Tales of the Alternate Universe

Chapter Seven: Mr. Hacksworth's Coal Mine

Miss Bonnibel ran into the classroom, carrying an ice bag in her hands. The sound of her heels hitting the wooden floor announced her arrival, causing a very altered Mr. Mertens to fix his eyes on her and snatch the ice bag with promptitude. His wife was lying unconscious on his lap, after Mr. Trupp Blake and other adults returned from the warehouse with anxious faces and racing hearts, the poor woman fainted upon hearing that her son had disappeared once again.

"It's all my fault…" the pastry cook sighed as he buried his face into his hands "I shouldn't have left them alone… I shouldn't have opened that window…"

The troubled school teacher wasn't sure of what to do next. Bonnibel had already forced a multitude of worried parents out of the classroom, claiming that if they stayed with their children nothing wrong was going to happen to them. She had also assured them that she was still going impart classes, but with the collaboration of certain restrictions and some strict security measures.

"Excuse me, Mr. Mertens…" Bonnibel whispered "If you like to, you can bring your wife into my house so that she gets to rest on a bed. I would gladly welcome you and I'd also prepare some coffee in case you need it."

A faint smile and a soft nod from the farmer gave some relief to her agitated heart. Bonnibel helped him to get Mrs. Mertens up of the floor while she turned her head to glance at a fancy-dressed man, who was leaning against the back wall with his arms crossed and a stern expression on his face.

"Mr. Hacksworth," the teacher called "You are also welcomed to join us, sometimes is good to have some company during hard times like these."

The russet-haired man furrowed his brow as he strode away from the wall "I have all the company I need in my own house, thank you." Mr. Hacksworth walked through the door and stared back at her before leaving "Don't hesitate to call me if you receive any news concerning to my daughter's whereabouts."

"Mr. Hacksworth…!" Miss Bonnibel gasped before he could close the door "You won't be safe in there…"

"My only daughter has gone missing while a relentless gang wrecks havoc all over our valley, I couldn't certainly care less about my own safety!" the sturdy man stepped outside and slammed the door.

"That man is nuts…!"

"M-Mr. Mertens?!" Bonnibel yelped towards the farmer behind her in surprise, he simply grinned nervously and shrugged, still holding his unconscious wife in his arms.

x+x+x+x+x

Flanna's father crossed the porch of his mansion, he then took off his coat, and tossed it carelessly onto the living room's couch. The rain was still falling outside and he was shivering from cold, but the light and warmth of the flames before him managed to disperse the dampness in his clothes as soon as he got close to the chimney. Mr. Hacksworth combed his wet hair away of his forehead as he leaned on the fireplace's frame and stared tiredly at the framed photos placed over it; his little girl, his deceased wife, and a picture of his younger self… all those images were reflected on his green irises while fought to remember how to pray.

"Never mind…" he sighed, reaching out for a bottle of whisky.

The golden liquid filled his glass as the melancholic man reflected on his now failed promise. Flanna should have stayed in home where he knew she would be safe. He had promised to protect her from any harm, but still, she had inherited his stubbornness and keeping that girl locked wasn't an easy task to carry out.

Mr. Hacksworth grabbed a new glass and served the liquid on both containers "I knew that you would come, however, I was expecting your arrival in another few more hours…" he took the two glasses and then turned his body around with a slow manner "What do you seek from me?" the red-haired man inquired, offering the alcoholic drink to the man before him.

"Whoa! Hey! You are giving me whisky for free? Big Destiny already likes you, man!"

"It's called courtesy. Something that you, savages, obviously lack."

"Did you hear that Tromo?" Big Destiny chuckled "He just called us bad-mannered savages, hehe!"

"Hehe, yeah!" his black-haired companion replied "This guy's got class…!"

"Listen big dude! The Destiny Gang is got a great deal for you!" their leader announced after chugging the drink and breaking the glass against the floor "We'll take all your precious coal, and then you'll be able to leave this town with your nice clothing on! How does that sound? You've got a good business here!"

"What if I refuse to accept your terms?" Mr. Hacksworth challenged sternly.

It seemed that those flamboyant guys didn't know anything about his daughter. Hopefully Flanna and the Mertens kid were just chasing each other somewhere in the farming fields. The villagers should have already begun a search, and if he kept the infamous Destiny Gang distracted, someone might find the kids before dusk and keep them safe.

A vicious grin was curved on Big Destiny's lips "Then we'll have to take it by force…"

"So be it then." Mr. Hacksworth said, he raised his glass and chugged the liquor as Big Destiny's men loomed over him.

x+x+x+x+x

Finn collapsed exhaustedly on the grass, leaning his back against a tombstone. Junktown's graveyard was now the young trio's third rest stop on their way to Flanna's home. The red-haired girl reached his side just a few seconds later and glared at him anxiously, folding her arms. Finn seemed pretty flimsy for a hardworking farm boy; it only took some cold raindrops and a slippery muddy trail to make him cry for a some rest.

"C'mon Finn, I do this walk everyday!" she protested, trying to pull him up.

"Ugh…right, but I bet you never did it after being beaten up…" Finn mumbled.

"Sure I have! Beaten up by you…!" Flanna replied in frustration "C'mon, you said that those freaks were going after my father. We gotta hurry!" she let go of his arms and began to walk around him in circles with Jake –who probably thought that the girl was playing some sort of game, chasing her untied shoelaces to nibble them. "We made a pact, you outta respect the pact!"

Her sudden anxiousness combined with the stressed look on her face caused him to giggle in amusement "Right, you're right." the blonde boy got back on his feet and pointed the way forward "Let's go kick Big-D's butt…!"

