Hellhole

by Jonathan Maberry

  Just in time, Ewan grabbed his arm and hauled him back from the edge of the huge shaft right in the middle of the track.

  “Fuck!” Jay swayed backwards, pivoted and grabbed Ewan around the waist. “Damn this place, whose bright idea was it to open a fucking crappy old mine as an attraction anyway?” He staggered away from the shaft and sat down heavily in the dirt. “Can you see any way around that thing, Ewan?”

  Ewan scanned the tunnel with his torch, the beam bouncing off solid rock. The shaft filled the entire floor. It was too wide to jump across. Ewan shook his head. “Nope. It’s a choice. Back that way...” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “...and back into the warm embrace of the Coblynau, or down that.” He pointed to the side of the shaft.

  Jay scowled at the big man. “How do you know they’re Coblynau?”

  Ewan paused briefly, and then shrugged. “Process of elimination, fella. You mentioned them earlier. I figured they were scary-evil enough to be what you described, am I right?”

  “Honestly, I have no idea. I’ve never seen one before. Because if I had, you can be damn sure I wouldn’t be back here today.” Jay peered down into the shaft. “Oh. Goody. It’s a rickety, rusty old ladder that looks like it’s been there since God was a lad. What the fuck did they mine here? Horror story clichés?”

  Matt sighed. “Look, Louise is pretty beaten up. We need more of a plan than just run away all the time.”

  “You want to tell them that you need a time out?” Alex’s voice sounded full of fear.

  Behind them, the Coblynau edged forward. Every time a light beam from one of the group’s torches hit them, they hissed and recoiled. But as soon as the light moved somewhere else, they crept forward again. Some skittered up the walls and onto the tunnel roof, hissing and chittering with every cat-cautious creep.

  Now, the group could see the Coblynau in all their gory detail. Their arms and legs were elongated with the flesh hanging off the bones in tatters. Stocky, muscular bodies were crisscrossed with blue veins and covered in alabaster skin that had a strange translucency. It made them look as if they were covered in thin tissue paper. Huge milky eyes stared back at them, filled with hatred.

  And pain. Terrible, terrible pain.

  Behind the snarling faces, the slashing, hooked fingers and toes that let them hang from the walls of the mine like geckos, and scarred, muscular torsos, were what remained of once-proud, strong men. These creatures, these Coblynau of myth and terrible legend, were the miners who had toiled in a black world beyond the sun, where death waited for them all in a blast of mine gas or a cave-in that would bury them alive. They didn’t want to be here. They never wanted to be here. But their fate, and the entrance to the mine, had been sealed in that massive explosion. Now the light was creeping back into their dark tomb. New people were coming. People who would drive them ever deeper into the darkest passages, the deepest shafts, the most forgotten of places.

  People who would take their gold.

  Pain and sadness fermented over the years. It thickened. It dissolved their humanity until all that was left was fury. A terrible, burning rage that was directed towards anyone connected with those who had left them to their doom.

  People like Adam Hughes. People who saw profit in exploitation, who cared about the gold, not the men.

  They could smell the gold. They could hear its call. It was right there, sitting in his pocket. And they wanted it back...

  “They don’t like the light.” Ewan watched as the Coblynau flinched and hissed, the second the torch beam hit them. Keeping his eyes locked firmly on the swarm, he whispered at Jay. “You got anything in your pack that might keep them busy?”

  “What, you mean like a flare?” Jay held up a cardboard tube.

  “D’ya know, I genuinely wasn’t expecting that.” Ewan grinned at the Coblynau, who stared back silently and then let out a chorus of hisses and screeches. Ewan, his eyes still glued on the undead enemy, spoke rapidly. “Okay. I need you to hand me the flare and then get everyone down the shaft. It doesn’t look too deep, but be careful of that ladder.”

  “Yeah, they’re way ahead of us on that bit.” Jay looked around to see the top of Adam’s head disappearing below the edge of the shaft. The creak of rusty iron bolts straining within an inch of snapping drifted into the tunnel as Louise stepped on to the first rung, immediately followed by Matt and Alex.

  Jay focused his attention back on Ewan. “What do we do?”

