Deem said, grabbing her backpack from the bed of the pickup truck and handing a lantern to Roy. “Follow me!”
She led Roy about fifty feet in the distance, rising slightly over a small mound that looked like any of the other mounds appearing in every direction. As they approached it, Roy saw there was a dug-out area behind it that covered about a hundred square feet. It dropped off to a sheer edge as they approached, then tapered back up to the level of the ground around them. They walked down the slope to the entrance, which was boarded over with a makeshift plywood cover. Someone had spray-painted a skull and crossbones on the plywood.
Deem lifted the cover, casting it aside. Roy walked down and joined her, looking into the shaft. It went straight down about ten feet, using a wooden ladder. He could see a dirt floor at the bottom.
“You can’t see it from here,” Deem said, “but the mine runs north from down there. This is the only part where we have to climb. Want to hear something interesting?”
“Sure,” Roy said.
“Jump into the River,” Deem said.
Roy entered the flow and listened. It sounded like a whirlwind of hissing and rattling.
That, Deem thought, is the sound of a thousand snakes.
Great, Roy thought. You said you’ve done this before, right? He’d had enough of the sound. He slipped out of the flow.
“This’ll be my fifth or sixth time down there,” Deem said, positioning herself to step down on the ladder. “I suggest we do the ladder one at a time. It’s old, so be careful.”
She slowly lowered herself until her foot hit the top rung of the ladder, then she continued down. “The first time was when I was eleven, I think. My father brought me here to show me the topaz.” She reached the bottom and waved for Roy to follow. Roy turned and lowered his foot, searching for the top rung. He found it, and took each step slowly, checking that each rung would hold his weight before he used it to lower to the next step. Finally he stepped off the lowest rung and joined Deem.
“Turn on your lantern,” Deem said, holding hers up and demonstrating. The lantern was a normal Coleman camping lantern, but there was a red plastic strip wrapped around the globe, taped into place. Roy turned the switch on his lantern as Deem had done, and his lantern lit up, casting a red glow.
“Good,” she said, turning to look into the adit. “This one’s a little unusual,” she said. “It runs down for a ways, then back up. Usually they all run up, so they can drain. It makes this one a little hard to get into when it rains, but like I said, no rain around here for a while.”
She bent slightly and entered the adit, which was about five feet tall. Roy waited until she was six feet ahead, then he followed. He immediately began to listen for the sound of Tonnaquin’s pickaxe. He couldn’t hear anything other than the sounds of their steps.
The passageway led downward for a while, then ended at a small junction where Deem stopped and removed her canteen. She took a swallow, then handed it to Roy. “Time for this,” she said, smiling. Roy took the canteen from her hands and took two large swallows, then handed it back. “From here on there’ll be creatures,” she said, “so stay frosty. There’s a couple of junctions. Stick with me, don’t go down them. They all interconnect, but it’s easy to get turned around and go in circles. I know the way out.”
“I’m right behind you,” Roy said.
Deem walked into the new adit, which seemed level and slightly taller. Roy followed her, a little closer this time, and not as hunched over, which felt better on his neck.
They had progressed about thirty feet when Deem said, “Here they come.”
Roy watched as faint images of twisting movement passed him on the right and left. He centered his lantern perfectly in front of him, hoping to create as large of a field of light around him as possible. He took two more steps forward, and then he saw them. Heads of snakes, coming at him from every angle. His instinct was to back away from them, and he found himself getting farther away from Deem.
“They’re behind you, too, Roy,” Deem said. “Does no good to back up.”
Yikes, Roy thought. He turned around, and Deem was right, there were floating snakes there too. They pulled back as his lantern swung around with him. He saw them open their mouths in an attempt to strike, but stop short, about a foot from his body. He felt a paralyzing fear start t
o rise in him, suddenly afraid that if he were to turn around and move forward again, he’d be moving into their open fangs.
Several of the snakes slithered past him at shoulder and knee level. He could see the rattle on the end of their tails as they passed.
“Roy, turn around and take slow steps toward me,” Deem said.
