Misfits, Inc. (10 page)

T
he crude opening to the
mineshaft was framed with old, dried wood carved into the rocky hillside.  It
appeared sturdy despite its age.  Hailey glanced at the dark shaft beyond the
crude opening.  She had to admit, the thought of entering the mine was frightening,
but she needed to know what happened to Amy.  She needed to know she wasn’t
crazy.  Logan and Skyler watched her as she stared into the dark opening.  They
shared the same expression.  Hailey was crazy! 

“I know you’re not thinking about going in there,”
Skyler announced firmly.

“Certainly not without a flashlight,” Hailey
muttered without looking at either.

“Did you forget the part about the cat-sized bats?”
Skyler interjected, his rising anxiety indicated by the increased twitching of
his body.

Hailey looked at the ground just outside the mine,
approached the opening, and picked up a flashlight.  Logan and Skyler stared at
the flashlight in her hand with their mouths hanging open.  The fact that it
was there was concerning.  Hailey flipped the switch.  It still worked!  All
three suddenly looked around with combined panic to the only rational
explanation.

“Someone’s been out here recently,” Hailey
remarked.

“Marcus?” Skyler asked.  “He said they’d come back
out and look around more today.”

“So where are they?” Logan asked, sharing his
friends’ concern as he looked around for the search party.

All three looked at the mineshaft opening and came
to the same conclusion.

“Damn,” Logan softly gasped while throwing his head
back with concern.  “Do you think they went in there and something happened to
them?”

“There’s only one way to find out,” Hailey
announced almost too softly for them to hear.  Unfortunately, they did hear the
comment.

Neither man appeared enthused.  All three now
stared at one another as if silently deciding their next move.  What sounded
like a low growl echoed from within the tunnel.  All three tensed and slowly
looked at the mineshaft behind them.  Something large with glowing red eyes
moved within the dark tunnel.  All three slowly backed away, uncertain whether
to run or remain still.  A large, black beast the size of a bear leaped out of
the opening, landed before them, and snarled with long, sharp teeth exposed. 
Although coated in black fur, it definitely wasn’t a bear.  It was a never
before seen ‘it’ with a broad chest and sloping back to muscular haunches.  It
had sharp claws protruding from long toes on its large paws, a broad lion-like
nose, and piercing red eyes.

As it stood before them snarling with bloodstained,
cat-like teeth, they were frozen with fear.  As it leaned back on its haunches,
they saw it’s long tail swish, indicating it was preparing to launch forward. 
All three came to the same conclusion and screamed simultaneously.  The black
panther suddenly appeared and tackled the creature to the ground.  Both rolled,
snarled, and bit each other.  The beast was more than double the size of the
panther, although not nearly as agile.  Two more beasts of similar size and
shape appeared from the cave.  Hailey and the two men bolted into the woods and
away from the snarling beasts.  Hailey and Skyler ran down the steep ravine
path toward the stream, while Logan ran up the less treacherous path with one
of the creatures chasing him.  The second beast ran after Hailey and Skyler.

Logan ran up the short path with surprising speed
and took off along the path in the woods to the right.  He appeared from the
woods and stopped at the edge of the ravine.  He’d made a wrong turn!  He
caught his balance and watched the rocks beneath his feet propel downward to
the drop below.  The snarling beast appeared in the woods behind him, stopping,
as if knowing it had the large man trapped.  Logan barely looked back before
running along the edge of the ravine and heading for the old rope bridge.  He
grabbed onto both sides of the thick rope railing, ignored the posted warning
sign, and tiptoed across the weak, rotted planks.  They cracked and splintered
beneath his weight.  It was possibly another bad idea, but he had limited
choices.  He stopped ten feet across the bridge and looked back.  The large,
black creature stood before the bridge and snarled while staring at him.  Its
sheer size was frightening enough without the added sharpness of its teeth and
claws.  Logan contained his fear and stood proudly while clinging to the rope
railing on both sides of the bridge.

“That’s right, mother!  You want me?” he cried
out.  “Come and get me!”

The beast placed a clawed paw on the first plank. 
It creaked under the creature’s weight.  The planks weren’t sturdy enough to
hold Logan let alone a three-hundred pound beast. 

“That’s it,” he baited the creature.  “Bring your
fat ass out here!”

Rather than step onto the bridge, the beast pushed
on the plank.  The rope bridge bounced and swayed, slowly at first but soon
increased in momentum.  Logan gasped and clutched the rope railing on either
side as the bridge creaked and swayed from the creature jolting it, tossing him
from side to side.  One of the rotted rope railings snapped.  Logan released
the rope, cried out, and clutched the only remaining rope.  He attempted to
stand on the slanted, rotted board as the beast continued to rock the bridge. 
The beast was somehow smart enough to know it could knock Logan off the
bridge.  Logan looked down to the ravine below.  It was a long drop with a very
unpleasant stop at the rocky bottom.  He assessed the area surrounding him
while clinging to the remaining rope railing.  A vine dangled five feet from
him.  He reached for the vine, but it was too far to reach without releasing
the rope.

