The Mine by Michael Yowell

Author:Michael Yowell [Yowell, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-21T22:00:00+00:00

12

The board was ripped to pieces and nudged aside. A swarm of furry, grimy animals spilled out from the mouth of the mineshaft. Their long teeth, claws, and soulless eyes were a horrifying sight.

“Jesus!” screamed Nancy.

“Oh fuck no!” John exclaimed. He kicked at them, trying to knock them back into the hole. After booting a couple away, another one of them clung to John’s boot with its claws. John shook his leg feverishly, but the animal was dug in. Then it began its scamper up John’s leg, puncturing him with its claws. John cried out and backhanded the animal, feeling its cold, bristly fur. The force dislodged it and sent it aside.

Nick and the women shrank back as the animals scuttled toward them. There was nowhere to retreat to inside the woodshed.

“Out the window!” said Nick. He then pulled himself up and quickly squirmed through the opening.

John moved to join the others, continuing to kick at the beasts to keep them at bay. But there were just so many.

“Go!” John blurted, grabbing Ellen. He lifted her high enough for her to work her way out the window. He pushed to get her through. He would send Nancy through next.

The monsters overtook her. Nancy shrieked hysterically as the horde of little beasts dug into her legs and tugged her across the ground.

Turning his eyes to see, John yelled, “No!” He lunged toward her, but it was too late.

The swarm crawled down the mineshaft with Nancy in their grip. Her terror-stricken face and flailing hands disappeared into the opening.

“Nancy!” cried Nick, watching from outside the window.

Her screams echoed in the darkness below.

A dozen of the animals remained back, hoping for more than one victim. They advanced at John.

He reached over to the pile next to him and grabbed a couple of logs. Then he hurled them at the little monsters, buying precious seconds.

“Come on!” pleaded Ellen from the other side. Her hands beckoned for John.

John wasted no time launching himself at the window. His legs kicked as he climbed through, trying to find something to push off of.

Ellen and Nick took hold of his arms and yanked him outside. They hurried to their feet and away from the woodshed, keeping their eyes on the window.

They stood in the open for five minutes. The wind and snow pelted them while they watched to see if the creatures were going to come out for them.

It seemed they would not.

Ellen finally spoke. “What now?”

“We have to go after Nancy,” said John.

“You—you want to go after her?” Nick said. “Down into their mine?”

“No, I don’t want to,” admitted John. “But we can’t… leave her.”

“Fuck that! I’m not going back in there!” The terror in Nick’s voice was powerful.

“She’s your wife!” Ellen charged.

Nick loved his wife, but fear got the better of him. He didn’t even feel like a man at the moment. But that was better than another encounter with those creatures. “I’m not going back in there!” he repeated.

“What else can we do?” posed Ellen.

“I say we try to make it down the mountain,” Nick said fervently.

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