Roy slowly turned and he saw Deem’s lantern ahead of him. He saw hundreds of snakes surrounding her, all attempting to get closer to her than the one foot barrier created by her light. Christ, Roy thought. That’s what’s surrounding me too!
He slowly lifted his right foot, taking a step. He watched closely to see if the snakes would back up as he did so. They did, maintaining a consistent distance. He took another step, and watched the snakes retreat again. Step after step he came closer to Deem. Once he was back in place behind her again, she turned and began to walk forward down the adit. Roy saw that the snakes moved in closer behind her – the lantern was in front of her, and her body blocked some of the light. They were closer behind her than in front of her.
That means they’re closer behind me, he thought. He focused his thinking on his backside, imagining that he felt the heads and tongues of the snakes occasionally touching him. He tried to arrange the light to his right side, but he became afraid he was exposing his left side, so he moved it back.
Keep walking, he thought. Don’t stop or we’ll never finish this.
They passed a junction where a new adit ran to the right. Deem ignored it and continued straight ahead.
Roy looked down, watching as his shoes lifted from the ground and went back down. There were creatures now on the floor, scuttling around. Scorpions. They ran with their tails raised, ready to strike. In the brief moment that one of his feet stayed on the ground while the other raised to take a step, he could see the scorpions attempt to crawl up onto his shoe. It made him speed up.
“You still doing OK, Roy?” Deem asked.
“As OK as can be expected,” Roy said. “How much further?”
“Not too far,” Deem said. “Keep coming.”
They passed another junction, this one turning to the left. Deem kept going straight.
“These other adits connect with the main one at various points up ahead,” Deem said.
Deem’s alarm began to beep, and she stopped. She set her lantern down on the ground, and turned to Roy. “Time for some more,” she said, unscrewing the cap to the canteen.
They each took another dose and then Deem reset her alarm before she picked up her lantern and they continued on.
A third junction appeared on the right. This time Deem turned and took the right turn. Roy was beginning to feel a little more confident in the light and the protection, so he looked at the walls of the adits. There were no distinguishing marks of any kind, no way you could tell which passage was which.
Deem stopped him about fifty feet into the new tunnel. “Shaft,” she said, motioning down. “Goes down a long ways. We’ll cross on the plank one at a time. ” Deem slowly crossed the open shaft on a plank that was no more than a 2x12 board laid across the opening. Roy knew he weighed considerably more than Deem.
“Are you sure this will hold me?” Roy asked.
“It’s a new plank,” Deem said. “I brought it in a year ago. Just go slow.”
Roy stepped onto the plank and tested it, slowly sliding out over the open shaft which was about four feet wide. He thought he could jump it if it came to it, but not with the lantern in his hand. There was no way he was going to risk losing his lantern.
Snakes rose from the open shaft as he crossed over, joining the others that were hovering at the light’s edge. He stepped onto the far side with Deem, and exhaled.
“See?” Deem said. “Not so bad.”
“Nah,” Roy said. “Piece of cake.”
After another hundred feet, the adit opened into a small area about eight feet wide. The tunnel continued on beyond the opening. Deem set her lantern down near the wall of the opening and pulled her backpack from her back. She removed a small pickaxe and hammer.
“Here it is,” she said. “I’m gonna start chipping. You stand on the lookout.”
Deem turned to the wall and Roy positioned himself behind her, facing into the room, the entrance they came in to his right, and the continuing tunnel to his left. He heard the clink of Deem’s pickaxe as she hammered it into the rock. Occasionally she would stop, retrieve small pieces from the ground, and place them into a leather bag in her backpack. During these moments when she wasn’t chipping, Roy strained his ears to listen for the sound of Tonnaquin. He didn’t hear anything.
The snakes continued their attempt to get at them. Roy’s confidence in the barrier created by the light was slowly building, and he tested the barrier by moving his lantern slowly towards them, and watching them slither back from it. Unfortunately, he had to pull his lantern back towards himself afterwards, and the snakes refilled the gap.
Don’t think about them, Roy thought. They’re handled. Listen for Tonnaquin.
