“First, we find weapons, clothes, and food that couldn't have come from Alysium, and now this,” he huffed as he scratched his head.
“Perhaps there's an area in Alysium that hasn't been colonized yet?” Ranelle prodded. She suspected it was possible that Gideon could have traveled to parts of Alysium that others weren’t allowed to go.
“Not that I know of,” he said to Ranelle’s surprise, “As a matter of fact, Evermoore’s northern wall was widened just recently so that additional dorms could be constructed. If there were unpopulated areas already, they would’ve just settled people there. The expansion would have been a giant waste of time, let alone a waste of resources.”
He stressed the last word unnecessarily, as Ranelle caught its severity regardless. She remembered the cardinal rule in the burrows–wasting resources was a crime. She shuttered to think of the repercussions if anyone found out about the burning of their clothing and boots.
The mere thought gave Ranelle chills. “Then, where could the plants have come from?”
“I wish I knew.”
“I know,” she said, clasping his hand and squeezing it tightly.
He smiled at her appreciatively before turning his attention back to the others, “how’s it all coming along?”
In response, the other three miners joined Gideon and Ranelle by the storage shelves. They all bore several bags that were packed full of provisions.
“We each have a supply of food, clothes, and some extras,” Lara reported as she and the others convened, a trickle of sweat rolling down her brow.
“Thanks for all of the hard work,” said Gideon, beaming at their small group.
“Well, this place is rapidly losing its charm,” Abree responded, her nose turning upward with distaste.
Lara’s nostrils flared, and she rolled her eyes. Each of them knew that Abree hadn't lifted a single finger to help.
“Let's head out then?” asked Ranelle, cutting through the tension in the group as she slung the satchel containing the medical supplies over her shoulder.
The rest of them nodded and began to heave bags onto their shoulders as well, cross-crossing them over each side to balance their individual loads while they walked. When they’d finished, the group’s spirits seemed to lift as they exited station two, heading further down the main mineshaft.
Ranelle felt relief as Lara hummed a tune, walking slightly ahead of Charlie, letting her hand slide across the smooth tunnel wall with ease as she strolled along.
“I’m never going to get used to these walls,” said Gideon, eyeing the smooth rockface with suspicion.
Ranelle chortled silently to herself, noting the difference between Gideon's caution and Lara's ease.
“I wonder how long this tunnel’s been here,” said Charlie, more to Lara than anyone else.
“It’s probably the same age as the rest of the tunnels,” Abree spat.
Her curt response hushed the miners as they walked along, silently inspecting their surroundings as the day carried on. As each hour passed, however, Abree's opinion seemed to be less and less accurate. The pyrus lanterns flickered as the air began to feel different, sticky almost, and it had a damp and musty smell to it.
“It stinks like the washroom when it hasn't been cleaned,” said Ranelle, wrinkling her nose at the new odor.
“Whatever it is must be close by because it's getting stronger,” Lara said, pinching her nose with her fingertips, her eyes watering from the pungent smell.
When the group rounded a slight bend in the tunnel ahead of them, a new sight brought stifled screams and gasps as they suddenly laid eyes on the source of the offending smell.
“What’s that?” asked Charlie, extending a comforting arm around Lara as she clasped a hand over her mouth in horror.
Within the tunnel ahead, a massive and grotesque skeleton lay. As the lantern illuminated the body, large glinting bones bent sharply, contorted into strange shapes.
“Gideon,” Ranelle whispered, her voice shaking, “the bones, they’re black.”
Gideon made no indication that he’d heard or understood her. He simply inched forward, step by step, drawing in closer to the offending sight, the others following along closely behind. As they collectively neared the skeleton, there was a sudden crunch, and they all gasped.
Jumping backward, Gideon glanced down, sweeping the pyrus lantern toward the floor, illuminating shards of what appeared to be black glass. The broken shards glittered in the light, casting pin pricks of color onto the stone walls around them.
“Glass?” Lara spoke, barely a whisper.
