Finding Home

12. Exposure

The Bellamy mine was in an isolated, wooded area. There had been a single access road at one time, but it had never been paved. In the years since the closure, the woods had reclaimed it. Whoever owned the property now hadn't done anything to change that fact, probably figuring it would help to keep people away. If she had come across the place by accident, it would have worked.

The rain started ten minutes before they got out of the trucks. It came down in a leaky, icy drizzle that collected on the leaves above them and fell to the ground in slow, heavy drops that quickly soaked clothing. Bethany knew from experience that this kind of rain could last for days. She shivered and kept that little fact to herself.

“Should only be another half-mile or so.” Collins said. There were a few grumbles, but that was all. The distinctive sound of a pump-action shotgun brought the soggy group to a halt.

In almost the same moment, someone shouted, “GUN!” Red pulled her behind a large rock before she could even look around for a hiding place. FBI agents started pulling their own guns and shouting orders. Everyone else took cover behind rocks and trees.

“Turn back! I don't wanna shoot anybody!” The voice was terrified and familiar. Bethany peeked out from around the rock and past the tense agents in front of her.

“Frank Cahill?” She asked when the shouting subsided.

“Who's there?” His eyes were wide, his arms were trembling.

Bethany took off the black baseball hat she was wearing and started to stand up. Red grabbed her arm.

“Are ya nuts?” He asked.

“I know him. He doesn't have it in him to shoot anyone.” She said.

“Well?” He demanded.

“You gonna shoot if I come out there?” Bethany shouted, the flavor of a West Virginia accent was salted lightly over her words.

“Not if yer who I think you are.” He said. Bethany looked at Red.

“You get shot, I ain't gonna forgive you.” He let her go.

“Alright, I'm going to stand up now.” She showed her hands and stood up from behind the rock and faced a rail-thin man wearing worn jeans. He wore an oversized blue flannel shirt over an oatmeal colored thermal shirt. Both looked like they had seen far too many washes. He pushed back the dirty John Deere cap and looked more closely at her. Bethany knew he was just over seventy, but he looked more like eighty. He lowered the gun.

“Annie Harold?” He asked.

“It's me.” Bethany nodded. “Put that gun down, you're just gonna end up gettin' yourself shot. This is the FBI, they don't play around.” She walked slowly toward him. He moved the gun off of her.

“They gonna shoot me?” He asked.

“Not if you hand over the gun.” Bethany's heart was pounding. The Frank Cahill she knew wasn't the kind to go running around in the woods waving guns at people.

His eyebrows were drawn together and she could see him thinking about it. Finally, with a defeated look he handed the gun to Bethany. She handed it off to one of the agents.

“I know I haven't seen you in awhile, Frank, but damn.” Bethany said.

“I was only tryin' ta keep ya away from the mine.”

“Why is that?” Collins asked, walking forward.

“I ain't talkin' to you, FBI.” Frank spat out the words like they left a bad taste in his mouth. “'Sides, ya'll wouldn't understand anyways. Does your daddy know you're runnin' around with gov'ment people?”

“Daddy passed away.” Bethany said.

“Damn, I'm sorry. Estelle too, 'bout six months ago.” He moved the leaf-litter around with his foot.

“The cancer came back?” She asked. The rustling behind her let her know that team was getting impatient.

“Yeah.” The pain in his voice was still fresh. “Guess that's part of why I'm out here, got nothin' to go home to no more.”

“Letting whatever comes out of that mine take you isn't gonna help.” Bethany said. He looked up at her.

“My daddy said there were monsters down there, nobody believed him 'til they started comin' up out of the ground, killin' half the town.” He looked over Bethany's shoulder. “I ain't crazy, either.”

“We know that, Sir.” Collins said.

“Do ya now, Mr. FBI. How come ya'll're headed to the wrong place if ya know so much?” The tilt of his chin made it clear that he was challenging Collins.

“We're going toward the mine entrance.” Bethany said.

