1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,719 Speaker 1: I've been contracted by the Bureau a dozen times in 2 00:00:04,759 --> 00:00:10,039 the last four years, mostly sinkhole reports or rural spill assessments, 3 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,839 the kind of work no one notices until it costs 4 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,960 someone money. This one came through late in the season, 5 00:00:19,039 --> 00:00:22,879 an old mine outside a place called Evercreek, tucked in 6 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:26,239 a valley that didn't show up on GPS until we 7 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:31,320 were nearly there. The brief was minimal, a collapse shaft 8 00:00:31,359 --> 00:00:36,759 from the nineteen thirties reportedly sealed after seventeen fatalities. The 9 00:00:36,799 --> 00:00:40,799 town's records were inconsistent, and what little had been digitized 10 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:45,119 didn't match the states. Our job was to assess any 11 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:49,920 remaining liability, test for subsistence, and determine if the land 12 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:55,359 could be safely reclassified for timberalese in and out. No 13 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,119 contact needed with the townsfolk beyond a courtesy heads up. 14 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,480 We hit the edge of town around noon. October had 15 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,519 already stripped most of the trees, and the wind blew 16 00:01:07,599 --> 00:01:11,599 low through the bare branches in irregular pulses, the way 17 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,920 wind does when the landscape feels hollow. Fog clung to 18 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:20,319 the roots of the hills, moving only when we did. 19 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:26,439 Evercreek was smaller than I expected. A gas station, a diner, 20 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,519 a short main road that curved lazily around the church 21 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:34,599 and disappeared back into the trees. Maybe three hundred people 22 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:38,640 if that. Some looked up when we passed, but no 23 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:44,799 one waved. No one asked what brought us. They just watched, silent, 24 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:49,480 still returning to their tasks. Only when our car moved on. 25 00:01:51,439 --> 00:01:55,640 We checked into the motel, four rooms flat. Gravel lot 26 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:59,840 rushed around the fixtures. The woman at the front desk 27 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,480 handed me the key without asking my name. There was 28 00:02:03,519 --> 00:02:06,359 a small guest book by the window, but the last 29 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:12,120 signature was dated two weeks ago. My prentice Seth took 30 00:02:12,159 --> 00:02:17,080 the room next to mine. After dropping our bags, we 31 00:02:17,199 --> 00:02:20,719 drove the half mile to the mine site. The axis 32 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:24,159 road had been overgrown with vines and thistle, but the 33 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:27,879 path was still clear enough to follow on foot. Old 34 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:32,400 warning signs hung loose from metal rods, faded to near illegibility. 35 00:02:33,599 --> 00:02:36,240 A half ratted vent surrounded the mouth of the mine, 36 00:02:36,719 --> 00:02:41,960 with caution tape haphazardly fluttering from rusted stakes. We walked 37 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:45,080 to the perimeter, marking our potential weak points in the 38 00:02:45,159 --> 00:02:50,240 soil and flagging erosion spots. The ground was mostly stable, 39 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,800 though I noted a shallow depression near the north side 40 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:58,120 that looked fresh. I was jotting notes when Seth called 41 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:03,120 me over. Just outside the broken section of the fence 42 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:08,639 was a bundle he looked deliberately placed, not dropped or 43 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:13,199 blown in, a small scuffed baby shoe, a hand mirror 44 00:03:13,199 --> 00:03:16,319 with a crack, spider webbing out from one corner, and 45 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:21,560 a velvet pouch, its straw string rotted. Seth opened it. 46 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:28,360 Inside was a single child's tooth, browned with age. He 47 00:03:28,479 --> 00:03:32,240 turned to me with a half smile. Guess Halloween start 48 00:03:32,319 --> 00:03:37,039 early out here. I shrugged, reached for a nitrial glove 49 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:41,599 for my kit, and bagged the items, probably old memorials. 50 00:03:41,639 --> 00:03:45,479 I figured maybe a local tradition or just some grief 51 00:03:45,599 --> 00:03:49,800 left a wither out in the open. Either way, when 52 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:53,199 he couldn't leave it there, wild life might get to it, 53 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:55,840 and there was no reason to let someone find it 54 00:03:56,080 --> 00:04:00,319 and think it meant anything now. Seth made a face 55 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,639 as he watched me seal the bag, but didn't say anything. 56 00:04:04,879 --> 00:04:07,719 I made a note to include it under potential public 57 00:04:07,759 --> 00:04:13,520 safety debris. I'd seen weirder things back in the car. 58 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:16,600 We loaded the first round of soil data, and logged 59 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:21,439 the day's findings. The mine wasn't visibly unstable, but the 60 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,319 fence needed replacing, and we'd have to get a look 61 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:27,079 at the shaft itself if we wanted to close the 62 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:31,600 file properly. I figured we'd head in tomorrow and get 63 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:35,000 the rest of it done in daylight. Two more days 64 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,759 of work at most, then we'd be gone and the 65 00:04:38,759 --> 00:04:44,279 town would have their forest back. The next morning, we 66 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:48,439 decided to split the day between paperwork and local logistics. 