“There’s a lot of debris, but we should be able to get to the entrance. You guys stay there; we’ll go and get help.” Ifan’s voice floated through the hole in the rock-fall. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you all out, I promise. Just stay put.”
“Hurry up, boyo. This roof looks about as solid as a piece of day-old lava bread.” Jay studied the ceiling of the chamber. The timbers looked more robust than those in the tunnel, but they were still ancient and crumbling. Another rock-fall like that and the whole lot could come down on top of them.
David yelled through the rock-fall. “We won’t be long, Jay. Just hold on, okay? Just hold… what was that?”
Jay could hear the two men on the other side. Just a few feet away from him.
“What IS that?”
“Hello? Is there someone there? Hello… oh JESUS!”
“Christ! What the… get it off me, GET IT OFF ME!”
Then the screaming started.
Jay and Ewan frantically tore at the rock-fall, calling out to the two men on the other side. They didn’t answer back. They were too busy screaming and pleading for mercy. Snarling and snuffling noises mixed in with the sobbing and wailing, until gradually the cries sounded bubbly and weaker — and then stopped completely.
Silence filled the chasm. Jay stared at the gap at the top of the rock-fall. Tears streamed down his face. He could only imagine what had happened to his two friends. A shred of denial whispered through his mind — maybe they got away. Yeah. Maybe. They got away, right? They did get away from whatever that was.
A small boulder dislodged itself from the rock-fall and bounced to the bottom of the pile, skirting Jay’s shoulder and landing at Ewan’s feet. Jay glanced down at the big man, who nodded.
“Start digging, fella. Looks like the rocks at the top are loose.” Ewan started shifting rocks, glanced over to the rest of the group, and snarled. “A little help here, people? This is our way out.”
The group moved towards the rock-fall and started shifting debris. Jay, trying to ignore the stinging tears that still tumbled down his filthy cheeks, was tearing at the rocks, ignoring the yelps and “Hey! Watch it, kid… ” comments from the rest of the group beneath him.
He reached through the gap at the top. And then yelled at the top of his lungs.
Something cold, hard and slimy grabbed his wrist and pulled. Hard. He could feel his shoulder popping out of its socket. He yelled again. “Something’s got me!” He heaved backwards, struggling against the tightening grip. “Help me! Jesus Christ, help me!” He felt a massive pair of arms circle his waist and haul him backwards.
Ewan and Jay fell off the rock-fall, tumbling and bouncing down the slope. Ewan let go of Jay and they both looked up to the gap at the top of the heap. “What the fuck?” Jay pointed to the gap.
Sticking though was a skeletal hand. The fingers grasped and snatched at the air, waving around, trying to find their quarry. Skin hung from the bones, flapping like bunting fluttering in a breeze. The hand was covered in blood. Fresh blood. Blood that dripped from the dagger-like fingertips and ran down the rock-fall in rivulets. Ifan’s blood. David’s blood.
And now it wanted more.
It wanted them.
The hand scrabbled at the rocks, making the gap wider. The hand was followed by the bones of a forearm, also covered in tattered ribbons of torn, rotting flesh. The elbow joint wiggled its way through. Then the bones of the upper arm. The whole thing started to pivot and a shoulder joint appeared.
“If whatever that thing is gets its head through, I’m guessing we’re all royally fucked.” Ewan picked up a rock and leapt up the rock-fall. He let out a snarl and smashed the rock against the hand and arm. There was a screech like nails being dragged down a blackboard from the other side and the arm snatched and grasped at the air like a lobster claw, snapping and trying to rake its puss-covered nails across Ewan’s face. He ducked and weaved, hammering the rock again and again against the arm. A bone splintered, and the arm’s owner let out a wail, followed by a furious screech. The arm vanished back through the hole.
Ewan knelt, poised with the rock raised over his head, ready to start bashing again if the arm reappeared.
From below, Louise piped up. “Is it gone?”
A chorus of screeches and howls from the other side of the rock-fall echoed through the mine. Other, more distant yelps and shrieks responded.
Ewan glanced down. “Nope. And I think it’s got friends.” He dropped the rock and slid backwards down the slope. He stood and looked at Jay. “Fella, is there another way out of here?”
Jay opened and shut his mouth a couple of times, gulped, and then nodded. “Uh, yeah. The mine has another entrance point that way.” He pointed down one of the tunnels that spurred off the main chamber. “Or… is it that one?” He pointed to another tunnel.
Ewan gritted his teeth. “Jay?”
Jay made a decision. “Nope, definitely this one.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“You’re sure sure? Because those motherfuckers are gonna come through that wall pretty damn soon, and honestly? I don’t want to be anywhere near this place when that happens.” Ewan studied the young man.
“It’s this way. I promise you.” Jay stabbed a finger at the entrance to the first tunnel. “I know that because last time we were in here we—”
Knock, knock…
Jay stopped mid-sentence. The group stared at the rock-fall.
Knock, knock…
A boulder dislodged and bounced down the slope.
Knock, knock…
Another. And another. And another. The rocks started to shift.
Ewan looked at Jay. “This is the bit where we run, fella.” He scooped up a torch from the floor and shoved it into Jay’s hand. “As in NOW!”
The rocks clattered downwards. The group didn’t wait around to see any more. Jay led the way as they sprinted down the tunnel and deeper into the mine.
BEHIND THE FLEEING group, the rock-fall shifted and slowly crumbled. The gap at the top got larger by the minute. Eventually another skeletal arm popped through, snatching at the rocks and shoving them out of the way. The hole grew quickly, and the shining top of a skull appeared. The Coblynau pushed its head through the hole and looked into the chamber. It stared down the tunnel and let out a screech. Venom dribbled from its needle-sharp teeth, running down its chin and dripping onto the rock, where it hissed and frothed. The creature wriggled and writhed its way through the hole, ignoring the rock edges that tore the ribbons of flesh from its bones. Finally, with one last heave, the creature popped out of the hole and rolled down the slope. It landed on all fours, threw its head back, and let out a screech that sent cascades of dust tumbling down from the ceiling. It skittered across the floor and up the wall like a gecko, scuttling along the rock face and onto the ceiling where it sat upside down. It let out a series of chitters and another screech.
That was the signal.
Through the hole poured the Coblynau. They dropped into the chamber, sniffing and screeching, scuttling and snapping at each other.
Eventually, they got organized. The leader, its arm still sporting the splintered arm bone inflicted by Ewan, let out a series of sharp barks. They set off down the tunnel after the group.
“WE’VE GOT ABOUT ten minutes before those things end up on top of us.” Ewan skidded to a halt and grabbed Jay by the shoulder. “Ideas?”