The Cavern Read online

  Dried blood?

  Sam’s gaze travelled past the washing line, further back in the yard. An odd raised square lip, almost like a wooden border about a child’s sand pit, jutted up from the earth. Curious, he walked closer. Railway sleepers formed a square, and Sam found himself staring down into the mouth of a deep shaft, the base of which was lost in shadow.

  “That should be covered up, dodgy as all hell leaving it open. Anyone could fall in.”

  Sam glanced to the side and found that Mia had arrived. “Is it a well?”

  “Nah,” she said. “It’ll be an entrance to a small claim opal mine. There’s a bunch around this area, but most of them have been responsibly capped. I reckon council should do more to ensure they’re all sealed to prevent any accidents.”

  Mia started walking back to the ambulance. “We’re wasting our fucking time here,” she muttered. “Let’s head back to town.”

  ***

  A woman stepped out from the shadows by the window. She was simply dressed in jeans, shirt and Blundstone boots. A hessian sack hung from one hand, while the other clasped a knife in a white knuckled grip. Her lips were pressed together in a tight line, eyes hard with anger as she watched the ambulance retreat. A plume of dust spat out from the rear tyres until the vehicle hit the tarmac of the main road again, turning in the direction of Pintalba. She sheathed the knife then pulled a phone from her pocket, punched in a number and lifted it to her ear.

  “It’s Kaz. The bitch had someone else with her, I had to abort the attempt.” Her voice had the roughness of a long-time smoker. She listened for a moment as a male voice berated her.

  “Mind your tongue. If you’d gone through with it last week when she was on her own, we wouldn’t be in this position.” She glanced down at the sack hanging from her hand, clearly irritated. “Of course I brought a back-up plan. I’m not a fool, Trevor.”

  Hanging up, Kaz slipped the phone into her pocket as she walked to the back of the house, carefully avoiding the hole in the floor caused by the paramedic’s boots. Once outside, she strode purposefully to the top of the mine shaft. Standing at the edge, she reached into the hessian sack and pulled out a head torch that she switched on and settled upon her head. With the sack held in one hand, she swung her feet over the rim, and started to descend a thin metal ladder pinned into the stone on one side.

  After twenty metres, her boots clumped onto the base of the shaft. Goosebumps rose on her arms at the coolness of the air temperature so deep underground. Her hands trembled slightly as she turned away from the main shaft and began to walk down a branching tunnel, her back stooped over to fit in the small space. The light of her torch provided a harsh white beam, cutting through pitch-black like a sword toward her destination.

  She stopped where the rough-hewn surface of the tunnel wall changed. A rectangle of rock, stretching from roof to floor on one side had been smoothed to the consistency of glass. At waist height, a bowl was carved into the surface, big enough to hold a pint of liquid. Kaz placed the sack on the ground at the base, knelt, and leant forward to kiss the edge of the bowl. Her lips pressed against the stone for a few moments before she rocked back on her heels. Her pupils were dilated, breath quick with adrenaline as she reached into the sack and withdrew an emaciated lamb.

  The small animal had its feet bound together to prevent movement and snout taped close. Dirty wool provided a thin covering over prominent ribs. The lamb was weak and already close to death, yet another victim of the prolonged drought. Kaz withdrew a knife from the sheath at her waist and brought the blade against the lamb’s neck, holding both raised before her at the edge of the stone bowl.

  “Mother, please accept my offering.”

  Kaz drew the blade across the lamb’s neck with force, cutting deeply as the animal convulsed in her grip. She dropped the knife, and extended the animal’s neck so that the severed carotid arteries could spurt blood directly into the bowl. Within moments, the lamb fell still in her hands, its life-blood pooled in a congealing mess in the bowl and down the smooth rock face, dripping over letters carved into the stone altar.

  In the distance, a tap sounded from the dark. Then again, closer. Kaz turned to the sound, her eyes wide, a mix of terror and elation battling for supremacy on her features.

