Hellhole: An Anthology of Subterranean Terror

PIT OF GHOSTS Kirsten Cross

Knock knock…

A tapping on the walls. Echoes through the tunnels.

Knock knock…

A place where light is life and darkness is death.

Knock knock…

Welcome to the underground world of the Coblynau, deep underneath the Welsh hills where coal and sometimes even gold was hewn from the rock face by bare-chested men and carted to the surface by blackened, soot-covered ponies. Where a canary could warn of lethal gas pockets with a last, haunting song before it dropped dead to the bottom of its cage. Where men’s lives were cheap, and the mine owners regarded dead children as an everyday nuisance. The cost of cave-ins was calculated in money, not lives.

Eventually, the picks and drills fell silent. The mines closed, and the communities died.

Still, if you pushed past the wrought-iron gates, the rusty padlocks and the “DANGER! DO NOT ENTER ‒ MINE UNSTABLE” red and white signs, you could hear the distant sounds of an abandoned world.

The dripping of water.

The sound of creaking timber supports.

And occasionally, in the dead of night, ‘Knock, knock… ’

Morfa Colliery had a deeply unsettling history. With a series of disasters throughout the 19th century and hundreds of lives lost, it had earned itself the moniker, the Pit of Ghosts.

Huh.

Pit of Hell, more like.

The sweat, the tears, the broken hearts and shattered bones — they were all still down there, caked in thick, choking dust. The Earth didn’t want these miners here, but She didn’t want to give up their bones, either. It was payment. A debt due for allowing men to scavenge black coal out of the dark and silent depths. Tap, tap, tapping away with their pathetic little sticks, blasting great gashes and fractures into the rock with explosives.

Occasionally, the Earth fought back. It could happen at any second. The men knew that with every blow they could be unleashing a wall of death. The Earth was merciless. She took life after life, both underground and in the respiratory ward of the local hospital, where men gasped and choked their last breath, their lungs filled with cancer and black dust.

Then, the Earth started to claim more lives — a higher and higher payment for the black and gold riches men ripped from the darkness. The Pit of Ghosts earned its grisly name time and time again. Four men killed in 1858. A further forty in 1863. Another twenty-nine souls consigned to the ever-dark hell in 1870. Then eighty-nine men killed in the explosion of 1890, despite warnings from the pit workers just days before. The mine wasn’t safe, damn it. The men weren’t safe. You need to get them out of there, now!

Warnings were ignored. So the men died, the dust choking their lungs, the mountain’s intestines crushing their bones. Pockets of lethal gas ignited into roaring infernos that were over in a heartbeat and left nothing but scorched earth behind. The fire back-drafted down the tunnels and spewed up and out of the shafts, venting at the top of the winding pit. The flames enveloped the massive lifting wheel at the top, bringing it crashing down. Below ground, poor quality timbers used to shore up the roof crumbled like stale bread and brought thousands of tons of rocks crashing down on the remaining frail, terrified men. Their lives were snuffed out instantly, although those who found shelter from the rockfalls and pit-gas fire died slowly.

There were even reports that the last few had resorted to eating the flesh of their dead comrades, before finally succumbing to the blackness of Morfa Mine…

“THAT’S BULLSHIT. YOU made that last bit up, dude.”

Alex Davis had paid good money for a ghost tour of the mines his ancestors used to toil in, but shit, cannibalism was taking things a bit far, even if this was the first tour and the guide wanted to ratchet up the atmosphere a notch to impress his boss. He glared at Joshua, the tour guide who had recounted the grisly tale of Morfa Mine. “There’s absolutely no proof that anyone went around eating their mates, buddy. I mean, I get scaring a customer is part of the whole ‘obbly-woobly’ fuckin’ ghost tour experience BS, little man, but cannibalism? In Wales?” The American snorted.

Joshua Llewellyn-Jones, Jay to his friends, fixed a smile on his face that went no further than the corners of his mouth. The customer’s always right, the customer’s always right… He was acutely aware of the penetrating gaze burning into the back of his neck from Adam Hughes, PR guru for the company that had taken over the old mine and now organized tours for the gullible. The people on this personal tour had paid a pretty hefty premium for the “small group” rate, so it was Jay’s job to make sure they got their money’s worth. Cannibalism seemed like a good idea at the time, so he fronted the American’s challenge.

“I can assure you, sir, it’s not. Bones have been recovered from within the mine that had cut marks on them, cut marks that could only have been made as a starving miner hacked off the flesh with a knife… and ate it.” He grinned, knowing this was total bullshit.

The American’s eyes widened. “Really? Well, shit—” Alex whipped out his camera, taking pictures of anything he could find.

Adam Hughes, publicity executive for Grant Holdings, the new owners of the mine, sidled up to Jay and patted him on the shoulder. “Nice save, Josh. And how did you know about the bones?”

Jay looked at Adam. “I didn’t. I genuinely made that bit up. Well, let’s be honest here, I’m making all of it up, right?”

Adam patted his shoulder again, a strange look on his face not quite disguised by a smile. “Yeah. Whatever you say, fella—”

“Um, guys? We’re getting some seriously weird readings up here.”

Ahead, in the tunnel, a group of four people clustered around a hand-held device that was currently blinking like a set of mini-traffic lights. Bright green LEDs flashed like fireflies in the gloom.

