Gold

Chapter 1 - At The Mercy of The Mineshaft

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I'm pulled out of my slumber once again by the monotonous beeping of my alarm clock, teasing me from its regal position atop my dresser. I hear my wife Fiona groan and roll over beside me, prompting me to silence the alarm clock so as not to wake her up. Swinging myself out of bed I push open the curtains of our bedroom, hoping to see the first pale streaks of sunlight filter through the window - instead, pale moonlight pools on the floor at my feet.

"Great. Not even the sun's awake yet", I mutter, padding out into the kitchen and fixing myself a breakfast of coffee and eggs.

At this time of day, even the smallest of sounds are amplified around the house, and soon enough my wife walks into the kitchen, coming up behind me and planting a kiss on my bare shoulder.

"Good morning dear." I turn around and hug her tight, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "D'ya want some eggs?"

"Whatime'sit?", she mumbles, blinking repeatedly in an attempt to stay awake.

"4:30am".

"Ughhhh.... 'S'too early... I'm going back to bed." She turns around and plods back to the bedroom, shutting the door silently behind her.

Well, so much for a 'good morning'. Finishing my breakfast and downing the dregs of my coffee I go to the drying room and fetch my work clothes - a dark grey jumpsuit and a pair of thick rubber boots. I hear the rumble of the miner's bus outside and hurry to change into my outfit, shoving my feet into my boots and grabbing a pre-made sandwich out of the fridge.

"John; Sam; Mike", I say, greeting each man in turn as I make my way towards my seat at the back of the bus.

For the next hour and a half the bus makes the long climb up to the mines, stopping every so often to pick up more passengers. Soon enough the bus is full of men and women, smoking and drinking and chatting loudly amongst each other. A cigarette is passed around and I take a deep breath, sighing as the smoke begins to take effect. I've been a smoker since I was 14 years old, but I told my wife I quit two years ago to make her happy. It hasn't been hard to hide my habits from her - I leave for work before she wakes up and often don't get home until 10pm at night, sometimes even later. I know I should feel bad about hiding it from her, but it's become a part of my life - moreso than she ever was.

Eventually the bus climbs the final hill and our destination comes into view, teeming with life despite the early hour. The men and women pile off the bus and head to their lockers, collecting their picks, torches, and hardhats and placing each in their respective tool belts. I head to the elevator going down into my assigned part of the mine, edging towards the back as the other miners pile in with me. The doors close and the elevator begins to make its way downwards, creaking and groaning as it makes it way into the belly of the mine.

After what seems like an eternity (although in reality it's nothing more than 10 minutes) we reach the base of the mine and unstrap out equipment, each of us separating into our separate areas. I was assigned the Northern quadrant of the mine this week, alongside Sara, James, Kyle and Maddison. We each spread out along the walls of the mine, chipping away at the dirt for what seemed to be an endless amount of time. Despite the calluses my hands soon start to ache from the constant effort, and it isn't long before my shoulders and elbows join in the chorus, a constant thrum of pain radiating from my torso. I stop for a moment to take the painkiller medication my doctor prescribed me - one of the few prices of advice I've taken - before continuing on, focusing on the rhythmic pounding of my pick against the wall of the mine.

Around what must be midday I hear the sound of the elevators as they shutter back into action, signalling the beginning of my lunch break as more miners are deposited down the shaft. Packing up my equipment, I notice a slightly acrid smell in the air, becoming stronger as I head towards the elevator. People begin pushing past me, yelling for me to run the opposite direction away from the elevator and further into the mineshaft. I turn the corner to the elevator and I'm immediately hit with a wall of heat, shielding my eyes as the elevator goes up in flames. I turn around and start running; but too late. I'm flung into the roof of the shaft as the elevator explodes, leaving me at the mercy of the rocks as 10 000 tonnes of rock collapses above me.

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DUN DUN DUNNNNN! What do you think will happen to him?! What about his wife, and all the other miners!?

Let me know what you think guys ^_^

Love and exploding elevators!

~midgeandangie~