  Ewan reached out behind him. “Give me the flare. Then get down the shaft. If I don’t follow you, then get running and keep running until you hit daylight.”

  “What about you? Those things’ll kill you!”

  “I’ll be fine. Go. GO!”

  Jay frowned. “You’re sure?”

  “Don’t make me push you down the honking big hole, little man.” Ewan shooed Jay towards the shaft with a wave of his hand. “Now, off you fuck, there’s a good lad.”

  He didn’t bother to watch Jay scramble down the hole. The Coblynau were creeping ever closer, like a pack of lions hunting a lame wildebeest. They chittered and hissed. A bold one skittered across the ceiling and dropped down in front of Ewan. It reared up on its hind legs, threw its arms wide, and let out a long, wailing shriek.

  “Noisy bastard, ain’t ya?” Ewan snarled, popped the top off the flare, stepped forward and thrust it straight into the open maw of the Coblynau. “Chew on that, motherfucker!”

  He sprang back, rolled, and let himself tip over the lip of the shaft, grabbing at the ladder. He felt a bolt pop. The ladder started to creek ominously. Ewan felt gravity kick in as the flaking metal crumbled in his hands and the ladder detached from the wall. “Bugger...” Another bolt popped, and then another. In quick succession, the century-old iron bolts gave way and, still clutching the ladder, Ewan dropped. He rapidly shimmied down the disintegrating steps, knowing that in a race between him and gravity, the universal force was going to kick his arse pretty hard in three...two...one...

  The ladder parted company with the shaft wall and Ewan tumbled down the last few feet. He landed at the bottom in a heap and immediately kicked the rotten ladder away from him. The landing hadn’t been too bad. He did a quick pat-down check to make sure no bones were broken. All good. Ewan stood and looked up. The roof of the tunnel suddenly lit up with a bright red glow. The Coblynau let out a chorus of wails as their leader’s body burst into flames, ignited by the flare Ewan had shoved unceremoniously into its mouth. Ewan smiled. That should keep them busy for a few minutes at least.

  He turned and ran after the group, who were already a few hundred meters down the tunnel. He caught up with them and jogged to the front, where a determined-looking Jay was scanning the route ahead. Ewan was impressed with the lad. He had guts, was resourceful, and pretty damn brave, too.

  “How we doing, Jay?” Ewan trotted alongside the lad.

  “These tracks should take us to the old south exit point. The slope’s facing the right way. The south exit was cut lower into the mountain face, that’s why it’s lower down than the entry point we came in. It’s weird shit, but it was designed so the ponies would be able to walk downhill away from the coal face and out to the processing yard in the valley.”

  “Mate, I don’t care how fucking weird this mine layout is, as long as we get out,” Alex’s lazy American drawl floated from behind them.

  “Yeah, how much further is it, fella? I want to get Lou to a doctor before these scratches get infected.”

  Matt sounded worried, despite Louise muttering, “I’m fine. Stop fussing,” in response.

  “A way out would be pretty damn good about now, lad. No pressure, obviously, but it would be pretty fucking amazing if you could actually do your job and get us the hell out of here.” Adam’s voice joined the chorus.

  Jay suddenly stopped and rounded on them. “Look, I’m doing my best, okay? Usually, tours don’t factor in zombie flesh-eating miners and fucking skeletal canaries. You see these?” He pointed at the rustin
g remains of rail tracks embedded into the floor of the tunnel. “We keep following these. They’ll take us out. We may get a bit dirty and shit, but if you prefer hanging around until the Knockers come for you and suck your eyeballs out, then be my fucking guests.” He huffed a couple of times. The rant had been bubbling inside him for at least an hour now.

  “What’s that?” Louise held up a hand.

  “What’s what?” Alex stared at her. “Getting another ping on your ghost-o-meter, lady?”

  “No, I hear it, too.” Adam looked behind him. “It’s a kind of rumble. Shit. Another cave-in?”

  “No, that’s water.” Ewan frowned at Jay. “As in a LOT of water.”

  The group looked down the tunnel. First to hit them, was the pressure wave, driven hundreds of meters in front of the water and enough to make even the six-foot-four Ewan stagger.

