GLITTER GULCH

CHAPTER 28:INTO THE DARKNESS

The ride to the farmhouse had been quiet and uneventful, sheets of rain pelting their coats. The tension between Seiji and Anubis a snarling beast that threatened to rip out the throat of the first one to speak.

After tending to the horses and putting them in the makeshift lean-to created earlier in the day, they walked in stony silence to the farmhouse.

"We're here," Sage announced as he stepped in the farmhouse door and took his hat off, shaking his head to fluff out his hair.

"Oh, great! You're back!" Cye bustled in from the kitchen followed closely by his shadow Philip, but he stopped short when he saw just Sage and Anubis. "Where are Ryo and Rowan?"

"What?"

"Didn't they find you?"

"No…" Sage looked at Anubis. "We didn't see them."

"Oh, dear." Cye blanched. "They went to find you. Rowan was getting worried so he and Ryo went searching for you."

Sage crammed his hat back on his head and stormed back outside, Anubis at his heels.

Rowan couldn't see a fucking thing. The storm was blinding. The fact that the sun had gone down didn't help things either, but he was bound and determined to find Sage and Anubis. He felt guilty about sending Sage out in this to begin with and when the two of them didn't show up when they should have, he began to get antsy. He dragged Ryo along for support, although he imagined the Indian would have gone anyway just because Sage was missing.

But they hadn't found them.

And now he and Ryo were lost. Out in the biting rain.

And he couldn't see a fucking thing.

He shivered and wondered if they were going in the right direction. If they would finally make it back to the farmhouse and find Anubis and Sage there all nice and dry.

Rowan sighed. He had known better than to try to go out and find the cowboy and bartender in this weather. Sage never seemed to lose his sense of direction. He never seemed to need anyone's help.

It had been a stupid idea.

But he had just been so anxious to see Anubis again. To touch him, to feel him, to smell him. There was something about those gray eyes that ignited a fire deep in Rowan's soul. The touch of a hand that could weaken his knees. The warmth of that body that left him craving more. The smell of peppermint that enflamed his desire and made his groin twitch.

Rowan heard Ryo's shout above the wind, jerking him out of his daydream and nearly knocking him out of the saddle. He turned to look at the Indian, the rain stinging like slivers of glass. He followed in the direction of Ryo's exaggerated pointing and saw what looked like a small cave off to their right. He waved and nudged his horse in that direction.

"Rowan, we're going around in circles," Ryo said as he dismounted his horse.

"What?" Rowan huffed. "What makes ya think that?"

"I've seen this cave before."

"It could be a different one," he muttered as he struck one of his white phosphorus matches and lit the small lantern on his saddlebags, anxious for the heat as well as the light.

He didn't see Ryo's defeated look and the soft shrug of his shoulders. "Whatever."

After handing Ryo the matches, Rowan took the small lantern and took a brief look around. The cave they were sheltered in was dark and narrow, but dry and out of the freezing wind. He set the small lantern on the ground and plopped down. He was tired and he was cold. He planned on sitting there till the rain stopped, then he and Ryo would go back home.

Home.

That was a funny word. He hadn't had a place to call home since he left his parents' house all those years ago. Of course it had been a welcome relief to get away from the old man with his drunken stupors and knack for finding fault with anything that Rowan did.

And the constant swearing.

And the beatings.

Rowan sighed and closed his eyes. Ever since his father had found Kento and him at that pond, his old man had never looked at him the same way again. After, there had been suspicion and distrust.

And something a little bit more sinister.

There had been many nights when Rowan had desperately tried to stay awake just in case his father chose that night to come into his room. Or he would hide under the bed and watch the door, expecting any minute to see his father's slippers pad softly into his room.

But it had never happened.

Thank God.

Rowan shivered and looked up sharply as a warm arm encircled him.

"You looked kinda cold."

The Yankee snorted and nestled closer to the Indian, letting Ryo's heat warm him a little. "Yeah, it's fuckin' freezin' if ya haven't noticed."

"Yeah," was all Ryo said.

