Walk With Me In Hell

Chapter Five

Helen woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. The bed, as she had expected, was little more than a stiff blanket atop a plank of wood, so it had taken her some time to fall asleep. She propped herself up on her elbow and blinked a few times to make sure the knocking was on her door and not some other door in the narrow hallway. It was very dark in the room, but Helen had left an oil lantern burning in the corner with the shutters closed, and a few slivers of light crept out to give just enough to see by.

“Who’s there?” she asked.

“Uh, ma’am … I’m sorry, I know it’s late ...”

She didn’t recognize the voice. It wasn’t the clerk at the hotel, she was sure of that. She slipped out of bed and pulled a coat over her nightgown.

“Hold on just a moment.”

Propped up next to the bed was her father’s rifle, which was loaded and ready. She picked it up and aimed it at the door. She didn’t expect to come to harm, but in a town like this it never hurt to take precautions. The doors were so cheaply made that a determined man could probably break them open with a solid shoulder.

She spoke through the door. “What do you want?”

“You don’t know me, ma’am. But I heard you today, asking about someone ...”

Helen unlocked the door and carefully opened it, stepping back as she did so. The hallway beyond was barely more illuminated than her room, but standing in the doorway was a large man with his hat in his hands, looking nervous and uncomfortable. He had a lined face and deep set eyes above a wild and unkempt beard.

“Do you know something about my brother?” she asked.

He looked at her, glancing down briefly at the rifle in her hands. “Would it … would it be okay if I came in?” he asked.

Helen nodded and let the man in. She couldn’t tell how old he was, he could have been roughly her age or older than her father. His clothing was dirty and worn, but it was good quality, not the tattered rags that she had seen some of the miners wearing. He waited patiently while she fiddled with the lamp to light the room up. He did not comment on the gun still in her hands.

“I apologize for coming at this hour,” the man said, fidgeting with his hat. “But I didn’t want anyone to see me come and talk to you. I was doing some business at one of the offices this afternoon and I heard you ask about your brother.”

“Have you seen him?” Helen asked intensely.

The man cleared his throat. “I suppose you’ve only been here a day or two. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but the mining companies don’t like people talking about what happens in the mines.”

“I have noticed,” Helen said, nodding. “Do you work in the mines? Is that where you saw Henry?”

He shook his head. “I’m a prospector. I have my own claim, and sometimes I scout out possible mining locations for others. But if the company men found out I was talking to you, they’d run me out of town, you understand?”

“No, I really don’t. What are they trying to keep hidden?”

“The mines …” he shook his head a little, like he was trying to shake away a bad memory. “I don’t know if I can explain. Maybe you’ll think I’m crazy. But there are things down in those mines, terrible things. Creatures … and worse.”

Helen felt a chill on her skin. “I’ve heard rumors of men disappearing.”

“Yes. The companies are trying to keep it from getting out.”

“What happened to my brother?”

“He and some other miners decided to go out on their own. They asked me for help, that’s why I remember him. There’s old mines – abandoned mines – that the companies don’t use anymore, because they ran dry or because … because they’re too dangerous.” The prospector sighed again and looked at the floor, not meeting Helen’s eyes. “I shouldn’t have helped them. But they were in bad shape and thought they could hit a jackpot on their own. So I gave them some information on a few mines northwest of town, in a place called Knife Canyon.”

“How long ago was this?”

“I don’t remember. Ten days ago. Twelve, maybe.”

“And you haven’t seen or heard from my brother since?”

“No. I’m sorry. I tried to warn them. The mines are extremely dangerous. The companies don’t care, because they’re making such huge profits from dark stone, and there are always more men coming to work the mines. And the rest of us keep quiet about it, because we’re making so much money that we’re afraid to give it up.”

“But you came to tell me this.”

“Yes, I suppose I did,” the prospector said.

Helen didn’t know what to think. If Henry had gone into the mines ten days ago …

“You said it was at least ten days ago?” she asked. “So tell me this. Do you think that there’s any chance my brother might still be alive?”

The prospector weighed the question. “I can’t tell you for sure, ma’am. If they were lost in the mines, but they had food and water, then perhaps they could be. And you can get lost in those mines, believe me. Those tunnels have a way of changing on you, switching around and leading you deeper when you’re trying to get out.”

He grimaced, as if in physical pain, and shook his head again. “But it’s not getting lost that’s the problem. Those … those things ...”

“You said that before,” Helen said. “You said there were creatures. What do you mean?”

He raised his head and looked at her, and Helen was afraid of what she saw in his eyes. Terror, guilt, and madness lurked just beneath the surface. “I’m not a religious man. But if I was, I’d say that those mines are the gateway to Hell. There’s things down there that don’t belong in this world. I can’t even describe them, they’re like mankind’s worst nightmares come to life ...”

Helen opened her mouth to ask something, but at that moment, a faint, willowy screeching sound came from overhead, making her flinch and look up at the ceiling. She thought she heard a swooping sound, like the flap of blankets on a clothes line.

And then a thunderous roar from down the street, followed by a something that sounded like an explosion, and Helen thought she felt the floor shake under her feet. She scrambled to the window and yanked the curtains out of the way, but she couldn’t see anything. A few people on the street below ran past, and then she heard shouting.

She turned back to the prospector, but he was gone. He was running down the hallway as fast as he could, and disappeared down the stairs to the first floor. Helen yelled after him, but he didn’t come back. She hurriedly put on her boots and ran out after him, but by the time she made it to the street, he was gone.

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