Chapter 15: The Darkness Beneath Part 7

Zed speeds up. The car doors fly open and John and Zed jump out. They start toward the office, when they hear Nathan's distant terrified cries echoing from the mine entrance. They run that way.

At the mine entrance, John just charges in. Zed hesitates the slightest moment, then a "What the fuck, I've come this far" resolved look colors her face, and she races in after him.

Nathan stares wide-eyed as the Coblynau's hand squeezes Thad's throat mercilessly. Thad tries to pull away, but the being holds Thad in place with a powerful grip on his arm. Desperate, Nathan moves in, wanting to help. But the Coblynau takes his hand from Thad's arm long enough to backhand Nathan. Nathan goes down, his head slamming into the granite floor, unconscious. John races up. Instantly assesses the situation. John drops to his knees and, with his hands, slaps a hard rhythmic pattern on the mine floor. The Coblynau, still holding Thad, turns its head toward the beat. Behind John, still beating a rhythm on the floor, Zed runs up and stops at the sight of Nathan unconscious at her feet. Then she looks up in dread at the Coblynau holding Thad.

Jax to an audible breath, "Jesus Christ! Yo, that's messed up!"

"It is real…" Zed breaths.

"Paint!" Constantine calls out to the artist. John stands and raises both hands in peace to the Coblynau, "Protector of Earth. Guardian of the Soils of Foundation. Be welcome in this sacred space. By the Earth that is your body, and the wisdom of the ancients, embrace us with your safety. Hail and fairwell."

As he speaks Zed uses a white spray paint can to tag the mine wall with a huge sigil. She sprays-paints an inverted triangle, with a line across the bottom. It's the Symbol of Earth Element. The Coblynau lets go of Thad, who falls motionless to the ground. The Coblynau turns, tilts its head toward John, unsure what to make of him. Because of Zed's marking on the wall, the creature can't retreat that way. Instead, it sweeps into the darkness of the mine shaft, disappearing into the mine's deeper recesses.

"Oh… so that's what the paint was for." Carter spoke to himself.

"It looked confused. What did we do?" Zed asked.

"Reminded it what it is. A protective spirit. Like I said, Coblynau are peaceful buggers at heart."

"It didn't seem to be peaceful then…" Martin stated.

"Could it be like a AI where you can run a routine but it misunderstands it?"

Snart rose an eyebrow and Sara asked, "Like Terminator?"

Zed drops down quickly to check Nathan. John crouches and checks Thad. Zed turns Nathan to check him. "He's breathing. He's okay."

John is checking Thad's carotid. John removes his hand, brushes off the little bit of coal that transferred from Thad's neck. "This one's not so lucky. Dead."

Zed is shaken. She looks at Thad somberly. "Dios le bendiga." She then turns to John, "So we're back where we started. Who's turning those things into killers?"

"I'm working on it, luv." John, looking over Thad's body, lifts Thad's arm. There's a prominent black coal handprint where the Coblynau held him. "I've seen this before…"

"Where?"

"The wife of the dead miner…" Rip stated.

John gave him a very subtle nod.

John looks deeper into the mine, where the Coblynau disappeared, then he turns to Zed, an idea forming. "We need to keep anyone from coming down here again. Ever."

"How do we do that?"

"Only one way I can think of."

Zed begins to catch on to his plan, "You want to blow up the mine." John just looks at her. Of course. Zed sighs, "Boys."

Nathan begins to stir.

"Get him home to his mum. I've got work to do."

Pan a line of explosives set in the nooks and crannies of the mine walls, a twine of electrical wires connecting them all. Smudged and sweaty from his labors he carefully setting the last explosive charge in place. Then he connects the wires to a radio detonator and switches it on.

John, coal smudged, exits the mine entrance, holding the remote control of the radio detonator. He is surprised to see - Zed's car pulling up. She climbs out. Her passenger door opens to reveal: Ellis. Zed indicates for Ellis to hang back, then she walks over to John.

"What's he doing here?"

"He should be here to see this."

John isn't too sure. But – what the hell.

"You did good. Earlier. With the Coblynau. If I failed to mention."