“Christ. What now?” Ewan Jones muttered under his breath. Six foot three, and with muscles that made him look like a prop forward rugby player, Jones was a blue-eyed, cynical ex-squaddie who was finding the adjustment to civvy life tough. Ghost hunters were pretty low down on his list of “people you should respect the fuck out of,” just below Taliban fighters and REME mechanics. The ex-soldier was only on the tour because Adam Hughes didn’t go anywhere without his own personal bodyguard. The company had received threats as soon as they’d taken over the mine to run their ghost tours, and people further up the food chain than Alex had decided to take the threats seriously. Ewan never thought he’d end up doing CPP duties to a PR prick on a haunted mine tour, but hey. Here he was. Anything to earn a living, right?

The gaggle up ahead consisted of three men and one woman. Two of the men, David and Ifan, muttered to one another in Welsh. They were local lads who’d ticket-hopped because they were friends of Jay and the tour needed to make up the numbers.

The final couple was Matt and Louise Williams, ghost hunters extraordinaire and kitted out with all the latest sensors, infrared cameras and sound recording equipment, all packed into two bulky camera bags.

Louise flicked a lock of red hair out of her eyes as her fringe flopped forward. She thrust the flashing piece of equipment towards Jay and grinned. “Waddya think of that?”

Jay shrugged. “Miss, I have no idea what I’m looking at. My guess would be that the bats have set your little flashy bleepy thing off, if I’m honest.”

“Bats?”

“Yeah. Bats. Or, ooh yeah, I didn’t think of that.”

“What? Didn’t think of what? Dude, you’re supposed to be our damn guide down here. What are we looking at? Bats or something else?” Matt’s voice had a tinge of annoyance threading through.

Jay looked down the tunnel and then back at the ghost hunters. “Well, it could be the flock of skeletal canaries that swoop through these tunnels.”

Louise looked at Jay. “Canaries.”

“Yep.”

“Skeletal canaries?”

“Yeah, ya know? Small yellow birds. About yay big.” He held out his hands palm to palm. “They go cheep-cheep a lot—”

Louise bristled. “I know what canaries are, thanks. What would they be doing down here?”

Jay mentally shifted through his tour notes stored in his brain and picked out the one marked Skeletal Canaries. “Miners used canaries to warn them of pockets of explosive gases in the tunnels. Now, they fly around the mine tunnels, forever warning the unwary of the dangers hidden in the darkness. They fear only fire, they feast on flesh. The legend goes, if you hear their warning cry then your blood will boil and burst from your veins.” He added a “Kaboom-splat” hand gesture for emphasis.

“Boiling blood.” Louise pursed her lips.

“Yep.”

“Feasting on flesh.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You are so full of shit, you know that?” Louise glared at Jay. “We’re here to do a serious investigation of one of the most haunted places in Wales, and you’re feeding us bullshit flying skeletal canaries stories? What do you think we are, fucking amateurs?”

“Easy, Lou. The guy’s just doing his job.” Matt laid a hand on Louise’s arm and shook his head. “Listen, fella, let’s keep the tourist ghost stories to a minimum and just focus on the evidence, okay?”

Jay sighed and nodded. “Okay. I won’t bother telling you about the Knockers, then.”

Matt stopped staring at his bleeping, flashing EMF reader and focused on Jay. “The what?”

“The Knockers. The Coblynau. I guess you don’t want to hear about them, right?”

“I would.” Alex flashed a friendly smile at Jay. “Don’t worry about the Scooby gang over there, buddy. Some of us are here to find out more about this place, and that includes its legends. My great great grand-pappy worked this mine.” He paused, and a dark look crossed his face. “Right up to the point that they canned him.”

“Why’d they do that?”

“Because he was a union man.” Alex straightened up a little. “He fought hard to try and get better conditions for the guys down here. So the company accused him of theft and he got deported to the US. Ended up working in the coal mines in Pennsylvania. Died in a cave-in.” Alex paused. “You see? This place is in my heritage, buddy. So you carry on with your stories because us Americans? Yeah, we love all that shit.” He slapped Jay on the shoulder and let out a laugh.

“Our great great grand-pops were probably friends, Yank.” Ewan flashed a smile. “My ancestors worked this mine, too.”

“No way! That’s awesome!” Alex grinned back at Ewan. “We’re probably related somewhere along the line, right?”

“No doubt.” Ewan tried hard not to roll his eyes.

“Well, it seems we all have some connection to this place, then. Jay, how about you lead the way in and we’ll see if we can find some of these… what did you call them?” Adam paused.

“Coblynau,” Jay filled in the gap. “And believe me, sir, you wouldn’t want to find them. Unless you’re a miner.”

Matt interrupted, “You still haven’t told us what they are, fella.”

Jay stared hard at Matt. “Evil, mate. They’re pure evil.”

THE WALK THROUGH the tunnels to the next point of interest kept the group busy for ten minutes. The oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere of the tunnel pressed in on them. The air was so thick and humid that you could almost chew it. Even Ewan, a man who’d spent six months rooting out Taliban insurgents in the caves and tunnels of the Tora Bora mountains, started to feel uncomfortable.