  At the limit of her torch’s reach, a figure formed in the gloom. A hiss of anger sounded, echoing off the walls about her. She cursed herself, knowing that it hated bright light. Kaz ripped the torch off her head and placed it on the ground with the bulb facing the wall, dimming the light in the tunnel significantly. The tapping now grew closer as the creature approached, each tap mimicking a human footfall. Kaz dropped her gaze and held the carcass of the lamb in the air before her in waiting, her hands shaking.

  Four halogen green eyes blinked open above, elliptical pupils observing her with cold intensity. As it leaned past her to the blood offering of the shrine, the outline of the creature became visible in the meagre light. Its skin was a deep matt-black that seemed to absorb the available light rather than reflect it. Beneath the eyes was a circular mouth, rows of needle sharp teeth in concentric rings deep into the beast’s maw. Skin folds either side of the head extended down the neck to an almost humanoid body. Two arms extended from either side of its torso, tipped with razor-sharp claws. Muscular legs and feet with long webbed toes gripped the ground while a serpent like tail extended behind.

  A light slurping sounded, as the creature drank the blood from the bowl, mouth protruding outward. A growl of frustration as it finished within moments, and transferred its attention back to Kaz. She trembled as the creature leaned over her and lowered its mouth until the teeth were mere centimetres above her head. A drop of blood fell from its maw, hitting her in the middle of her forehead before running in a line of scarlet past her eye. Suddenly it screamed, a high-pitched abomination of noise that made her eardrums crackle.

  “I’m sorry! I know this is not enough, that you are now seeking offerings of greater size,” she said, voice cracking. “I promise, your feast will not be far away. Do you accept this meal as a token of my loyalty?”

  At her words, the beast drew back and clicked the talons of its fingers together, emitting a series of taps in the silence that Kaz understood to be acceptance. She took a deep breath, debating with herself whether or not to ask. She knew she shouldn’t, but the need was overwhelming.

  “Can… can I please see my brother again before you feed?” Kaz clamped her eyes shut, expecting to feel the agony of the creature’s teeth entering her exposed neck any moment for her temerity.

  Nothing happened. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and stared ahead. Instead of the serpent tailed monstrosity, a young boy with close cropped blond hair stood with arms by his side and legs together, wearing a close-fitting t-shirt and shorts. Kaz’s heart leapt at the sight.

  “Archie, I miss you so much. Both me and Trev miss you, mate.”

  The child raised an arm and pointed at the carcass in her hands. Kaz couldn’t help but notice the chameleon image was not perfect, that a claw remained where her brother’s finger should be. She swallowed her grief and extended her arms and the lamb.

  The child took the carcass in both hands, and lifted it towards its face. The child smiled, but instead of human teeth, needle sharp fangs protruded in a circle as its mouth ripped a chunk of flesh from the dead animal’s leg.

  As the creature fed, Kaz picked up the torch and backed away.

  Chapter Eight

  “Ellie, you are a bloody lifesaver!” said Max as he took the offered bacon and egg roll from her hand. “I’m so hungry, I could eat the arse off a dead horse.”

  “Yeah, well you shouldn’t have slept through breakfast. I managed to get that from the café next door.”

  Max hoed in to the roll as his sister sidled past into his hotel room and took a seat on the edge of the bed. On the first bite, a jet of yolk spurted from the roll, leaving a trail of yellow down his shirt. With a grunt of annoyance, he caref
ully placed the roll on the sideboard, then began to wipe ineffectually at the egg, only managing to spread the muck over a greater area.

  “Where’s Sam? I thought you two would be having a little lover’s retreat during the downtime,” said Max.

  “Grow up,” said Ellie, rolling her eyes. “Anyone would think you’re still bloody fourteen years old. He got talked into helping the local paramedic on a call out. Sounds like some bastard’s stalking the poor woman.”

  “With the deserted farms in the area, you wouldn’t want to be watching ‘Wolf Creek’ before heading out. Throw in a psychopathic bogan, and fiction could turn reality.”

  Ellie shivered at the thought. “Not helping, little bro. Not helping at all.”

