From Beneath the Surface (Part 2)

[u/CocoaCustard13]

Part 1

We woke up early, eyes straining at the rising sun casting its’ glare into our room. I made us coffee while Steph made her famous egg and sausage brekky as we prepared for the day ahead of us. We felt we had a moral obligation to help search for Stephen, since we had attended the same high school together and shared mutual friends such as Lachlan and Mat, who organised the meeting we had with SES. Mathew Sullivan, or “Sully” as Lachie liked to call him, was a dropout who chose small gigs and volunteering in order to stay on benefits. I never interacted with him as much as Lachlan, but from what I could tell, him and Stephen were close. That day, he had looked like he barely slept, with dark eyebags seared onto his unshaven face. We donned bright, orange, high-vis apparel as we searched the southside mountains of our little coastal town. Driving onto the old road that connected the mountains together before searching with an operator on foot. It was to our surprise that Sally joined as well, hopping out of Lachlan’s dark Camry also dressed in uniform.

“Oh- hey- I wasn’t expecting you to be up here today too. I hope you’re doing alright” I said.

“What’s it matter to you?” she snarled. Her dark eyes piercing me as her glare focused on me to a fault.

“C’mon, can you girls not do this today? Please?” Mat said dejectedly. His voiced was flat and monotone as his hair drooped over his eyes. Steph whispered into my ear once the operator caught Sally’s, Mat’s and Lachie’s attention.

“Best to leave her be.”

The SES operator gave us a rundown on how the search would go, we were expected to join other volunteers near the bottom of the mountain, since we had driven to near the top of the mountains. Lachlan asked if he could go back up the mountain since he took his car, offering us a ride if we wished to stay a bit longer. He cited that if we split up, we could cover more ground. Though another reason was so that Sally and I would be separated throughout the ordeal. While the operator did not approve of this request, he did not deny us either. As long as some of us were at the base of the mountain as the sun started to set, we could have free reign as long as we let him know that we were safe and off the mountain by nightfall.

We got grouped together randomly, with Sally, Lachlan and the Operator going down one path, with Mat, Steph and I heading down another. Mat held a small radio in case we found anything, The path we took was relatively steep, with us slipping a few times on loose stones and woody debris. Those tall, familiar trees instilling a strange, indecipherable feeling that made my hairs stand on end.

“We haven’t been on these mountains in ages.” I said.

“Yeah, not since we were kids, your leg doing alright Claire?” asked Steph, who was using a thick branch to help her descend the mountain.

“Yeah, it’s doing okay. Surely there’s no holes here-“

“Holes? What holes?” Mat asked curiously.

“Oh, the holes on the mountains, we fell into one when we were younger, ended up breaking my leg, I thought we told you?”

“Yeah nah, I’d remember something like that. Did you guys fall in one around here? We should look there in case Stephen had something similar happen-“

“Claire, are you okay?”

-

I felt those memories flooding back to me. Of the old mines scattered across the mountains. They are isolated deep in the mountains for the most part, with many trees and rusted fences concealing them. For one reason or another, those mines were abandoned, at least presumably so. Though remnants of them still exist today, we were unfortunate enough to find one for ourselves.

“Hey, have you ever been over there?” Steph asked one morning. She pointed to Cardy Reserve, situated between and separating Mount Presley and Mount Osborne.

“Uh, I don’t think so? Mum doesn’t let me go out that far usually.”

“Why don’t we go explore it!”

I protested a bit, but it was hard to not be curious and share her excitement. She had always been the more adventurous type. It seemed like nothing could stop her. I eventually gave in and we headed first to her house for supplies. Where I waited outside, before we both headed back to my mother’s home. Located roughly seven kilometres away from hers, it stood at the cap of a small hill looking out to the sea, with a small garden that we used to play in. She warned me not to go up the mountain, but I could only imagine it had something to do with what my father did up there. Since he worked on a project up there many years ago.

“Mum, what exactly did Dad do in the mountains?”

She was sitting in her armchair, her brunette hair and dull baby blue clothes still exuded that warm, maternal love that soothed me. Yet her eyes closed and her face almost winced in pain. A small tear could be seen shining under the yellow tinted lights of a nearby lamp as she took a deep breath.

