It Hides In The Mines

1

"You have to admit the surroundings are quite nice," a petite brunette chirped from the driver's seat. Hills of green, forest-covered mountains and the calm wheat fields rolled past them like a children's lullaby.

And Robert was forced to let out a small huff of agreement. He had spent the entire 10-hour ride complaining about how far their gig was while his crew kept trying to travel in peace.

"Oh, that's the first sign of affirmation from Rob! Congrats, Kate!" James called out from the back, grinning through his mass of long dreadlocks. Robert rolled his eyes with a straight face, the exhaustion and pure boredom of the long ride taking a great toll on his mood. Jennie punched James' arm lightly, pushing a lock of blond hair from her face.

"Oh, come on, don't tease him. He's always grumpy before a job. I think it's psychological. Actually, I know, because-"

"Okay, stop!" Robert interrupted, his head giving off a strong pang of pain. "I didn't sign up for an analysis, Jen."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Robby. You can't kill my spirits! A ton of cash and a nice view? Plus, I get to explore some mines? That's a deal I'd take any time!"

Kate steered her eyes away from the desolate country road to send Jen a wink. "That's right, girl!"

"Hell yeah! I'm actually honestly excited about the reactions we'll get. I think this will be the one that goes viral, guys. It's just a perfect setting!" James chimed in. Robert just sighed. He didn't feel like doing anything. All the excitement he had felt got eaten up by the travel.

"Well, let's hope it's not as disastrous as the haunted hotel. Half of our audience thought that one was fake."

Jenny shrugged and pointed at James. "That was his fault. His camera had all the shittiest angles."

"Hey, that's not true!"

Robert let his thoughts roam free as his friends bickered. He was tired and under a ton of stress, as their careers depended on this job. He had to make it work or their show would fail. They needed a breakthrough, a hit. Something extremely creepy, extremely well done and absolutely believable.
The expensive equipment he had spent all his money on was safely stored in the trunk. He bought it as soon as he got an email from a mine operator, claiming it was haunted and he was desperate.
It was an opportunity they so desperately needed, the perfect setting, so he was ready to bet everything on it and drive halfway across the country to make a perfect video.

As he was lost in thought, Kate had taken them off the main road and they were tumbling down a smaller road through a forest. The gps showed that they were about to enter the small town the mine was located in, and they would need another fifteen minutes to reach the mine itself.

"So, how much time do you guys think we need?" James asked.

"Well," Jen said before Kate could utter a word, "I think three days, at least."

"I was about to say two," Kate grinned, and Robert couldn't help but smile. Kate was always trying to rush their shoots while Jenny aimed to always be perfect. No mistakes, no slip-ups. If they messed up, she'd make them record the scene again, even if it delayed their whole project by a day or two.

"Heads up guys, the mine's coming up!" Kate said cheerfully, forcing all the heads to turn towards the road. As the grey pavement transformed into a parking lot, empty apart from an old truck, the group's amazement got difficult to contain. Beyond a small, two-story grey building, was a mass of grey stone arching above the entrance to a long tunnel, complete with rails which disappeared deep into the darkness.

Robert couldn't tear his eyes away from the blackness, a feeling of dread softly settling within him.

Kate parked them next to the truck, and the crew hurried out of the old hatchback. As soon as Robert was out, he noticed a man who was likely Mr. Willsons, the owner of the place and the one who called them for help. His posture was slightly bent, and he seemed exhausted all-around. Even from the distance Robert could notice the grey bags under the man's eyes, and he felt bad for him, and bad for what he and his crew were about to do. Judging by the man's grey hair and messy beard, Robert would say he was over sixty.