July 1998
That same night. One week before…
After Neve suggested Michael steal some alcohol, there was a brief silence.
‘What?’ Holly said gasping.
‘I dare you to steal some booze from the offie,’ Neve said again.
‘That’s a stupid idea,’ Holly said in protest. But no one was listening. Baz clapped approvingly, and Neve went on to remind him that he stole a case of hooch when they first found the hut.
‘That was different,’ Michael said, ‘and besides, I got caught, remember? Old Busby threated to call the police. I lost my shitty job. Don’t any of you care?’ He laughed, but behind it there was a nervousness.
‘It’ll be fine,’ Neve said.
‘Michael, you can’t back out of this,’ Baz said, slapping his friend on the back. Michael nodded, said he’d do it, and puffed out his chest, trying to fake confidence. He joked that Mr Busby, the shopkeeper, was old and dithery. ‘It would be like taking candy from a drunk baby,’ he said as the group mobilised, blowing out candles before heading towards the hatch.
The gang walked up the lane, quiet whispers between each other as they made plans. Jamie and Neve, now too embarrassed to walk together, kept apart. Jamie was up front with Baz and Michael, bounding with the boys who didn’t believe in consequences, Georgia in the centre of them all, soaking in their male energy. Chloe stopped to sort out the shoelace that had come undone and watched as Neve and Holly walked on. Neve had linked arms with Holly, but not in the same way she linked arms with Chloe. She could tell, Neve was just hanging onto Holly, forcing her to move. She almost called out for someone to wait, but worried she would look foolish, so didn’t. With her shoelace tucked back in its place she stood and felt a shudder up her spine, and the sensation of being watched. She looked to her right, into the thick line of trees, unable to see anything beyond the first few feet. Looking over her shoulder back at the hut she swore, for a split second, there was someone walking past it, towards the mine. She almost mentioned it to the others, but knew it was more than likely her drunk, tired eyes seeing things. Speeding up, she linked arms with Neve on the other side of Holly and didn’t dare to look back again.
‘Chloe, you OK?’ Neve asked, feeling the tension transfer to her.
‘Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.’ Chloe smiled. But even in the near pitch black, Neve could see her friend’s eyes looked hollow.
The group turned onto the main road that ran through the village, designed to connect most of the homes to the mine, and in the distance, they could see the lights of the Victoria Wine shop where Michael would attempt to complete his dare.
‘How are you going to do it?’ Baz asked as they walked, rubbing his mate’s shoulders like a trainer before his boxer stepped into the ring.
‘I need a distraction. Someone to keep Mr Busby busy.’
‘I can do it,’ Georgia said. ‘I’ve got about 30p. I’ll buy a bar of chocolate.’
‘Brilliant. While you do that, Michael, you go to the fridge at the back and grab a bottle of something.’
‘Any preference?’ Michael replied, trying to sound braver than he actually felt.
The group walked past the shop, looking back in. There were no other customers inside. Then, as Baz, Jamie, Neve, Holly and Chloe waited around the side of the building, Michael and Georgia went in. The group seemed to be waiting for what felt like way too long before the front door crashed open, Georgia running out first and heading away from the group. The deep, gravelly voice of Mr Busby followed from inside the shop. ‘Come back here, you little shits!’
Michael staggered into the road, and he too ran, followed by a large, red-faced, heavy-breathing man with a manic look in his eye. ‘I’ll kill ya, you little bugger!’ he yelled as he turned and saw the others hiding down the side of his shop.
‘Shit, run!’ Baz yelled as he bolted away.
Neve turned and darted behind the shop, heading in the other direction to where she saw Georgia, Michael and Baz run. Behind her was Jamie. As she ran, she heard Mr Busby call out that he was ringing the police, and fear shot into her veins. If she was caught, if her dad found out… He was a hard man; a proud man and she knew he would go ballistic at her. Putting her head down, she ran faster and harder than she ever had until the main strip of the village was far behind, and the streetlamps less regular. She paused beside the social club, the sound of a few men jeering and laughing coming from within, her dad no doubt inside, assuming she was with her friends at a girly sleepover.
She fought to catch her breath. She couldn’t see Jamie, or anyone else, and feeling insecure she started to move again. As she did, sirens whirled towards her. As the sounds of the police drew closer, she increased her walking speed and knowing she needed to hide, turned onto the single-track lane that led to the country park that sat in the shadow of the old mine headstocks. Although she wanted to move fast, the lack of light meant she had to be careful – the deeper she walked into the country park, the darker it became, as if the night was swallowing the last of the light from the day. The tarmac soon became loose gravel but she could see a line of grass in the middle of the lane, guiding her deeper in. On her right, the trees were so densely packed it may as well have been a solid wall, and she thought to herself she was stupid for coming this way. To her right she heard a twig break. The suddenness of it snapping punctuated the silence. She stood up, held her breath. There was another twig. Somewhere in the darkness, something was moving. Then she heard a voice, quiet, ghostly.