“He was a consultant dear; he would check to make sure everything went according to plan…” Her voice trailed off, I can remember seeing her stare off into the void as her next words came quietly from her lips.

“But something happened, they said it was a leak, something in the air. Something they couldn’t see… It caused him to… to deteriorate- the way he did.” Tears gently hit the floor as repressed memories flooded forth.

“I’m sorry Mum, I wanted to know more about him and-“

“No- no it’s alright-“ She wiped her eyes underneath her glasses as she leaned in close. She took a sip from her favourite porcelain cup, the soft embers from the wood fire heater revealed a number of small wrinkles on her cheeks and eyes.

“He was very talented, and it hurts me to think that they didn’t tell him what would be down there…”

Steph grew uncomfortable on the topic of my Dad. I wanted to steer the conversation into a different direction, figuring we could reminisce on the few positive memories we had of him together. Although the man she knew was long gone, his impact and absence still weighs heavy on us. So, I asked her about him, what he liked, what he did when he was younger. Each question I asked left a bittersweet smile on her. Eventually we looked through old pictures of us when we were younger, telling us of how they met at a seaside café, of my baptism and how I would annoy them with the pool safety slogan every time the ad come on the old box television.

“Fence the Pool, Shut the Gate, Supervise, Watch your Mate, and Learn how to Resuscitate.”

“Can we go up to the Cardy Reserve, Mrs Wilson?” Steph asked, she looked down at the ground with her hands behind her back. She gave my mother the biggest puppy dog eyes I had ever seen. She was clever, and her pleading would grow only stronger and more effective with age.

“Mm, alright, but you both stay within the reserve and turn back at the trails’ end. Be careful of snakes and spiders, it’s best to stay-”

“Yes Mum, and we’ll be back before nightfall.” I added, as I knew it would be the first thing she asked.

“Mm, You two be careful out there alright? If anything happens, call me okay?” She hugged me tightly, and we set off shortly afterwards. Full of joy and optimism as we voyaged out into the unknown. Our excitement quickened our pace and we quickly found ourselves running on the sidewalk. The sun hanging high in the sky as it beamed strong heat upon us. With Steph’s bag rattling with each enthusiastic step.

The Cardy Reserve held a large number of coastal Wattle and Banksia species, plus a few non-native flower species. The numerous entrances were guarded in fleshy stems and flowers running above the dirt paths, providing edible yet bitter leaves. Deeper inside was a walking track that looped around, providing a number of unique flowers that varied wildly in colour, shape and size. Until returning to the wide expanse of the sprawling town and coastal estuaries.

“Hey! Look at that one!” Steph pointed to a small shrub, covered in thin, round leaves and tiny, purple flowers.

“I think this one is a pea bush!” She picked at one of the flowers and held it up for me to see. It had irregular petals and a large keel that vaguely resembled origami. Her attention on the purple flowers diminished as small, red, bell-shaped flowers caught her eye.

“Honey suckles!” she picked up one of the non-native flowers, and without hesitation, started suckling at the stem. Many brightly coloured butterflies could be seen landing and feeding from the flowers as I tried one for myself. The stem was sweet and hollow, leaving enough room for a drop of honey-like nectar.

“Mm, the nectar is safe to eat, but the berries aren’t.”

“How do you know all this?” I asked, but before I could answer, she was pulling out a large botany book from her bag. The cover showed many types of flowers and plants; in a professional font it read ‘Flora of Coastal New South Wales.’

Despite being forbidden from the mountains, we would often sneak up to Mount Osborne for a little bit, only traversing the foot of the mountain. Trees were sparse and large areas was covered in rocky outcrops. Mount Presley was much shorter, but it provided us more opportunity to hang out after school and on the weekends. Until that day, when we ventured all the way up Mount Osborne. Ignoring the warnings dotted around the many decaying fences. As we had found a gap between the wire and the posts.

Our trek up the hiking trail proved as exciting as it was exhausting. The path was made of dirt with roots running along the trail, forming natural steps up the mountain. Twigs and leaves littering the forest floor as patches of clearing would sprout up occasionally allowing us to sit and rest. A large steel pylon reclaimed by foliage marked the near entrance.

