Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“Come on Nicky!  Keep up!”  A now twelve-year-old Casey called back to a young boy trailing a few feet behind her.

Both children were dressed for the cooler morning weather.  Casey wore a grey sweatshirt with dark blue windbreaker pants.  Nick had on an old pair of jeans with a plain black T-shirt under his brown fall jacket.  Their attire was just enough to keep them warm on their morning hike into woods behind Nick’s house, a routine they had grown accustom to since given permission of leaving the property.  

Since it was still early fall, the weatherman had said the day was to warm up as time went on.  With any luck, the two would make their stop at the canal, their usual hang out.  But for the moment, Casey had other plans.

Nick’s shoulders continued to sag during the course of their hike through the wooded area, his head lowered to the dirt pathway beneath his dragging feet.  At Casey’s persistent words, he let out a long sigh.  “I told you I don’t wanna go there Casey.”  

Coming to a stop, she turned to him crossing her arms over her chest.  “I thought you wanted to have an adventure?”

“I do,” he began his words coming out more as a groan, “but not if it means going to that place.”  With his gaze still to his dirtied sneakers, he collided with Casey. “Oof!” Stumbling back, he looked up to see a wide grin cross her features.  He glared at her, rubbing his forehead where he had inadvertently bumped into his friend’s forearm.  “What did you stop for?”

Placing a hand to her hip, she pointed a finger towards him.  “You’re scared.”

“I am not!”  He defended stomping a foot firmly on the ground his fist clenched at his sides.  

Casey lowered her hand, her brows narrowed.  “Then why not go?”

“Because,” he said rolling his eyes as if the answer were obvious, “We were told not to.”

“Nick, are you always going to listen to what everyone else tells you to do?”

“No…”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

“Well, it’s just, I don’t know.  I don’t wanna go.”  He snapped.  His brows narrowed as another cool smile crossed her features. “What?”

Casey pointed toward him again.  “You are scared!”  

“I am not!”

She giggled turning her back to him.  “It’s ok Nicky.  I only want to take a quick look inside.  It’s not that I wanna go explore the whole thing.  I know it’s dangerous.”

“Then why go at all?  Why can’t we just go to the canal like always?”

“Because,” Casey said her voice softer than before, “I just wanted to do this.”  She looked back to him over her shoulder.  “It gets boring doing the same thing over and over again, don’t you think?”

“I guess so.”  He agreed reluctantly his gaze drifting towards the right.

“So,” Casey began drawing out the word, “Let’s check it out, just to say we did.  Then we can go play at the canal.”

“Ok.”  Nick said gaily with a shrug walking to her side as they continued down the path.  “What are we going to play?”

“I don’t know.”  Casey shrugged.  “You can pick when we get there.”

“Cool.”  Nick said with a pleased smile.

After nearly ten minutes of walking through the woods, the mine entrance came into view.

“Finally.”  Casey said a little exasperated though excited to enter the mines she has wanted to explore.  She looked to Nick, hitting him lightly on the arm with the back of her hand before racing off ahead.  “Come on, let’s go!”

 “Hey wait up!”  He called following her shortly.

Stopping at the entrance Casey peered inside.  She tsked patting herself down as Nick stopped at her side.  “What’s wrong?”

She looked to him disappointed.  “I forgot a flashlight…”

“Oh.”  Nick said kind of happy until he saw her sadden features.  She almost seemed like she was close to tears.  “Why don’t we just come tomorrow?”

Casey’s face brightened.  “Great idea Nick!”  She agreed, thankfully wrapping her arms around him overjoyed by his idea.  “See?  I knew you wanted to explore here too!”

Nick’s face turned a beet red as he glanced to her from her side wards hug.  “N-not really…I just didn’t wanna see you cry.”

Without any delay, Casey stepped away from him, punching him hard in the shoulder.  “I wasn’t gonna cry!”

“Sure, sure.”  He said rubbing his tender shoulder yet smiling nonetheless.  “Let’s just come back tomorrow, K?”

She returned his smile.  “K.”