The beast stood on its hind legs and pulled on the
last rope, attempting to shake Logan from the bridge.  Logan bounced up and
down harshly while clinging to the rope and crying out.  He again reached for
the vine.  The vine slowly stretched toward his hand.  The bottom rope holding
the plank snapped, and Logan’s feet fell out from beneath him.  He clung to the
rope railing with both arms as his feet dangled freely.  He looked past his
dangling feet to the ravine below.  The beast gave one final pull on the
remaining rope to which Logan clung.  It snapped.  Logan screamed, clung to the
rope, and shut his eyes while awaiting the fall.  The rope didn’t drop.  The
beast’s loud, shrill yelp forced Logan to open his eyes.  He looked at the rope
he held.  Several vines were tangled around the rope five feet away and held it
in place, keeping him from falling to his death.  The rope strained against the
vines.  Logan looked at the creature on the edge of the ravine.  It gnawed at
several vines now tangled around its head and paws.  There was no time to
speculate what had happened.  Logan pulled himself up onto the rope, placing
his feet beneath him, and teetered on what was now viewed as a medieval
tightrope.  A much
rotted
medieval tightrope!

“Holy shit--”

Logan attempted to maintain his balance on the
rotted tightrope and looked at the vine just a few yards away.  The rope
strained under him and the weight of the bridge.  He had seconds to make his
move.  Logan took a deep breath and ran across the rope, screaming the entire
way.  He leaped for the dangling vine, caught it with both hands, and swung
from the bridge to the safety of the ledge.  The vines holding the bridge
snapped and it collapsed with a thunderous crash.  Logan released the vine and
fell harshly onto his backside not far from the snarling, ensnared beast.  The
creature fought the vines tangled around its body and couldn’t be bothered with
Logan.  Logan stared at the struggling creature, marveled at its sheer size,
then scrambled to his feet, and darted into the woods.

H
ailey and Skyler slid down
the steep, rocky path half on their backsides while avoiding the creature
sliding down just behind them.  They reached the bottom, nearly losing their
balance.  Hailey fell onto her backside.  Skyler grabbed her hand and pulled
her to her feet as the creature lost its balance and tumbled out of control
past them.  As the creature unsteadily stood, Skyler forced Hailey to run
across the stream with him.  Neither looked back in fear of the creature being
directly behind them.  They ran up the bank on the other side and nearly
collided with Vance and Mel, who were coming down the slope.  Hailey and Skyler
screamed in response to the unexpected collision.  Vance and Mel were startled
more by their screams than their unexpected appearance and stared at the
terrified pair.

“What’s all the screaming about?” Vance demanded
while hastily tucking in his shirt and attempting to catch his breath.

Hailey and Skyler pointed toward the stream, unable
to get the words out.  The beast was gone.  Mel and Vance exchanged looks and
almost certainly thought they were insane.  Hailey and Skyler stared a moment
longer then attempted to relax.  Whatever caused the beast to retreat was a
welcomed relief.  Both were equally shaken but they had concerns that were more
important.

“We need to find Logan,” Hailey gasped and headed
for the stream.

Skyler reluctantly followed.  Mel and Vance again
exchanged looks then hurried after them.  Climbing back up the steep trail was
a challenge.  Skyler led the way; seeming better equipped for the challenge,
and practically pulled Hailey the entire way.  Mel and Vance struggled to
follow them while attempting to avoid the rocks tumbling at them from the
couple in front.  They finally reached the area before the mineshaft and looked
around.  There was no sign of Logan.  Skyler kept watch on the dark mineshaft opening
while Hailey searched the area. 

“Logan,” Hailey called out.

There was no response.  Vance approached the tunnel
entrance near Skyler and picked up the discarded flashlight.

“What were you guys doing out here?” Vance asked
while fiddling with the flashlight.

Mel rubbed her arms and looked around with
concern.  “Let’s just find Logan and get out of here,” she announced.  “This
place gives me the creeps.”

“Logan,” Hailey again called out.

All four heard movement from the woods and turned. 
Despite having no clue what had Hailey so rattled, Mel was possibly more
frightened than the others.  Skyler grabbed a thick branch and held it above
his head, prepared to pummel anything that moved.  Logan suddenly appeared from
the woods.  He was slightly winded but oddly enthusiastic.