Rowan stared at the soft-spoken but strong willed Indian. Of course Ryo wasn't always this quiet. The blue-haired Yank took it as a sign that the dark-haired man was nervous. And scared. Scared for Sage.

Just like he was scared for a certain redheaded bartender.

"They'll be okay, ya know."

Ryo nodded. "Yeah. I know."

Rowan snuggled closer, enjoying the warmth of tanned skin. Ryo was always warm. On occasion, he'd taken the liberty of crawling under the Indian's blanket with him when it was cold out on the trail. Ryo always welcomed him with open arms. Sometimes even helped warm ALL his body parts.

Of course that was before he'd realized that Ryo was interested in a certain blonde cowboy. Then a Yankee brain started devising schemes to get the two together because obviously jealousy wasn't working. However, that didn't keep Rowan from sharing 'body heat' with the Indian on occasion.

Rowan knew that Sage had been interested in Ryo. How could he miss those lingering glances by the one visible violet eye? He would have had to have been blind.

Now the cowboy and the Indian were finally an item, and Rowan had ripped them apart. Okay, maybe not ripped, but certainly put a wedge in between them. A blockhead wedge called selfish anger.

"I'm sorry I sent Sage out in this," he stated.

Ryo just sighed.

Rowan felt miserable. The warmth from Ryo's body no longer the pleasant sensation it had been earlier. The Indian was sulking and it was all Rowan's fault.

Time to cheer him up.

"Did I ever tell ya about the time that Sage got his horse stuck in a tree?"

"His horse? Sage got a horse stuck in a tree?"

"Yeah."

"Huh-uh. Don't think I've heard that one. Sure I woulda remembered that."

At least Ryo was smiling now.

Rowan situated himself and rested his head on Ryo's chest. "We were in a cattle drive southwest of the Rockies. Been there 'bout a week. Hard time gettin' all the cattle across some mountain passes. Well, Sage sees this dogie headin' off ta the south and gettin' away from the herd. The calf freaks and starts headin' down the mountain. So, Sage goes after it, but the incline was steeper than shit and his horse spooked. Tried to jump its way the rest of the way down. Instead of landing hard on that rocky slope and probably crippling itself and killing Sage, it lands smack dab in the middle of a tree. Not that it had any choice."

Rowan felt his grin spread. "Well, the foreman sends me lookin' for 'em since they hadn't come back. Let me tell ya, it was the funniest damned thing I think I ever saw. Sitting on top of his horse, just like it was standing on the ground, was Sage, his face all scrunched up and cussing like a sailor at the poor dumb beast. Sitting under the tree, looking up at them both with wide, brown eyes, just as pleased as punch, was that runaway dogie. Guess it had never seen a horse up in a tree before."

The body behind him started chuckling.

"Of course by the time I'd recovered enough ta try ta help Sage down, a couple of the other guys had come ta find out what was up. Not expecting it to be a horse." Rowan giggled. "It took us a while, but what we wound up doing was pushing the tree toward the slope and ripping out the roots so it would lie flat against it and then ripping off a couple of the branches. Sage was sorely pissed. They called him 'Treetop Halo' for a long time after that."

Ryo laughed out loud. "Treetop Halo? I'll have to remember that one."

"I'm warning ya, he hates it."

"Yeah, it figures. Just gonna have to keep that one handy."

After the laughter subsided, the two sat in uneasy silence for long moments before Rowan patted Ryo's leg and stood up, saying, "They'll be okay."

The Indian nodded.

Stretching, Rowan decided he wanted to explore the dark cave they'd taken shelter in. From the look of things, he wasn't going anywhere any time soon, so he might as well make use of the time he had. It came down to exploring or jumping on Ryo. And he didn't think the Indian would quite be up to that right now.

Carrying his small lantern, he made a circuit around the main portion of the cave. Not daring to venture too far from Ryo. Curious. The rough-hewn rock wasn't as naturally formed as he'd originally thought. The indentations in the rock seemed almost uniform. Man made.