“How’s it coming?” Roy asked.
“About a quarter of the way done,” she said. The alarm on her watch began to beep again.
“Oh, time for another,” she said, setting the pickaxe and hammer on the ground and retrieving the canteen. She took a swig and passed it to Roy.
“If we didn’t drink this,” Roy said, “how long do you think we’d have before the scorpions moved in?”
“Five minutes, tops,” she said. “But let’s not find out, OK?”
“Agreed,” Roy said, taking his swig and handing the canteen back.
Deem began chipping away again at the topaz deposit. She hammered for a minute or so, then stopped to pick up the dislodged rocks.
“Do you hear that?” Roy said.
Deem stopped, listening. There was something in the distance.
She resumed placing the rocks in her bag, then paused to listen again. Far away, deep inside the mine, there was the sound of another pickaxe, hitting the walls.
“That’s him,” Deem said, resuming her work. “I don’t know how long it’ll take him to reach us here. I’ve just got to speed up and get as much as I can. I don’t have enough for a single dose yet.”
Roy began to consider what he’d do if Tonnaquin showed up. He figured he’d address the ghost and try to distract it in a conversation, hopefully giving Deem enough time to get what she needed.
The snakes continued to swirl around him. Their activity seemed to draw more of them, and at times their translucent bodies seemed to cover all of the space surrounding him, making it difficult to see the other side of the opening.
Deem completed another cycle of chipping, and stopped to pick up the rocks.
Tink…tink…tink…
The rhythmic sound of a pickaxe hitting the walls continued after she had stopped, closer this time. “He’s mimicking your sounds,” Roy said, “striking the walls with his pickaxe in time with yours.”
The distant pickaxe got louder. Roy noticed that the number of snakes surrounding them had decreased dramatically. He could see them slithering down the adit they’d used to come into the opening. The sound was coming from the other direction, where the adit continued deeper into the mine.
“The snakes are going,” Roy said. “Scorpions too.”
“Then he’s close,” Deem said, resuming her chipping. “Get ready to deal with him. If I turn and leave, you follow me, OK? Do not get lost in here.”
“OK,” Roy said, keeping his eyes on the passageway that led deeper into the mine. The sound was getting louder, and there were almost no snakes left in the room.
Then Tonnaquin emerged from the adit. He was a pale figure, tall, with a long, thin face and dark clothes. As he entered the opening, he turned to look at Roy and Deem. Roy felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck.
Tonnaquin started walking towards them. Roy decided to make his play. He entered the River, and Tonnaquin’s image came into better view. His clothes were Ninet
eenth century. His eyes reflected the red light of the lanterns. He was dragging loose ropes that were tied around his ankles.
Now hold it right there, Roy thought at Tonnaquin, raising his hand that wasn’t holding the lantern. I’m from the assay office, and I need to talk to you about this claim.
Damn, Deem thought to herself, he IS good.
It’s mine, Tonnaquin thought, eyeing Roy up and down. Someone sayin’ it isn’t?
Well, that’s what I’m here to settle, Roy replied. He could hear Deem chipping away behind him. He saw no snakes in the room at all. He took another step towards the ghost. If you answer all my questions truthfully, we’ll have no problem and you can go on your way. How long have you had this mine?
Tonnaquin seemed to consider the question. As long as I can remember, he answered. You shouldn’t be in here. You’re trespassing.
Now see here, we have every right to be in here, we’re from the assay office, Roy replied. Have you been mining here? I want to make sure your claim is still good.
What’s she doing, behind you? Tonnaquin asked, motioning to Deem with his pickaxe.
She’s taking a sample, Roy said. We take a sample from all the mines we check. We have to inspect its quality.
That there’s my topaz, Tonnaquin responded, squinting his eyes. A mine is no place for a lady, anyhow.
Roy heard Deem laugh behind him. Glad she can find something funny in this, he thought to himself. We’ll return the sample as soon as the assay office checks it out, Roy said. Are you sure this topaz can even be mined properly? Safely?
Devil's Throat (The River Book 6) Page 7