The old timbers creaked as they passed under them. The constant drip-drip-drip of water became a torture that burrowed into the group’s consciousness and made the hairs on the backs of their necks stand on end. The darkness was dense. Impenetrable. It was…

Shit. The darkness was moving. Straight towards them. Shit. SHIT!

“Um, Jay?” David’s voice wavered. “Jay? Is there another group in here? Because—”

His words were cut off mid-sentence as the cloud of bats whooshed and swooped around the group. Matt let out a yell and Louise screamed as the fluttering forms streamed past them. The swarm circled and started chittering. Initially, the sound was barely within the range of human hearing. But then it got louder. Louder. Louder. Everyone covered their ears, trying to block out the sound. They tried to take shelter as the swarm, acting as one, bombarded them. Louise’s screams echoed through the tunnel as she was hit time and time again.

Blood flowed down her cheeks as she flailed against her tiny attackers. She fell to the tunnel floor and curled into the fetal position, trying to defend herself against the bats, who poured down and covered her body.

The shriek of an airhorn sent the swarm back into the air and chittering off into the darkness. Ifan stood with the canister in his hand, ready to give the horn a second blast if needed.

“Where’d you find that?” Alex stared at the young Welsh lad.

“Carry one in my pack, see?” Ifan grinned. “Always do. Bloody bats are a nuisance when they start all that. If they can’t find an escape route they just circle and circle and circ—”

“Lou!” Matt dropped down next to his wife. She was still fetal.

“Christ… ” Ewan turned to Ifan. “Got a medi kit in that pack of yours, fella?”

“Boyo, I’m a potholer. We never go anywhere without a medi kit.” Ifan opened his pack and pulled out a green pouch.

“I’m okay. I’m okay.” Louise unfurled and sat up. Her face was covered in scratches, none of which were particularly deep, but there were enough to make her look like she’d gone face-first through a car windscreen.

“We need to get you out of here, babes.” Matt fussed and started trying to clean the blood off her face and hands with a wipe from Ifan’s medi pouch.

“No.” Louise shook her head. “There’s no way. This place is amazing. I can feel them, Matt. I can feel them!”

“What’s she on about?” Ewan frowned and handed Matt another antiseptic wipe.

“Lou’s psychic,” Matt responded, giving Ewan a little smile. “Seriously. She’s better than an EMF detector.”

Ewan sighed and glanced briefly at Jay. “Oh, great. Now there’s two of you giving it the ghoulies and ghosties bullshit.”

“It’s not fucking bullshit, you hired thug!” Louise flared and balled her fists. “I can hear them calling out for help. Just because you can’t, doesn’t mean they’re not there.”

Ewan opened his mouth to give the woman a sharp retort when Adam laid a hand on his arm and hissed in his ear. “Let’s not upset the paying guests, shall we, Ewan? I insist.”

Ewan moved away from the “distraught, bloodied psychic and her doting husband” tableau. He felt vulnerable. Exposed. This mine was giving him the creeps. For the umpteenth time since his demob from the army six months earlier, he found his hand going to where his sidearm should’ve been. His fingers patted empty thigh and he balled a fist in frustration. He muttered quietly to himself. “Can’t hear a fucking thing.”

But he could. They all could. You didn’t need to be a psychic to hear the bone-chilling wail that floated down the tunnel.

“The fuck was that?” David snapped on his torch and shone it up the tunnel. “Jay, you sure there aren’t any other parties in here?”

“No. We’re the only ones.” Jay’s torch beam joined David’s and the light punched deep into the darkness.

“You did hear that, right?”

“Of course I did.” Jay’s fingers tightened around his torch and he edged forward. “Hello? Anyone out there? Hello?”

The group followed Jay’s slow and steady path along the old tracks. Up ahead they could see that the tunnel opened out into a larger space. The tunnel roof timbers creaked as they passed underneath, and little falls of dirt and dust rained down on them.

“I don’t like this.” Ewan scowled and turned to Adam. “Sir, this tunnel isn’t safe. I suggest we go back to the entrance.”

“You’re letting your imagination run away with you, Ewan. We wouldn’t have opened the mine up to parties if we didn’t think it was safe.”

A thunderous crack echoed down the tunnel and the rumble of large amounts of earth shifting roared through the mine. The shockwave nearly knocked the group off their feet.

Alex snapped his head around and saw a dust cloud billowing towards them. It moved with terrifying speed. Rocks bounced and rolled in front of the cloud, spinning in the air and crashing back down, sending shards of jagged shale through the air like black daggers.

“Cave in! RUN!” Ewan shoved Alex in the back. Matt, Louise, Jay and Adam were already sprinting towards the open area in front. Screw the bats; they’d rather face a bunch of black flapping mammals than tons of crushing rocks. The group dived into the open space as the last of the collapsed ceiling smashed into the floor where they’d been standing seconds earlier. The rumbling subsided until the only sound they could hear was the occasional pebble clattering down the rockfall.

The fine dust made them all cough and splutter, but, eventually, it subsided. The cavern fell quiet as the last pebble clunked and clinked its way down the wall of boulders and came to rest at Adam’s feet. In the heart of the pebble was a glint of metal.

His eyes widened. Gold.

Welsh gold.

He scooped up the stone and stuffed it in his pocket. Once they made it out of this hole in the ground then screw the ghost tours, they’d be firing up the mine again looking for more gold. Gold. His heart skipped a beat.

