On the other side of the island, Diego and Christian were also caught in the storm. They had just made their way to a heavily secured gate at the now abandoned mines.
“How are we going to get in?” Diego asked Christian, who was already scouting out the height of the fencing. Diego shuddered every time the thunder roared. The rain was pouring down so hard that the moped’s tyres were beginning to sink slightly into the mud. Christian looked through the gate.
The overgrown path, now drenched, proved no one had been there in a very long time. Christian looked at the ground and picked up a rock.
“What are you doing?” Diego shouted, as Christian struck it against one of the locks. Christian ignored Diego, as he repeatedly struck down on it, but with no success.
“Be aware that this is not a safe area.” Diego read the sign out loud, “Inhalation of smoke due to the fires underground can be lethal.”
Diego looked at a drenched Christian. “Let’s just go,” he pleaded. “You know the stories about the fires in the coal mines…” he continued on to the uninterested Christian.
“Shut up!” he snapped at Diego, who then began to get stressed out.
“Christian!” he shouted. “Let’s just go.” he implored his best friend.
Christian was tenacious but even he knew when to admit defeat. “Let me push you over the top of the fence?” he teased Diego, who shook his head.
“No!” he refused, whilst getting on his moped. “I’m going back, with or without you.” Diego pulled off, shooting mud up against Christian’s cobalt blue jacket.
“Diego!” he shouted jumping on his moped and quickly chasing after him.
From behind the fence, between the thick overgrown foliage, lurked a shadow. It moved swiftly from side to side in a manic way. It grunted and screamed, sniffing the air as the thunder roared. It was joined by another shadow as a host of shadows began creeping out of the mines. A pale bony hand rested on the rock at the mine’s entrance, its yellow nails split and peeled backward as it dragged its fingers down the boulder. They scurried back into the mines as the boys rode off in the rain.
“Slow down!” Christian shouted, as Diego careered side to side in the downpour.
Diego was not having it; he was upset with Christian’s behaviour. The roads on the island were not that safe to start with and the storm made everything that much more treacherous. Diego had had enough of Christian’s controlling ways, he wanted to get back to the Manor and just chill out. The rain began to subside as did the wind.
Christian drew alongside the clearly upset Diego. “Pull over Diego!” he shouted, as Diego just ignored him. They ended up taking a back road on a different route to their original one; finally, Diego was forced to stop as he had reached a dead end. In front of them was a gate to someone’s property.
“What is your problem?” Christian snarled at Diego. They both switched off their engines, dismounted, and the boys stood nose to nose.
“Do you want to fight?” Christian challenged the now wild-eyed Diego. Diego’s button nose was blue from the cold and he was shivering even though he was adequately dressed.
They both turned to the sound of a woman humming a strange tune. But there was no one in sight. Diego felt uncomfortable as he buttoned the top of his jacket closed.
“I’m going back to the Manor idiot!” he shouted at Christian, as he got back on his moped.
The woman’s humming could be heard again but the boys could not see anyone else around. Diego looked up at the forest and he pulled out the map.
“This is the rear of Renshaw forest,” he mumbled to himself, examining the best route back to the Manor, before tucking the map back into his pocket. “I’m leaving,” he informed Christian as he turned his moped around.