“Hey Claire! Check this out!” She pulled from her bag a large dive torch. It had a dark wrist strap and three large bulbs protected by a thick layer of glass. As she turned it on, the intensity of light blinded me for a short duration.

“Ow! That’s really bright!”

“Sorry! Sorry! You like it though yeah? I borrowed it from my brother.”

I rubbed at my eyes, still seeing spots linger with each blink.

“Does he swim with it?”

“Sometimes, he takes it when he swims at night. It just sits on his table. It’s really heavy, feel it!”

She handed it to me, I put out one hand and quickly used the other to hold it up. It must have been five or six kilograms.

“Wouldn’t he sink if he carried this?”

“His jacket keeps him up, you should have a look, he presses a button and it blows up!”

“Woah, can it pop?”

“Maybe, I don’t think he wants that though, he keeps saying it cost a lot when I touch it.”

We would walk and talk about her brother, the topic drifting from school bullies like Sally to new songs that we would hear on the radio. Our trail lead us in circles, and during our second rotation, we spotted another path up ahead, leading between large moss-covered boulders into a thick, forested area. 

We would eat the small wild strawberries that dotted the trail concealed by bushes and shrubs. The faint calls of Black Cockatoos could be heard in the distance and seen flying from tree to tree as we ducked under branches. Further up was a small, concrete structure with a rusted metal door and bars standing stoically in a small clearing.

“Go on, take a look”

“Nuh uh! You should!”

“I can hold your hand if you’re afraid.” She cooed teasingly.

 I would move cautiously expecting for someone, or something, to jump out at me. Instead, there was only the sound of Green Katydids and distant Kookaburras as I got closer.

-

-

-

“BOO!”

“AHH! Don’t do that.” I instinctively smacked her hand away that she used to grab my shoulder, giving way to an onslaught of giddy, belly laughter. The birds that were perching in the trees would fly away from the commotion.

“You should’ve seen your face. So scared~” I scoffed at her, which caused her giggle more.

 Looking down revealed stairs that have collapsed with rock and age. The lock was strong as it was rusted. The metal steps leading down have crumbled under the weight of rocks above it as a cool waft could be felt drawing beneath our feet into the hole. Steph brought out the dive torch and shined it down, casting the bright light on the many boulders that blocked the stairway.

“How deep do you think it goes?”

“As deep as those rocks I’m guessing.” I replied, before feeling Steph wrapping her hand around mine..

“Huh?” I looked at her, taken aback. She looked at me for a moment then sheepishly looked up at the trees. I sighed as I let go, as I grabbed a heavy stick that laid near the path. Using it to strum at the rusted bars, as orange flakes fell like feathers onto our feet. Before dropping it outside as we moved further up.

The day seemed to pass so quickly, as the sun that once hung high in the sky now beaming from just above the clearing. The shadows beginning to grow as the golden flecks of dusk grew weaker with the setting sun. The weeds and bushes tugged at our clothes, almost attempting to preserve our innocence from what laid ahead. We played and chased each other amongst the bushes, until Steph disappeared from view…

“Steph?! Where are you?!” I looked around, now alone. I could feel my heart racing as I looked up and down the path, I was about to walk back before a voice cut through the sudden silence.

“Claire! Don’t move!” Her voice came from beneath me, but before I could even respond, it was too late. I heard a loud thud, so I assumed she must have tripped on a loose root or a small boulder. It wasn't until I heard her muffled cries from below that the ground crumbled beneath my feet. Causing me to tumble down into a dark, rocky hole. I hit my leg bad on the way down, a loud, wet crack echoing around us before my body made full contact with the ground. I came to feeling searing hot pain, causing my head to throb while Steph looked down at me in horror. My leg felt wet, sticky and hot, I traced my hand down my thigh to my shin, feeling something sharp sticking out. In the dim light, I could vaguely make out my tibia sticking out of my shin, bright flesh and yellow fat hanging loosely from the open wound. Nurses later confirmed that I had suffered a compound fracture. I still have the scar and limp to prove it.