Fucking GOLD!

He barely heard Ewan speak, so focused was he on that hard lump of shale in his pocket. He refocused back as he heard Ewan say, “Where’s the other two?”

“What other two?”

Ewan pointed at Jay. “Your mates, fella. The potholer with the medi pack and the other guy.”

Jay felt panic rise in his throat. “David and Ifan. Shit. SHIT. They’re on the other side of that.” He pointed at the rock-fall. “DAVID! IFAN! Can you hear me? David, Ifan!” Jay scrambled up the rock-fall. There was a tiny gap at the very top. He slipped and slid back down again. “DAVID! IFAN!”

From the other side of the rock-fall came David’s voice, “We’re okay. You guys alright in there? Is anyone hurt?”

Jay looked around. Apart from being covered from head to foot in dust, the party seemed relatively intact. He returned his focus to the rock-fall. “Yeah, we’re okay. Can you get out?”

“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?”

“We keep going. The way out is down here.”

“Down?” Adam shook his head. “No. We can’t go down. That way was blocked after the cave-in of 1890.”

Jay stared at the man. “How do you know that?”

Adam looked nervous. “I… um… well, I guess we’ve all got our connections to this pit of ghosts, haven’t we? My great great grandfather was in charge of this section when it blew.” He ran his hand through his dirty hair. “I never knew much about it. The family didn’t mention it. Ya know.” He shrugged. “A lot of people died that day.”

“And David Hughes told the blasters where to set the charges.” Ewan stood over Adam. “Eighty-nine people dead. Including my great great grandfather.” He got closer to Adam until their faces almost touched. There was a dark cast in Ewan’s eyes. “With his last breath he cursed ten generations of your family, so it’s said. The mine will take you all, one by one.” Ewan let out a little laugh. “Ironic, isn’t it?”

“What?” Adam met Ewan’s gaze.

“That I’d be the one protecting your arse.”

“Do you believe in curses?” scoffed Adam.

“Do you?” Ewan snarled back.

“Guys, as much as I get your whole ‘the sins of my fathers’ therapy session, we got bigger issues to deal with here, don’t ya think?” Alex pointed back towards the way they’d come. He turned to Jay. “Okay, buddy. Me and the two Ghostbusters wanna get the hell outta here. You gonna make that happen?”

Jay nodded. “There’s another way through.” He stood up. “We need to get moving.”

Louise and Matt hauled their bags up and stood next to Alex. “And we’re not Ghostbusters, mate,” Matt growled. “We’re paranormal investigators.”

“Yeah, whatever, neckbeard. You want my advice?”

“No!”

“Getting it anyway. Lose the bags. They’ll just slow you down.”

Louise snapped back at the American. “Lose the bags? Do you have any idea how much this kit is worth?”

“Is it worth your lives?” Ewan strolled to the front of the group, leaving his boss sitting on a rock. “The Yank’s right. That stuff will just slow you down. You can always come back for it or, oh, I dunno, sue the tour company for the value of it?” He glanced back at Adam and smirked. “They’ve got plenty of money burning a hole in their pockets, haven’t they, Adam?”

Without thinking, Adam put his hand in his pocket and closed his fingers around the lump of stone. He felt the cold vein of gold running through the shale. Adam smiled in the gloom. More money than you’ll ever have, motherfucker! He stood up and stared at the ex-soldier. “We’ll make sure everyone has their ticket prices reimbursed and a complimentary tour once the mine has been made safe again.” He smiled a PR smile. “You have my word on that.”

“Safe? From creatures that tear you to pieces? Safe?” Louise’s voice was shrill. “Are you kidding me?”

Jay interrupted them. “If we want to get out of here alive, then I really suggest we leave the compensation claims until we get to the surface, don’t you?” He started walking down a tunnel. Screw waiting around for the rest of them. He wanted out of this pit of ghosts right fucking now.

A flapping and chittering stopped him in his tracks. Behind him, a worried Matt peered over his shoulder. “More bats?”

A white, ghostly form flickered out of the darkness, chirruping and tweeting. Behind it, a flurry of fluttering sent swirling vortexes through the dust-filled air.

“I don’t think these are bats.” Jay’s eyes widened in horror as a tiny skeletal bird fluttered in front of him. Empty eye sockets stared back at him as the canary buzzed and darted in front of his face. It opened its beak and let out a trill of notes so loud, so brittle and so penetrating that they were physically painful. Jay instantly felt blood gush from his nose. He yelled, “COVER YOUR EARS!”

The group covered their ears and dropped to the ground, trying to stay as low as possible.

A second later, the flock burst from the darkness and poured onto the crouching group like a swarm of angry bees. They seemed to target Louise, pecking and tangling in her red hair. The shrill chittering and cheeping reached a crescendo. Louise screamed, flailing at the birds and trying to get away from their pin-sharp little beaks. Each peck drew more blood.

Her handbag dropped from her shoulder and fell open. A bottle of perfume rolled out and came to rest next to Ewan’s feet. He scooped up the bottle, flicking off the lid with his finger. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter. Positioning the lighter immediately in front of the perfume bottle’s nozzle, he pressed down on the spray and ignited the lighter at the same time.