“That ain't where they come out.” He said firmly. “The comp'ny collapsed the shaft about a quarter mile in 'fore they shut down for good.”

“That wasn't in our information.” Collins said.

“Don't know as much as ya think ya do, huh Mr. FBI? I don't suspect it was somethin' they wanted a record of. Woulda meant all them men didn't just run off like they told ever'body.”

“So how do they get out?” Bethany asked.

“There's a fissure in that outcrop jus' beyond that rise there.” He gestured and then glared at Collins. “An' I know that 'cause I followed one back there, case yer curious.”

“Will you show us?” Bethany asked.

“He can't.” Collins said quickly. “We can't afford the time it would take to get there, escort him away and then go back with Red and Blue.”

“Red an' Blue what?” Frank asked.

“So we all go together.” Bethany said.

“We're supposed to avoid exposure, you know that.” Collins said.

“Exposure? Ya'll gonna poison them things with some kinda disease or somethin'?” Frank looked thoroughly confused.

“Not at the cost of completing the objective, or has Manning gotten that short-sighted?” Bethany asked. “We can try the entrance if you want and waste time. We can do your silly back and forth thing and waste time. We can wander around and try to find it ourselves, and waste time. Or we can just go.”

“Lil Bit's right.” Red stood up from behind the boulder.

“What the-?” All the color drained from Frank's face. He crossed himself several times with a trembling hand. “Annie?” He wanted to say more, but the words were getting stuck.

“He's one of the good guys, Frank.”

“You sure?” Frank's eyes never left Hellboy's slowly advancing figure.

“Positive.” Bethany nodded.

“Neither one of you is in charge here!” Collins looked from Bethany to Red and back again. It was obvious the situation had gotten away from him and he wasn't sure how to bring it back in hand.

“Yeah yeah. Remind me to kiss your ring after we're done.” Red said. That brought a little smirk to Frank's face, in spite of his shock.

“Frank Cahill.” He held out his hand to enormous red creature.

“Red.” He shook Frank's hand.

*~*~*~*~*~*

On the short walk, Bethany explained about her name and why she and her father needed to keep moving around.

“Kinda figured he was runnin' from somethin' the way ya'll left. Middle of the night, not a word to nobody. Didn't seem like the kinda folks you were.” Frank kept glancing over his shoulder at Red. Bethany noticed that he seemed to be hovering, but she had no idea why. It was clear that Frank had no intention of harming anyone.

“Leaving was always so hard.” She admitted. “But Daddy wasn't running, I was.”

He glanced at her. “You was a kid. What'd you have to run from?”

“You know how Estelle always said I had the sight?”

“Yeah. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she was right too. Estelle didn't have the sight herself, but she could sure spot it a mile away.” A sad little smile crossed his face.

“She was on the right track, but it was more than that.” Bethany created a little dust devil out of soggy leaf litter and let it dance in front of them for a few steps.

“You...? Damn.” It took him a moment to speak again. “So's this the real life X-Files or somethin'?”

“I don't know, I never thought of it that way I guess.” Bethany laughed softly. “Is that the outcrop?” She pointed at what looked like a large pile of rocks.

“Sure is.” He scrambled up the steep rocks with the agility of a much younger man. Collins, Red and Abe followed him.

“How far down is it?” Collins asked.

“How the hell should I know?” He glanced up at Red. “No offense. I don't go jumpin' down holes in the ground, specially when they're full of monsters.”

“This the only entrance?” Red asked.

“Only one I know of. The mine connects up to natural caves. My daddy said when they broke into them caves is when all the men started disappearin'.”

“I'll have someone escort you back home Mr. Cahill.” Collins said.

“I ain't goin' no where with none of you.” Frank said.

“Frank-” Bethany started.

“Annie, I been walkin' around these woods by myself since I was six years old.”

“I know, but it'll make me feel better.” Abe and Red were already talking about the best way to enter the cave. Collins was giving orders to set lines and get everyone who was going down in climbing harnesses. Christine was making sure everyone's earpieces were working. She handed Bethany a device that looked like a wristwatch. “What's this?”