67 00:04:48,959 --> 00:04:51,759 Seth wanted to get breakfast and see what the town 68 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:56,519 was actually like in the daylight. I agreed, mostly because 69 00:04:56,519 --> 00:04:59,279 the state records on the mine were such a mess 70 00:04:59,439 --> 00:05:02,240 that it made to check the town's clerk office while 71 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:06,120 we were here. I figured we might find original filings 72 00:05:06,639 --> 00:05:09,720 or released some version of the truth closer to the source. 73 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,720 The diner was the first stop. It was the same 74 00:05:14,759 --> 00:05:18,040 one from the previous night, though it looked warmer in 75 00:05:18,079 --> 00:05:23,160 the morning light, wood paneled walls, a faded jukebox, and 76 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:27,759 a specials board written in hard to recursive. There were 77 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:32,199 only two other customers, both elderly, both watching us over 78 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:37,000 their mugs without speaking A waitress greeted us with a 79 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:41,399 smile that didn't quite touch her eyes. She handed us menus, 80 00:05:41,759 --> 00:05:44,839 asked where we were from, and then made no further comment. 81 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:47,600 When I said, we were working on a state assignment 82 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:52,279 near the mine. We're just cleaning up some liability stuff, 83 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:58,800 I added, trying to keep the tone casual, she nodded slowly. 84 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:04,079 Best not to linger past sundown. Then Seth gave me 85 00:06:04,079 --> 00:06:09,120 a quick glance but didn't say anything. Breakfast arrived quickly. 86 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:14,879 Everything was hot, and everything tasted fine. The silence around 87 00:06:14,959 --> 00:06:19,000 us remained fixed in place. When Seth asked the waitress 88 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,639 what she meant earlier, she wiped her hand on her 89 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:25,480 apron and said, ain't much up there worth surveying anymore, 90 00:06:26,399 --> 00:06:31,519 then walked away. He looked over at me, eyebrows raised. 91 00:06:32,079 --> 00:06:37,399 They're all weirdly cagey about this. He noticed that I 92 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:41,120 had noticed, But I also knew that rural towns protected 93 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:47,199 their dead fiercely. Tragedy becomes folklore, and folklore turns into boundaries. 94 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:53,839 People stop questioning. I figured it was better not to bush. 95 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:56,399 When we stopped at the general store afterward to buy 96 00:06:56,439 --> 00:07:00,839 some bottled water and replacement gloves, Seth mentioned the baby shoe, 97 00:07:01,639 --> 00:07:03,959 just a passing comment to the woman at the register, 98 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,360 asked if they did any sort of local memorials up 99 00:07:07,399 --> 00:07:13,079 by the mine. She froze mid scan. Her hand rested 100 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:16,160 on top of the register for a full second before 101 00:07:16,199 --> 00:07:21,839 she looked up. That's not for you to handle, she said. 102 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:26,959 Seth blinked, I mean we already bagged it part of 103 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:34,000 cycleing up. Her expression shifted, but only slightly. Then she 104 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:39,000 handed him the receipt without saying another word. We left 105 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:43,079 in silence. Seth kept shaking his head the whole way 106 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:46,680 back to the car. They're acting like we dug up 107 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:51,800 a grave. Maybe we did, and I said, not literally, 108 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:59,040 but to them could be. At the clerk's office, I 109 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:03,160 asked for record from the mine's operational period. The woman 110 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:06,199 behind the desk handed me a heavy binder without asking 111 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:10,319 any questions. Her nameplate was chipped and the corners of 112 00:08:10,319 --> 00:08:14,279 the folder were stained from time and handling. It had 113 00:08:14,319 --> 00:08:19,879 clearly been opened more than once, but not recently. I 114 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,600 brought it to one of the black tables and started 115 00:08:22,639 --> 00:08:26,319 scanning through it while Seth looked over some land plaits. 116 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:30,279 About half way through the binder, I found two sheets 117 00:08:30,319 --> 00:08:36,519 clipped together, both labeled Casualty Summary Ever Greek Collapse March 118 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:42,799 nineteen thirty seven. The first listed seventeen names, each followed 119 00:08:42,799 --> 00:08:45,559 by a cross symbol and a four digit miners ID. 120 00:08:47,039 --> 00:08:50,960 The second listed only eleven. The others were marked simply 121 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:58,159 as unrecovered. There was no explanation, no read ink or 122 00:08:58,279 --> 00:09:02,600 notes in the margin, just two nearly identical documents that 123 00:09:02,759 --> 00:09:08,159 contradicted each other completely. That alone would have been worth noting. 124 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:12,039 But deeper in the binder, tucked into a folder labeled 125 00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:20,039 post collapse Correspondence, I found something stranger. Photocopies of town 126 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:25,960 death certificates, bundled by decade. Some were handwritten, others typed 127 00:09:26,039 --> 00:09:31,720 in fading carbon. Most were a routine old age farm accident, 128 00:09:32,519 --> 00:09:36,600 the kind of mortality you expect in rural places. But 129 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:42,480 until recently, every two decades, always in late autumn, a 130 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:47,799 name would appear with no cause of death listed, just missing. 