A jet of flame shot out and towards the canaries. Two caught in the first blast, immediately combusted, and crashed backwards into the main flock. The birds began to fall to the floor, flapping and thrashing, screeching all the while. Ewan, still sending out jets of perfumed flames into the flock, stamped on the skeletal birds, grinding their fragile bones into dust underneath his heel.

The rest of the flock circled upwards and, with one last chorus, fluttered back into the darkness.

“Holy fuck.” Alex uncovered his ears and slowly stood. “This place is the worst fucking theme park ever.” He turned to Ewan. “Nice work with the improvised flamethrower there, MacGyver.”

In the corner, a battered and bleeding Louise sobbed loudly. “Why do they keep going after me? Why?”

“You’ve got red hair. It’s thought to be seriously unlucky in a mine to have red hair,” Jay answered matter-of-factly and shrugged. “Perhaps put a hat on?”

“Fuck you!” Louise snapped back. “You’re the guide, aren’t you supposed to be getting us out of here?”

“Then get up, pull your panties up and let’s go.” Jay’s voice was sharper than he meant it to be, and he held a hand up. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m as scared as you are. The only thing we can do is keep going, okay?”

“The kid’s right.” Alex stood next to Jay.

“Thanks for the moral support, but I’m twenty-five, buddy. Not a kid. Shall we get our arses moving?” Jay turned to Adam. “Oh, by the way, dickhead, once we’re out of here, I quit, okay?” Jay flicked the finger at Adam, turned back to the tunnel, and stepped forward.

Just in time, Ewan grabbed his arm and hauled him back from the edge of the huge shaft right in the middle of the track.

“Fuck!” Jay swayed backwards, pivoted and grabbed Ewan around the waist. “Damn this place, whose bright idea was it to open a fucking crappy old mine as an attraction anyway?” He staggered away from the shaft and sat down heavily in the dirt. “Can you see any way around that thing, Ewan?”

Ewan scanned the tunnel with his torch, the beam bouncing off solid rock. The shaft filled the entire floor. It was too wide to jump across. Ewan shook his head. “Nope. It’s a choice. Back that way—” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “…and back into the warm embrace of the Coblynau, or down that.” He pointed to the side of the shaft.

Jay scowled at the big man. “How do you know they’re Coblynau?”

Ewan paused briefly, and then shrugged. “Process of elimination, fella. You mentioned them earlier. I figured they were scary-evil enough to be what you described, am I right?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. I’ve never seen one before. Because if I had, you can be damn sure I wouldn’t be back here today.” Jay peered down into the shaft. “Oh. Goody. It’s a rickety, rusty old ladder that looks like it’s been there since God was a lad. What the fuck did they mine here? Horror story clichés?”

Matt sighed. “Look, Louise is pretty beaten up. We need more of a plan than just run away all the time.”

“You want to tell them that you need a time out?” Alex’s voice sounded full of fear.

Behind them, the Coblynau edged forward. Every time a light beam from one of the group’s torches hit them, they hissed and recoiled. But as soon as the light moved somewhere else, they crept forward again. Some skittered up the walls and onto the tunnel roof, hissing and chittering with every cat-cautious creep.

Now, the group could see the Coblynau in all their gory detail. Their arms and legs were elongated with the flesh hanging off the bones in tatters. Stocky, muscular bodies were crisscrossed with blue veins and covered in alabaster skin that had a strange translucency. It made them look as if they were covered in thin tissue paper. Huge milky eyes stared back at them, filled with hatred.

And pain. Terrible, terrible pain.

Behind the snarling faces, the slashing, hooked fingers and toes that let them hang from the walls of the mine like geckos, and scarred, muscular torsos, were what remained of once-proud, strong men. These creatures, these Coblynau of myth and terrible legend, were the miners who had toiled in a black world beyond the sun, where death waited for them all in a blast of mine gas or a cave-in that would bury them alive. They didn’t want to be here. They never wanted to be here. But their fate, and the entrance to the mine, had been sealed in that massive explosion. Now the light was creeping back into their dark tomb. New people were coming. People who would drive them ever deeper into the darkest passages, the deepest shafts, the most forgotten of places.

People who would take their gold.

Pain and sadness fermented over the years. It thickened. It dissolved their humanity until all that was left was fury. A terrible, burning rage that was directed towards anyone connected with those who had left them to their doom.

People like Adam Hughes. People who saw profit in exploitation, who cared about the gold, not the men.

They could smell the gold. They could hear its call. It was right there, sitting in his pocket. And they wanted it back…

“They don’t like the light.” Ewan watched as the Coblynau flinched and hissed, the second the torch beam hit them. Keeping his eyes locked firmly on the swarm, he whispered at Jay. “You got anything in your pack that might keep them busy?”

“What, you mean like a flare?” Jay held up a cardboard tube.

“D’ya know, I genuinely wasn’t expecting that.” Ewan grinned at the Coblynau, who stared back silently and then let out a chorus of hisses and screeches. Ewan, his eyes still glued on the undead enemy, spoke rapidly. “Okay. I need you to hand me the flare and then get everyone down the shaft. It doesn’t look too deep, but be careful of that ladder.”

“Yeah, they’re way ahead of us on that bit.” Jay looked around to see the top of Adam’s head disappearing below the edge of the shaft. The creak of rusty iron bolts straining within an inch of snapping drifted into the tunnel as Louise stepped on to the first rung, immediately followed by Matt and Alex.