“A second tracking device. The others work best above ground, this one is designed for confined spaces and has the ability to transmit your vitals.” Christine answered.

“Okay.” Bethany put it on and turned back to Frank. “It's going to be dark soon.”

“Alright, alright, I'm goin'. You so top secret you can't call?” His eyebrows were drawn together.

“Nope.” She took the climbing harness from Davis. “How's this weekend sound?”

“Damn good.” He smiled a little. Bethany kissed his cheek softly. “You take care of yourself.”

*~*~*~*~*~*

“Well, what do you think?” Red grasped Bethany around the waist when she was close to the end of the rope. She let go and he set her on her feet in a puddle of water. “High ceilings, loaded with rustic charm.”

“You've been watching my decorating show, haven't you.” She smiled a little.

He shrugged. “You were sleepin' and it was on.”

“I don't think bat guano and monster infestation qualifies as 'rustic charm'.” She laughed softly.

“Picky, picky.” He smirked.

They both stood still started peering into the thick gloom that surrounded them. The shaft of weak daylight from the opening in the rock reached the floor of the chamber they were standing in, but did very little to penetrate the inky darkness beyond. Collins came down with a map next, followed by Kelleher and Clay. The rest of the team stayed above ground. She knew that fewer people made sense in a confined space, but she still felt like the five of them made a ridiculously easy target.

Once the men satisfied themselves that there was no immediate threat, they began to study a map. Bethany moved closer to Red, Collins and Kelleher, but she wasn't interested in the map. There was something strange about the air currents in the chamber. At first, she though that the air from the outside was coming down through the rift and moving around the rock walls in a way she wasn't accustomed to. If that was the case, there would have been a pattern. From what she was able to determine though, there wasn't. While the four men disagreed in the waning shaft of sunlight, she followed the tiny shifts, finally coming to realize that there was only one explanation for it.

“Collins-”

“We'll get going in a minute, Bethany.” He looked at Red again and circled a location on the map. “This area is in the middle of all the disappearances. It seems logical that's where their base of operations would be.”

“Yeah, but that's in the mine. The mining operation disturbed 'em when it broke through into the cave. Wherever they're coming from, it's gotta be in the caves.” Red said.

Bethany grabbed the marker. Before anyone could voice a protest, she wrote “We're surrounded” in the top margin of the map. Four sets of eyes locked on hers. She met each one in turn, her own gaze never wavering. Red made a small gesture with his hand, each turned and placed their backs against each other. Bethany felt a slight sting on her thigh, and then saw something else whiz past her face. She spun the air around them, placing them at the eye of a wide tornado.

“What was that?” She asked. She could hear stone hitting stone, and several grunts of pain and frustration.

“They throw stone darts.” Red supplied. “Were ya hit?”

“No. You?” She watched dark shapes moving just beyond the swirling wind.

“No.” He answered. “Collins? Clay?” Bethany noted the omission.

“We're all fine too.” Collins answered. “Any ideas?”

“They can't come into the sunlight.” Red said.

“We've got ten minutes tops.” Collins said.

“It was a trap all along.” Kelleher said.

“It was not!” Bethany shot back.

“Wights ain't got the power to control a human and that guy wasn't one of them.” Red said.

“We wanted to know where they came from, it makes sense they would be gathering.” Collins said. “None of this is getting us anywhere. We can stay inside this wind or we can go out there. Going out, we don't stand a chance, staying in here we can't get anything done.”

“They can't get through right now, but I can vary the speed of the wind. It'll let a few through at a time and keep the others out.” Bethany offered.

“Sounds good.” Red said.

“What's to keep them from throwing more darts?” Kelleher asked.

“Even if they can get through, darts would be knocked off target.” Bethany answered.

“And once they get in here?” Collins asked.

Bethany shifted, the sand and gravel shifted under her feet. “Particulates.” She said.