131 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:54,240 The latest entry was twenty years old October two thousand 132 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:58,240 and five. Written by hand, was a note saying as 133 00:09:58,279 --> 00:10:04,399 solution was found. No other details were given. Seth came 134 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:08,399 over and asked if I found anything interesting. I showed 135 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:13,360 him the list. He whistled low through his teeth. Could 136 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:18,600 be coincidence, he said, but his voice didn't sound convinced 137 00:10:19,519 --> 00:10:23,360 it could. I agreed, But someone had grouped them all 138 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:28,039 together across nearly a century of town records. That wasn't 139 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:33,840 standard viling. That was curation. When I asked the clerk 140 00:10:33,879 --> 00:10:36,799 if anyone was expecting us at the side tomorrow, she 141 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:41,480 shook her head. We don't go up there, she said, 142 00:10:42,039 --> 00:10:50,600 not any more. She didn't elaborate. I didn't ask her to. Outside, 143 00:10:50,919 --> 00:10:53,919 the wind had picked up. It came down from the 144 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,919 ridge in slow, cold currents, the kind that settles into 145 00:10:57,919 --> 00:11:01,399 your clothes when you stay there. We drove back to 146 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:08,879 the motel without speaking. The next day, Seth stayed behind 147 00:11:08,919 --> 00:11:11,840 the catalog's soil data while I returned to the mine 148 00:11:11,919 --> 00:11:15,600 sight alone. The air was colder than it had been 149 00:11:15,639 --> 00:11:19,639 the day before. The sky was gray but dry, and 150 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:23,279 the woods held a heavy stillness that felt deeper than weather. 151 00:11:24,759 --> 00:11:28,120 I paced the perimeter again, noting where the ridge sloped 152 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,559 toward a cluster of collapsed timbers that had probably once 153 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:36,840 supported the original access trail. From there, the forest pushed 154 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:39,919 right up against the edge of the old fence, its 155 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,759 roots lifting the earth and stone in uneven patterns. It 156 00:11:44,879 --> 00:11:49,159 was a dramatic subsistence, but it suggested slow movement beneath 157 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:52,759 the surface, the kinder thing that wouldn't appear on modern 158 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:57,840 records unless some one went locking. That was when I 159 00:11:57,919 --> 00:12:04,720 heard it, A faint, metallic sound, sharp rhythmic. It came 160 00:12:04,759 --> 00:12:09,399 from somewhere beneath the ground, distant but consistent, the kind 161 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:12,240 of sound that might have been dismissed as wind dragging 162 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:16,799 through old ventilation shafts or water dripping from rusted struts 163 00:12:16,919 --> 00:12:22,639 onto a hollow steel plate. But the intervals were too clean, steady. 164 00:12:23,799 --> 00:12:27,360 It struck stone and rang out in short echoes, as 165 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:30,639 if whatever was causing it was focused on something specific. 166 00:12:32,399 --> 00:12:36,480 I stopped walking, crouched and pressed my palm to the earth. 167 00:12:37,639 --> 00:12:44,759 Felt nothing. The vibrations, if they existed, were too faint. Still, 168 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:49,240 the sound continued for another ten seconds, then it stopped 169 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:56,559 all at once. I stood slowly and scanned the surrounding slope, 170 00:12:56,960 --> 00:13:00,320 Just past the trail collapse. Behind a clump of bugs thorn, 171 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:06,279 I saw something that didn't belong. A small clearing, half 172 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:10,240 swallowed by moss and leaf litter, A shallow pile of 173 00:13:10,279 --> 00:13:15,559 items sat at its center, arranged with deliberate spacing, not 174 00:13:15,759 --> 00:13:21,559 trash and not abandoned. A silver ring tarnished and bented 175 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:26,360 the edge. A folded photograph warped from moisture, but still 176 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:29,399 showing the face of a man standing beside a truck. 177 00:13:30,519 --> 00:13:33,840 A pale braid of hair tied at both ends with twine. 178 00:13:35,399 --> 00:13:38,559 All of it was placed with care, though the elements 179 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:43,480 had done their best to erase the intent. I stood 180 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:46,679 there for a long time, trying to piece together whether 181 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:52,159 this was grief, folklore, or something else. Entirely, it was 182 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:55,279 too far from any graveyard to be a memorial, and 183 00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:58,399 the items were too personal to have been discarded by chance. 184 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:04,000 Photograph the scene from a distance, then log the GPS coordinates, 185 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:09,000 and returned to the motel. Seth was in the lobby 186 00:14:09,279 --> 00:14:12,559 working through the geology report over a coffee that had 187 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:16,759 long since gone cold. I dropped into the armchair across 188 00:14:16,799 --> 00:14:22,240 from him and relayed what I'd found. Second one, huh, 189 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:25,480 he said, you think it's part of the same tradition, 190 00:14:26,159 --> 00:14:30,200 like another offering site. It has that feel to it, 191 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:35,440 I said, But nothing official, no plaques, no town maintenance. 192 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:38,600 All of it looks like it's meant to be forgotten. 193 00:14:40,879 --> 00:14:42,919 He leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. 194 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:48,559 I tried asking that waitress again, just normal questions. You'd 195 00:14:48,559 --> 00:14:51,919 think i'd asked about somebody's funeral. She said, they don't 196 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:54,720 go near the fence line. Told me to mind the 197 00:14:54,799 --> 00:15:01,679 season and let it rest. Whatever that means, same tone 198 00:15:01,679 --> 00:15:05,440 I got at the clerk's office. Everyone's polite, but they're 199 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:11,919 not confused. They know something. Seth looked out the front window. 