Jay focused his attention back on Ewan. “What do we do?”

Ewan reached out behind him. “Give me the flare. Then get down the shaft. If I don’t follow you, then get running and keep running until you hit daylight.”

“What about you? Those things’ll kill you!”

“I’ll be fine. Go. GO!”

Jay frowned. “You’re sure?”

“Don’t make me push you down the honking big hole, little man.” Ewan shooed Jay towards the shaft with a wave of his hand. “Now, off you fuck, there’s a good lad.”

He didn’t bother to watch Jay scramble down the hole. The Coblynau were creeping ever closer, like a pack of lions hunting a lame wildebeest. They chittered and hissed. A bold one skittered across the ceiling and dropped down in front of Ewan. It reared up on its hind legs, threw its arms wide, and let out a long, wailing shriek.

“Noisy bastard, ain’t ya?” Ewan snarled, popped the top off the flare, stepped forward and thrust it straight into the open maw of the Coblynau. “Chew on that, motherfucker!”

He sprang back, rolled, and let himself tip over the lip of the shaft, grabbing at the ladder. He felt a bolt pop. The ladder started to creek ominously. Ewan felt gravity kick in as the flaking metal crumbled in his hands and the ladder detached from the wall. “Bugger—” Another bolt popped, and then another. In quick succession, the century-old iron bolts gave way and, still clutching the ladder, Ewan dropped. He rapidly shimmied down the disintegrating steps, knowing that in a race between him and gravity, the universal force was going to kick his arse pretty hard in three… two… one…

The ladder parted company with the shaft wall and Ewan tumbled down the last few feet. He landed at the bottom in a heap and immediately kicked the rotten ladder away from him. The landing hadn’t been too bad. He did a quick pat-down check to make sure no bones were broken. All good. Ewan stood and looked up. The roof of the tunnel suddenly lit up with a bright red glow. The Coblynau let out a chorus of wails as their leader’s body burst into flames, ignited by the flare Ewan had shoved unceremoniously into its mouth. Ewan smiled. That should keep them busy for a few minutes at least.

He turned and ran after the group, who were already a few hundred meters down the tunnel. He caught up with them and jogged to the front, where a determined-looking Jay was scanning the route ahead. Ewan was impressed with the lad. He had guts, was resourceful, and pretty damn brave, too.

“How we doing, Jay?” Ewan trotted alongside the lad.

“These tracks should take us to the old south exit point. The slope’s facing the right way. The south exit was cut lower into the mountain face, that’s why it’s lower down than the entry point we came in. It’s weird shit, but it was designed so the ponies would be able to walk downhill away from the coal face and out to the processing yard in the valley.”

“Mate, I don’t care how fucking weird this mine layout is, as long as we get out,” Alex’s lazy American drawl floated from behind them.

“Yeah, how much further is it, fella? I want to get Lou to a doctor before these scratches get infected.”

Matt sounded worried, despite Louise muttering, “I’m fine. Stop fussing,” in response.

“A way out would be pretty damn good about now, lad. No pressure, obviously, but it would be pretty fucking amazing if you could actually do your job and get us the hell out of here.” Adam’s voice joined the chorus.

Jay suddenly stopped and rounded on them. “Look, I’m doing my best, okay? Usually, tours don’t factor in zombie flesh-eating miners and fucking skeletal canaries. You see these?” He pointed at the rusting remains of rail tracks embedded into the floor of the tunnel. “We keep following these. They’ll take us out. We may get a bit dirty and shit, but if you prefer hanging around until the Knockers come for you and suck your eyeballs out, then be my fucking guests.” He huffed a couple of times. The rant had been bubbling inside him for at least an hour now.

“What’s that?” Louise held up a hand.

“What’s what?” Alex stared at her. “Getting another ping on your ghost-o-meter, lady?”

“No, I hear it, too.” Adam looked behind him. “It’s a kind of rumble. Shit. Another cave-in?”

“No, that’s water.” Ewan frowned at Jay. “As in a LOT of water.”

The group looked down the tunnel. First to hit them, was the pressure wave, driven hundreds of meters in front of the water and enough to make even the six-foot-four Ewan stagger.

Then, something even more terrifying than the thought of a wall of foaming water smashing into them came into view. First, it was just a white taloned hand, the tips of the finger bones poking through tattered skin and trailing tendons. Then a wrist. Then an arm. Then, shining like alabaster and snarling like a demon, came the face of the first Coblynau. It crept towards the group, hissing and chirruping, cackling and cawing. Behind it, answering its chatter with their own screeches and yelps, came the rest of the swarm. They kept their distance, but it wouldn’t be long before they gathered up the courage to rush the group.

“Stop staring at the fuckers and RUN.” Ewan spun Matt and Louise around and shoved them hard. “JAY, GET US OUT OF HERE!” Already the roar of the water was getting louder and louder. Mist floated down the tunnel as the advancing tsunami churned and crashed. The group were already running when the foam wall turned the corner and bore down on the Coblynau, who reacted far, far too late. The creatures just about managed to utter a single united screech before the water slammed into them.

You can outrun most things, but you can’t outrun water. The group were next. The boiling, thrashing wave smashed into them and lifted them off their feet as if they were made of balsawood. Everyone tried to swim with the flow, but the overwhelming force of the tidal wave was too much.