  She got up and walked to the window of Max’s room, staring out onto the street. Even though it was mid-morning, there was scant movement.

  “I was thinking about heading out to the cave. You want to come with me?”

  “Don’t we have to wait for approval or something?” asked Max with one eyebrow raised.

  “Who’s going to find out? Aaron will have the council busy in meetings, and it’s not like there’s any buildings nearby. No one will be the wiser.”

  Max stubbed his toe at the ground for a moment as he took another bite of the roll and chewed slowly.

  “Come on, dude. I swear I can hear the cogs of your brain turning from here. Give me an answer, are you in or out?”

  Max swallowed and cleared his throat. “And if I don’t come, are you going to head out there anyway?”

  Ellie smiled, she knew she had him now. “Maybe. It’d be a lot safer with two of us though.”

  He sighed, a beaten man. “Alright. What do you want to do?”

  “Just a recon of the shaft. If we take some harnesses and ropes, maybe we can do a simple drop and have a poke around the bottom. Nothing too dodgy. I just don’t want today to be a complete waste of time.”

  Max glanced at his watch as he took another bite of his roll. “Better get moving then.”

  ***

  Ellie leant out over the edge of the sink hole and peered down. Although it was nearing midday, the base of the shaft was still veiled in shadow. Max arrived at her side and took a look for himself before passing her one of the two harnesses he carried. Ellie stepped back from the edge and started putting it on, tightening the straps until they felt secure.

  “Are you sure you’re happy to use the ute as an anchor point?” she asked.

  He just grunted. “Wouldn’t have attached the ropes if I didn’t think it was a good idea, Ellie.”

  After he’d finished putting on his own harness, Max picked up a heavy coil of rope that had one end attached to the tow ball of his ute and dumped it over the edge of the pit. It fell in a jumble, pulling apart like a length of eviscerated intestine until it hit the base, sending up a puff of dust. Ellie started readying herself to abseil down the rope when her brother pulled her up.

  “Just because you’re the eldest, doesn’t mean you automatically get first go.”

  Ellie tightened her lips in irritation. Most of the time her brother was happy to stand back and let her run the show, but occasionally he stuck his head above the parapet.

  He shrugged and gave a short bark of laughter at her expression. “Come on, Sis, you drag me out here without telling the rest of our crew, then expect me to stand back and let you have all the fun? I want to be the first person who sets foot in that cave just as much as you.”

  Ellie sighed. She knew her brother, when he decided to fight, he could be as stubborn as a mule. “Fine. We’ll do rock, paper, scissors for it?”

  Max smiled and brought his closed fist up next to her. “Best of three?”

  ***

  Ellie tried to keep a smug expression off her face as she attached the rope to her harness and backed to the edge of the pit, ready to abseil. Her brother was so predictable, always going for rock. Once he’d agreed to the challenge, it had only been a matter of time until she was on her way. To his credit, Max kept his end of the bargain, readying himself to belay with only a few choice swear words dropped at his loss.

  Ellie waited for her brother to indicate readiness, then, with feet on the lip of the sink hole, leant back, trusting her weight to the rope. She flexed her knees then bounced out, allowing the rope to zip through the belay device as she dropped five metres with one leap. A few more jumps, and she was at the base of the shaft, a cloud of fine dust puffing up around her feet.

  “All okay?” shouted her brother from above.

  Ellie craned her neck backwards, peering up to the top of the hole where she could see the top half of Max’s body leaning out over space, a concerned look on his face. The light at the entrance now seemed excessively bright compared to the muted shades at the base, and she shielded her eyes with one hand while giving a thumbs up. “Yep, all good.”

  Ellie disengaged her harness from the rope, then switched on her helmet torch. Dust motes drifted through the beam of light as she touched a hand to one of the walls, noting a limestone composition. The corner of her mouth twitched in a slight smile, knowing that the chance of finding a submerged chamber to dive had just increased. Limestone caves were formed by water, whether by storm run-off or an underground source, and with any luck, they might still find water at a lower level.

