Throughout the immense hole, there were huge machines; dormant and silent. Only God knew for how many years this place had been abandoned.
Lloyd saw that which had reflected his light earlier. It was a huge yellow hauling machine, several dozen meters away from them and covered with faded writing. It had many large, black wheels and a gigantic load bin, still filled to the limit with whole rocks, many of them larger than either of the two men.
"This is a mine!" Lloyd began to explain to this companion. "It's odd, though, that this place would be mined like this?"
"Why do you say that?" Boyce was puzzled.
"This style is called an open-pit mine, yet it's in this small mountain. That is why I think it's odd. Shafts are usually dug for mining in mountains or for something that is found very deep!" Lloyd pointed to the floor of the pit, maybe a kilometre below them.
"I would like to go down there, but we don't have the time. Let's get back." Boyce suggested.
The shrieking whirl suddenly stopped and there was no more drafty air flowing about them and the lights went out.
"I suppose that we'll have to go back now?" Lloyd chaffed, picking up his pack.
They lay back on the flat, even floor of the cave, using their water sacks as pillows.
Bluish starlight filtered into the cave and it was barely enough to let them see one another.