“Man, I’m glad to see you guys,” Logan announced
while half doubling over.  He shook his head and attempted to catch his
breath.  “You’ll never believe what happened to me.”

“Can we get out of here before something does
happen?” Mel nervously announced.

They heard the faint, echoing sound of a woman
screaming from deep within the mine.  All five looked at the dark opening, and
for a moment, none moved. 

“That sounded like a woman,” Vance announced with
surprise while attempting to look inside the mineshaft.

“Amy--” Hailey gasped with alarm and darted into
the dark tunnel.

Skyler appeared alarmed, grabbed the flashlight
from Vance, and hurried after her.  “Hailey!  Come back here!”

“My God, she’s insane,” Logan gasped, still unable
to catch his breath.

The woman’s faint scream was heard again.  Vance
and Logan looked at each other in silent question.  Logan shook his head with
disgust and hurried into the tunnel after Skyler.  Vance looked back at Mel. 
Her eyes widened in horror.

“No way!” Mel cried out.

Within the mineshaft, light from Skyler’s
flashlight glistened off the dark tunnel walls.  Hailey walked alongside him
with Logan bringing up the rear.  They heard movement from behind them.  Logan
turned and nearly collided with Vance. 

“Shit,” Logan cried out while clutching his chest. 
“Don’t do that!”

“Mel went to get Marcus,” Vance informed them.

The scream was louder now.  It sounded like Penny. 
Skyler tore down thick webs from across the tunnel and shook them from his hand
with disgust.

“I hate spiders,” he grumbled.

Logan looked toward the ceiling with concern.  “I’m
more worried about the bats,” he muttered.

Skyler gasped and shined the light at the ceiling. 
Thankfully, there weren’t any bats.  They continued along the tunnel for
several feet when a strange sound caught their attention, causing all four to
stop.  It sounded like air leaking, but the sound was loud and almost
deafening. 

“What is that?” Skyler asked slowly with fear in
his voice.

Everyone remained still and listened.  Hailey felt
a chill run down her spine as a thought occurred to her.  She slowly pushed the
flashlight in Skyler’s hand downward.  Snakes slithered along the ground before
them.  Skyler screamed and jumped away from them.  There was a cobra near Hailey’s
leg.  Hailey stared at the cobra and stood frozen.  She wanted to scream and
run, but she knew it would sink its teeth into her leg before she even
flinched.  It was almost like her dream!

“Any suggestions?” she gasped softly.

“Don’t move,” Logan announced excitedly and wiped
the sweat from his bald head.  “I’ll find a stick.”

Logan quickly searched the area surrounding him. 
Another snake slithered up Hailey’s bare ankle.  She was paralyzed from the
sensation of the creature’s body wrapping around her leg and making its way
upward.  She knew she couldn’t move, but the urge to freak out was strong.

“Guys, I could really use some help,” she whimpered
while attempting to remain still.

Skyler shined the light around the tunnel
surrounding Hailey and beyond her.  There were hundreds of snakes in the tunnel
moving toward them. 

“I found a stick!” Logan announced with enthusiasm
from several feet away and picked it up.  He saw the snake he held in his hand,
cried out, and cast it aside.  “Shit!  Wasn’t a stick!”

Vance slowly approached Hailey and lowered himself
near her legs.  The cobra hissed and turned toward him.  Vance held his hand up
to the snake and stared at it in silence.  The snake relaxed and slithered
away.  He casually removed the non-poisonous snake from Hailey’s leg.  She
exhaled with relief.  The snakes slowly slithered away from them and
disappeared deeper into the tunnel.  All three stared at Vance as he released
the snake he held.  It slithered after its buddies.  They all stared at him with
disbelief.

“What are you?  Some sort of snake charmer?” Logan
questioned with surprise.

Skyler stared at Vance with wide eyes and gasped
softly, “Charmer--”

Hailey and Logan looked at Skyler to his
realization.  Vance took the flashlight from Skyler and slowly walked through
the now-cleared tunnel.

“I suppose you could say that,” Vance replied
casually.  “I’ve always had a way with animals.”

Skyler nudged Hailey and raised his brows while
feverishly pointing at Vance.  If he gestured any faster, he’d almost certainly
injure himself.  Hailey rolled her eyes and ignored him.  Vance walked along
the tunnel with the others following directly on his heels in case more snakes
appeared.  Vance stopped and shined the light at the unusual carvings etched on
the walls.

“What do you make of this?” Vance asked.

Skyler ran his hands along the strange carvings. 
They appeared to be human faces and bodies carved in the stone.  They were
amazingly detailed and lifelike.

“Like ancient hieroglyphics, perhaps?” Skyler replied
while shaking his head.