“What?” Clay sounded like that was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

“Those things can see in the dark but they still use their eyes, right?” Bethany said.

“Yeah.” Red answered.

“Then if they can't see-”

“They can't throw.” Clay finished. “Do it.”

Bethany concentrated and shifted some of the energy down to the floor of the chamber. She heard screeching and hissing, letting her know that gravel and sandy soil was flying. She waited until the last rays of sunlight dissipated, then turned on the light on her helmet. The others followed suit. “Let me know when guys.”

Everyone took a step forward and each raised a weapon. Since guns in confined spaces weren't the best idea, Bethany, Clay, Collins and Kelleher held something that looked like a Police nightstick, except that when a button on the handle was pressed it delivered a strong electrical current. Certainly enough to seriously stun and opponent on its own. Red had a larger version of the same weapon, though his right fist would be every bit as effective.

“Remember, go for the head and avoid getting bitten.” Collins said. Everyone mumbled their understanding. “Once the wind is lowered, how fast can you get it back to this strength?”

“A second, maybe two.” Bethany said.

“Alright, go.” He said.

Bethany let the wind weaken just enough to allow six to push through. They were stumbling, rubbing at their eyes, not quite able to collect themselves quickly enough to stave off the swift attacks that Red and the others met them with. Each time she weakened the field they were rushed, and just as quickly they dispatched their adversaries.

Somewhere in all the sounds of screeching, crunching bone and the stench of rapidly rotting and liquefying flesh, the detached part of Bethany's mind began to notice something. The wights that attacked her hesitated, the ones who launched themselves at Red (who was to her left) and Collins (who was to her right), snapped and slashed with clawed hands even when they were still half-blind. The ones who came at Bethany hesitated. She was glad because it gave her just enough time to attack first, but it still made her curious.

Bethany lost count of how many came through, but she noticed that it started to take longer for them to come through. Finally, they stood behind a weakened field and no more were coming through. She stood there, trying to catch her breath, waiting for the next assault. As the seconds turned into minutes, Bethany began to wonder if it was over. She strengthened the barrier again.

“Did we get them all?” She asked.

“Probably most of the drones.” Red said. “They'll do what they were sent to do, no matter how senseless.”

“So if I drop the barrier we're going to get hit by stronger ones?”

“There might be a few, but the stronger, smarter ones ain't gonna go out on nightly raids. They'll be deeper in, and sneakier about how they come at us.” He answered. That didn't really make Bethany feel any better, but she appreciated his honesty.

“Should I drop the wind?” She asked.

“Might as well.” Collins said. “Everyone ready?”

There was a general grumble of assent. She stopped the outer wind first, letting the dust and gravel settle back to the floor of the chamber before releasing the surrounding storm. As soon as she did, three more rushed at them, but those were quickly dispatched as well. The quiet that followed was unnerving.

“We need to get moving.” Red said. “We stick to the natural caves.”

“Red, you're not-”

“Yeah, I know. You do what you want.” He started down the only connecting tunnel. Clay followed, so did Bethany, then Kelleher and Collins.

For what seemed like days, they wandered deeper into the dark tunnels. With Red in the lead, he managed most assaults before they reached the others. Bethany kept enough air current moving around them to knock any of the stone darts off course. Collins collected one of them, but for the most part they moved along in silence. There were stops along the way to consult the map as well. Bethany was surprised that the map they had been given was so accurate.

Bethany had to admit that underground wasn't all horrible. They came into a cavern lined with amethyst crystals. Another housed an underground waterfall and a small lake ringed in with stalagmites and roofed in stalactites, giving the impression of being if being in the mouth of a great beast.

She soon learned that the tunnels were dangerous, but the open chambers were worse. They team made a clear target in an open field. Wights couldn't actually move through the rock itself, but they could use the shape of the rocks, the darkness and their own stillness to make it appear that they were melting into the rocks themselves. In a tunnel there was limited space and hiding was difficult even for them. The open spaces were a different story. Bethany noticed the same hesitation in the ones who attacked her. She had seen it often enough to know she wasn't imagining it either. She wondered if it was simply the fact that she was female. That was one of those things that she could piece together later.