200 00:15:12,799 --> 00:15:16,240 The sky was starting to dim. The clouds had thickened 201 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:20,399 since I got back. Do we tell them we're opening 202 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:25,840 the shafts soon, No point, I said, It's not a 203 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:34,759 conversation they're interested in having. It was just afternoon when 204 00:15:34,759 --> 00:15:37,440 I decided to stretch my legs and walk the edge 205 00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:41,399 of town. Seth had returned to the motel to sort data, 206 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:44,440 but I needed to escape the screen for a while. 207 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:49,080 The air was still pressed down under low cloud cover. 208 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:54,080 Nothing moved in the trees, even the birds had gone quiet. 209 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,440 The streets were empty. In that in between way rural 210 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:03,799 towns offten are shops open but unattended. Wind chime's moving 211 00:16:03,879 --> 00:16:09,000 without sound. I passed the church, a one room schoolhouse, 212 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:12,879 and a shuttered gas station that still sold cold sodas 213 00:16:12,879 --> 00:16:17,080 through an ancient vending machine. Near the edge of the church, 214 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:21,720 I spotted a boy crouched beside a dry colvert. He 215 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:24,879 was fiddling with something in the dark, maybe a stick 216 00:16:25,159 --> 00:16:27,799 or a bit of wire, the way kids do when 217 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:31,679 they have more day than structure. No older than seven. 218 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:37,120 He didn't notice me at first. I slowed as I 219 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:42,120 passed and gave him a quick nod. Hey there, I said, 220 00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:46,480 keeping the tone casual. You know any scary stories about 221 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:52,320 the mines? He rose. The object in his hands slipped 222 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:55,360 from his grip, but he didn't move to pick it up. 223 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:01,279 I just sat there, my shoulders stiff and my head. 224 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:06,680 I waited for a moment, then smiled. I was thinking 225 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:10,160 of going to play up there, I added, keeping it friendly, 226 00:17:10,759 --> 00:17:13,079 I thought I should ask if there are any monsters 227 00:17:13,079 --> 00:17:17,400 to watch out for. That got him to look up, 228 00:17:18,039 --> 00:17:21,720 but not with amusement. His eyes were wide, in the 229 00:17:21,759 --> 00:17:24,319 way kids get when they've been told a rule that 230 00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:29,279 feels larger than them, something that feels older than their parents. 231 00:17:29,799 --> 00:17:35,079 He looked around, then leaned in slightly. I'm not supposed 232 00:17:35,119 --> 00:17:39,599 to talk about it, he said. I crouched a little, 233 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:44,559 hands on my knees, staying a few steps back. Fair enough, 234 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:51,799 But I won't tell if you don't. The boy hesitated, Then, 235 00:17:52,039 --> 00:17:56,319 in a near whisper, he said, the facelesswans are there. 236 00:17:57,119 --> 00:18:00,640 They only come out if someone opens it every twenty 237 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:04,440 years or so. That's why we leave stuff. It stops 238 00:18:04,519 --> 00:18:10,640 them from coming. He stood up and dusted off his pants. 239 00:18:11,519 --> 00:18:16,759 Then he turned and walked away without another word, not running, 240 00:18:17,279 --> 00:18:24,319 but quick head down. He never looked back. I stood 241 00:18:24,319 --> 00:18:27,200 there for a few moments after he disappeared around the corner, 242 00:18:27,759 --> 00:18:35,039 letting his words settle faceless ones. The phrasing was strange. 243 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:43,279 Not monsters, not ghosts, not even miners, faceless. It was 244 00:18:43,319 --> 00:18:46,759 the kind of story a child might inherit without understanding, 245 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:52,440 something passed down through repetition, never fully explained, just accepted 246 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:57,640 to me. It was a bit of folklore, probably rooted 247 00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:01,480 in grief. Away for the town, I ritualized the collapse, 248 00:19:02,279 --> 00:19:06,640 a quiet warning wrapped in superstition. It was an uncommon 249 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:12,200 I'd heard dozens of versions in other towns across the state. Still, 250 00:19:12,559 --> 00:19:15,720 as I made my way back to the motel, I 251 00:19:15,759 --> 00:19:21,799 found myself repeating the phrase under my breath, the faceless ones. 252 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:33,920 We started early the next morning, just after the sun 253 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:37,960 cleared the ridge. The sky was flat and pale, The 254 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:42,480 clouds stretched thin across the horizon. Seth looked half awake 255 00:19:42,519 --> 00:19:45,079 when he met me by the car, but his boots 256 00:19:45,079 --> 00:19:48,319 were laced and he was already double checking the survey gear. 257 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:53,000 The drive to the site was short, trees pressed in 258 00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:56,160 from both sides of the access road, brittle with a 259 00:19:56,279 --> 00:20:00,000 change in season. By the time we reached the mine entrance, 260 00:20:00,799 --> 00:20:03,839 the frost and the undergrowth had already started to melt. 261 00:20:05,559 --> 00:20:08,880 The boards covering the main shaft entrance were old and brittle. 