Abandoned

by Jay Harez

  “Boy shut your mouth,” Preet said

  “Eleanor you been working here for almost two years now?” Lloyd Sr. asked.

  “Yeah, and that’s how I know I have to make sure none of these men get ambitions,” Eleanor said.

  “Did you by chance study the manual on mine safety before you took this job?” Lloyd Sr. asked.

  “I know the rules, no smoking, drinking or…” Eleanor stopped mid-sentence.

  “Sudden or loud outbursts. Because sudden and loud outbursts may result in fastwater,” Lloyd Sr. concluded.

  Lloyd Jr. had never really thought about that rule himself. The conversations in the mine were usually pretty subdued. Lloyd Jr. had always thought that rule was intended to stop shouting matches about sports, politics and the like from erupting.

  “You could kill us in a New York minute with that thing. Now I have no intention of trying to take it from you but I don’t want to drown either so I would appreciate if you unloaded it,” Lloyd Sr. said.

  Louisiana salt mines are so far below sea-level that a cave-in is, in reality, a flash flood. Swamp water can pour in and fill hundreds of thousands of cubic square feet in a matter of hours.

  “But you just lobbed a bomb!” Eleanor said.

  “I took a big risk throwing that grenade, however it was incendiary not concussive. More fire than bang. You see what I mean?” Lloyd Sr. said.

  “I…I wasn’t thinking,” Eleanor said.

  “You all look tasty…especially the fatter one in the back. Hellooooooooo fatter one,” the voice hissed from the shadows.

  They were all startled by the voice from the darkness. It was coming from someone standing just outside the improvised wall of crates.

  “How many more of you have to die before you give up?” Lloyd Sr. asked.

  “That fatter one in back looks especially...succulent,” the voice said, clearly referring to Preet.

  “Well come on then you sonsabitches! Come on!” Preet shouted.

  They were all startled for the second time by Preet’s outburst.

  “Don’t be afraid fatter one. We have your friends to play with for now.,” the voice hissed.

  Rescue Operation

  When Millie and Yvette had shown the Sheriff the wrecked skip he immediately called the fire department. The fire department looked at the depth and breadth of the shaft and called in the National Guard and by the time they arrived the local news was on the scene.

  The Months Bay Mining facility should have been dark and quiet; instead, it was controlled bedlam. Three Sheriff's deputies, twelve volunteer firefighters and two hundred Army Reservists had set up a command center, established a perimeter, and given a dozen interviews to the local television station, radio, and newspaper.

  Yvette and Millie had secured positions in the Command Center and had been waited on hand and foot by the soldiers. The two women sat on wooden folding chairs watching the comings and goings of men with no idea what to do.

  For the most part both women were considered peripheral. Granted they had alerted the authorities to the situation and both were directly involved, there was nothing either of them could do to help. The two sat in silence sipping coffee laced with bourbon courtesy of the Sheriff.

  “He was never mean to me you know,” Yvette said.

  “I don’t imagine he was. I don’t think he could harm anyone without cause,” Millie said.

  “I think I have a distinct advantage,” Yvette said.

  “You do,” Millie said.

  “I don’t mean…what I’m saying is…oh well never mind, I didn’t mean it like that,” Yvette said.

  “How long have you known?” Millie asked.

  “Since college I guess, it was just something that… What are you talking about?” Yvette asked.

  “Nothing as important as what you were about to say I imagine,” Millie said.

  “Things between he and I…well we found a certain kind of happiness. Probably not the kind most folks would understand but it’s our kind,” Yvette said.

  The Sheriff approached the two hat in hand. He knew they would be suffering and he did not want to discuss this with them.

  “Ladies, I hate to trouble you but I have a few questions,” said the Sheriff.

  “How can we help you?” asked Millie.

  “Well there was some talk around about Mr. Leger possibly cheating some of the men…” the Sheriff stopped.

