Page 6 of Dark Possession

Someone let out an ear-piercing whistle and Jesse turned around with a start. A group of men were walking towards him. Jesse wanted to run, but if he started running, he could never stop. He felt marginally more secure with the pickaxe in his hands. They didn’t have theirs yet.

“Hey pretty boy!”

“You sure you know how to handle that tool? I should show you how to work mine first.”

“Gotta shaft of another kind for you to service!”

Jesse felt his throat growing tighter as the knot of men closed around him like a noose. Surely they weren’t planning to attack him right here, in broad daylight. Surely a little harassment was as far as they would go.

“Man, I’d like to mine his tunnel,” said one of the men with a knowing smirk. “Might find me a little nugget or two if I probe deep enough, but I’m sure you’d be polite enough to clean off my ax for me.”

The others laughed. Jesse just showed his straight, white teeth, “Like to see you try.”

The ringleader sidled up to Jesse. The boy pulled back with his axe held strategically between them.

The mustached man hooked his thumbs in his belt loops, “Now I just have one question. Rumor is, the Bull has his eye on you. The big man drew a little circle in the sand around you when you was passed out after your little performance and told all of us to keep our hands off. Which begs the question- why aren’t you locked up safe and sound with all his other treasures? Did you slip your leash little pup?”

“I don’t have a leash. And I don’t belong to Bull.”

“Well, that's some real pertinent information, isn’t it boys?”

The way the gang smiled, Jesse was reminded of the way dogs lift their lips up over their canines when blood is scented.

“Cause what that means is, you’re still up for grabs then. Now, you may think the life of a whore is something to be shied away from, but us boys, we take real good care of our pretty things. We’ll protect from those who might hurt you, and if any of us even lays a finger on you wrong, bruises that pretty skin, makes you cry- the others will beat his ass for you and that’s a promise. Look at all these big, strong men willing to take care of you. We’ll draw up a schedule to keep things fair, make sure you don’t get overworked.”

The other men were nodding now, their arms crossed around their burly chests as if this was a thing that was going to happen. It was all planned out. Jesse shuddered involuntarily. His joints protested as his fingers tightened around the shaft of the axe.

The leader’s dark eyes were on him, “The life of a miner is hard. It makes you old before your time. The dust clogs your lungs and makes you wheeze like an old man, makes your voice sound like rusty nails. The axe handle will give you blisters, make you bleed, for months until eventually your hands turn hard and rough as sandpaper. It breaks your back and your body. A year, two from now, you won’t be pretty at all anymore. It’d be a real shame, especially seeing as how you're just about the prettiest thing any of us ever laid eyes on. Why not just take the easy life? You can spend your days resting on your back. We’ll do all the work, bring you food and clothes, a soft bed and a warm fire. All you have to do is be warm and welcoming to me and my boys when we come by to visit. What do you think of that? It’s a nice offer, isn’t it?”

His hand reached out to take away Jesse’s pickaxe. The boy jerked away and accidentally dropped his helmet on the ground. He did not try to pick it up.

“No. Thank you,” he said as politely as he could manage with his throat closed tightly over his voicebox.

Eyebrows lowered, both his and theirs.

“C’mon. Don’t play coy. You won’t get a better offer. Well, maybe from Bull, but you were smart to run from him. I can assure you, you don’t want to find out why we all call him Bull. He’s an animal that one.”

He reached out again to take away Jesse’s pickaxe. Jesse swung it away, but it was intercepted. It was held hard in the ringleader’s grip. His beady eyes burned with rapacious lust. Jesse jerked and pulled, but he was not strong enough.

“Let it go!”

“We will take care of you.”

“No!” Jesse spat.

“Don’t be a fool! The mine is no place for you.”

“That’s not your choice to make,” said a voice, deep as a bass drum and cool as a winter’s day. An enormous hand reached over the weaselly man’s shoulder and plucked Jesse’s axe away from both of them. He held it up, judging, and then turned and handed it back to the equipment manager. Wordlessly, the other man handed him a different axe- new and shining. The Bull handed it over to Jesse.

He looked Jesse up and down with his dark eyes. “Let’s give the boy a chance. I’d like to see what he can do.”

“I’ll bet you would,” said the ringleader resentfully. The other men frowned but said nothing. They quickly dispersed.

“Hmm,” the big man hummed noncommittally and then collected his own equipment. His axe was the biggest of them all. The handle alone was the size of two of Jesse’s- end on end. The giant helmet that sat on his head was brand-new. Making a split decision, Jesse looked at the group of men and then at the Bull’s rapidly fading back. He went with his gut. He grabbed his helmet up off the ground and ran after him.

If the Bull noticed he was being followed, he gave no sign of it. He neither slowed nor turned to acknowledge his tiny blond shadow. Moments later, the dark mouth of the mine swallowed them both.

Chapter 4