Matt made a grab for Louise just before she disappeared under the water. He managed to snatch the back of her jacket and the two clung to one another for what seemed like an eternity, as they were swept down the tunnel on the worst fucking slip-and-slide ever.

Everyone bounced and slammed against the sides, trying to keep their faces turned up and grabbing any lungful of air they could.

Alex grabbed Adam and the two of them slammed into a rocky outcrop in the wall. With his free hand, Alex held on to the rock, wedging his fingers into cracks and crevices in a desperate bid to get some purchase. He gritted his teeth and strained as Adam was pulled away from his grip by the water. He let out a grunt of effort as he hauled the drowning man back towards the outcrop and relative safety. Adam, almost spent and half-drowned, coughed up a lungful of putrid mine water from the bottom of his lungs, wrapped an arm around the outcrop, and held on for dear life.

The water was slowing, and the level dropped slightly. There was now a gap of around three feet between the roof of the tunnel and the surface of the water. Debris floated past — broken timbers, the smashed remains of a cart, bodies…

Jay watched as the limp form of a Coblynau floated past him, dead at last. As the tattered body bumped past, it suddenly erupted from the water in a foaming fury and made a lunge for him. Jay kicked at the water and swam as hard as he could, feeling the creature’s bony fingers scrape at his back. Jay got sucked beneath the surface briefly, and then felt a hand close around the back of his neck. He struggled and fought against the grip, but it held fast and dragged him back up into a small air pocket.

Jay lashed out, expecting to make contact with rotting skin and a snarling maw. Instead, he came face to face with a bedraggled Ewan, who managed to dodge Jay’s fist. “Easy, fella, I got ya.”

The body of the Coblynau floated past, face down and with a large length of wood embedded in its neck. Ewan helped Jay to the side of the tunnel and they clung to the rock, watching the body float away. “Nasty little bastard nearly had you, mate.” Ewan grinned.

“What the hell are you grinning for?” Jay squeaked. His brain was at the point of no return, yet the ex-soldier seemed to be almost enjoying himself.

“Because it’s nearly over, little man. It’s nearly over. You’ll be fine.”

Before Jay could ask the man what he meant, Adam shouted out. “Light! There’s light, can you see it? We’ve made it!”

“Oh my god, he’s right.” Louise yelped and wriggled free of Matt’s grasp. “Come on, the water’s dropping, I can feel the bottom.” She stumbled and staggered through the water, which was still up to her chest and filled with mine detritus. She pushed away the body of the Coblynau as it drifted past her, recoiling from the touch of rotting skin that flaked away from the body and floated in the water like wet tissue paper.

“I can feel the rails.” Alex pushed himself away from the rock outcrop and stumbled, briefly disappearing underneath the surface of the water before reappearing, spluttering and coughing. “Man, that water tastes real nasty!”

He waded forward towards the light. It bounced and flickered, luring them all forward like moths towards a flame. “Hello?” Alex called out. “Help us, please, we’re stuck down here!”

The light swayed back and forth in response, as if signaling to them.

“Can you hear me? I’m down here. Help me!” Adam yelled towards the light and shoved his way past Alex, ignoring the robust, “Asshole… ” curse that followed him.

Jay peered into the light. The whole tunnel was lighting up with a strange green glow. He looked down. The water was phosphorescing, enveloping the whole cavern in a strange, otherworldly luminance. A hushed chittering filled the tunnel, and Jay glanced back. Hanging from the tunnel roof and walls, staying just out of reach of the water, the remaining Coblynau nattered and chattered, all staring towards the light. Jay had watched how they recoiled from light before, so why were they so mesmerized by this source? He watched as they swayed their heads back and forth, never once taking their milky white eyes off the light source, and all the time chittering like demented grasshoppers.

No.

Something wasn’t right.

Jay felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and he shouted out a warning. “Wait!”

Adam ignored him and stumbled on, pushing past Louise and Matt. “I can pay you. See? Get me out of here and you’ll be a rich man, that’s a promise.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the lump of shale.

Even in the strange green light that filled the tunnel, the glint of gold was unmistakable. Adam held the rock up.

Behind, the chittering and chattering of the Coblynau abruptly stopped. A low hissing started, rising ever louder and louder. Figures skittered across the ceiling, ignoring the rest of the group below, who flinched and ducked as the Coblynau swarmed above them.

Jay started forward and then felt a strong hand on his arm. He looked back at Ewan. The big man had a strange look on his face. “Don’t, lad.” Ewan shook his head. “This is how it has to be. Don’t interfere.”

“What?”

“Trust me. This isn’t about you.” Ewan shook his head again and then simply stared towards the light.

The glow got closer. Out of the darkness, a shadowy figure approached.

Adam spluttered. “Thank god! It’s about time you guys got us out of here. What are you, Search and Rescue? Fire Brigade? Did the company send you? They did, didn’t they?” He let out a shout of laughter. “Ha! See? I knew they’d come for me.” He spun and looked at the group. “Lucky you had me with you, right?”

Alex raised a shaking hand and pointed. “Buddy, I don’t call that lucky. And I don’t think he’s Search and Rescue, either.”

Adam turned back to look at his rescuer. He choked back a wail.

