attached. She could see them repeatedly stinging
him with their tails.
Roy swallowed, and she let another small amount dribble from
the canteen into his mouth. He swallowed again, and Deem saw the rest of the
scorpions dislodge and fall off his body.
She continued to pour small amounts into his mouth as he
seemed prepared to swallow. After a few moments she figured she’d poured at
least two good mouthfuls, and she sat back, waiting for the protection to take
its full effect.
Roy’s eyes fluttered open, and he looked at Deem.
“Oh, it’s you,” he said. “I thought it might be God.”
“No, you’re still alive,” she said. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been bit a hundred times by snakes,” he said,
propping himself up on one arm.
“Don’t forget the scorpion bites,” she said. “They were all
over you too.”
“I can see why you don’t like to come down here,” Roy said.
“Winn is a chicken ass shit. You should make him come with you next time so he
appreciates what you go through.”
“That’ll never happen,” she said, standing up. “Can you
stand?”
“I think so,” he said, rolling to his knees and pushing
himself up. Deem held his arm.
“What took you so long?” Roy said. “I was just starting to
enjoy the bites.”
“Tonnaquin,” she said. “He caused another cave in, and I had
to take a third route which meant going all the way back to the first junction.
What about walking? Do you think we can start heading out?”
“Nothing would please me more,” Roy said, turning to face
her. “You lead, I’ll follow. But don’t go too fast. I need to stay in your
light.” He raised the broken lantern and showed it to her. “I supposed it can
be fixed. The glass isn’t cracked.”
“Maybe,” she said. “Bring it along. There’s a chance it’ll
come back on.”
She started down the adit with Roy in tow. Roy was moving
slowly, his ability to move his muscles returning gradually. The route back
took them deeper into the mine, then back down another adit towards the first
junction. The tunnel they were following was harder to maneuver through, with
many fallen boulders and uneven floors.
“I can see why you were late to my party,” Roy said. “This
isn’t easy going.”
“Just watch your footing,” she said. “Don’t want you to take
a tumble. How are you feeling now?”
“Better,” Roy said, “but sore. Those bites felt real, even
though there’s no marks. I suppose there’s no poison.”
“Not normal poison,” Deem said. “Not like a regular snake or
scorpion. You’d be long dead by now if they had been real.”
“Why do you suppose there’s so many here?” Roy asked,
struggling to keep up and hoping his question might slow her down a little.
“Don’t know,” she said. “For some reason, every snake for
miles around comes here when it dies. No live snakes in here, you’ll notice.
Just dead ones. It’s like the live snakes are as scared of ghosts as people
are.”
“Do you think it’s the topaz?” Roy asked.
“Could be,” Deem said, “but I don’t think so. I think it’s
something else, something in the mine that no one’s discovered. There’s a lot
of crazy creatures that live deep in the mines in this area. Some of them were
released by the mining, but most of them were created by the radiation. Some of
them actually live in the rock itself. Red Hills mine number 3, you can get the
spirits to come out of the rock and talk to you if you know how.”
“You’ve done it?” Roy asked.
“A couple of times,” she answered. “My dad taught me. That
mine is a lot easier to get into than this one. Regular tourists go in and out
all the time. They know something creepy is in the mine, but they don’t know
what. I’ve called it out, I’ve seen it. There’s shit like that all over down
here.”
They paused for a moment when they reached the final junction
on the way out.
“Hear that?” Deem said. Roy stood quietly and
him with their tails.
Roy swallowed, and she let another small amount dribble from
the canteen into his mouth. He swallowed again, and Deem saw the rest of the
scorpions dislodge and fall off his body.
She continued to pour small amounts into his mouth as he
seemed prepared to swallow. After a few moments she figured she’d poured at
least two good mouthfuls, and she sat back, waiting for the protection to take
its full effect.
Roy’s eyes fluttered open, and he looked at Deem.
“Oh, it’s you,” he said. “I thought it might be God.”
“No, you’re still alive,” she said. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been bit a hundred times by snakes,” he said,
propping himself up on one arm.
“Don’t forget the scorpion bites,” she said. “They were all
over you too.”
“I can see why you don’t like to come down here,” Roy said.
“Winn is a chicken ass shit. You should make him come with you next time so he
appreciates what you go through.”
“That’ll never happen,” she said, standing up. “Can you
stand?”
“I think so,” he said, rolling to his knees and pushing
himself up. Deem held his arm.
“What took you so long?” Roy said. “I was just starting to
enjoy the bites.”
“Tonnaquin,” she said. “He caused another cave in, and I had
to take a third route which meant going all the way back to the first junction.
What about walking? Do you think we can start heading out?”
“Nothing would please me more,” Roy said, turning to face
her. “You lead, I’ll follow. But don’t go too fast. I need to stay in your
light.” He raised the broken lantern and showed it to her. “I supposed it can
be fixed. The glass isn’t cracked.”
“Maybe,” she said. “Bring it along. There’s a chance it’ll
come back on.”
She started down the adit with Roy in tow. Roy was moving
slowly, his ability to move his muscles returning gradually. The route back
took them deeper into the mine, then back down another adit towards the first
junction. The tunnel they were following was harder to maneuver through, with
many fallen boulders and uneven floors.
“I can see why you were late to my party,” Roy said. “This
isn’t easy going.”
“Just watch your footing,” she said. “Don’t want you to take
a tumble. How are you feeling now?”
“Better,” Roy said, “but sore. Those bites felt real, even
though there’s no marks. I suppose there’s no poison.”
“Not normal poison,” Deem said. “Not like a regular snake or
scorpion. You’d be long dead by now if they had been real.”
“Why do you suppose there’s so many here?” Roy asked,
struggling to keep up and hoping his question might slow her down a little.
“Don’t know,” she said. “For some reason, every snake for
miles around comes here when it dies. No live snakes in here, you’ll notice.
Just dead ones. It’s like the live snakes are as scared of ghosts as people
are.”
“Do you think it’s the topaz?” Roy asked.
“Could be,” Deem said, “but I don’t think so. I think it’s
something else, something in the mine that no one’s discovered. There’s a lot
of crazy creatures that live deep in the mines in this area. Some of them were
released by the mining, but most of them were created by the radiation. Some of
them actually live in the rock itself. Red Hills mine number 3, you can get the
spirits to come out of the rock and talk to you if you know how.”
“You’ve done it?” Roy asked.
“A couple of times,” she answered. “My dad taught me. That
mine is a lot easier to get into than this one. Regular tourists go in and out
all the time. They know something creepy is in the mine, but they don’t know
what. I’ve called it out, I’ve seen it. There’s shit like that all over down
here.”
They paused for a moment when they reached the final junction
on the way out.
“Hear that?” Deem said. Roy stood quietly and
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