The dormitory nighttime routine was in full effect. The miners were all taking refuge in their cots, the sound of grunts and ruffling blankets filling the air. The candles, their flickering flames casting eerie shadows on the walls, were lit, swiping through the air of sweat and dust and replacing it with wax.
Arliss turned to Ronny as they got ready to depart on their mission, "Imma talk to Reed. Ya go on head and tuck the kid in."
"Ya, sure? It's my responsibility imma be handin' off?"
"I'm sure," Arliss bobbed his head and took off towards Reed's cot.
Ronny watched him for a moment before turning to Saija. He gently tapped her shoulder, prompting her to open her eyes and acknowledge him.
"Remember what I told ya, okay? If somethin''s off, ya tell Reed ya hear?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her lips opened and then twitched shut. Ronny watched her intensely, trying to figure out why she was making that face at him. Still, alas, she simply nodded her head and closed her eyes, tucking her face deep into her blanket.
"Are ya scared?" he mumbled and gently caressed her hair.
She shook her head.
"It's gonna be alright, little one. I'll be right back, I swear. Ya just focus on gettin' some good ole sleep. When ya open dem eyes in da mornin', I'll be back... alright, darlin'?"
She nodded ever so softly and then turned in the other direction. Ronny adjusted her blankets to make sure they were completely covering her, then gently ran his fingers through her scalp, trying to soothe her to sleep.
When Reed and Arliss appeared, he glanced up and stood tall.
"Ya gonna watch him?" he asked, locking his eyes on Reed.
"Yeah, yeah," Reed replied not too enthusiastically. Then, he plopped himself on Ronny's cot, crossed one ankle over the other, and folded his hands behind his head, closing his weary eyes. "Ya'll go on and get that rusnine, hear? The men need those incentives."
With one last glance at Saija, Ronny followed after Arliss out of the dormitory and onto the dark streets.
***
The men cautiously navigated through the eerie stillness of the shadowy streets. The moon hung high above, casting a silvery glow that danced over the decaying machinery and desolate structures, which loomed like ghostly figures in the night.
Ronny moved with a deliberate urgency, his keen eyes darting around to catch any hint of life or potential threats. His dark, weathered cotton duck jacket clung to him, a perfect camouflage against the gloom. His heavy boots crunched softly on the gravel, a sound that felt alarming in the pervasive silence.
In the sporadic flicker of working streetlights, his face was momentarily illuminated, revealing a furrowed brow etched with concentration as he remained acutely aware of the path ahead.
Arliss trailed slightly behind, his ragged breaths cutting through the quiet. He adjusted his stetson, its brim casting a shadow over his eyes, and pulled the collar of his thick flannel shirt higher to guard against the wind that whispered through the abandoned quarter.
As they ventured deeper into the darkness, the muffled sounds of distant machinery reverberated in the air, punctuated by the occasional shouts that echoed off the metal walls. Those sounds served as reminders of the industrial life and poor souls that occupied here.
A chill wind danced ominously around them as if urging them to move farther along the shadowy path. The two exchanged furtive glances, an unspoken agreement binding them together; whatever lay ahead, they would face it side by side.
YOU ARE READING
The Bitter Truth
General Fiction"Do ya like it?" he asked, eager to know her thoughts. She nodded, her eyes honestly drinking in every detail of the beautiful world just beyond her fingertips. "Imma gets us there one day, Saija," he spoke softly. She tried to hide it, but a smile...