Alabaster white skin covered a muscular torso streaked with blue veins and mine dirt. He held aloft the miner’s lamp in his powerful arms, swinging it hypnotically from side to side. His trousers were ragged and tattered, ending just below the knee in shreds that fluttered in the breeze. The skin on his face was tissue thin and crisscrossed with scars. Beneath, the skull and jawbones were clearly visible, as if an inner light was illuminating them in silhouette.

He was no rescuer. He was a Coblynau. The king of the Knockers. Lord of the Mine. The Cursed Man…

Adam’s expression changed from selfish relief to absolute horror. He stumbled backwards and sat down hard in the sticky mud left by the rapidly receding flood. The lump of shale dropped from his fingers and plopped into the mud. The gold vein running through the rock was undimmed by the filth, and shone brightly.

The swarm of Coblynau, still clinging to the walls and roof of the tunnel, fixed their gaze on the gold.

It was theirs.

It belonged to them.

It belonged to the mine.

None shall take it from them…

The swarm looked to the muscular Coblynau with the lamp, waiting for the signal. He stared past the groveling Adam and straight at Ewan. His mouth opened and a guttural voice rasped out a single word. “Hughes?”

Ewan nodded and smiled. “Payment, Da. As promised four generations ago, and promised for six more.”

The Coblynau smiled, his dazzling white teeth shining in the phosphorescent glow. “Welcome home, my boy.”

Ewan dropped his head, and the Coblynau king turned his gaze on the group. He took a single step aside, and nodded his head. “Go. This does not concern you. Leave this mine. Do not come back. Never come back.”

Jay stared, open-mouthed at the Coblynau, and then turned to Ewan. “You? You knew?”

Ewan nodded. “You think all this was an accident?”

“You!” Adam pointed a shaking finger at Ewan. “You were the one who suggested the ghost tours. I knew it!”

“You know nothing.” Ewan snarled at the cowering Adam. “Only greed. You saw that gold and you practically pissed your pants. You’re the same as your great, great grandfather. Greedy for the riches from the mine, whatever the cost. All you had to do was say you’re sorry. But you didn’t, did you? You didn’t.”

“But Ifan! David! They’re dead and they had nothing to do with whatever the hell this is all about.” Jay couldn’t stop himself. The two men had been his friends since junior school. And now they were dead.

“Wrong, Jay. Wrong. Their ancestors were blasters. It was their explosives that brought the roof down. They followed Hughes’ orders. Their families are cursed, just as his is.” Ewan pointed a finger at Adam.

Jay recoiled.

Ewan’s finger had taken on a strange alabaster cast. The skin seemed loose and translucent, blue veins pulsing just below the surface. The tip of his finger peeled back to reveal the distal phalange bone poking through.

Jay looked up. Ewan’s eyes were milky white. His skull was visible just below paper-thin white skin. He leaned forward, his teeth bared. “Do as my da says, Jay. It’s his turn to rest, and my turn to take his place as King of the Coblynau. And so it will be for generations to come. Now go. Go, and never come back.”

Ewan stepped away from Jay, threw back his head, and let out an ear-shattering screech. The swarm of Coblynau responded.

Jay had seen enough. He yelled at the others. “Run!”

They didn’t need telling twice. Matt and Louise skittered past the King of the Coblynau and on up the tunnel. Alex was a step behind them. Jay shot past the alabaster man, flinching as he ducked underneath the upstretched arm that held the swaying miner’s lamp.

Beyond the standing man was a second light source.

Daylight.

Pure. Welcoming. Safe.

They ran towards it, their feet slipping and sliding on the muddy ground.

A deep rumble from the depths of the mine indicated that once again, the ground was shifting.

The rumble was joined by a rising chorus of screeching. The Coblynau were singing the song of their people. A song of death. Of pain. Of loss. Of a curse that would blight the lives of families for hundreds of years to come.

An epitaph for men whose only crime was to scour beneath the crust of the earth, searching for black coal and shining gold. Men in the service of masters who cared for nothing except the profits of the men’s labors. Masters who drank port and ate quail while their impoverished, starving workers were crushed by cave-ins, slowly choked by black dust, or incinerated in an instant by mine gas.

It was little wonder that the song of the Coblynau was one of mourning and loss, not just anger and hatred.

Jay stumbled through the southern exit just in time. He turned to see the Coblynau, led by the old King and his son Ewan, swarming over the hunched body of Adam Hughes.

Another generation lost to the Pit of Ghosts. Four more souls destined to spend eternity in blackness, driven mad by the curse and the endless drip-drip-drip of water.

The final rock-fall sealed the southern exit behind tons of boulders. It would be years before anyone else ever found their way back into Morfa Mine. At least a generation. And then the cycle would begin again.

The rumbling stopped, and a final shower of small rocks cascaded down the face of the cave-in.

Matt, Louise, Alex and Jay all sat there, staring at the sealed entrance. Louise sobbed quietly while Matt rocked her gently in his arms.

Alex ran a shaking hand through his hair, turned, and promptly vomited the contents of his stomach on the wet grass.

Jay sat looking at the cave-in, tears running unhindered down his cheeks.

The silence was absolute. No birds sang. The universe paused briefly, acknowledging the sacrifice of the Morfa Colliery men.

Then the faintest of sounds could be heard.

Jay strained to listen.

Knock knock…