"Maybe Sage and Anubis found another cave to hole up in," Ryo suggested.

Rowan snorted. "Yeah, right. Like Sage would want ta be separated from ya any longer than he has ta. Besides, the two of them hate each other. I'm surprised I was even able ta talk Sage inta it at all. Knowing Halo, they're already back at the ranch and have been since right after we left."

A glint off metal caught Rowan's eye. Embedded in the wall of the cave was a small hook. Intrigued, Rowan wandered further back into the darkness, the lantern's feeble light guiding him. There was another hook about twenty feet from the first. "Hey, Ryo! Come here!"

The lanky Indian leapt to his feet and cautiously made his way to the light, carrying his own small lantern. "What?"

"I think we're in some sorta mining tunnel. Look." He hung the lantern on the hook. "This is how they woulda lit their way. Lanterns lining the walls down the tunnels."

Ryo frowned. "I don't like the look of this, Rowan. This place gives me the creeps. Maybe we ought to try to head back again."

"I'm going ta take a closer look, okay?"

"I don't know, Rowan. I think we ought to get going."

"Stay here then. I'm going."

"Rowan, I really don't think you ought to be going down there. There's something… not right about this place. It's creepy. Besides, what if the guys have already made it back and are waiting for us?"

The Yankee would be damned if he were going to let this opportunity for exploring go to waste. "Look, Ryo. I want ta find out what's down there. See if I can get an idea of what they're mining for. That's it. Then I'll be back up here, and we can go, okay?"

Ryo bit his bottom lip and then sighed. "Okay. I'll wait here and keep a lookout. Maybe Sage and Anubis will come by."

Rowan patted the Indian on the back. "They're okay. Sage is too stubborn ta give up. They're just fine," the Yankee said, just as much for his own benefit as Ryo's.

The black-haired man nodded and went to the front of the cave, leaving the lantern a little ways behind him so he could peer out into the night.

Rowan sighed. It was good to know that Ryo cared for Sage so much. The two of them made a very nice couple. He was amazed that it had taken so long for them to finally admit to one another that they cared. He wondered briefly what had finally convinced them.

The cave stretched back for quite a ways with an occasional pit containing a makeshift elevator leading to lower depths. The cool, moist walls randomly sporting a jagged trickle of water that disappeared into the cave floor. Support beams littered the passageway, lining Rowan's path as he delved in deeper.

Rowan stopped. What was that noise?

A pinging noise. The sound of metal against rock.

There was someone out here? At night? Mining? Who could it be? Weren't they still on Rosemary's land?

Rowan stumbled on a rock, falling face first, swearing at his own clumsiness.

The noise stopped abruptly.

Rowan strained to listen for the clang.

Silence.

The Yankee clambered to his feet and dusted off his jacket, all the while muttering curses. This just wasn't his fucking day.

He froze.

There was someone standing in front of him. Just a few feet away. Far enough away from the light so he couldn't make out any distinct features.

Rowan tried to peer into the gloom. "Hello?"

The figure remained silent, but if he concentrated hard enough, he could hear a raspy sound. The sound of breathing. Wheezing.

"Hello?"

A shiver traveled up his spine, dragging his stomach with it. There was something sinister about the figure in the darkness. Something not quite right. The breathing was harsh and ragged, the shoulders slumped over a little too far.

"What are you?" he whispered before a crushing weight knocked him off his feet, his head connecting with the rock wall. Then he was flat on his back, heaviness pressing on his chest, driving the breath out of him. Pain gripping his lungs as he struggled to breathe. Sharp needle-like things biting into his shoulders, legs. A gnarled wolf-like snout dripping drool and a vile stench growled in his face and snapped at him.

Luckily, he hadn't dropped the lantern and brought it around in an arc, whacking his attacker on the side of the head, knocking it off balance and more importantly off him.

Scrambling to his feet, he started running. "RYO! Get out of here! There's something in here! GO! Go get the others!" Rowan shouted, hoping his voice would echo and carry through the tunnels. Hoping he hadn't gone too far.