From the entrance of the mine came a steady thud-thud, thud-thud, the rhythmic sound of echoing footsteps making steady progression towards the opening of the cave.  The two met each other’s gaze nervously.  The last either one of them had heard about this mine, was that it had been abandoned for ages.

Casey swallowed, edging closer to Nick, her gaze trained to the mine’s entrance.  “D-did you hear that?”

Nick couldn’t stop the smile from crossing his features as he looked to her widened eyes.  “Now who’s scared, huh?”

“Sh!” Turning her left ear towards the cave, she strained to listen to the approaching footsteps.  “I can hear voices…,” she barely whispered, digging her fingertips into the fabric of his jacket.

His smile vanished as the mumbled voices she had strained to hear grew louder; clearer.  Something didn’t seem right here.  There was a heavy tension hanging in the air around them.  A strong, foreboding feeling that only intensified the longer they stayed put.

Grasping her hand, he began to pull her away, back down the path to where they had come.  “Let’s get out of here.

“R-right.”  Casey stammered her agreement allowing him to pull her along.

After a few steps down the path, there was a loud hollow clunk from behind, causing the two to jump.  But what had made their blood run cold was the deep throated voice from the same direction calling out to them.  “Well what do we have here?”

Nick only tightened his grip on Casey’s hand, continuing his pace, the sound of his heart beating within his ears.  Maybe if they kept their pace, just kept on walking, maybe that man would just leave them alone-

And then there was another man who stepped out in front of them behind a nearby tree, stopping the two in their tracks.  The two children could feel their hearts racing by his sudden appearance.  Had he been there the entire time?  If so, why let them get this far?  Unless it was some kind of a trap…

Nick shook his head, disappointed by the way his mind had come up with such a silly accusation.  There was no way that was possible unless these men knew they had planned to come here today.  And Casey had just decided to do this on the spur of the moment.  That man must have snuck by somehow.

Now isn’t the time to be thinking about it.  He scolded himself, taking a good look around, seeing Casey was already eyeing the men warily. The two stood in such away so they could see both men easily, their backs to no one but the trees behind them.

There were only two men, middle aged, one a few feet away from the mine’s entrance, the other only a few feet from them blocking their pathway home.  They both wore worn out clothing, light blue denim jeans with dirtied black work boots.  The man standing in front of them had on a denim jacket that was buttoned up in the front, his hair covered by a black beanie.  The man behind them wore a red plaid shirt, and had short dirty blonde hair.  A black case was set on the ground by his right boot.  

“Ha ha,” Nick laughed cheerfully trying to lighten the mood, “It seems we have bothered you guys in the middle of whatever it is you are doing, so we will be on our way then.”  

“What’s the rush?”  The man with the black beanie questioned, coming towards them, “We are just taking a little break so you kids can hang around a bit.”

Casey squeezed his hand, not liking the predicament they were in.  She edge closer to Nick’s ear, whispering as low as humanly possible.  “I don’t like these men.  Maybe if we run into the woods, we can get away.”

Nick replied with a slow nod, his gaze to the man with the case. He hadn’t moved, but his scowl was enough to intimidate him.  That man truly looked as if he wanted to do them harm. His gaze switched back to the man with the beanie.  Smiling nervously he stepped out before Casey.  The man had gotten closer than he had wanted.  “N-no that’s fine.  We really ought to be heading home. Don’t want to worry our parents you know?”

“Oh yeah you don’t want to do that.”  He said with a genuine smile and stepped off to the side.  “Well you better hurry on home then.”

Though taken aback Nick couldn’t help but smile at the man full heartedly.  “Will do!”  He replied loudly, his nerves getting the best of him as he began to walk forward, pulling Casey a long with him.

 “I don’t think so kid.”  The other man said. 

The man in the beanie glared at him.  “Eric, what the hell are you doing?”

Nick and Casey stopped at his infuriated tone, turning to see the one in the plaid shirt was now pointing a gun at them.  Casey clutched to Nick’s arm fearfully as the man with the gun studied them intently.  “We can’t be having them going back and telling everyone what they saw here, Jack.”

Jack stepped forward.  “You idiot.  They’re kids; no one would have put thought to anything they would have to say about two men in the woods.” 