262 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:13,400 They cracked easily under pressure and pried them loose while 263 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:17,759 Seth cleared the debris beneath the outer layer. The frame 264 00:20:17,799 --> 00:20:21,920 had been reinforced with thick nails and rusted chains. Someone 265 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:27,799 had sealed it thoroughly once that effort hadn't held. Behind 266 00:20:27,799 --> 00:20:31,240 the final boards, darkness pressed forward in a way that 267 00:20:31,319 --> 00:20:36,920 felt tangible. The shaft yawned open, lined with rotting timber. 268 00:20:38,079 --> 00:20:43,799 No air movement, just stillness. I stepped forward first and 269 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:48,519 checked the air with a handheld reader. Oxygen low but breathable, 270 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:53,839 no methane, no signs of recent activity. Just stale air 271 00:20:54,079 --> 00:20:59,839 and the dry rot of long abandoned spaces. Inside the 272 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,640 beam of my headlamp cut through thick layers of dust 273 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:07,640 and old cobwebs. The walls narrowed quickly, then opened into 274 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:13,000 the first main corridor, calvestone, reinforced with wood beams, most 275 00:21:13,039 --> 00:21:17,440 of them splintered and leaning under their own weight. We 276 00:21:17,519 --> 00:21:22,039 moved slowly, pausing often to photograph structural damage and cross 277 00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:27,519 checking support spaces. Seth handled the laser mapping, marking depth 278 00:21:27,599 --> 00:21:32,599 and slow gradients as we went. The process was tedious, 279 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:39,160 but necessary, no shortcuts with work like this. About an 280 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:42,920 hour in we both paused at the same time. A 281 00:21:43,079 --> 00:21:47,440 sound had drifted up from the tunnel ahead, faint, sharp, 282 00:21:48,079 --> 00:21:53,839 a metallic tick, followed by a pause, then another, regular 283 00:21:53,960 --> 00:22:01,519 intervals clean repetition. Seth raised an eyebrow, you hear that. 284 00:22:03,839 --> 00:22:10,160 I nodded, already listening harder. The sound came again, distant. 285 00:22:11,319 --> 00:22:14,640 It echoed faintly along the stone, but not enough to 286 00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:20,599 locate a source. Could be water dripping. I said, if 287 00:22:20,599 --> 00:22:23,839 this metal piping still embedded in the rock, the echo 288 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:29,880 can carry. Seth didn't respond, but I could tell he 289 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:34,039 didn't buy it. I wasn't sure I did either, but 290 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:36,480 I wasn't going to say what it really sounded like. 291 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:43,839 Not yet. We kept working. There was still a lot 292 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:47,759 to do. The map had to be completed before we 293 00:22:47,799 --> 00:22:52,319 could even submit the preliminary risk report. Neither of us 294 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:57,160 mentioned the sound again, though it returned occasionally, always at 295 00:22:57,160 --> 00:23:02,279 the edge of hearing. By mid afternoon, we were both 296 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:06,440 covered in dust, our knees saw from crouching, our wrists 297 00:23:06,599 --> 00:23:12,519 aching from constant notation. The work was good, methodical, but 298 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:16,559 it drained you. Old tunnels had a way of taking 299 00:23:16,599 --> 00:23:20,920 more energy than they gave back. We reached the midpoint 300 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:23,519 of the shaft and decided to stop for the day. 301 00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:27,039 There was too much to cover in a single pass, 302 00:23:27,559 --> 00:23:30,240 and we hadn't brought enough gear for an overnight trip. 303 00:23:32,119 --> 00:23:35,039 Before we left, we stacked our packs near the entrance. 304 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:39,640 It felt safe enough. No one in town would likely 305 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:42,559 come near the mine, not with how they spoke about it, 306 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:46,079 and the equipment wasn't useful to anyone who didn't know 307 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:49,720 how to use it. Specialized tools had a way of 308 00:23:49,799 --> 00:23:54,559 protecting themselves. We hiked back to the car without speaking much. 309 00:23:55,519 --> 00:24:00,200 The quiet between us wasn't tension. It was exhaustion, the 310 00:24:00,279 --> 00:24:03,240 kind that settled into your shoulders and made you feel 311 00:24:03,279 --> 00:24:07,279 older than you were. By the time we rolled back 312 00:24:07,319 --> 00:24:11,160 into ever Creek, the sky had already started to dim. 313 00:24:12,039 --> 00:24:15,119 We didn't talk about the sound in the mine. We 314 00:24:15,279 --> 00:24:18,200 just drove to the diner and ordered whatever was still 315 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:22,920 on the grill. We were dirty, tired, and hungry enough 316 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:27,559 to forget everything else for a little while. The diner 317 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:31,160 felt warmer than usual when we stepped in. The windows 318 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:34,000 were fogged at the corners from the kitchen heat, and 319 00:24:34,079 --> 00:24:38,359 the overhead lights hummed softly above our booth. We sat 320 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:41,720 near the back, away from the regulars who always clustered 321 00:24:41,759 --> 00:24:46,599 close to the counter. Seth looked worn out. He rubbed 322 00:24:46,599 --> 00:24:49,000 his eyes with a heel of his hand while flipped 323 00:24:49,039 --> 00:24:51,680 through my note book, cross checking some of the beam 324 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:55,599 measurements from earlier. Our boots left the trail of dry 325 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:58,799 mud across the floor, and the waitress didn't ask us 326 00:24:58,799 --> 00:25:02,000 to wipe it up. She just dropped off two waters 327 00:25:02,279 --> 00:25:07,519 and walked away. We ate slowly, tired from the work. 328 00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:12,960 Neither of us had much to say at first. Eventually 329 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:19,599 Seth broke the silence. The place was empty, he said, 330 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,920 not even a raccoon down there. I don't get what 331 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:30,599 they're so scared of. He said it too loudly, not shouting, 332 00:25:31,519 --> 00:25:35,200 just casual, the kind of volume people use when they 333 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:41,160 assume no one is listening. Some one was a man 334 00:25:41,279 --> 00:25:44,039 in a booth two tables over. Turned in his seat. 335 00:25:44,759 --> 00:25:49,240 He stood up slowly, eyes locked on us. His voice 336 00:25:49,319 --> 00:25:53,519 was sharp enough to cut through the entire room. You 337 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:59,720 opened it, Seth rose mid bite. I set my fork down. 338 00:26:01,079 --> 00:26:06,440 The diner went still, Conversations died, the clink of silverware stopped. 