He could hear the beast behind him, catching up to him. Gaining quickly. Snarling, growling. The clicking of claws as it raced along.

Rowan frantically searched for a way out. Somewhere he could at least hide. Some way to get away from those sharp teeth. What the hell was that thing anyway?

The lantern threw disgusting shadows on the wall as it bounced and jerked along in his hand. Their shades locked in the same gruesome death dance of cat and mouse.

If only he had a hole he could hide in.

There! He could just make out the outline of one of those elevator shafts. If he could just manage to grab hold of the rope…

He jumped. Dropped the lantern. Grabbed hold of nothing. His hands met air. He swore and flung his hands wildly, finally managing to catch hold of something. His shoulder jerked painfully, pulling out of its socket at the sudden weight. He almost let go from the pain that shot through him. Almost. Dust and frayed ends of old, worn rope falling around his head. He squinted his eyes and sneezed, struggling to maintain his hold.

But that was the least of his worries. That thing was still up there. It was reaching for the rope with long clawed hands. The huge shadows cast from his lantern that teetered on the edge of the shaft blotted out the light in terrifying shapes of claws and teeth. And fur?

What the hell was that thing?

The noises that left its mouth and made their way to Rowan were harsh and guttural, but familiar... It was talking. It was cussing at him. What the-?

It grabbed the rope and shook it, seemingly to dislodge Rowan from his perch. When that didn't work, it began swinging the rope back and forth, painfully slamming Rowan's body into the rock wall. His gloved hands slipped a little.

Voices. Angry voices. The creature snorted and left his line of vision.

A painfully bright searing light burned Rowan's eyes with a golden flash.

Then there was blackness. And silence.

"Hello?" Rowan wailed. He could just imagine the creature's breathing in the darkness. The vile stench of its fetid breath. The shake as it began climbing down the rope after him.

He frantically debated climbing down, but he couldn't see the bottom. The feeble light from his lantern had been extinguished.

He couldn't see a fucking thing.

Then he heard a match being struck and a face peered over the edge. He'd never been happier to see Sage in all his life. He could kiss him. Hell, he would kiss him.

"Rowan? Is that you?"

"Yeah. Who the hell else would it be hanging from a rope 100 feet from nothing?"

"Ryo! Anubis! Over here!" The blonde head peeked at him again. "Hang on, Rowan. We'll get you out."

Rowan only nodded, curious as to how they planned on doing that. There was no way he was going to be able to climb up to them.

Another head peeked over. "Rowan?"

"Anubis?"

"Hold on tight."

Like he wasn't doing that already. "Okay."

The jerk on the rope startled Rowan and he scrambled to reaffirm his grip. "Fucking tell me when you're going to do that!"

"Shut up and hang on!" came Sage's reply. "We're going to pull you up, you son of a bitch!"

Rowan grinned. Good. Sage wasn't mad any more.

The Yankee held on for dear life as he slowly neared the top.

Then he felt something give.

He watched as the rope began to unravel a few feet above him.

"Shit! The rope! It's frayed! Guys!"

He was almost near the edge. Maybe if he reached out he could grab hold of it. He just had to stretch… Okay, so he had to climb a little.

Shoulder joint aching, he tried to climb, but his fingers just wouldn't respond. They clenched tightly to the rope and his shoulder refused to bear his weight anymore. He slipped.

"Fuck! Please!"

"Rowan!" A familiar redhead peered over the edge and stretched out his arm to the dangling Yankee. "Take my hand! I'll pull you up! Hurry!"

Dazed, Rowan nodded and scrambled for the bartender's touch. Mere inches separated their fingertips.

Anubis turned and yelled at the others, "Pull him up a little higher!"

The rope tugged and Rowan smiled. He was going to make it. It was going to work.

Their fingertips touched.

And then cobalt blue eyes stared in disbelief at the unraveling strands that twisted and snapped, sending the shocked Yankee into the pit below.

"NO!" Anubis shouted as he watched the horror stricken face sink into the darkness. "ROWAN!"