Beneath the Stone

There has always been this abandoned mine in the outskirts of town since I can remember. To think... to think people once worked there. I can't believe it. That place gives me an immense feeling of dread, and if I go anywhere further than 20 steps down, I start getting paranoid. I'm somewhat claustrophobic, and the hallways there are pretty narrow. I feel the world spinning around me, the walls closing in, etcetera. As a kid, I'd constantly ask about my parents about that place as I was afraid something would come out of there. They always said that there was nothing to fear. After I turned 10, we moved to a home that was a few miles away from there. I'd usually spend my afternoon near that place. Wondering about what the workers once found there. The ores, the rubies, the diamonds... Anything that was shiny.

One day, my mother asked me to buy a ring for her, since her's had fallen into the sink's drain. She didn't want to call a plumber because she "didn't want him to mess up the sink". This was understandable for me, since the last time she called one, our kitchen would get flooded after we finished washing the dishes. So she gave me the money and I went to the jewelery, and bought the most beautiful ring I could afford. The owner then handed over the ring to me and put it into a very nice case.

I start to head home when I came across Matt. He is the stupidiest human being you ever saw, he has puke green underwear, a bunch of posters with skulls in his room (don't ask how I know that. I have my methods), and smells like an athlete's foot after wearing a dirty sock and running 100 miles on a marathon.

"Oh, what's that? You bought a ring for your girlfriend? Gootchi gootchi goo..." Matt says and laughs, accompanied by his 5 cronies.

"Oh, what's that? You're wearing a clean shirt?" I backfire at him, and even hear a slight chuckle from one of his "mates".

Matt immediatly turns.

"You think that's funny?"

"Leave me alone Matt. This is for my mother."

"For your mother? This makes it even better!"

He takes the little jewelered case and runs off. I give chase and almost catch up to him until he makes a sharp turn.

Directly.

Into.

The mine.

"NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" I yell, as he runs downstairs.

"What? If it's so important, come get it!"

I hesitate before entering. Giving him an advantage. If I lost the ring, my mother would be ticked. Considering I have no more money to buy another, I have no other option but to follow him into the mine.

I don't stop. I don't even feel anything. Matt already got a headstart. I will not allow him to get another. My heart is jumping back and forth in my chest, as I descend into the dark. I come across a little lantern. I pick it up and immediatly relight the candle inside using a flint dropped on the ground. I run and suddently come across a bifurcation. I can't see Matt's footsteps on the ground, but I can hear his laughs as distant echoes.

I take the path to the right, attempting to hear any sound.

Silence...

I stand there for about 5 minutes, before deciding to continue ahead.

"MATT? MATT!" I call, in a little ray of hope that he didn't go further down. No answer, I stand there, almost bursting into tears when suddently, I feel the ground shaking. As I look to the sight, I see the wooden supports giving in. A bunch of rocks crumble down, blocking the exit.

"NO! NO! I NEED TO GET OUT!!!"

I attempt to move some rocks out of the way, to see if I can squeeze through. They're too heavy for me to push. I then give up and sit down. I attempt to scream for help but all that comes out are squeals and a jumble of words.

I sit there, for God knows how long. I can't do anything. I failed. I imagine my parents, probably sick of worry and searching for me.

When suddendly, I get a burst of adrenaline. I hear Matt, screaming at the top of his lungs. The words sound like if someone was gargling and attempting to speak at the same time.

"NO, PLEASE.... STOP, LET ME GO... HELP! SOMEONE! AAAAGH!!!"

I freeze in fear, unable to think. What is happening?

I then hear a disgusting sound of flesh ripping apart. I think to call for Matt, but I think it's better to just stay quiet. I wait... and wait... and wait. Everything is silent. All that I can hear is my heart beating and the sound of my candle lantern burning out. I then hear footsteps, as if they were leaving. My mind cannot process anything. So I decide to go further ahead. I keep walking and come across a little ladder. I go down, as quietly as I can. I then hear something scuttling along the ground. It's a spider. They completely disgust me.

"Ew. Gross..." I then stomp on the little crawling bastard. However, I step on a rock, which sends me tumbling downstairs. I black out. I wake up after what it seems one hour later. I decide not to open my eyes. Then, I hear what sounds like a mole and heavy breathing near me. My heart begins to jump again. I pretend to be dead, hoping that whatever it is, it will leave. I stay there for quite a long time when I hear the creatures going away. I open my eyes, that have now adapted to the darkness, to find out that my candle has burned away.

