Haunted Soul Mine: Creeping Crawling, #2

By J M

It has been 40 years since a shaft at the Devil's Pick mine collapsed. The miners who were working in it were entombed in the catastrophe, never to be seen or heard from again.

Or were they?

Every ten years, following the disaster, a number of people from the local area go missing. Rumours abound as to the cause of these disappearances and locals forbid their children from going anywhere near the now disused mine.

But that doesn't prevent the disappearances from happening.

Now, with several local children going missing and the ten year cycle coming round again, Agent James Marshall and his son Josh move to the town to try to solve the mystery once and for all.

A haunted mine filled with spectral miners isn't the only problem Josh will face however and his constant run-ins with local tormentor Billy Woods threaten his ability to settle in at his new school as he tries to help his dad uncover the truth.

Can Josh and his dad solve the 40-year-old secret of Devil's Pick and find the missing kids? Something more terrifying than they could ever have imagined is lurking within that mine and it doesn't seem to want to be stopped.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JM
• Release date: Apr 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201167400

Book preview

Books by J.M. for young learners

The Creeping Crawling Series

Fear O'Clock.

Haunted Soul Mine.

Slinky The Puppet Master.

Peek A Boo.

Frightmare

Mutant Zoo.

Midnight Cruel Bus.

Detention Dungeon.

I’m Back.

Ghost Town.

The Thing.

Santa’s Claws.

Black Rat.

Characters

Main character: Josh

Main character: James Marshal

Main character: Wesley

Recurring character: Agent Amber

Recurring character: Julia

Recurring character and bully: Billy Woods

Nightmare character: Skeletons

1

Look Dad, the news is reporting about another missing person, Josh points out to his Dad as they are sitting in their breakfast nook at home before he needs to catch the bus for school.

They are saying it happened close to the quarry over at that death mine.

It is a widespread rule under the people in the town of Devil’s Pick that no children are allowed to go near the quarry by the deserted coalmine. The old people in town tell a story about the shutdown mine that will drive nightmares into you—in broad daylight.

Forty years ago, one of the mineshafts caved in and trapped a whole lot of miners that were never found again. The authorities closed down the mine for good. Every ten years on the day of the cave in, a bunch of people go missing without a trace.

This is the ten-year anniversary of the mine accident and Josh and his Dad, agent James Marshal moved to Devil’s Pick to help with the investigation on the missing persons. It’s the first day for Josh at his new school, and if the missing people aren’t enough to worry about, the biggest school bully catches the same bus as Josh.

Agent Marshal packs a ham and cheese sandwich for Josh and drops the paper bag next to him on the table.

You ready for the first day of school son? He looks at Josh, smiling. Josh is always up for a new challenge and answers with a mouth full of oatmeal.

Yeah Dad, super excited. I’ll be fine. Josh swallows the last bit of orange juice and grabs his backpack. See you later Dad, I’m off to the bus stop.

Agent Marshal secures his pepper pistol to his belt and waves to Josh with a smile as he runs out the door. They live on a peaceful street and he hasn’t seen many people out since they moved here two weeks ago.

Wow, this place is really in the middle of nowhere, Josh utters to himself as he gets to the bus stop where there are no people. He pulls out his iPod, plugs the earphones deep into his ears, and blasts some tunes while waiting. One thing Josh does notice is the people that eventually pass by foot and car, are all very friendly.

As Josh starts to get bored of waiting, his nose is filled with the sweetest flower fragrance he can ever remember smelling.

Man that smells awesome, like a beautiful island supermodel, he says aloud to himself.

Hearing giggles over the music, Josh turns around to see he is not alone. He almost chokes with embarrassment as there are three girls giggling at his surprised face.

One of them is Julia. Probably the most beautiful girl Josh has ever seen in his entire life of seeing humans. The first word out of his mouth doesn’t help his state of humiliation.

Wow…

Julia feels she wants to help the poor guy out. Hi there new boy, I’m Julia. She gives a small three finger wave.

Josh battels to remember how to talk word, and fights to get two out.

What’s up? He turns his head away and starts fighting with his blank mind. You idiot, is that all you can come up with? I don’t deserve to be a straight-A student after that.

He can hear one of the girls whisper to Julia…

He’s pretty cute.

Josh regains a bit of confidence, but still doesn’t look back to them. A few minutes after that the school bus slowly pulls up and the mechanical doors fling open releasing a mixed odor of upset stomach and children who haven’t seen the inside of a shower the whole summer vacation. Josh stands back and points to the door.

After you, he says to the three girls, and they giggle as they ascend the bus stairs.

Josh just shakes his head whispering to himself. And I am not even at school yet. This should be fun.

He reluctantly climbs onto the bus to see his next big challenge for the day–Billy Woods, a bully that is so bad even his parents are afraid of him. The bus doors shut behind Josh with Billy standing in the back, staring at him to see where his next victim will sit.

Obviously, the only open seat will be next to the most beautiful girl in the universe, Julia, or the school geek, Wesley. Either way Josh knows it’s not going to end well for him, so he chooses the mentally healthier option.

Hey dude, is this seat taken?

Wesley explodes with enthusiasm like a firecracker on the 4th