  Then, something even more terrifying than the thought of a wall of foaming water smashing into them came into view. First, it was just a white taloned hand, the tips of the finger bones poking through tattered skin and trailing tendons. Then a wrist. Then an arm. Then, shining like alabaster and snarling like a demon, came the face of the first Coblynau. It crept towards the group, hissing and chirruping, cackling and cawing. Behind it, answering its chatter with their own screeches and yelps, came the rest of the swarm. They kept their distance, but it wouldn’t be long before they gathered up the courage to rush the group.

  “Stop staring at the fuckers and RUN.” Ewan spun Matt and Louise around and shoved them hard. “JAY, GET US OUT OF HERE!” Already the roar of the water was getting louder and louder. Mist floated down the tunnel as the advancing tsunami churned and crashed. The group were already running when the foam wall turned the corner and bore down on the Coblynau, who reacted far, far too late. The creatures just about managed to utter a single united screech before the water slammed into them.

  You can outrun most things, but you can’t outrun water. The group were next. The boiling, thrashing wave smashed into them and lifted them off their feet as if they were made of balsawood. Everyone tried to swim with the flow, but the overwhelming force of the tidal wave was too much.

  Matt made a grab for Louise just before she disappeared under the water. He managed to snatch the back of her jacket and the two clung to one another for what seemed like an eternity, as they were swept down the tunnel on the worst fucking slip-and-slide ever.

  Everyone bounced and slammed against the sides, trying to keep their faces turned up and grabbing any lungful of air they could.

  Alex grabbed Adam and the two of them slammed into a rocky outcrop in the wall. With his free hand, Alex held on to the rock, wedging his fingers into cracks and crevices in a desperate bid to get some purchase. He gritted his teeth and strained as Adam was pulled away from his grip by the water. He let out a grunt of effort as he hauled the drowning man back towards the outcrop and relative safety. Adam, almost spent and half-drowned, coughed up a lungful of putrid mine water from the bottom of his lungs, wrapped an arm around the outcrop, and held on for dear life.

  The water was slowing, and the level dropped slightly. There was now a gap of around three feet between the roof of the tunnel and the surface of the water. Debris floated past—broken timbers, the smashed remains of a cart, bodies...

  Jay watched as the limp form of a Coblynau floated past him, dead at last. As the tattered body bumped past, it suddenly erupted from the water in a foaming fury and made a lunge for him. Jay kicked at the water and swam as hard as he could, feeling the creature’s bony fingers scrape at his back. Jay got sucked beneath the surface briefly, and then felt a hand close around the back of his neck. He struggled and fought against the grip, but it held fast and dragged him back up into a small air pocket.

  Jay lashed out, expecting to make contact with rotting skin and a snarling maw. Instead, he came face to face with a bedraggled Ewan, who managed to dodge Jay’s fist. “Easy, fella, I got ya.”

  The body of the Coblynau floated past, face down and with a large length of wood embedded in its neck. Ewan helped Jay to the side of the tunnel and they clung to the rock, watching the body float away. “Nasty little bastard nearly had you, mate.” Ewan grinned.

  “What the hell are you grinning for?” Jay squeaked. His brain was at the point of no return, yet the ex-soldier seemed to be almost enjoying himself.

  “Because it’s nearly over, little man. It’s nearly over. You’ll be fine.”

  Before Jay could ask the man what he meant, Adam shouted out. “Light! There’s light, can you see it? We’ve made it!”

  “Oh my god, he’s right.” Louise yelped and wriggled free of Matt’s grasp. “Come on, the water’s dropping, I can feel the bottom.” She stumbled and staggered through the water, which was still up to her chest and filled with mine detritus. She pushed away the body of the Coblynau as it drifted past her, recoiling from the touch of rotting skin that flaked away from the body and floated in the water like wet tissue paper.

  “I can feel the rails.” Alex pushed himself away from the rock outcrop and stumbled, briefly disappearing underneath the surface of the water before reappearing, spluttering and coughing. “Man, that water tastes real nasty!”

  He waded forward towards the light. It bounced and flickered, luring them all forward like moths towards a flame. “Hello?” Alex called out. “Help us, please, we’re stuck down here!”