Red stopped short at the next juncture. Bethany thought she saw a soft glow coming from the passage. “That ain't on the map.”

“You sure?” Clay asked, fumbling with the paper. Bethany noticed him fingering a charm.

“Yeah, I'm sure. Stay here.” He started down the passage, his tail twitching from side to side.

Bethany wasn't sure how long they stood there, but the roars and screeches that floated down the passage after him made it seem like hours.

“He does this all the time.” Collins said to Bethany.

“I know.” She said. That didn't keep her heart from pounding though.

The sounds grew louder, vibrating the air around them and becoming painfully loud. When the noise reached a crescendo, a yellowish cloud and the stench of sulfur rushed down the passage, leaving everyone coughing and fighting for breath. The soft glow was gone. The choking odor began to dissipate, and an intense silence settled around them all. Bethany stared into the darkness, for what seemed like an eternity. Finally Red appeared.

“Everybody gonna stand and stare or are we gonna get outta here?” He asked. He was bleeding in more places than she could count.

“It's over?” She asked. “You got all of them?”

“There might be a couple left, but I neutralized their energy well.” He shrugged. “Makes 'em pretty much powerless unless someone wanders in.”

The trip back through the caverns was uneventful, but a deep exhaustion settled around Bethany. By the time she got back to the chamber where they entered, early-morning sunlight was streaming through the fissure in the rock and Bethany was shivering.

“You okay kiddo?” Red asked. She could hear the concern in his voice. Kelleher and Clay were already starting back up.

“I'm fine, just a little tired. You?” She looked at the deep scratches on his right shoulder and then at the others on his chest and stomach.

“Nothin' serious, just messy.” He stroked her cheek.

“You two ready?” Collins asked.

“Yeah.” Bethany said.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Once she got to the surface, Bethany down for a few minutes to sit and catch her breath while equipment was packed and Abe looked at Red's cuts and bruises. He complained the whole time, but he still sat there and let the merman poke, prod and fuss.

“What did you do to your leg?” Christine asked.

“I didn't know I did anything.” She looked at the tear in the fabric of her pants. Through the opening she saw a scratch and a rapidly developing bruise. “I have no idea. I must've caught it on a rock or something. Some of the spaces down there were pretty cramped.”

Christine paused, looking at her. “Are you alright? You looked kinda drawn.”

“Yeah. Just took a lot of energy and it was freezing down there.” She managed a little smile.

“I'll send Abe over when he's done with Red.” Christine said.

“No need to bug him. The skin is barely broken and there's nothing he can do for the rest.”

The hike back was as cold and wet as the hike to get there, but their new location put the team closer to the trucks. By the time they got inside, Bethany was shivering. She leaned back against the side of the truck and closed her eyes.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Hellboy watched Bethany nodding on the ride back. She looked even paler than normal, except for the bright pink flush on her cheeks. Every few minutes a little tremor ran through her body. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his lap and keep her warm. That would have to wait until they got on the plane at least. He stretched and moved a little closer, in case she wanted something else to lean against.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Under a feeble, tepid shower at the base, Bethany's shivering turned into a throbbing ache that settled into her bones. By the time she got on the plane, her throat was scratchy. Red or someone had already closed the drapes around his area.

“Red?” There was a little croak in her voice.

“Yeah, c'mon in.” He was eating something. Bethany smiled a little and went in. She was surprised to see the other bench opened up.

“Are you that tired?” She sat next to him. He handed her a saran-wrapped foam plate with a roast beef sandwich and a small cup of mandarin orange slices on it. It was labeled with her name.

“Nope, but you are.” He was nearly done with his sandwiches.

“I'm that obvious?” Her voice was gravely. She unwrapped the plate, ignored the sandwich and started with the oranges.