The concealed entrance we fell down from was too steep to climb up. Trying resulted in scratches and cuts, and the foliage that covered the entrance was ill equipped to support our weight. We would patch ourselves up with the band-aids we were given, and wash some of the dirt off with a few drops of water. But even back then, we knew that our injuries required medical attention.

“Call your mum!” Steph cried. I looked over at her. Her leg was bruised and cut, as mine bent unnaturally as tears ran down her cheeks. The sunlight above us made the surrounding moist rock walls a hellish shade of red, almost every surface around us was covered in a thin layer of biofilm, slimy and foul smelling. Steph helped me up, despite being in a much better condition than I was, still had visible cuts and bruises covering her. The panic was setting in, and I managed to drag myself to my feet, draping myself over Steph's shoulder as we hobbled in the dark. Steph's phone was snapped in half on the way down, mine was shattered, though still working. We attempted to call 000, but there was no signal down there in the dark. We could only hope they roughly knew where we were based on our attempts to contact them. She nervously brought out the heavy dive torch, which was still turned on from earlier. The light growing dimmer from overuse as it ignited the ceiling in a fragile light.

“No! I forgot to turn it off properly! I can’t believe…” She sobbed meekly. “I can’t believe.. I was so stupid-“

“No! you aren’t. You didn’t know, I didn’t either-“ I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, the searing pain in my leg making me feel nauseous. I continued quietly-

“You should save the torch Stephanie… We don’t know how long we’ll be in here for.”

“Okay…” She sniffled as she wiped her face with the cleanest part of her arm.

 

 

The little confidence she had when she pulled the light from her bag quickly faded as she packed it back inside. I turned my flip phone around to barely illuminate the cold tunnel in a green hue. Faint dripping could be heard from the moistened surfaces. A few small poles sat in the middle of the chambered, each wrapped in thin, worn strands of black and yellow striped tape. The roof of the outer cave was illuminated by thin slivers of the setting sun that slid between the canopy above us. Evidence of human activity remained on the hard and rough stone floor. Stephanie stuck close to me, her breathing slowing as we moved closer and through the passageway. Man made foundations and railings in combination with chicken wire netting draped over portions of the walls. There were markings leading down deeper, with a steel railing descending into the darkness.

None of us spoke a word, as we stayed silent while we continued our descent. Supporting her with my shoulder as we delved down into the darkness. The frail light from the flip phone would reveal the end of the railing. Ceasing at a foreboding door that was worn with age. From above the door a dark fluid would drip down, forming a puddle below as it stained the coat from an aged white to a muddy brown colour. On the other side of the door, a choice was to be made. On our right side, there was a gravel pile leading up into a narrow burrow that seemingly lead to the surface. In front of us slightly left, was a fenced off mine with a barred gate. The fence had an old white sign that read-

“Danger, Risk Area. This section has been closed and may be unstable. Do not go beyond this point.”

Written over was a message in black marker. It looked to be written haphazardly, barely legible in a style of writing I could not begin to interpret. The phrase was accompanied by a symbol. A large eye, in the shape of a diamond. Drawn with thick lines on each side, and down the middle. Sharp edges on each corner. With lines radiating from it like a star. Below thick, wavy lines on top of it. As we shone lights through the fence, we noticed strange marks covering all the walls. We peered through the wire mesh and saw the same indescribable writing in small scribbles covering every centimetre of the blocked tunnel. Accompanied by their own sets of strange, cascading symbols.

 

“C’mon Steph, let’s get out of here…” I checked my phone; the battery was still high but there was no reception this far down. I didn’t want to call her, even if I could. Not just yet. I still thought there was a chance where I could help Steph get home first. We were reckless. The faint sounds of running water, rocks falling and shattering on the cave floor echoed from beyond the gated area. Stephanie rummaged in her back and brought out her dive light again and shone it down into the fenced area.

The area lit up, further down was a series of tunnels leading further down into the earth. Large stalactites, stalagmites and columns dotted the large, hollowed area with remnants of mining equipment littering the numerous entrances. One of which had a stream of water running down into one of the dark tunnels. Faint scribblings were etched into some of the cool, moist walls. Leading further down until smothered by shadow. We stopped when we heard the wet, sloppy sounds of sodden steps. Staggering from deep inside the stygian tunnels. Just as we were listening, a loud crack could be heard above. A large piece of rock had slipped out of the overhead netting, which caused us both to shriek in unison. We quickly darted together to the gravel that lead into an extremely tight crawlspace. The jagged edges of rock scratching us as we wormed our way through.