Eric sneered.  “I guess it is just too late now isn’t it?”  He stopped before the two kids, his gaze to Nick.  “In any case, we can always use the boy.”

“You b*****d,” Jack began through gritted teeth, “You were planning that the whole time weren’t you?”

“We aren’t going to be having kids handed to us like this.”  His smile widened as he placed the nozzle of the gun to Casey’s forehead.  “Sadly our projects have no use for girls as of yet.”

“Eric no!”  The man stepped forward knocking the gun away from Casey.  He stood between Eric and the kids.  “It’s one thing to take the boy but I can’t let you kill her.”

“And what are you planning on doing huh?”  He questioned, tapping the gun off the side of his leg watching his captives carefully.  “If she goes back now, we will definitely be found out.”

Jack looked away for a moment, thinking deeply.  “I’ll take care of it.”

Eric’s brow rose in curiosity as Jack held his hand out for the gun before handing it to him.  He turned to the kids, his face lined with indisposition and shame.  “I’m sorry, but this will hurt.”  He warned and raised the gun before slamming the side of the hard metal into Casey’s head.

Casey let out a little yelp as she fell to the dirt path with a thud, grasping at the side of her head.  She winced from the pain as she rolled to her side, though fearing the darkness that was beginning to surround her vision.   

“Casey!”   Nick dove to Casey’s still form before him the moment she hit the ground.  “C-Casey?”  He questioned rolling her to her side worriedly.  There was a gash off to the left of her forehead that began to trickle fresh blood on her skin.  

“Nick…” she whispered faintly her eyes flushed with pain filled tears.

He turned back to Jack furiously.  “Why?  Why did you do that?”  His voice came out as a screech, but he didn’t care.  That man had hurt Casey.  He didn’t care about anything but that at the moment.

 Looking to Nick he handed Eric the gun avoiding any eye contact with the man.  “Where is the nearest river?”

“What?”  Nick questioned confused, then his eyes widened.  “You’re, you’re not going to-“

“Not at all.”  He kneeled down beside Casey.  “I’m going to dunk her in the water and take her back to town.”

Nick’s brows narrowed.  “But why?”

Jack lifted Casey from the ground, standing easily to his feet.  “Because I can save her this way.”

Nick bit his bottom lip.  He desperately wanted to get Casey out of this but wasn’t sure how.  It may seem ridiculous after the situation he found himself in but he was really beginning to trust this man Jack. There was just something about him that made him believe he wasn’t such a bad guy in the end. “If you follow the path to the fork and take the right path from there, there’s a canal.  If you keep going down from there, it leads into the river.  We go swimming there sometimes.”

Jack smiled slightly, and then began to walk forward.  “I’m sorry there is nothing I can do for you kid.”

“You just better be right about this Jack.”  Eric said grabbing Nick by the arm, pulling him towards the cave.

“Just shut up.”  He said turning to look at him and Nick.  “With this bump on her head the doctors are liable to think she dreamed it all up.”  He took one last regretful look to Nick and turned away continuing down the path.  “Make sure you set those charges after you take care of the boy.”

“Yeah, yeah.”  Eric said pulling Nick into the cave.

Casey’s eyes fluttered opened, seeing the treetops and sky moving over her in a blur.  For a moment, she wondered if she was dead, flying up into the sky as she heard the angels do, when she felt sturdy hands beneath her, supporting her so she wouldn’t fall.  

Where am I headed?  Her thoughts were clouded, making it difficult for her to remember what had occurred.  She felt cold and wet but couldn’t understand why.  Hadn’t she and Nick gone to that mine?  “Nick?”  She questioned feebly.

“Sh.”  A voice hushed her soothingly.

She raised her head the best she could to see who had been carrying her.  To her surprise, it was a man she didn’t recognize.  “What…happened?”  She questioned weakly.

“Quiet little one.  You will be home soon.”

Casey only nodded the best she was able, letting her head rest onto the man’s warm shoulder.  Nick.  Her thoughts were to him, wondering where he was, if he was all right.  Only, her mind was a fog of darkness; her head aching terribly, more so on the left near her forehead.  What had happened?  Nick…Please be alright.