Covered in Coal (Buried Secrets 1)

I pull into the gravel parkin’ lot and throw the gear shift into park. Grabbin’ my thermos and jacket, I pop the latch on the door and climb from the cab of my truck into the crisp mornin’ air. I inhale deep as I’m met with the cold winter breeze. Shit, it’s cold! I climb the steps quickly to the main office, tryin’ to escape the bitter cold.

I reach my office, and flick on the light as I enter. I make my way around the desk, and turn on the computer, before pourin’ a cup of coffee to warm myself up with. Once the computer is active, I pull up last week’s productivity and sales reports, then print two copies. I shake my head as I read through the reports. Productivity is boomin’ as usual, but damn, if sales ain’t strugglin’. I scan over my emails quickly, before checkin’ safety reports.

I stop by Carly Jo’s office before headin’ underground and leave a copy of the reports on her desk. She usually prints the reports herself, but this will just save her the time, and let her know I was thinkin’ of her.

I hear the roarin’ rumbles of the many machines bein’ operated underground, when I reach the section the crew’s workin’ in. I speak with each man, makin’ sure their night is goin’ smooth. As I approach Eric, the roof bolter, I notice he’s a little twitchy. “Hey Eric, how’s things goin’ tonight?”

Eric looks up behind red rimmed eyes, and a ghost pale face. He looks jittery, as if I just startled him. He glares at me for a beat, before reachin’ his tremblin’ hand out for me to shake.

“Goin’ good, Boss. Right on schedule, workin’ at a smooth pace. Ain’t missed a beat, man.” Eric says, shiftin’ from foot to foot, rubbin’ his hand over his face roughly a few times. I know this reaction. I’ve seen it. Hell, I’ve lived it. He’s high.

“That’s good man. I gotta make some rounds. Catch up with me if you need anything.” I toss back at him, as I stalk away to find the Section Foreman. I locate Dave and pull him off to the side, tryin’ not to draw much attention to the situation at hand.

“Hey Boss, what’s happenin’? Ain’t seen you on nights in a long friggin’ time.”

“Not much Dave, just checkin’ in on things. Hey listen, notice anything strange goin’ on with ya pinner man?”

“Eric or Duke?

“Eric.”

“Ah, no Eric is just a little rattled at times, is all. Hard worker, real fast on the Pinner. Why? Everything good?” Dave asks with a cocked eye.

“Yeah, not so sure. I’m gonna take him to surface for a bit. He won’t be long.”

“Sure, Boss. I’ll man the Pinner while he’s out.”

“Thanks, Dave. I’ll send him back shortly.” I shake Dave’s hand then turn back to find Eric. I need to pull him from underground and get a feel of what’s goin’ on with him. Can’t tell much about his over-all appearance down here in the dark.

In my office, Eric is shakin’ like a leaf, jumpin’ at every damn sound, and rattlin’ off about every damn thing under the sun. It’s clear the man’s got an addiction to somethin’, and I can’t have the hazard around my men. But, before I do anything hasty, I’ll talk to him about his situation, to see what I can do to help.

“Eric, what’cha on man?”

“Boss, I ain’t on nothin’.” Eric says tappin’ the desk.

“Nothin’ huh?”

“Not a damn thing.” He shakes his head from side to side.

“Now Eric, you’re ser

iously sittin’ there tellin’ me that if I piss your ass right now, it’ll come back clean?”

“Boss, you ain’t gotta piss me. Trust me. I’m good. Just ain’t been sleepin’ much, and it’s got my nerves all rattled up.”

Eric’s voice is even shaky now, his eyes dartin’ from one thing to the next quickly. I brush my fingers back through my hair, and think of my options. I’ve been on the other side of the fence. I’ve been the addict, dyin’ for my next fix. I’ve got two choices, and neither one’s easy. I can piss Eric now, and most likely fire his ass, leavin’ me in a spot for a new roof bolter. Or I can give him the same chance Big John gave me. Either way it goes, I’m screwin’ myself over.

“Eric, I’m gonna take your word for it for now. But I’d better not suspect you of bein’ high at work again. If I do, I won’t even consider pissin’ ya. I’ll fire your ass on the spot, then I’ll beat the damn brakes off ya for puttin’ my men in danger. So, you can man up, and get off the shit that’s gotcha strung out, or you take a hand at fate. Your call. Are ya good to finish out the night?”

“Boss, I’m good, just need some sleep, that’s all. I’ll be good as new when I come back tonight. You have my word.” I shake his clammy hand, and give him a little extra warnin’ just for good measure. We take the man trip back underground, together. Eric’s settled down a little by now, but still a little on the jittery side. Once we reach the crew, Eric returns to the Pinner, sendin’ a suspicious Dave back in my direction.

“Boss, everything alright with Eric?”

“Everything’s good. Just keep an eye out for anything that don’t look right with anyone. Big Boss will kick all of our asses if we screw anything up, slow down production, or more importantly, cause any safety issues. Gotta keep that shit in check. Ya feel me?”

Dave rubs his hand across his scruffy chin, and nods in agreement, before stalkin’ off to his crew. Stuffin’ my hands down in my pockets, I shake my head because something ain’t right, with this entire situation. I know that Eric’s battlin’ addiction, but how is it none of his other crew members have noticed anything out of sorts?

I watch the crew work for the last hour of their shift, then ride back to surface with them. By the time we reach the portal of the mines, Eric’s eyes are blood shot, and you can’t make heads or tails of what he’s actually sayin’. He keeps rubbin’ his face, and sniffin’.