"Finally…" Flanna sighed, sprinting behind Finn.

The boy, the girl and the dog ran under the rain, avoiding iron crosses, gravestones and winged statues so that they wouldn't trip over them and fall onto their faces. Of course, tombstones and crosses were easy to spot amidst the heavy rain, but an open grave was surely something that Finn hadn't expected. Unfortunately, said obstacle was waiting for him just ahead. His feet suddenly lost the firmness of the ground beneath them and the gravity did the rest of the job. Before Flanna's eyes —in a moment Finn was in front of her and in the other he wasn't.

"Ow…!" his painful groan reached her ears almost immediately.

"I believe that's not the right way to teach Jake how to play dead." The red-haired girl giggled as she peeked inside the large hole.

"Ha…ha…ha… Very funny, Flanna…" the farm boy replied, still lying on the mud "Very funny…"

"Yeah, I know." The girl crouched down and stretched her arm towards him "I'll help you get out of there."

"Geez, thanks." Finn grabbed hand and began to climb up, his bare feet struggling to avoid sliding down because of the mud.

"You don't have to thank me." Flanna said as she pulled him out "We have a pact remember? Without it we–…"

The slippery ground beneath Finn's feet gave up to his weight and he instinctively tightened his grip on Flanna, dragging her along with him into the empty grave as the two screamed in surprise.

"Dang it! Who's there?!" a grumpy voice growled in the distance "You'd better not be those eccentric hooligans again, this time I'm carrying my shovel!"

Finn and Flanna struggled to get off from on top of each other while Jake barked frantically at the stranger that was walking towards them. The light of a lantern glowed in their eyes and an old man's face with a long, thick brown mustache popped above the open grave.

"What the–?!" the man muttered "Not again! This isn't some make-out spot; get out of my grave you… 'puberts!'"

"What?! Yewwack, NO!" Flanna complained, pushing the boy away from her "We fell in your stupid hole by accident!"

"Ugh…yeah!" Finn added, still feeling a little dizzy because of his second fall "Get us out of here! … Uh…Please!"

"Accident? Why didn't you say that earlier? This kind of accidents happen all the time… Perhaps ol' Archie should put some signs near the open graves, hehe…!"

"Well, that'd be useful…yes..." Mertens sighed while he shook his head.

x+x+x+x+x

"Here's some hot cocoa…" Archie said, handing a pair of smoky mugs to the kids "Now tell me what are a pair of youngsters like you doing outside with this crazy weather? It's raining cats and dogs out there!"

"We are just trying to…umm…" Flanna decided not tell him the truth, it was possible that the gravedigger called their parents if she did "My brother and I are just trying to get back home."

"Brother?!" Finn gasped in astonishment, receiving a strike from her elbow on his ribs "I mean…well…uh…"

"We live near the Hacksworths' colliery…" the red-haired girl continued "Its close, we'll get there like in twenty minutes, so you don't have to worry about us."

"Worry? Of course I'd worry!" Archie exclaimed, "The Hacksworths' colliery has been taken by those creepy guys, the Destiny Gang!"

"What?! When did that happen?!" the two kids asked, springing up from their seats.

"Three hours ago the colliery workers heard a wild struggle inside Mr. Hacksworth's house. They said that those hooligans managed to take him down after a tough battle, then those creeps tied him somewhere, and now they are forcing the workers to extract all the coal out of his mines!"

"Math, we were too late!" Finn grunted angrily "There's no time to lose, Flanna we have to go!"

"Sure!" the girl replied with determination, following him out.

"W-wait kids!" the gravedigger shouted "Where are you going?! Get back here! It's dangerous!" Archie leaned on his hut's door frame and panted, "Darn it… I'm getting too old for this…"

x+x+x+x+x

Flanna rushed through her house's porch, feeling a growing spark of fear inside her. Everything she had ever treasured had been destroyed; the furniture, the windows, her mother's ornaments… Even the framed pictures of her family had been smashed against the floor. Finn wanted to say something, perhaps he could find a way to comfort her, but she didn't give him a chance. The Hacksworth girl dragged him outside and led him to the entrance of her father's colliery.

"Those guys must be hanging out somewhere in here…" she whispered, there was anger in her voice.

"Then we have to get in there and show them not to mess with our stuff!" Finn said as he walked towards the mine with the golden puppy trotting beside him "C'mon Flanna…!" there was no response from the girl "Flanna?"

"Wait, I can't go…in there…" Flanna gulped nervously, her body starting to shiver "It's a long way down into the darkness…the paths are narrow and there's only one entrance…only one exit…"

"I don't get it, what's the problem with that?" Finn asked, running back to her side.

The red-haired girl shook her head, she felt like choking and she wasn't even inside yet "Remember when you locked me inside the school's basement and Miss Bonnibel had to run into the town, searching for a doctor?"

"Yeah, you fainted in there…" Finn answered, scratching the back of his head "Though, I never understood why…"

"Those kind of places frighten me…" Flanna murmured in embarrassment "I have always felt terrified inside enclosed spaces…"

"Bouw…" Jake moaned tilting his head.

"Don't worry." Finn grabbed her hand softly and smiled, hoping to give her some confidence "I don't really get why that scares you so much, but I promise that you won't have to go through this alone. We have a pact, remember? I won't leave your side."

Flanna stared at him wide-eyed, feeling an effervescent heat flushing across her cheeks "You mean it?"

"Umm…yeah, we are friends now…" the blonde boy walked her to the entrance "We'll save Cecile and your father, together…"

2/07/13 Update: Grammar mistakes corrected.