339 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:12,160 Chairs scraped lightly as people began to stand. Some avoided 340 00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:17,400 looking at us, Others stared too directly. The man didn't 341 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:20,960 say anything else. He just stood there a moment longer, 342 00:26:21,839 --> 00:26:27,240 then walked out. A few others followed him. A woman 343 00:26:27,279 --> 00:26:31,200 near the counter leaned in our direction. Go back to 344 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:38,279 your motel. She said, lock your doors tonight. Seth looked 345 00:26:38,279 --> 00:26:42,759 at me, his brows furrowed. I didn't know what to say. 346 00:26:44,599 --> 00:26:47,920 The waitress came by with a check. She didn't meet 347 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:53,160 her eyes, then she walked away. The rest of the meal, 348 00:26:53,279 --> 00:26:58,759 sat and touched, repaid, and left without another word. Outside 349 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:03,319 the street, Ada, no one was on the sidewalks. No 350 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:07,480 cars passing. The sun had finally dipped behind the ridge, 351 00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:10,920 leaving the town in that in between collar that doesn't 352 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:15,599 belong to day or night. Windows were shuttered, porch lights 353 00:27:15,599 --> 00:27:20,000 were off. The walk to the motel wasn't far, but 354 00:27:20,039 --> 00:27:23,799 it felt longer than it should have. The silence pressed 355 00:27:23,799 --> 00:27:27,559 in from both sides, even the wind had dropped away. 356 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:33,519 When we reached our room, we didn't discuss it. We 357 00:27:33,559 --> 00:27:36,920 said good night at our doors and locked them behind us. 358 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:41,880 Seth double checked the dead bolt, then said through the wall, 359 00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:47,519 see you in the morning. I didn't answer right away. 360 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:56,039 Eventually I said yeah, morning, but it was hard to 361 00:27:56,039 --> 00:28:05,000 believe that tomorrow would feel the same Today. We woke early, 362 00:28:05,519 --> 00:28:09,039 though neither of us had slept well. I kept waking 363 00:28:09,079 --> 00:28:12,680 to small noises that never repeated, moments that might have 364 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:16,039 been dreams, but left a hair on my arms standing straight. 365 00:28:17,519 --> 00:28:21,480 When we stepped outside, the air had turned colder, a 366 00:28:21,599 --> 00:28:24,559 fine mist clung to the gravel lot, and the sky 367 00:28:24,799 --> 00:28:28,799 had the flat, heavy color that usually meant snow. By nightfall, 368 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:34,440 the town was still not just slow, not quiet in 369 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:38,240 the way small places often are. It was still in 370 00:28:38,279 --> 00:28:42,160 the way of shut doors and drawn curtains. The kind 371 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:47,720 of stillness that implies watching. The diner was closed, no 372 00:28:47,839 --> 00:28:51,799 chairs on the porch, no light inside. The gas station 373 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:55,640 had its metal shutters down. The General's door was locked, 374 00:28:55,960 --> 00:29:00,960 its windows dark. We knocked on a few doors, more 375 00:29:01,039 --> 00:29:04,680 out of instinct than hope. We could hear the shovel 376 00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:08,599 of feet inside. Once there was the distinct sound of 377 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:11,680 some one inhaling sharply when we knocked, but no one 378 00:29:11,839 --> 00:29:18,079 opened up. Seth looked around and rubbed his neck. They're hiding, 379 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:28,119 they're waiting, I said, for what. I didn't answer. We 380 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:31,000 made our way back to the mine. The path had 381 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:35,160 the same emptiness as the town did. At the mine entrance, 382 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:39,519 everything was untouched. The boards we had pried loose still 383 00:29:39,599 --> 00:29:42,640 lay in a neat stack by the opening. Our gear 384 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:48,359 sat just where we left it, the dust undisturbed. It 385 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:52,759 felt wrong to step into the shaft again, but we did. 386 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:59,279 The job wasn't finished inside. The air had grown heavier, 387 00:30:00,119 --> 00:30:03,839 not from weather or lack of oxygen. There was simply 388 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:07,079 a pressure to it now, the kind that settles behind 389 00:30:07,119 --> 00:30:10,400 your eyes and makes your jaw clench. Without knowing why, 390 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:17,519 we worked in silence, mapping, photographing, and logging. I tried 391 00:30:17,519 --> 00:30:24,640 to focus, but every few minutes the sound returned. Tick, 392 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:33,759 metal on stone, pause, tick. It echoed from deeper in 393 00:30:33,799 --> 00:30:38,680 the tunnel, always past the last point we'd explored, never 394 00:30:38,759 --> 00:30:42,759 louder than a soft chime, but enough to hear, enough 395 00:30:42,799 --> 00:30:47,000 to feel in the joints of your teeth. Seth stopped 396 00:30:47,039 --> 00:30:50,039 once to ask what I thought it was. I gave 397 00:30:50,079 --> 00:30:55,599 the same MANSI I had before, groundwater pressure shifts old machinery, 398 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:01,599 but I knew he didn't believe me. We left earlier 399 00:31:01,599 --> 00:31:04,880 than we had the day before. Neither of us wanted 400 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:08,480 to be in the shaft when the light failed. Back 401 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:12,279 at the motel, the hallway smelled faintly of cedar and dust. 402 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:18,000 Our doors were closed, but something had changed. Inside my 403 00:31:18,119 --> 00:31:22,200 room and the table beside the window sat a basket, 404 00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:30,440 wicker lined with cloth, no tag, no note. Inside was 405 00:31:30,519 --> 00:31:36,960 cheese wrapped in wax paper, jerky salted in dense bottled water. 