  “You shut your impudent mouth right now mister,” said Yvette “my husband would die to protect that bunch of mongrels and savages. And if I read one word of that anywhere…” she leaned in and spoke barely above a whisper “next primary you’ll have more opponents than there are bastard children in this parish. Are we clear?”

  “Ms. Leger, I was only asking not making an accusation,” the Sheriff said.

  “Why?” Millie asked.

  “Pardon?” the Sheriff asked.

  “Why were you asking? What made you ask?” Millie asked.

  “Well…” the Sheriff stammered.

  He was in his second term in office. He wanted a third and the Miners Families Organization against him wouldn’t necessarily prevent that, but, having that endorsement would guarantee it.

  “I talked to the miners that didn’t go under and some of them suggested that he somehow rigged the drawing for the lotto that determined who went and who didn’t,” the Sheriff said.

  “That is a bald faced lie. I drew those chits myself and if Tyonne or anyone else wanted to cheat somebody there would be no need to get me involved…hell he could have just assigned the job with no lotto at all,” Millie said.

  Yvette liked this side of her husband’s mistress. She had a little fire to her and Yvette could respect that. Plus, she wasn’t stupid. If she were stupid that would have really hurt and changed her opinion of Tyonne.

  “Well ma’am as I said, I’m asking, not making any accusations but there were skid marks in front of the lift shaft as if someone just drove into it,” the Sheriff said.

  He realized how crazy that sounded as he said it. The two women stared at him long enough for him to become uncomfortable and leave.

  Major Brite of the Army Reserve approached the two women. He was tall, muscular and confident. He looked like a recruitment poster.

  “Ladies just to keep you informed, since the skip riggings are shot we’re taking the riggings from the working mine and going to install them here. Then we should be able to get down there with minimal difficulty and bring your men back up,” Major Brite said.

  “There’s a woman too,” Yvette said.

  “Pardon?” the Major Brite asked.

  “There is a woman on the crew,” Millie said through clenched teeth.

  The Major Brite had some trouble processing that information. He didn’t know women were allowed to work at the mine let alone go under with men.

  “Jesus, well, we’ll be sure to bring her up too,” Major Brite said as he walked away shaking his head.

  “I sometimes wonder what good they would be if it weren’t for what’s between their legs,” Millie said.

  Yvette chuckled at that.

  Hope

  The crew sat silently in the dark alcove no one had spoken for some time. They had turned off their headlamps to conserve battery life. They heard the clanging noise from above followed by several more. Metal objects were falling down the shaft.

  “What the hell?” Lloyd Jr. asked.

  “Are they coming for us?” Landry asked moving toward the barricade.

  “They won’t get to you in time,” hissed the voice.

  Landry leapt backwards. Everyone had assumed whoever the speaker was had left long ago.

  “What do you want with us?” Landry asked.

  “You killed one of us, you trespass and the law says you are food for us now,” the voice hissed.

  “What are you talking about we didn’t kill anyone! We’re taking a survey!” Pirogue said.

  “Your machine killed one of us.
You can’t stop digging and driving and…” the hissing stopped again as another clanging piece of metal descended the shaft.

  “If we did your kind any harm it was an accident,” Lloyd Sr. said. “If you will let bygones be, we will leave here and never return,”

  “You lie!” the voice hissed. “You will come back and hunt us and kill us and put us in cages!”

  “You have already killed four of ours!” Landry shouted.

  “None of you are worth one of us,” said the voice. “All of you will be food for us,”

  “We have offered you peace, if you choose death then you will have it,” Lloyd Sr. said.

  “Yes, death, that is our choice,” the voice stopped and all was quiet.

  Refreshments

  “What were you saying earlier?” Millie asked.

  “Just trying to explain…that things can’t always be explained. Sometimes they just are, whether you think they are wrong or right,” Yvette said.

  Millie was as puzzled as ever.

  “Me and Eleanor...we…” Yvette stopped and then started to cry.