  A mild smell of rot made her nose wrinkle. She surveyed her immediate area for the source before realising that she’d only missed landing in a sheep carcass by a metre or so. The animal would have to be buried, the last thing any of them needed was to land calf deep in rotting tissue at the start of the expedition.

  While her brother watched from above, she picked her way amongst the rock-strewn ground to a tunnel branching off to the left. The roof of the passage was low, forcing her to squat. In the torch beam, she saw the roof continued to lower until there was a squeeze within twenty metres. Ellie turned her attention to the other passage that extended from the opposite side of the vertical shaft. This one barely required her to duck her head to enter and would be more easily traversed. She took a few steps down it, then paused and listened. Something had caught her attention, a sort of click or tapping noise.

  Ellie paused, listening carefully now. Caves were strange places, conveying sound in odd ways as the sound waves bounced off myriad surfaces. There it was again, a series of clicks this time. Sonar? It reminded her of bats, but was surely too loud for a small creature. Ellie’s gut clenched, goosebumps rising on her arms. She turned, shining her torch back toward the smaller tunnel and main shaft.

  “Hello, is anyone there?” she said, her quiet voice seeming unnaturally loud.

  Silence.

  Ellie felt stupid. The biggest thing she’d find in the cave system was a rat or maybe a snake. And, even if that couple had gotten themselves lost, they would have died from exposure or starvation long before. She berated herself for allowing her thoughts to run like a child scared of the dark.

  She turned back toward the larger tunnel and felt her heart stutter as the torch beam caught movement. Ellie was sure she’d seen something disappear around a far bend. She blinked and shook her head, refusing to believe her eyes. Ellie could have sworn she’d just seen the face of a young, blond-haired boy watching her.

  “Hello?” she said. “Is someone there?” Louder this time.

  If there was a kid down here, she needed to find him and quick. It wasn’t unheard of for children to fall into open shafts, and the farmer had done little to fence off the sink hole. The poor thing was probably injured and scared.

  A series of taps sounded from the same direction as the boy, like running footsteps.

  Ellie jogged back to the main shaft to notify her brother that she was going deeper into the cave after the child. She wouldn’t go far, not without adequate backup or equipment, knowing that she’d do the boy no favour by getting lost herself. Peering up the shaft at her brother, she was surprised to see two silhouettes against the noon sun.

  “M
iss, you need to get out of that cave. Now.”

  Ellie’s heart dropped. She knew that voice. It was the farmer, Mr. Anastas.

  “I told Aaron that until the council gave the all-clear, you weren’t able to go down. If they find out, you might screw it up for everyone.”

  “Sorry mate, we weren’t doing anything significant, just a bit of recon,” said her brother in a conciliatory tone. “I’ll have her out of there in a few moments.”

  “No, you won’t,” said Ellie. Although the volume of the men’s conversation had been faint due to distance up the shaft, she’d heard clearly enough.

  Both men stared back at her, confused.

  “Come on El, you heard the guy. If the council finds out, they might get their knickers in a twist and can the whole thing.”

  “You don’t understand. I think I just saw a kid down here. He had blond hair, looked around five years old,” said Ellie, her voice rising. She was wasting precious time arguing, time that might make the difference in finding the child. “We need to find him before he gets hurt.”

  “Ah, bullshit!” said Anastas, his face screwed up in disbelief. “There’s no fucking kid down there, just rock and my dead, bloody sheep. This is a small town, if any child had gone missing, the news would have spread like lightning.”

  A series of clicks sounded from behind her. This time louder, closer than before.

  “What if it’s only just happened?” she said, starting to doubt what she’d seen.

  “Unlikely. Because I happen to know there’s no kid of that description living in the area. There’s a handful of children under eight, but none of them are boys or have blond hair.”

  Ellie glanced back over her shoulder down the tunnel one more time. Her light showed nothing but empty rock, their shadows stretching and warping with every movement of the torch.

  “Okay. I’m coming back up,” she sighed, and trudged back to the base of the shaft. It must have been shadows playing games with her mind. If there were no boys even remotely fitting what she saw living in the area, then the farmer had to be right.