406 00:31:37,599 --> 00:31:43,240 Six tall containers, labels peeled off. Seth called from his room. 407 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:48,039 He had one too. We stood in the hallway a moment, 408 00:31:48,319 --> 00:31:56,920 baskets in hand. This isn't hospitality, I said, no, he said, 409 00:31:57,519 --> 00:32:03,920 it's rations. We didn't talk about what that meant, but 410 00:32:04,039 --> 00:32:07,200 I left the basket sealed. When I went to bed, 411 00:32:10,519 --> 00:32:13,799 I woke to the sound of something slamming against the door. 412 00:32:14,839 --> 00:32:20,400 Not knocking, not a fist. It was heavier than that, blunt, 413 00:32:20,839 --> 00:32:24,400 deliberate pace, with the kind of weight that didn't need 414 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:29,039 to rush. The first strike rattled the frame, the second 415 00:32:29,079 --> 00:32:33,200 made the bedside lamp flicker. I sat up too fast 416 00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:36,279 and nearly fell out of bed. My mouth was dry. 417 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:40,039 I hadn't heard any footsteps or voices leading up to it, 418 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:45,759 just the bang, then another, then the silence in between. 419 00:32:47,279 --> 00:32:50,440 I thought at first that the townspeople had decided to 420 00:32:50,519 --> 00:32:53,759 force us out, that the warnings had turned into action. 421 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:58,359 I imagined a group outside with flashlights and tools, fed 422 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:03,559 up with our presence of whatever they thought we had stirred. 423 00:33:04,039 --> 00:33:09,160 But I didn't hear voices, no muttering or yelling. Just 424 00:33:09,279 --> 00:33:14,319 one more slow, heavy impact against the door. The hallway 425 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:19,559 light under the door flickered once, then dimmed. I backed 426 00:33:19,599 --> 00:33:23,079 into the bathroom, shut the door, and locked it. It 427 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:27,000 was a flimsy bolt, the kind meant for privacy, not protection. 428 00:33:28,319 --> 00:33:30,880 I sat down in the corner beside the toilet and 429 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:35,319 tried to slow my breathing another blow shook the walls. 430 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:40,680 Then came the sound of wood splintering, long drawn out cracking, 431 00:33:41,599 --> 00:33:45,920 the groan of material giving way under pressure. Whatever was 432 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:51,680 out there had started breaking, something apart, but it wasn't 433 00:33:51,799 --> 00:33:58,839 my door. The sound shifted. I heard a scream, Seth. 434 00:34:00,519 --> 00:34:03,839 It came from the room next door. Not just one shout. 435 00:34:04,519 --> 00:34:11,639 It stretched out, ragged, panicked. I heard furniture scrape, then crash. 436 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:17,679 Something was being dragged, not fast, a slow pull across 437 00:34:17,679 --> 00:34:23,800 the carpet. Seth screamed again. Then it cut off, sudden 438 00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:28,280 and sharp. I pressed my hand over my mouth and 439 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:34,400 stayed completely still. My own breathing felt too loud. Then 440 00:34:34,559 --> 00:34:39,000 came the creaking, not footsteps, just the sound of something 441 00:34:39,079 --> 00:34:45,199 shifting weight, a slow movement, wood bending under uneven pressure. 442 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:54,079 The hallway groaned. Minutes passed, then more, No more sounds, 443 00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:58,800 no more movement. I didn't open the door. I didn't speak. 444 00:34:59,599 --> 00:35:02,880 I sat curled on the tile floor, knees pulled to 445 00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:06,119 my chest, staring at the space beneath the bathroom door, 446 00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:10,880 and waiting for the sky to turn gray again. It 447 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:19,119 was a long time before dawn came. When morning finally came, 448 00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:22,920 I stepped out into the hallway, expecting to see the 449 00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:27,199 remnants of a break in, maybe even the police. But 450 00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:34,760 the corridor was clean, the carpet undisturbed. My door stood intact, latched, untouched. 451 00:35:36,239 --> 00:35:39,079 I crossed a few feet to Seth's room and felt 452 00:35:39,119 --> 00:35:42,960 the shift as soon as I reached it. His door 453 00:35:43,079 --> 00:35:46,239 was split down the center. The frame had been torn 454 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:49,320 at the corners where the bolts used to be. The 455 00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:52,920 handle hung loose on one screw, and the paint around 456 00:35:52,920 --> 00:35:57,199 the lock had buckled outward. Four clean holes had been 457 00:35:57,239 --> 00:36:00,480 punched straight through on the bottom half of the door. 458 00:36:02,079 --> 00:36:06,239 They weren't ragged. They were narrow and round, drilled deep 459 00:36:06,280 --> 00:36:11,360 and deliberate, about the width of a pickaxe tip. Inside 460 00:36:11,360 --> 00:36:14,199 the room, the sheet had been stripped half way down 461 00:36:14,199 --> 00:36:17,960 the bed. The nightstand lay on its side. The floor 462 00:36:18,079 --> 00:36:21,480 was scuffed in a wide arc. The carpet torn where 463 00:36:21,519 --> 00:36:25,880 something had been dragged. A dark red smear trailed from 464 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:31,239 the bed to the door, then turned toward the parking lot. Outside, 465 00:36:31,599 --> 00:36:34,119 a woman in a plain gray sweater was mopping the 466 00:36:34,159 --> 00:36:39,679 pavement with slow, practiced strokes. She worked in silence, pushing 467 00:36:39,719 --> 00:36:43,920 the soaked fibers across the concrete. The red line faded 468 00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:51,000 behind her with each pass. She never looked up. I 469 00:36:51,079 --> 00:36:54,440 stood there for a long time, waiting for someone else 470 00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:58,639 