‘Hello,’ it said, and for a moment Neve thought it was one of the lost souls from the stories. ‘Hello,’ it called again, and her skin prickled with fear. A shape, an outline of a person, came towards her from the gloom. She stumbled away from the bench and was about to bolt, when the voice spoke again.
‘Neve, is that you?’ Hearing her name placed the voice and she exhaled loudly, relieved.
‘Jamie?’
‘Yes. It’s me,’ he said as he stepped close enough for her to make out his features.
‘Shit, I thought you were… you know, him.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you all right?’
‘Yes, I’m fine. Where are the others?’ Neve asked.
‘I don’t know. The police are looking.’
‘What do we do?’
‘I don’t think the police will look down here, I think we wait it out.’
‘Yeah, good idea.’
Neve sat on the bench and Jamie sat beside her. She felt exhausted from the roller-coaster of adrenaline, excitement and fear. Without asking, she placed her head on his shoulder.
‘I just want to go home,’ she said quietly, closing her eyes, surprised she felt so safe with Jamie. He wrapped his arm round her, and the haunted, frightening place that existed only a moment before became something else, a haven for the two of them. She lifted her head, turned to face him, and his eyes stayed on hers. For a moment, she thought they might kiss, she moved to initiate it, but just as she did, he looked away, over her head, towards the old mine.
‘Feels like it’s always watching, doesn’t it?’ he said, and Neve looked too, grateful he hadn’t noticed her attempt to kiss him.
‘I don’t know why they don’t just knock it down.’
‘Because it’s still important,’ he said.
‘To who?’
‘You know, my dad, your dad. Every other family in the village. We’re all connected to it.’
‘Yeah, I guess. How are we gonna move on and be something else if it’s always there,’ she asked, and Jamie could sense an anger or resentment at it, although he didn’t know why. ‘Can I tell you a secret?’ she continued playfully, lifting the mood.
‘I love secrets.’
‘The mine, it’s always creeped me out.’
‘What? Why?’
‘The stories, you know, people dying down there. It’s spooky.’
‘Neve, do you believe in ghosts?’
‘No, not at all, it’s just creepy, isn’t it?’
‘I do… believe.’
‘Really?’
‘Yep, I mean, my granddad’s story, about that poor man. I think he’s still down there, somewhere.’
‘But he’s dead.’
‘Yes, but something must happen to us when we are dead. Mum tells me that Einstein proved energy cannot die, it just changes into another form of energy. And that’s what we are, isn’t it? Energy. His energy still exists. And if his is trapped…’ he trailed off, and I knew what he was saying. If his energy was still trapped, he might well be wandering the mine still.
‘I like the mine,’ he continued. ‘I think it holds a lot of secrets. I’d love to go inside, walk through its tunnels. Feel the energy that’s there.’
Neve didn’t reply; she was stunned into silence by what Jamie had said. The boy she had a crush on was good-looking, athletic, popular, and until that moment she hadn’t realised he had a depth to him as well. It made him even more attractive to her.
‘Do you think the police have given up yet?’ he asked quietly.
Before she could answer, torchlight shone into their faces. They were so caught up in one another they didn’t hear the advancing person. Neve felt her heart begin to race, thinking it was the man she had seen outside the mine a few weeks ago; the Drifter, the ghost. But, as soon as they were blinded, the torch was lowered.
‘Good evening,’ the voice said.
‘Hello?’ Jamie replied, his voice quivering a little.
‘What are you doing down here?’
‘We…’ I hesitated, heat burning into my cheeks.
‘We’re just, you know, hanging out,’ Jamie said, feigning embarrassment.
‘Oh, I see,’ said the man. ‘Have you seen any other kids down here?’ he asked. His form came into view, revealing him to be a police officer.
‘No, just us,’ Jamie said.
‘Sorry to disturb you.’ With that he turned and walked away. Neve mused he probably thought they were a couple making out, and not one of the group who had just robbed Mr Busby.
‘Shit, that was close,’ Jamie said after he was out of sight.
‘Yeah, lucky we look like an item,’ Neve replied.
Perhaps it was the adrenaline. Perhaps it was the fact she knew he liked her, Neve wasn’t sure, what she did know is that she wanted him to kiss her more than anything in the world. And she also knew, if it didn’t happen then, in that moment, it probably wouldn’t ever happen.
‘Jamie?’
‘Yes?’
‘Truth or dare,’ she smiled.
‘Dare,’ he said, his expression serious.
‘I dare you to…’
Neve didn’t finish her sentence, as Jamie leant in and kissed her on the lips.