Gideon nodded as he stepped over the shards, each teenager following suit.
As the group moved in cautiously, edging their way slowly forward, movement caught their attention. Gideon drew the sword that Ranelle had found, from its leather binding on his back, the blade ringing through the air.
“Stay behind me,” he said, more bravely than he felt. As he moved closer to the oddly shaped pile of bones, he now saw the glinting movement was their pyrus light reflecting off the glistening backs of several beetle-like insects. The beetles were crawling up and down the ridged back of the massive skeleton. “It's dead, just those bugs left on it now,” said Gideon, lowering his sword tip and edging still closer to the corpse.
“What is that?” whispered Ranelle as she clasped a shaky hand to the back of Gideon's shirt, moving slowly behind him as he shuffled forward. She’d never seen a beast quite like it. The bones were jagged, as if pieces were missing.
“Whatever it is, it's not alone,” he said with a frown, pointing his sword tip toward the far side of the creature. Ranelle edged out around Gideon, trying to see what he was referring to, the others huddling along right behind her. Peering around him, the others immediately knew why Gideon was vexed. Lying on their backs, side by side, where the skeletons of two people. One was taller, its bones thicker than the other, which appeared much more petite.
“Miners?” Lara inquired, her eyes wide.
“No,” Gideon said through bared teeth, “these people aren't from Alysium.”
“How could you possibly know that?” asked Abree skeptically, her gaze held unwavering upon the skeletons.
“Look at their clothing,” he replied, stepping toward one of the skeletons and kneeling beside it. He used the tip of his sword to pluck a scrap of cloth from the closest frame. The fabric was the same fluffy, albeit matted and dirty, hide that their new clothes were lined with.
“These aren't from back home either,” said Ranelle, nodding toward the massive creatures' bones, as she knelt for a closer look.
“What do you think this thing is?” asked Charlie as he knocked his boot against one of its bones, “I’ve never seen black bones before.”
Ranelle shrugged, holding out an arm to compare hers to that of the creatures’ appendages. It dwarfed hers immensely and she knew the beast wasn't something she wanted to come across alive. “I bet one of these creatures weighs as much as our entire group.”
“Let's move on then and pray we don't encounter one,” said Gideon, “and be sure to keep a weapon out, just in case.”
The others nodded, each pulling out a dagger and carrying it with them as they edged past the bodies.
“Do you think it crushed them?” Ranelle could hear Lara whispering to Charlie as they left the corpses behind.
“Did you see their leg bones–pulverized...” came Charlie's reply as the two miners walked side-by-side, talking in hushed tones a few paces behind Ranelle and Gideon.
When they had put some distance between them and the bodies, the group moved along at a more comfortable pace, easier now that the rotting stench was well behind them. The tunnel ahead continued without fault for several more hours until they came upon another outcropping to each side of the tunnel. The others looked at Gideon hopefully, waiting for his approval to stop and rest for a while.
“I guess we can take a break and have some lunch.”
Everyone was
relieved, immediately relieving themselves of their burdens, except Abree, who continued to scowl as usual.
Gideon and Ranelle dropped their bags and equipment to the left side of the tunnel while the other three plopped themselves down to the right. Ranelle checked Abree's bandages, applying a fresh slather of mashed harbringer poultice to the wound, which was healing nicely. The skin around the injury was a dull pink, and it had scabbed over well.
“How does your foot feel?” asked Ranelle as she began re-wrapping it.
“Fine, thanks to those,” she replied, pointed to the hide-lined boots she’d taken from station two.
Ranelle sighed as she finished wrapping the injured foot.
Of course, her recovery has nothing to do with me.
Abree was stubbornly ungrateful, but Ranelle was hardened to the effects of her negativity by now.
When Abree's foot was finished, Ranelle dropped it, a tad bit harder than she usually would have, resulting in a small grunt from its owner. Feeling a slight sense of satisfaction, she went to sit with Gideon on the opposite side of the tunnel from the others. By that time, Lara had passed around rations for lunch, giving dried mushrooms and kava roots to each of them.
