I don’t know why, but I feel optimistic.

It’s probably a waste of energy. My experience so far tells me that whenever something looks like it’s about to go my way, something else is going to come around and fuck it all up. Nothing good lasts forever, and there’s more shit out there than positive stuff.

I feel optimistic anyway. Down in the mine, running the machine, I can forget all about my troubles. The creaking and cracking of the mine, the scream of the machine, the practiced way I work with the other guys to get our job done feels fucking good.

Not to mention everyone’s on board for this walkout. There isn’t a single guy that’s said he won’t do it. I expected some push back and worry, but there hasn’t really been any of that. In fact, the guys seem downright excited.

I don’t really understand it. I think they want to give it to corporate, make them see that we’re not just some idiot miners with no power down here doing slave labor. The guys want to be a part of something, even if that something might lead to them getting their asses fired. I’m trying to make them understand the risks but everyone still wants to do it.

Which is a good thing. I don’t know why I’m second-guessing it. Maybe that optimism isn’t as strong as I thought it was.

After an hour of digging and collecting, we walk the machine back to the main cavern. Vernon gives me a little wink as we park it and start unloading our haul, getting it set up in tractors that’ll pull it all back to the surface.

“What do you think?” he asks me as we finish. We lean up against the wall of the cave, lights on and trying to get a little breath back before we head down again for another load.

“About what?”

He shrugs. “All this shit. The walkout.”

“Well, you know what I think.” I cock my head at him.

“It’s necessary,” he says, nodding to himself.

I watch him for a second. “You’re not so sure?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. But if you say it’s the right move, I’ll back you.”

I don’t say anything right away. I’ve never experienced this kind of loyalty before. I don’t know what I did to inspire it in these guys, but apparently I did something.

“Why?” I ask him finally. “Why’s everyone so keen on pissing the bosses off?”He laughs at that. “Everyone wants to piss off their boss.”

“Not me. I just want a damn job.”

He nods slowly. “Yeah, there’s that.”

“You know we can get fired, right?”

“That won’t happen. It’s not so easy, finding real miners to replace us.”

“That’s true. But it’s still possible.”

He sighs. “I just believe in this, okay?”

“I just want to know why the men are following me, is all.”

He shakes his head, a little smile on his face. “You really need to ask that, Samuel?”

“Guess so.”

“All right. I’ll tell you.” He pushes up off the wall and stands. “Down here in the mine, you never slack. If a job needs doing, you do it, no comment, no bitching. You offer to help when someone needs help, and you ask for help when you need it. You’re honest, Samuel. That’s why people follow you.”

He walks off and I sit there a bit longer, trying to digest what he’s saying.

I guess I just don’t see it. I do my job and I do it as well as I can. It’s a damn dangerous job, and I know that I have to try every single day to make sure nobody ever gets hurt when I’m around. I know some guys slack a little bit, won’t take some of the tougher, dirtier jobs, but that’s just not my style. I do what needs doing, and I don’t worry about the rest of it.

I never really thought that was a special trait, but maybe it is. I don’t know. I’ve never worried about any of this before, if I’m honest with myself. I’ve always just done my job and moved on, but now I’m in this position of power and I have to worry about more than just what’s in front of me.

That’s why I took this union gig to begin with. I saw a job that needed doing, and so I stepped up to do it. I didn’t think about all the stress and difficulties that would come along with it, because the job needed doing, and I could do it.

So here I am, down in the fucking mine, worrying about all this stuff.

I sigh and stand up. I rejoin the other guys, and we get back down in the hole together, machine running, doing our damn jobs. We pass the rest of the day like that, going back and forth, dropping off our loads and digging out another one. Eventually, the shift passes, and we get back on the trolley and ride it back to the surface.

It always feels good, coming up out of the mine. I don’t know why. I guess humans are just built to be on the surface, and there’s this little nagging anxiety that’s always present when we’re down there in the darkness. It lifts as soon as we get outside, and everyone says that’s one of the best parts of the job.

