Oliver shook his head. "That wouldn't have been us. It hasn’t been that long since we tried the radio.”
"We must’ve dropped the radio, but I swear I put it in my pack and zipped it up!" Ginger insisted. I put my hand on her shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile, which she returned.
Thorn said, "Doesn't much matter. After what you two have been through, I think it would be better to keep the groups together."
"I hate to say I told you so..." Oliver uttered.
Thorn rolled his eyes. "Then don't. It was a good plan, but unfortunately, whatever’s down here seems to like Victor, so we’re better off staying close."
"It liked me too," Ginger said, sounding vaguely offended.
I agreed. "It probably liked her more."
"She wasn't with us the last time we came down here. Also, Oliver and I didn’t see anything, so that leaves you as the common denominator, Victor, whether you like it or not," Thorn suggested reasonably.
Oliver did not seem to like any of it. "Maybe they should leave. If it's not safe for them down here, it would be logical. We could continue to—"
Ginger and I both interrupted him as we vehemently objected in unison. "No way! Olly, I just got down here!"
"I have to be down here. How am I going to find out about my dream?"
Thorn sighed. "They’re right. We can't make them leave if they aren't willing."
Oliver looked dissatisfied but remained silent.
Ginger asked, "So, what do we do now?"
Thorn shrugged. "Same thing we were doing before. Same plan. This day has been stressful enough. Let's get a bit of rest and then we'll worry about checking out the rest of the tunnels."
Everyone agreed and settled down for a nap if they were able. I stared at the ceiling. I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye; Thorn motioned for me to follow him as he slipped out the door of the way station. I got up and crept out, careful to not wake the others up.
Outside, I eased the door closed and tiptoed over to where Thorn stood a few feet away. His flashlight lit up just enough of the cave so I could see the look on his face.
I couldn’t place the emotion there as he spoke. "I don't suppose you got any clarity on the dream while you were running down tunnels?"
I sighed, shaking my head. "No."
He nodded and stepped closer to me so he could say in a low voice, "I'd rather you didn’t leave my side again."
It wasn’t a stern demand, but a polite, assertive request. I regarded him for a moment and replied, "I'm fine. Ginger is fine. We handled it."
He sighed in frustration and reached in his pocket, producing a card that he held out to me. "Do you know what this is?"
I looked at the tarot card in his hand. I did not try to take the card, but I nodded. "Yeah. It's The Moon."
"Then you know it means danger or deception. I didn't draw this for myself, Victor. I drew it for you," Thorn revealed.
"I thought you didn't do readings for others."
He shrugged. "Take it as you will. Just be careful."
I nodded, and he put the card back in his pocket. We stood silently for a long moment. I finally said softly, "One day, you are going to tell me exactly how much of your family's second sight you inherited."
He laughed softly. "Maybe," he said noncommittally.
"Tell me about your family," I said as we stood in the dark tunnel.
Thorn shrugged. "You know my family."
"I mean the Durants. Do you have cousins?"
He shook his head. "Nope. I'm pretty much the end of the Durant line—in blood, anyway."
I eyed him curiously. The inherent need to know pushed me to ask, "Why wouldn't the line go on from you?"
"Because I'm not going to have children," Thorn said definitively.
I raised an eyebrow at him. It was his choice to have kids or not, and it didn’t have anything to do with me, but I felt compelled to question him on it. "And why is that?"
"I could...if I wanted to," he said to answer my unspoken question. "It isn't a physical inability, and I like kids fine, before you ask."
Now I really was curious. I shifted and looked at him. "Okay, now you have to explain."
Thorn laughed. "Does it honestly need explaining?"
"Yes!" I answered emphatically.
He just shook his head and said, "It hardly matters; I'm practically celibate."
We exchanged a look, then laughed at the absurdity of the situation and our current conversation. "I think we are officially crazy," I said with conviction.
"This is what puts us over the top? What...ghosts not enough for you?" Thorn spoke with amusement.
"You’re right,” I admitted. “We were probably certifiable before."
"What time is it?" Thorn asked as he stretched.
I retrieved my phone from my pocket and clicked it on. "About eleven A.M.," I informed him.