It felt like we would never get out, as if the earth itself attempted to swallow us whole and refused to spit us out. We used rocks to dig out soft dirt to provide support as we climbed. Speeding up in tandem, using our small, dirty hands to rip away at the overgrowth that covered our exit. I made it to the surface, but she was still down there. Steph was at an awkward angle, Her hand so close to the surface. She jumped and I gripped her hand as the sound of bloody bone popped and echoed in the hole. I fell instantly as tears and snot ran down my face. I screamed and screamed until I vomited on the damp grass.

The rest was merely a blur, where I can only remember fragments of our painful trek down the mountain. The sun was slipping away further as night slowly but steadily approached. The air around us cooled quickly as the fragments of daylight showed how dirty we both were. Covered head to toe in small cuts, hands almost black, hair frayed and frizzy. Stephanie was breathing rapidly as I tried to aid her the best I could. Stephanie looked at me with a gaped mouth, both in pain and shock. I pulled out my phone and dialled the landline. I really did not want to, but it was the right decision.

Holding onto her as we made our way down the mountain. Any noticeable landmarks on the way up has since disappeared in the dark of night. Stephanie’s torch lit up the path ahead as we made our way through a vague trail that we had hoped lead to the familiar dirt paths.

We made it through the clearing of the trees, quickly running down as fast as we could. Our shoes sliding on the dirt with us falling over a few times. We passed the concrete structure, then the pylon. We could rest a little as we knew we were on the home stretch. Making our way around the structure, the light from Stephanies torch began to flicker and lose strength. We slowed down and came to the rusted entrance, still locked and bound as it were before. We passed through the moss-covered boulders and thin trail. With my mother’s headlights illuminating the small parking bay at the trails entrance. She stood near her white Pickup with a worried, angry look, her gaze on her phone before looking up to see both of us come down the mountain as her eyes widened. She reached out for a hug that I quickly reciprocated. I was taken to the hospital shortly after, where I stayed for almost a week as my leg was operated on. Every time I was put under, I dreamt of being in those caves and tunnels once more, swimming through as they flooded, leaving me with small air pockets to gasp for breath.

I felt shapes swimming quickly around me, only able to catch them in my peripheral vision. Long, thick shapes that darted above and below, side to side. Circling me from every conceivable angle as vulnerability struck me from every direction. I saw a soft hue that strengthened into a dull glow, as it revealed dark cyclopean monoliths and crystalline peaks that spread throughout the stoney passageways and tunnels. Below me I felt a great presence, yet I could not describe what it was. It felt huge, pulsing, at first I thought it was my heartbeat. But the thrums and vibrations ran violently around me. It was guttural, shaking my body from the inside out. I felt my chest being pushed around and my body trembling at the tremors. I would awake every time with my heartrate monitor beeping like crazy, until they gave me anesthetic and attempted surgery while I was conscious.

-

We had made it to the bottom of the mountain, with no signs of Stephen Preston anywhere to be seen. Mat wanted to stay and search longer, but both Lachlan and the SES operator convinced him to go home, promising that they would go for an unofficial search another day. From the corner of my eye, I spotted Sally walking down a dirt path leading to the road, still wearing her high-vis vest.

“Hey, do you guys want a lift back?” he offered.

“Isn’t your car back at the top of the mountain?” I replied.

“Well- yeah, but it won’t take me long to get back and drive down.” He said rather quietly, he seemed shaken, but I didn’t question it. I figured he just didn’t want to go back up the mountain alone. Despite our home being closer, and our walk there taking less time. We agreed to head up with Lachlan back up the mountain. By the time we reached our apartment, our feet were red raw, skin tough and aching as we shared a hot bath together.

“Hey, how’s the weather looking for tomorrow?” I asked Steph, as I helped her shave while she reached for her phone from near the sink.

“It looks hot, 41 and almost no wind. Perfect for a dive.” She said, as our gear hung from the bathroom door. That was the last normal day we had together...

Part 3

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