It’s no different today. We breach into the sunlight. I blink as the sun’s dipping down, and we nod at the shift change guys heading down into the hole. Our trolley stops and I climb off, and the guys are all talking about heading over to The Shaft for some drinks.

“I’ll see you guys there,” I call out to them as they head over to the little warehouse we use to store our shit, use the bathroom, get changed, that sort of stuff.

I head toward the offices, intending to check my mail, since I get fucking official mail now. But I don’t get far. Strolling toward me is Ingram, flanked by two of his flunkies, guys in suits that I don’t recognize.

At least they’re not ex-cops here to try and fight me. The injuries ache suddenly, and I can’t tell if it’s the memory of that night or just the post-work exhaustion catching up with me.

“Samuel,” Ingram says, smiling his snake smile. “Glad I caught you.”

“Ingram.” I stop and reluctantly shake his hand. He smiles the whole time. “What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to have a chat with our young star.” That smile never goes away as he starts to walk away from his two aides, who stay put.

We move off toward the gap between buildings. There’s nobody around but the two of us, and I’m tempted to beat him senseless right here and now in retribution for what he did to me. But I know I can’t do it. This is about more than just me, and that would just be petty revenge. It wouldn’t help our cause at all.

It would feel fucking good though, smashing that grinning snake face of his.

“I heard some things,” he says, turning to me.

“What’d you hear?”

“You’re planning a little strike.” His smile gets wider as he says those words. He must see the surprise on my face. “You thought you could keep it secret?”

“Guess not,” I say. “You have people everywhere, looks like. Did you get your cops to find this out too?”

He laughs, shaking his head. “Now why would I do that, Samuel? No, I use them for more… physical applications.”

The fucker has the gall to wink at me, but I know he’s just trying to push my buttons. “If you’re trying to intimidate me, it’s not going to work. You tried that once already.”

“I know, and yet here you are. It seems that my tactics only pissed you off.” He laughs, shaking his head. “You have more balls than your predecessor, I’ll tell you that.”

“This isn’t about me,” I say to him. “This is about our working conditions and our contract. You want us to keep working? Then make the contract that I gave to Amelia signed and official.”

“No, I don’t think so,” Ingram says, still smiling. “But we do have a little problem. See, we just got a big order in this morning, the sort of order we can’t risk losing. Your little walkout stunt is going to have to wait.”

I blink at him. “Why the fuck would we do that?”

“Because I’m going to break the knees of one miner every hour until you give in.”

That grin drives me fucking crazy, and I practically growl at him. “You touch my people and I’ll kill you.”

“Now, now, Samuel. Don’t lose your temper.” He’s still smiling, nice and cool. “You want to fuck with me, then I’m going to try and fuck you right back. That’s how this works.”

“This isn’t a game.”

“You’re right.” He gets serious suddenly. “This isn’t a game. There’s a lot of money at stake, and if you fuck this up for me, I will kill you. And I’ll follow through with my little threat.”

I stare him down and he finally smiles again, stepping away from me, back toward his aides. “Think about what I said, Mr. Carter,” he calls to me. “Have a wonderful day.”

I watch the three of them walk off and I stand there, fuming, anger rolling through me.

I can’t risk the health of my guys. I know Ingram’s going to attack them, and there are guys that can’t afford to miss any time. Disability would ruin them, assuming they could even get that much. I can’t risk it, but I also can’t just give in to Ingram. If I do that, we’ll never win.

I don’t know what to do. I need to protect my guys, but I also need to beat Ingram. This order clearly is important to him and the company, and it’s a great opportunity to walk out and cause a lot of damage. That could get them to stand down.

I walk away from him, angry and trying to puzzle this out. I don’t know what I can risk and what I can’t, or how far he’ll really go. It was one thing for him to attack me, but I can’t let him hurt my guys.

I head back to the showers, forgetting about the mail, trying to figure out what the fuck to do.