Vance followed the wall with the flashlight. 
Skyler and Logan studied the strange carvings on the wall while following him. 
Hailey ran her hand over the human outline on the wall before her.  She felt a
strange chill running up and down her spine as if someone placed ice down her
back.  Torches on the walls suddenly erupted into flames and lit the entire
tunnel, startling the three men.  As they looked around with concern, Hailey
continued to stare at the walls.  She was almost oblivious to the torches
lighting themselves.  With the light from the torches, they could see the
entire tunnel was covered with the human-like carvings.  It was beyond
chilling.  Hailey studied one of the female carvings and ran her hand along a
rose on the woman’s breast.  Her hand trembled slightly while touching the
familiar rose.  As Hailey stared at the carving directly before her, she
witnessed ghostly men and woman emerging from the wall.  Vance, Skyler, and
Logan continued to look around and appeared completely unaware of what Hailey
was witnessing.

“I’m feeling a lot of energy,” Skyler announced
with concern as he looked around.

“What lit the torches?” Vance asked.

Hailey no longer heard their conversation.  She
stared at the ghosts stepping out of the human carvings, and it was suddenly
obvious to her what the carvings represented.  The ghostly men and women stared
helplessly at her and reached out their hands for her help.  She’d never seen
ghosts before, but according to Skyler, they’ve been drawn to her from the
moment she arrived on the island.  The men’s conversation sounded almost
distant to her as she witnessed the strangest event she’d ever seen.

“Do you suppose this was some ancient burial site?”
Skyler asked.

“Impossible,” Logan replied.  “People didn’t
populate this island until the late eighteen hundreds.”

“Maybe this is a lost civilization,” Vance
suggested and added a sly grin.

“Yeah, maybe some volcano destroyed their village
and they were mummified to the walls from the lava,” Skyler remarked.  “I’m
getting a really strange feeling from these images.”

Hailey continued to stare at the ghostly images
before her.  Amy’s frightened spirit stood before Hailey.  As she stared into
the woman’s eyes, she felt her entire body tremble.  She knew now it had been
Amy’s ghost she saw on the path.  She was already long dead when she’d followed
her into the woods, explaining her ability to disappear so fast.  Skyler
had
foreseen her death. 

“It is a burial chamber, but these people didn’t
die years ago,” Hailey softly informed them while attempting to contain her
emotions.

All three suddenly looked at her.

“How do you know that?” Vance asked with surprise
as he cast glances at her then looked back at the walls.

“Because,” she gasped softly while staring into
Amy’s ghostly eyes, “their ghosts are staring at me.”

Skyler looked at Hailey for the first time, studied
the area around her, and appeared surprised.  “My God, I see specks of light
surrounding you.  There are too many to count.”

“It was Amy’s ghost I saw in the woods,” she
informed him softly.  “They’ve been mummified into stone.”

Amy’s spirit pointed down the tunnel.  Hailey
stared in the direction Amy’s ghost pointed.

“Amy wants us to continue,” Hailey said softly.

†

T
he large, darkened room was dimly lit by candles surrounding
the crude, stone altar upon which Penny lie.  Her wrists and ankles were
attached to the altar by old, metal shackles, which she fought in vain.  Tears
streaked her face as she held back her sobs.  She was covered in scrapes and
her dress was slightly tattered from whatever had pulled her from the
corridor.  The snarling sound of unseen creatures within the darkness added to
the fear of the unknown fate awaiting her.  Someone or something could be heard
moving around the dark corners of the room, indicating the room was fairly
large.  The snarling continued but didn’t appear to get any closer.  The soft,
faint groan of someone echoed through the darkened chamber.  Penny held back
her sobs and looked around while fighting her shackles.

“Who’s there?” she cried out softly.  “Please, help
me!”

There was no response.  The groan came again, this
time louder.  It almost sounded pleased by her torment.  Someone was heard
moving closer toward the altar and the bound woman. 

†

T
he four continued to examine the etchings in the wall of the
mineshaft as they walked more slowly.  Hailey stared helplessly at several
ghosts surrounding her as she walked.  Amy remained several feet ahead and was
the only recognizable spirit Hailey could clearly make out.  Penny’s sharp,
shrill scream suddenly broke the silence, causing all four to stop with alarm. 
The scream stopped abruptly and unnaturally.  All four ran along the tunnel in
the direction of the scream and stopped when they reached a dead end. 

“It doesn’t go any further,” Vance remarked and
pounded on the wall.

“Maybe a concealed lever,” Hailey suggested.

They could hear something large moving within the
tunnel.  The sound was closing in behind them.  All four looked around and came
to the same conclusion to what they were hearing.