  Millie paused with new understanding. If Yvette and Eleanor were…involved, it would explain why she had never said or done anything about Tyonne’s rounding ways. It would explain how come she was so...unbothered when they met at Celia’s. Dear Lord, how do you live with a secret like that for so long, Millie wondered.

  Millie put her arm around her new friend.

  “Nothing in the world is absolute you know. Folks want to believe it is because it lets them think that they doing right but it’s not so,” Millie paused. “Like you said, some things just are,”

  Millie had started to cry also. It was almost too ironic to be believed but both the people they loved were trapped together several thousand feet underground.

  “Fuck you two weepin bout? Fire Chief says they ain't been no floodin’” Celia said.

  The two women looked up to see Celia standing in front of them holding a picnic basket in each hand.

  “Celia?” Millie asked.

  “Well ain’t nobody eatin out tonight with this bull-shit doin. I figured I’d hep,” Celia said.

  “Ma’am this area is for…” the Commander said as he reached for Celia’s upper arm.

  “Touch and get cut motha-fucka. Go head grab a holt if you a mind, but you gon have to make friends with ya left hand if you do,” Celia said without moving.

  Yvette chuckled. It was a welcome relief from her thoughts.

  “Commander, Celia has kindly brought some food…” Millie started.

  “…and refreshment for thems what’s helpin’. Now if’n you want any I suggest you get back to doin’ Army shit and leave me to mine,” Celia concluded.

  The Commander walked away shaking his head again.

  “…and you heifers owe me fo-fitty,” Celia said as she walked away.

  Both women began laughing hysterically.

  Elk Hunting

  Tyonne as in an out of consciousness.

  “Son, I know you saw some hard things today,” Lloyd Sr. said.

  It was dark and Lloyd, Sr. wished he could see his son’s face.

  “Yeah…” Lloyd Jr. couldn’t say anymore.

  “Well when we get out of here I think you and I should take a trip,” Lloyd Sr. said.

  “Where to?” Lloyd Jr. asked. He could barely contain himself. He thought of New Orleans and Houston the two furthest points his imagination would take him.

  “Well, I’ve never been to Colorado,” Lloyd Sr. said.

  “Colorado!?” Lloyd Jr. asked. He had always wanted to go somewhere far from the swamps and heat and mosquitoes.

  “I hear they got elk up there as big as Clydesdales,” Lloyd Sr. said.

  “I can’t even imagine that big,” Lloyd Jr. said.

  “I tried elk once when I was in Natchitoches.” Preet said.

  “How was it?” Eleanor asked.

  A discussion about elk meat and its preparation followed. Lloyd, Sr. had successfully provided momentary relief from any thoughts about their present situation along with another incentive to get through this.

  Tyonne screamed as a small stick with a needle attached withdrew through an opening in the barricade.

  They could hear a young woman giggling and her footsteps as she scampered away.

  “Well that is a hell of way to wake up,” Tyonne said through clenched teeth.

  They all looked at the wound and Pirogue adjusted the crates to seal the opening.

  “They seem to have it in for you. Any idea why?” Lloyd said as he studied the new wound.

  “They do seem to be giving me undue attention,” Tyonne said.

  “How many did you get during your sortie?” Lloyd Sr. asked.

  “Killed pret’near six of ‘em by my count,” Tyonne said.

  “Shit son, I bet they got a nice bounty on you about now,” Lloyd Sr. said.

  “Close quarters. They’re just savages, tried to swarm us,” Tyonne said.

  “Preet switch with Tyonne,” Lloyd Sr. said.

  “No way, no how,” Preet said shrinking further against the back wall.

  “You cowardly piece of shit,” Pirogue said.

  “Fuck you college!” Preet said. “You’re the one in charge of this clusterfuck!”

  “You are a worthless piece of shit Preet,” Eleanor said.

  “Well this piece of shit ain’t getting slaughtered,” Preet said.

  “Tyonne has taken enough, so one way or the other he is getting some protection and you are going to be the one to give it,” Lloyd, Sr. said.