“Mushrooms make me sleepy,” said Charlie, eyeing the fungus wearily.
“Then eat it and close your eyes for a while. Make sure you're rested,” replied Gideon as he ripped a chunk of mushroom off with his teeth.
Charlie considered Gideon's advice, plopping the offending morsel into his mouth, washing it down with the spring water that he’d filled the water bladders with.
When everyone had eaten their fill, they sat with their backs to the mineshaft walls. Abree, Charlie, and Lara closed their eyes to relax while Gideon and Ranelle whispered to each other.
“We've just about traveled off the map I saw in my father's study,” said Gideon leaning in close to Ranelle, not wanting to disturb the others.
“It’s obvious people from Alysium made it this far. If the sketch stops, who made this tunnel continue further on?” asked Ranelle, her brow furrowed.
“Maybe my father knows it goes further, but he doesn’t want others to know about it.” Gideon wrestled with the thought, obviously bothered that his father could be keeping much-needed supplies from his own people.
“But what else could be down here? Is he trying to keep people from finding out?”
Gideon shrugged his shoulders, “Just one more thing we can add to our growing list of the things we don't know,” he sighed, pulling Ranelle gently in closer to him.
She smiled, feeling the thump thump of his heart as she laid her head against his chest. She felt as he ran his hand gently across her lower back, bringing goosebumps to her sides. They rested for a few minutes, her head on his chest, her hand wrapped within his as he rubbed the small of her back with his other hand. As their muscles relaxed and their eyelids grew heavy, they drifted into a comfortable sleep.
The group's collective slumber was abruptly cut short as a piercing scream erupted unexpectedly into the mineshaft air. Gideon and Ranelle scrambled to their feet with confusion, unsure where the cry had originated.
They quickly realized it had come from Charlie, who was on his feet, positively shrieking as if his very skin was on fire. Lara was desperately smacking his clothing, as if trying to put out imaginary flames. Off to the side, Abree was struggling to get her feet under her, wearing a look of disgust.
“What's wrong,” yelled Ranelle, broadcasting over Charlie's panicked shrieks.
“They're inside me!” screeched Charlie, desperately grabbing at his arms.
“What's inside you?” Gideon hollered, but before he could act, Ranelle rushed forward, grabbing Charlie's new shirt and wrenching it up over his head. As the garment came off and hit the ground, a giant black beetle scurried away from it. The teenagers all jumped backward as the beetle rushed toward them, its pincers clicking madly.
Gideon stepped forward with his sword drawn, deftly cutting the bug in half before it could get away. Before they could examine it, however, further cries from Charlie broke the momentary silence.
“They're in me,” he pleaded, face smudged with tears, whimpering as he pitifully dug at the skin on his forearms. With encouragement from Lara, Charlie held his arms out so the group could see large protrusions underneath his skin. There were bleeding incisions on each of his wrists as the large lumps slowly inched their way up his forearms.
“Woah,” cried Ranelle, her eyes wide with revulsion. Her stomach lurched as she realized the beetles were digging their way up his arms, using their spiny legs to drive their progress forward through his flesh.
“Help him please,” cried Lara, her face contorted with fear.
Gideon came forward, taking one of Charlie's shaking arms firmly in one hand, using the fingers on his other hand to trap the bug, trying to prevent it from moving up the arm any further.
“It's digging in!” cried Charlie as the beetle began tearing lower into his flesh to avoid Gideon's interference.
“Quickly,” Ranelle urged.
Without hesitation, Gideon pulled a knife out of the scabbard he’d strapped to his thigh, plunging the blade deep into Charlie's arm, ignoring his screams. Despite the overwhelming pain he clearly felt, Charlie did his best to stay as still as possible while Gideon completed his work. As the knife-edge found the underneath of the beetle's hard shell, Gideon turned the blade quickly, forcing the beetle up and out of the flesh. As the knife exited the skin, it catapulted the beetle through the air and into the tunnel wall with a small splat. The teenagers watched as it slid down the rock face, leaving a trail of blood behind.