  The light swayed back and forth in response, as if signaling to them.

  “Can you hear me? I’m down here. Help me!” Adam yelled towards the light and shoved his way past Alex, ignoring the robust, “Asshole... ” curse that followed him.

  Jay peered into the light. The whole tunnel was lighting up with a strange green glow. He looked down. The water was phosphorescing, enveloping the whole cavern in a strange, otherworldly luminance. A hushed chittering filled the tunnel, and Jay glanced back. Hanging from the tunnel roof and walls, staying just out of reach of the water, the remaining Coblynau nattered and chattered, all staring towards the light. Jay had watched how they recoiled from light before, so why were they so mesmerized by this source? He watched as they swayed their heads back and forth, never once taking their milky white eyes off the light source, and all the time chittering like demented grasshoppers.

  No.

  Something wasn’t right.

  Jay felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and he shouted out a warning. “Wait!”

  Adam ignored him and stumbled on, pushing past Louise and Matt. “I can pay you. See? Get me out of here and you’ll be a rich man, that’s a promise.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the lump of shale.

  Even in the strange green light that filled the tunnel, the glint of gold was unmistakable. Adam held the rock up.

  Behind, the chittering and chattering of the Coblynau abruptly stopped. A low hissing started, rising ever louder and louder. Figures skittered across the ceiling, ignoring the rest of the group below, who flinched and ducked as the Coblynau swarmed above them.

  Jay started forward and then felt a strong hand on his arm. He looked back at Ewan. The big man had a strange look on his face. “Don’t, lad.” Ewan shook his head. “This is how it has to be. Don’t interfere.”

  “What?”

  “Trust me. This isn’t about you.” Ewan shook his head again and then simply stared towards the light.

  The glow got closer. Out of the darkness, a shadowy figure approached.

  Adam spluttered. “Thank god! It’s about time you guys got us out of here. What are you, Search and Rescue? Fire Brigade? Did the company send you? They did, didn’t they?” He let out a shout of laughter. “Ha! See? I knew they’d come for me.” He spun and looked at the group. “Lucky you had me with you, right?”

  Alex raised a shaking hand and pointed. “Buddy, I don’t call that lucky. And I don’t think he’s Search and Rescue, either.”

  Adam turned back to look at his rescuer. He choked back a wail.

  Al
abaster white skin covered a muscular torso streaked with blue veins and mine dirt. He held aloft the miner’s lamp in his powerful arms, swinging it hypnotically from side to side. His trousers were ragged and tattered, ending just below the knee in shreds that fluttered in the breeze. The skin on his face was tissue thin and crisscrossed with scars. Beneath, the skull and jawbones were clearly visible, as if an inner light was illuminating them in silhouette.

  He was no rescuer. He was a Coblynau. The king of the Knockers. Lord of the Mine. The Cursed Man...

  Adam’s expression changed from selfish relief to absolute horror. He stumbled backwards and sat down hard in the sticky mud left by the rapidly receding flood. The lump of shale dropped from his fingers and plopped into the mud. The gold vein running through the rock was undimmed by the filth, and shone brightly.

  The swarm of Coblynau, still clinging to the walls and roof of the tunnel, fixed their gaze on the gold.

  It was theirs.

  It belonged to them.

  It belonged to the mine.

  None shall take it from them...

  The swarm looked to the muscular Coblynau with the lamp, waiting for the signal. He stared past the groveling Adam and straight at Ewan. His mouth opened and a guttural voice rasped out a single word. “Hughes?”

  Ewan nodded and smiled. “Payment, Da. As promised four generations ago, and promised for six more.”

  The Coblynau smiled, his dazzling white teeth shining in the phosphorescent glow. “Welcome home, my boy.”

  Ewan dropped his head, and the Coblynau king turned his gaze on the group. He took a single step aside, and nodded his head. “Go. This does not concern you. Leave this mine. Do not come back. Never come back.”

  Jay stared, open-mouthed at the Coblynau, and then turned to Ewan. “You? You knew?”

  Ewan nodded. “You think all this was an accident?”