He shrugged. “We were down there all night. You kept up that wind for most of that time. Makes sense you'd be tired.” She could tell there was more to it than that, but that was the only reason he wanted to put to words.

Bethany finished the fruit and cut the sandwich into quarters. She nibbled on one of the sections. “I am tired, but I can curl up on the bench as it is.”

“Not with me behind ya.”

She smiled a little. “No, I guess that's true. You want the rest of this?” She offered him the remaining three-quarters of the sandwich.

“You sure that's all you want? You ain't had that much, even for you.” He hesitated.

“I'm not very hungry I guess. I don't think all that rain and the cold down in the mine did me any good.” She set the plate down, figuring he would take it if he wanted it.

“Want Abe to-”

“No.” She smiled a little. “It's just a cold. Not even he can do anything for that. Are you alright?” She looked at his shoulder. It was covered in bandages, but she knew that's where the worst of the damage was.

“Course. Probably won't even be able to tell it was there at all by the time we get back.” He stuffed the now-empty foam tray into the trashcan, but didn't offer to take the rest of her sandwich.

The pilot's voice crackled over the intercom. “Everybody all secured back there?”

“Good to go.” Whoever was sitting closest to the intercom up front said.

“Red?” The pilot asked.

He pushed the button. “Yeah.”

“We'll be in the air in just a few minutes.” The pilot responded.

For a few minutes they were silent as the plane rumbled through take-off. Bethany would have been content to stay where she was, but once they were airborne he took the plate from her and let her get comfortable against toward the wall of the plane. She felt him get in behind her, but beyond that the rest of the flight was lost to sleep.

The landing woke her with a start. For a few seconds, confusion reigned.

“S'okay.” Red pulled her close. His solid form helped her get her oriented. She relaxed against him. “We're just landing.”

“Already?” Her throat was more sore than it was before and her voice sounded worse. “It feels like we just took off.”

“You were out as soon as your eyes closed. You sure you're okay?” He moved so that she could sit up. The plane slowed to a stop.

“Yeah. I don't get sick often, but when I do it usually does a number on me.” If anything, she felt even more tired than before.

“We'll go to bed, you'll feel better.” He shrugged. The comment sounded offhand, but she could see the worry around his eyes. He gave her a hand up.

“Let me get a shower with actual hot water and get some clothes, I'll be over in a little bit.”

*~*~*~*~*~*

Hellboy waited for four hours. If it was a normal night, he would have been worried that she changed her mind. Considering how she looked and sounded when they got off the plane though, he was just worried about her. He found the key she'd given him, went over and let himself in. The room was completely dark. He could see that the bedroom door was open, and there was a light on in the bathroom. It cast a kind of half-glow into the rest of the room.

He didn't want to startle her. “Lil Bit?” He said softly.

Silence.

He spoke again, a little louder this time as he made his way into the bedroom. “Kiddo? You alright?”

Now he could see her on the bed. She was wearing a nightshirt. If he read the little shivers right, she was cold. He stroked her shoulder gently.

“Lil Bit.” He said again. She groaned and opened her eyes.

“What's wrong?” She reached for a blanket. She sounded like she had a couple pounds of gravel in her throat.

“Nothin',” He was trying to sound off-hand about the whole thing, and failing miserably. “But you said you were comin' over I wondered what happened to ya.”

“Geez Red, I just closed my eyes for a minute. You stay here.” She moved over.

“Can't. Your bed ain't big enough, or solid enough.”

She groaned. “Sorry, forgot about that.” She got up slowly. When she reached for a red bag, he grabbed it.

In the antiseptic light of the hallway, she looked flushed. “I think Abe's still awake, if you wanna-”

“No. I'm always this way when I get sick, I just need to sleep.” She made her way into his room and shivered. “Is it always so cold in here?” Even though she was walking, she seemed to be barely conscious.

“I'll make sure you stay warm.”

She crawled into his bed and he settled behind her. She was asleep again without another word. He lay awake for a little longer, listening to her harsh breathing.