"Tired?" he asked me, but I just shook my head. "I'm not either," he admitted.
Sitting down in the dust on the floor of the tunnel, we propped up against each other and talked about our childhoods. I even told him about the party incident at 17 that sent me fleeing to my father's house in another state.
Thorn told me tales of growing up in the mountains. He talked about his Gram and how she used to teach him things despite his mother's insistence that she not do so. He told me about trips into the mountains with his father. His family had been guarding the mountain for a long time. We spoke in whispers in the dark, our shoulders leaned together.
"Gram said our vigil over the mountain was supposed to end with me," Thorn whispered.
I nodded. "Maybe that's why I'm here."
"Maybe," Thorn agreed.
We chatted some more as the hours wore on, but slowly we got quieter and quieter until finally we started nodding off. I must have eventually dozed off leaning against Thorn, because I jolted awake later when he moved. "What?" I said in confusion as I almost fell over.
Thorn chuckled. "Sorry. I'd suggest we go lie down, but it's probably about time to get up."
"I'm going to lie down in the dirt," I said, but Thorn shook his head at me, then straightened his legs out in front of him and stretched. I took the opportunity to lay my head back over on his shoulder and attempt to sleep again, much to Thorn's amusement.
Thorn did not try to shrug me off, though, and we halfway dozed while leaning against one another until we heard noises from the way station. We stretched, standing up to dust ourselves off. I didn’t feel nearly as tired as I thought I would, but then again, thinking about going back into the dark tunnels was enough to make my adrenaline kick in.
We were walking back toward the way station when the door opened and Ginger appeared, sighing in relief. "Oh, there you guys are! Don't do that!"
I mumbled an apology as Thorn and I slipped through the door. Soon enough, we were all eating. Oliver and Thorn launched into an argument about a minute into breakfast. Ginger and I gave each other a look that said it was probably going to be a long day.
The tunnels all started to look the same after a time. Ginger was on map duty; Thorn was at the front of the group, and Oliver at the rear. When we finished exploring a tunnel, Ginger would mark it off. Going through the tunnels near our current way station was easier than I thought. They branched a lot, but the tunnels were a good deal shorter than the side that Ginger and I had been on.
Before long, we were sitting back at the way station, eating what was probably considered lunch by the people aboveground. I sighed as I bit into an energy bar and looked around the group. The day had been tiring already, but it had also been quiet. No one had heard or seen anything out of the ordinary.
As I took another bite of my granola bar, I noticed a sound. It was soft at first. I had to strain, and I could barely hear it over the noise of conversation from the other three. I stood up and made my way over to a tunnel that branched toward the section Ginger and I had been in the previous day.
I stood there and j
ust listened as I ate. The group was still talking behind me. I tensed as I heard a noise closer, and I peered into the darkness. I glanced at the group, but they weren't watching me. As I turned back to the darkness, I felt something grab me. A strangled cry escaped my lips as I was dragged down the tunnel.
I heard Ginger's scream and saw the light near her; I seemed to be moving impossibly fast away from them. I called out, but I was being dragged away despite my efforts to wrench myself out of the grip of whoever—or whatever—had me.
The darkness was all around me, and I was alone. I could no longer see the lights from the tunnel where I’d been. Where was I? I kept calling out so the others could find me, but I had this sickening feeling of absolute solitude pressing in around me. I could hear no sounds, see no light. I screamed and was surprised when I could hear my own voice.
I realized then that I was no longer moving, and whatever had grabbed me let me go. I was on the ground, and I listened to see if the thing was near, but I could hear nothing.
As I rolled over to get up, I then heard something. It was water. Drip. Drip. The drops were almost melodic. There was a song in them. I tried to not listen, but I heard that faint melody, and I recognized it as something from my dream. It almost sounded like a voice.
I got up to my feet, unafraid. The only thing on my mind was getting to that sound. It beckoned me deeper into the darkness. I felt for my pack and realized that I had put it down while I was eating. I cursed. Taking a deep breath, I reached out, feeling around until I could find the tunnel wall. I followed the wall and the song of the water.