"At least I know what line of work you're in now."

"Its not for everyone."

"When I had my visions, painted you, I knew the darkness around you was real. But to see it..."

"So after this, you gonna find a quiet new town? Take up still life?"

"Yeah, because I'm that kind of chica bonita." They look at each other. It's a charged moment. Then John's eye goes to the detonation device in his hand.

"We really don't want to be standing here."

"Are you sure you don't want to stand there?" asked Mick.

They move away. The mine seen in the distance below. John and Zed and Ellis stand on this entrance road carved into the granite face. John holds the detonator Remote Control. Moment, then John places the Remote in the hands of Ellis, who looks up at John, genuinely surprised. "Sometimes appeals of faith just take a little time to be answered. Care to do the honors?"

Ellis looks at John, unsure. He looks to Zed, who gives a small nod of quiet assurance. Slowly, Ellis turns to face the mine. The mine that stole his son. He takes a deep breath... and presses the button.

The mine entrance blows in a spectacular explosion of flames. The fireball billows. A hail of rock rains into the water. It's a brief but powerful and strangely beautiful spectacle.

Ellis can't help but feel deep emotion right now. Zed puts a comforting hand on him.

Rip couldn't help but sympathize with Ellis. He knew what it was like to lose a child. It gave him a small amount of happiness and hope that Ellis had succeeded in dealing with his loss.

John turned to Zed, "I need your car keys."

"Where are you going?" Zed asks as she hands over the keys.

"To do the hard part, of course."

"The hard part? You just blasted a mine."

"That I did, and the Coblynau will stay at rest, if left alone. But someone with powerful magic dredged 'em to the surface. Sent 'em on this killing mission in the first place. This isn't over until that person is stopped." Without another word, John spins and urgently strides away.

He stands on the Cadogan porch at night. John knocks on a door. After a beat, the door opens - to reveal the widow Beth Cadogan, holding her ever-present glass of red.

"The reporter, right? Philly Enquirer."

"May I come in?"

"I'm afraid I have guests."

"It's important, Mrs. Cadogan. I know who killed your husband."

"Oh. Well, in that case, I think you should meet my guests." John waits but Beth doesn't move from the door.

"Are you going to let me in?"

"No need. They're right behind you." John turns to look behind him. From the shadowy recesses of the porch and surrounding deck, Coblynau step forth. Ten of them in all. Haunting spectral men of death without faces. They converge until John and Beth are encircled. Beth reaches out and strokes one of them on the arm. "Now, you had news for me?"

"What a bit-"

"Mr. Rory!"

John is trapped. John stands surrounded. "I'll give you one chance. Send your pets home and I'll spare you. Professional courtesy."

"You'll spare me? That's very kind. How did you know?"

"The coal handprint on your arm, when I met you. Saw one just like it on a young man the Coblynau were trying to kill. But you were just fine. And then I remembered what you said. You're Romani. Nothing blacker than gypsy magic."

"Oh there are blacker things. Half a lifetime in a lonely house. With no children. An abusive husband. Lannis got what he deserved."

"I'm not one to judge."

Snart frowned ever so slightly at that comment. He didn't need to look to see his partner do the same. He could hear him mumble an incoherant thought.

"When I left Wales, I promised myself I'd never use my family's magic again. But I just couldn't take another day here. And then it all came back to me, more powerfully than ever before."

"Don't get your arm in a twist patting yourself on the back. The only reason you were able to do what you did is because there's a darkness spreading everywhere - even to lonesome little backwaters like Heddwich. It's infecting you."

"No. You're wrong. I was wronged!"

"Who wasn't, you nit. Get over it. Send these poor sods back where they belong."

"It's too late for that. They're mine now. And they're going to give me everything I ever wanted. Kill him." she orders the Coblynau.

A frusterated sigh was heard, "Good job Constantine, bite the hand that can kill you why don't you." Anne Marie exclaimed with exaspiration.

The Coblynau on either side of John step forward and close on him. John punches the nearest, barrels between two others, and leaps onto a picnic table.