to appear, for a police cruiser, a medic, a crowd, 471 00:37:00,039 --> 00:37:05,440 but no one came. Eventually I left the motel and 472 00:37:05,559 --> 00:37:11,000 walked into town. The streets were no longer empty. The 473 00:37:11,079 --> 00:37:14,239 diner had its chairs back out. The gas station pumps 474 00:37:14,280 --> 00:37:17,400 were humming again. A man was putting out a sandwich 475 00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:20,960 board for the Lunt Special. People passed me on the 476 00:37:21,039 --> 00:37:25,920 sidewalk without stopping. Near the post office, I found a 477 00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:29,480 small group gathered in the street, half a dozen men 478 00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:34,480 and women, all standing in a loose formation. They weren't 479 00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:40,760 holding anything, they weren't armed, just waiting. One of them, 480 00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:44,039 a man in a tan coat with sleeves too short 481 00:37:44,079 --> 00:37:49,599 for his arms, stepped forward. He was maybe fifty. His 482 00:37:49,719 --> 00:37:54,920 expression was neither kind nor angry. It's time for you 483 00:37:55,039 --> 00:38:00,320 to go now, he said. I stared at him. What 484 00:38:00,559 --> 00:38:05,719 happened to my partner? No one answered. I tried again, 485 00:38:06,679 --> 00:38:09,199 what happened last night? Where did you all go the 486 00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:12,159 day before? Why are you acting like this is normal? 487 00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:18,000 The man's mouth twitched once at the corner, not quite 488 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:22,000 a smile, more of a signal, a recognition that my 489 00:38:22,159 --> 00:38:30,159 questions didn't need answers. An offering has been made, he said. 490 00:38:32,880 --> 00:38:35,719 I looked past him to the others. None of them 491 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:40,679 met my eyes. They stared just over my shoulder, waiting. 492 00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:51,119 I turned and walked away. No one followed. The sky 493 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:54,360 was dull gray when I returned to the mine. The 494 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:58,039 streets along the road were still, the leaves half dropped 495 00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:02,440 and wet from a slow morning tree. The tires cracked 496 00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:05,880 over gravel, but the rest of the world held its breath. 497 00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:10,320 No one followed me. No one had asked where I 498 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:18,480 was going. The entrance had been sealed again. Fresh boards 499 00:39:18,599 --> 00:39:22,159 crossed the mouth of the shaft, cleaner than the old ones. 500 00:39:22,199 --> 00:39:27,400 We had pulled away. New bolts reinforced the frame. Someone 501 00:39:27,519 --> 00:39:30,960 had worked quickly and quietly, and they had done it 502 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:36,199 before sunrise. I walked to the fence. The grass around 503 00:39:36,239 --> 00:39:39,639 the path was damp, but a few red droplets stood 504 00:39:39,639 --> 00:39:42,800 out on the pale soil leading toward the base of 505 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:47,760 the entrance. The color was too bright to be old. 506 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:53,360 Then I saw a bundle. It had been placed carefully, 507 00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:57,840 resting against the lower beam of the gate. A handkerchief 508 00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:03,239 knotted into a loose satchel bulging at the center. I 509 00:40:03,360 --> 00:40:09,800 crouched and opened it inside with the same kinds of 510 00:40:09,840 --> 00:40:13,639 items we had found before, a ring dulled by age, 511 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:16,800 a lock of hair braided and yellowed at the tip, 512 00:40:17,440 --> 00:40:21,719 two small teeth that looked far too human, and nestled 513 00:40:21,719 --> 00:40:26,280 among them in the pile of offerings. The plastic corner 514 00:40:26,960 --> 00:40:33,880 of a clipped work badge seths his name, his face, 515 00:40:34,639 --> 00:40:39,320 still clean, still laminated. It must have been taken from 516 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:45,280 the pack we had left behind. I stood slowly, holding 517 00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:49,480 the bundle against my chest, then lowered it again and 518 00:40:49,639 --> 00:40:56,840 left it there. I pieced it altogether. Something in the mines, 519 00:40:57,559 --> 00:41:01,280 the faceless ones that I heard about, were in there, 520 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:06,320 Whether their lost souls from the collapse or something far older, 521 00:41:06,719 --> 00:41:10,760 I did not know. But what I did know was 522 00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:16,840 how they kept them back, memorabilia, memories from when they 523 00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:20,719 were alive, left on their doorstep, maybe a reminder of 524 00:41:20,760 --> 00:41:25,960 their humanity to stop claiming more souls. They had solved this, 525 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:32,280 worked this out over decades, and we came in and 526 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:37,159 messed things up. And how could this have gone any different? 527 00:41:38,199 --> 00:41:41,519 If some here came up raving about monsters and rituals, 528 00:41:42,280 --> 00:41:48,159 we'd have pushed them aside to do our work. No 529 00:41:48,239 --> 00:41:51,039 one had told me what to do next. There was 530 00:41:51,079 --> 00:41:55,559 no official protocol for this, no field manual entry labeled folklore, 531 00:41:56,039 --> 00:41:58,239 no check box for an offering made in some one 532 00:41:58,280 --> 00:42:02,679 else's name. I sat in the driver's seat of the 533 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:06,000 truck with the engine off, and opened my field log 534 00:42:08,360 --> 00:42:16,159 mind structure remains unstable conditions hazardous collapse risk high. I 535 00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:25,199 paused secondary fatality during inspection. Body unrecoverable. Recommend indefinite closure. 536 00:42:27,719 --> 00:42:31,039 I didn't sign it right away, just closed the book 537 00:42:31,400 --> 00:42:35,920 and rested it on my lap. Then I looked back 538 00:42:36,199 --> 00:42:41,199 at the mouth of mine. I never heard the ticking 539 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:46,760 sound again, but I also never went back