Before Charlie could protest, Gideon turned his attention to the second arm, thrusting the knife blade deep beneath the skin once again. It took only a moment for him to locate the underneath of this beetle as well, turning the edge expertly, removing the second beetle in the same manner as the first. As the beetle soared through the air, it landed hard on the stone floor, scurrying a few inches before Gideon's boot came crashing down, squishing it flat. Rivulets of blood oozed out from under the sides of his boot.
Charlie wavered on the spot, his eyeballs flickering and his tongue lolling around in his mouth as if trying to form words. Lara reached out for him just as his body went limp and fell towards the ground. She flung her arms out under his armpits, lowering his body down slowly as Gideon and Ranelle each grabbed an arm, trying to bear some of his weight.
The three miners easily laid out the pale boy, Lara setting her clothing satchel under his head to keep it up off the cold stone floor.
“Ranelle,” cried Lara with alarm as she took Charlie's hand in hers, shaking him slightly as if he might wake, “what's wrong with him?”
Ranelle knelt to examine Charlie as Abree stepped angrily toward Gideon.
“What were those things?” she spat, as if suggesting he was personally responsible for their attacking Charlie. “And where did they come from?” Her eyes suddenly darted back and forth, checking the tunnel as if more beetles were lurking, waiting just out of sight to make a meal of her.
“They're the same beetles we saw on those corpses a while back,” said Ranelle, as she looked down at the squished beetle, recognizing the reflective characteristic of its outer shell.
Suddenly, a low gurgling sound in the back of Charlie's throat brought Ranelle's attention back on him. She laid her ear on his chest, listening as his breath became increasingly shallow and labored with each passing moment.
“Did he lose too much blood?” Lara asked frantically.
Ranelle shrugged as she bent to examine Charlie's wounds. Each arm had two. There was a small entry wound where the beetle had dug in, just above the inside of each wrist. The second was an exit wound by the crook of each elbow where Gideon had forced the beetles out with the knife-blade. The entry wounds were clean, but so too were the exit wounds. There was only a small trickle of blood coming from each.
“No,” said Ranelle, answer
ing Lara's question honestly, “in fact, there's too little blood loss here as it is.”
“What do you mean too little?” asked Abree, an eyebrow raised.
“These knife wounds should be bleeding more,” said Ranelle, crossing the tunnel to inspect the beetle that had hit the stone wall. Its tiny body had managed to slide all the way down to the ground. Taking Gideon's knife, she approached the bug, knelt, then pushed the beetle around with the tip of the knife blade, examining it. She then slid the blade across its back, watching as a sticky mucus attached itself to the metal of the blade. She lifted the knife to her nose and carefully sniffed it. The dank smell was vaguely familiar.
“It's a coagulant, I think,” she said, returning to Charlie’s side. “It's a substance secreted by the armor of the beetle that causes its victims' blood to clot. This will probably kill him if we can’t find a way to remove it from his blood.”
“How can you tell?” Abree snapped with her usual spite.
“I cut myself badly when I was little,” she brandished her left wrist, showing a thin, white scar, “and to stop me from bleeding out, they smeared a substance on it that comes from the scales of the river lizards. It bonds the elements in the blood so that it will scab and heal faster.”
The others peered down at her scar.
“But this coagulant’s attacking him from the inside. I think it’s thickening his blood so that it can’t be pumped through his body.”
“What can we do?” whimpered Lara, still desperately clutching Charlie's hand in hers as if it were the only thing keeping him alive.
“We need to find something that can breakdown the coagulant.” Ranelle rose to look for her medicine pack when a noise startled the group yet again. They turned as several satchels, including the one with the medicines in it, tipped over, spilling their contents onto the floor. As clothes and herbs all fell onto the stone, dozens of glinting beetles fell out along with them, pouring from a crack in the tunnel wall. The beetles reared, scurrying hungrily toward the teenagers with their pincers bared.
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