"You forgot something, crone. These are the souls of dead miners. And your magic has opened the pathway. Oh restless spirit of this house! I summon thee to seek thy revenge!. The Coblynau close around John on the table. Their hands grab his legs and start pulling him down. John tries to fight them off. "And be bloody quick about it!"

Dispite the tense moment, someone stifled a laugh at John's attempt to hurry the spirit up.

In front of Beth. The floorboards buckle outwards, from the force of something beneath them pressing up, before the wood splinters and bursts open - The head and chests of a Coblynau rise from the deck and clasp Beth by the legs. She looks down in righteous indignation. The face of this Coblynau has more distinct features than the rest - it's Lannis Cadogen.

"Lannis?! No! Let go of me! It's not right! I'm the victim! I deserve my –"

"She wasn't completely wrong..."

"But she wasn't technically correct either."

"The best kind of correct."

With one fluid yank, the Coblynau pulls Beth off her feet and down into the hole under the house. She disappears from view and all we're left with is horrible screaming. The screaming stops, and the Coblynau that now have John down on the table dematerialize into coal dust. John sits up and waves away the floating dust. Coughing, he reaches into his pocket, pulls out a cigarette, and lights up.

"Seriously?" Sara remarked, "Well that was anticlimactic!"

John returns to the hotel room and is surprised to see: strange luggage sitting inside his door. He glances over, and is further surprised. Zed on the bed, sketching.

"Moving in?" He asks.

"You wish."

"Afraid I'm in no mood for sparring tonight, darlin'."

"Of course not. You almost died." John stopped. How would Zed know? Realizing, John steps around the bed to see her crudely sketching John surrounded by ten Coblynau. "What can I say? You're still in my dreams. I just came to make sure you're okay."

"No you didn't. You came to make sure I don't cut out on you again."

"Was that your plan?"

John removes his coat and sits on the bed. "Look, Zed, there's no denying you provide moderate value in the field."

"I saved your life."

"That's open for debate. The truth is, I work best alone."

Zed looked over, "I don't know about that John…"

"Me, too."

"I always put myself first."

"That's how I survived."

"Anyone who puts their trust in me dies."

"Okay you got me there. This is all I know, John. I was waiting, you found me. I don't know what I was waiting for. You don't know what you found. The question is - can we help each other or not?" John stares at Zed on his white sheets.

A Constantine voice over begins, "I suppose it could be liberating. To take a leap of faith. To shrug off the burden of proof for the promise of hope."

"If you'll excuse me, I'm bloody knackered." John flops back on the bed wearily and closes his eyes.

"I know that if I leave now, you'll be gone by morning."

Eyes closed, John replies "You should be so lucky." He rolls over to his side, already half asleep. Zed glances to another drawing, hidden behind her current sketch of John. It's a drawing of a pair of clean-cut men, their eyes full of troubling menace. Zed folds it, keeping it from John. She turns off the bed light, rises from bed, and moves to the door.

The voice over continues, "But a leap of faith is never easy. In my business, what you can't see can hurt you."

Zed puts a hand on the door and pauses to look back at John.

The scene turns to the old church. A shadowy hand reaches out to hit the light switch - revealing Ellis, wearing his priest collar. He looks around, picks up an abandoned hymnal, blows off the dust.

The voice over starts again, "It takes trust to turn darkness to light. And those who trust risk putting their faith in the wrong hands. For there are those who pray for you..."

Ellis puts the hymnal back in the pew. Ellis steps out, reaches over and turns on the dusty hanging light over the doorway. The light washes down on him from above. Lots of work to do, but he's up to the task now.

Back at the hotel, John sleeps as peacefully as John Constantine can. Zed sits there. She didn't leave. Instead she sits in a chair, keeping a silent vigil through the night.

"And then there are those who prey on you. And no matter how careful you are, sometimes you just can't tell the difference." The voice over ends.

"Ominous…" Ray says as the credits roll. John, Zed, and Chas roll their eyes in unison at the comment.

"And it only escalates from there." Came the voice of Wulfstan from behind them.

End Episode

Quote:

Friend (KG): "What does Creon wear on his head?"

Me: "Hair."

Also during the same class

KG: "He was killed by a highwayman on the highway."