"Well, that ain't helping me anymore." I think to myself. But I decide to take it anyway. I then scan the place around me. I appear to be inside some kind of room. Full of bodies.

"What the..."

I get up, but immediatly drop because my legs are now completely made of jelly. I sit and take a deep breathe. What is going on? What these creatures want? Are they eating us or are they simply deranged murderers?

I scan the corpses, when something gets my attention. It's a map. I take it and scan the room a little more, and find a pen. I then proceed to draw on it to try to find out where I am.

"My God, this place is HUMOUNGOUS."

In fact it is. It is apparently the equivalent of 3 soccer fields. My eyes are darting through the piece of paper, when the blood from my hands starts smearing the paper.

"Damn it..."

I sit looking at the map for a while, trying to make apart anything in this bloody mess, when suddently, letters start appearing.

"Hello. If you are reading this then I'm probably already dead. These creatures... these mole people... they can't see, but they can hear us... Me and other miners have locked ourselves inside a room. They are going to enter... I don't know how much time I have le(illegible)der, you have one chance. The escape elevator. It will take you to a secret exit from this place. I marked it in your map. Please, it's the only way out if you are also inside this room. I can hear them clawing the door... the hinges can't hold much longer. Remember, FREEDOM LIES AB(message ends)"

For an unbelievable twist of luck, the person wrote a secret message with some chemical. The chemical must've reacted to my blood, making the message visible. I take a look at the map, then see a little area of the circled, stating "salvation". It seems to be some kind of crank elevator. The person also was kind enough to mark where I am. I walk through the doorway, when I hear the creatures coming back. I then return to where I was and play dead. I stay like this and hear the creatures drop something in the room then leave. I open my eyes when I think it's safe and I see it's Matt's body, now horribly mangled, with his chest torn apart. I then notice a little jewelered case on his hands. I take it.

"This, is mine."

I then make my way towards the elevator, stopping everytime I hear something that sounds faintly like a mole. I'm constatly checking the map, however, it's pretty difficult telling stuff apart when there's blood all over it. I then feel my head becoming numb. I put my hand over it and find out that I've cut it. I then start feeling dizzy. Remember that I'm claustrophobic? Yes, I'm finally feeling the effects. I once again sit down, thinking that the walls are closing in. I then have a panic attack. I start yelling, when I then hear the mole beings coming. With a lot of effort, I can finally contain myself. When I come back to Earth, I'm in a dead end. I then notice the creatures heading towards me. I don't want to describe them. You don't need to be traumatized. The thing starts heading closer and closer. It's attempting to sniff me out. It can feel the scent of blood. I think fast. I need to do something. I pick up a little pebble and throw it away from me. The creature hears the sound and goes after it. I then run as quietly as I can towards the elevator when I hear the creatures approaching once again. I run as fast as I can, which is not an easy task paired with my claustrophobia. I feel my heart about to explode, but I can't stop. I can't let those things catch me. I hear them getting closer... I feel the hallway is stretching... But I must do it... I won't give up... not now.

I finally reach the elevator and immediatly close the door. However, the face of one of these things blocks me from shutting the door completely. I then pick up my burned out lantern and smash it in the face of the creature, making it back off. I start the elevator and it slowly goes up, shaking constantly on it's rickety ride... I reach the surface. It's night. I continue my mad dash. I don't know for how long I ran, or where I was running to. I just ran, in the hope that I could get away from everywhere. To a safe place. I black out once more.

I wake up in the hospital. I don't understand what happened. The doctor then explained to me that I passed out from exaustion and that I was found by a man that was going for a walk with his dog in the morning. He had found me in a miserable state then brought me to the hospital. My mother was mad for me for going into the mine, but also reliefed to see me alive. They talked to me for a little while. I told them the story about Matt, but first I asked my mother to leave the room. I never told them about the mole people, they wouldn't believe. I would be sent to a mental hospital. They asked me about Matt. I told them I didn't know where he was. The questionary was over. My mother walked in.

"Hey mom."

I show her the little jewelered case, with the shiny ring with a diamond inside.

"Surprise."

A few days later, the doctors then tell me I'm alright to leave. On the way back home, I walk past the mine that is now blocked off with duct tape stating "CONDEMNED".

To think... to think people once worked there.