I knock on Notch's door.

"Coming!" He says. I hear his footsteps inside.

"Hurry up, dude! It's sandy as Hell out here!" I shout, getting a mouthful of sand in return.

The door handle turns and opens. "Get in here!" He grabs me by the shirt and pulls me in. I cough and spit up sand. "You okay, bro?"

"Yeah," I say, coughing some more, "You just never get used to it."

Notch looks at his watch. "Dammit, we're late. Come on!" He says, running to the door. I follow right behind him.

It's a good ten minute walk to the mines from his house, and since it's on the other side of town and the only way to get there is through town, we couldn't run. Still, Notch keeps a quick and steady pace.

By the time we reach the well, it's almost quarter of nine, and we are supposed to be to the mines by now. The rest of the path is deserted, so we sprint the rest of the way. We get to the door by ten of.

I am surprised when we get in and there was only a wall. Notch see's my confusion, so he taps my shoulder and points down. He both get down on the ladder and climb down. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel, so we head there. Cobwebs line the walls and ceiling, making it nearly impossible to get to the door. Our troubles add another five minutes to the already long walk. We reach the door by nine.

Notch is a bit older and bigger than me, making him a bit slower. I wait by the door for him, then allow him to enter first. The rest of the mining team is there, four miners in uniform, plus the lead miner standing in the middle. "Nice of you to join us." He says.

"I'm sorry, sir." I say. Notch shoots me a glace. "What?" I whisper.

"My ass you are. Take a seat kid. You need to learn who's boss." Notch and I both take seats at lockers next to each other. "Now that everyone is here," he starts, glaring at me, "I'm Anthony Shepherd, and I'm in charge of mining operations in Kabul." He points to a chest. "In your locker's you have a helm and a vest. Wear these at all times. That includes you." He says pointing to me.

I do as he says. "It's itchy." I say. I don't see the punch coming at my face. "Ow!" I yell.

"Shut up, you little bitch." He goes back to talking about the lockers. "You also have a sword, a pickaxe and some torches. Keep them on you at all times, but use the torches wisely." He puts his hands in his pockets. "Any questions?" I raise my hand. "What!" He says, and I swear I sense some attitude in it.

"Who put you in charge of mining? 'Cause I want to have a talk with him." I brace for another punch, and sure enough it comes.

"You got a mouth on you. I think we're gonna make you our rat, 'cause you're quite a pest."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, serious this time.

He smiles. "You're going down first." He laughs and turns away. As he walks to the door, everyone else stands up, including Notch and I.

Notch slaps me. "What?" I ask, but he just glares at me.