  “I said I ain’t…” Preet was interrupted as Eleanor smashed the butt of the small pistol into his face. Preet immediately lunged at her.

  “Bitch I’ll kill…” Preet was interrupted again as Lloyd Sr. gently rested the blade of his filet knife across his throat.

  “You got the guts to fight a woman then you can stand a post,” Lloyd, Sr. said. “Now ease on over. Son help Tyonne past and into the rear,”

  Tyonne tried to help as Lloyd Jr. was lifting him but he was delirious still and his fever had gotten worse. Preet got stationed close to the remaining crates in the front and Tyonne got settled in the rear of the alcove.

  “Roman soldiers were paid in salarium argentum. That’s Latin for salt money, and from that we take our English word, salary,” Tyonne said.

  “You don’t say?” Lloyd Jr. asked. Lloyd, Jr. had never really had a conversation with Tyonne. He understood how it might be perceived if the boss’s friend’s son appeared to get special treatment so he had never made an effort.

  “It is quite true young Lloyd,” Tyonne said. “While I was checking my eyelids for holes did you fellas get anything accomplished?”

  “Help is on the way,” Pirogue said.

  “Good,” Tyonne grunted and passed out again.

  “How long to repair the skip you think?” Pirogue asked.

  “There’s nothing to repair,” Lloyd Jr. said.

  “No rope or cable can reach us,” Lloyd Sr. said.

  “They could bring the working skip over from the other,” Eleanor said.

  They all took a minute to take in the idea.

  “Shit, you’re right, they certainly could,” Lloyd Sr. said.

  Preet sat in front of the crates looking terrified.

  The metal sound from the shaft started getting louder. This time it was a steady resonating sound that they all recognized. It was the skip descending.

  Army Reserves

  Major Brite, of the US Army reserves, along with, reservists Ingram, Wells, and Alcott, rode the skip down into the darkness. They were accompanied by two EMT’s that happened to be handy when they were ready to go. Brite hadn’t bothered to learn their names, he figured the miners would be fine or dead, no in between. All of them were trained as corpsmen and equipped with headlamps, flashlights and med kits. None of them had ever been in a salt mine before nor did they know how far down the miners were.

 
At each shaft they stopped and aimed their lamps into the inky stillness and shouted who they were. When their calls went unanswered they would descend another level and repeat the process.

  It was a tedious task juxtaposed against a sense of urgency. They didn’t know the condition of the miners they were rescuing but they had been assured there was no cave in. On the other hand, the original skip had been destroyed so the men could have fallen to their deaths or, if they had not fallen, they had been below less than twenty-four hours and should be fine.

  Major Brite considered all of these possibilities as they checked and cleared each level of the mine. He had been assigned because he had diving experience. There was no correlation but he followed his orders.

  Major Brite did some quick calculations and concluded that at this rate it would take them just over an hour to reach the bottom of the mine. If the men had fallen the bodies would be under the platform when they reached the bottom level meaning they would have to stop the skip just short of bottom. He didn’t like the idea of having to climb out of the skip and jump into the tunnel then going under the skip to retrieve the corpses of seven people. He hoped there was some other explanation as to how the skip had been destroyed in the first place.

  “The skip hadn’t been used,” Pirogue said.

  “What?” Tyonne asked.

  “The skip, you said you checked it but prior to today that it hadn’t been used for years,” Pirogue pressed.

  “How do they get out?” Pirogue asked.

  “Learning the how could get us killed?” Lloyd Sr. asked.

  Everyone took a moment to consider the question.

  “Just a question, probably not important,” Pirogue said.

  “That is curious, I’ll give you that,” Eleanor said.

  “Yeah, they had all sorts of modern stuff, lanterns, tools, even some of the clothing looked new now that I think on it,” Tyonne said.

  “That would explain some of the petty theft that goes on around here,” Lloyd, Jr. said.

  “You saying these folks have been sneaking supplies and…,” Eleanor stopped short.