As I moved, the sound of the water stayed far off. I pressed my ear against the cave wall and discovered that it seemed to come from behind the tunnel wall somewhere. I scratched at the wall and then sighed as I stumbled off down the tunnel again.
"Thorn!" I yelled. Silence answered me. I walked forward but felt my foot hit something and I tripped. A muffled gasp escaped me as I landed on something—someone. I quickly scrambled away; the form was still and quiet.
"Hello?" I asked quietly. I forced my fingers to explore across the dirt until my hands bumped the person again. I felt starchy material. A uniform, maybe? I came across a piece of metal. A badge. It was definitely a female.
"Donna?" I whispered. Silence. I felt around until I could touch her neck and found it ice cold. I withdrew my hand and got away from the body briskly.
"Help me!" I shouted into the darkness.
"Stop yelling," a male voice said close by. I jumped and felt hands grab me again. A light came on, and I quickly realized that it was Darren who held me. I started to shout, but his hand hit me hard across the face. "Keep quiet," he snarled. "Bob, move Donna before one of those kids trips over her."
Another headlamp appeared as Robert switched his on as well. "I thought you said we couldn't turn our lights on, Ren," Robert complained. "We’re supposed to be scaring these brats away."
I cradled the side of my head in my hand, as it stung, and I stared at the two men in disbelief. Darren shoved me roughly down the corridor in front of him as I saw Robert bend down to grab Donna's lifeless arms. The sound of dragging and the faint scraping of metal sounded familiar.
I winced, realizing it had been Robert and Darren that Ginger and I heard in the tunnels. They were probably responsible for the vanishing lights as well. I gritted my teeth. I had been so set on a supernatural reason for the happenings that I had never thought it might be a more mundane explanation.
Had they killed Donna? I stumbled forward as Darren gave me a harder shove. I made the wise decision to stay silent and just walk. I knew Thorn and the others were probably looking for me, but if I tried to warn them, then it could potentially put them in a dangerous situation. Realizing that I was in the long tunnel that Ginger and I had found ourselves in, I willed her—or Thorn—to find me.
Robert panted behind us as he dragged Donna. "You could help me, ya know?"
"Then who would watch Mr. Shelton here?" Darren sneered. "Just do what you are paid for, Bob."
If Bob minded Darren's tone, he did not let on as they fell into silence. The tunnel narrowed, and Darren seized my arm to keep me from getting away as we slid sideways through the passage. We stepped out into the cavern that Ginger and I had found ourselves in earlier. Darren told me to stay still, and he turned around to help Bob pull Donna into the cavern.
I stepped a bit back but then stilled as Darren drew a gun from his belt. "I said stand still; you got that?" I nodded emphatically, putting my hands up to show I wasn’t going anywhere.
Darren put the gun in his belt again and helped move Donna farther into the cavern. He and Robert lifted the deceased policewoman and quickly stowed her body behind some rock formations at the far end of the cavern, out of the way of most prying eyes. Satisfied that the woman's body would go undetected for the time being, the two turned back to me. I tensed as they walked back over, dusting themselves off from their dirty work.
Bob squinted at me and asked Darren, "You sure he's the one the boss was talking about?"
"You get paid to keep your mouth shut, Bob!" Darren reminded the man beside him. Next thing I knew, Darren was grabbing my arm and pulling me along toward what appeared to be an opening at the opposite end of the cavern. It was also the opposite direction from the one Ginger and I had taken to exit the cavern.
"Now this time," Darren muttered as we walked, "don't get distracted and follow the water."
I tensed. "What water?"
"What water, he asks," Robert said behind us. "The water you've heard since you've been down here, genius! We heard you talking to the girl about it."
Darren said, "Follow it." He gave me a shove, and I stood there for a moment staring at the two men. "Listen and follow the water, Mr. Shelton."
"I don't always hear the water."
"Better start listening harder," Darren said as he patted his gun.
I took a deep breath and backed up a bit. I turned around and closed my eyes, trying my best to pretend that the men weren’t there. I listened, straining to hear anything, and I wondered where Thorn was. Where the hell are you? I thought with as much force as I could muster toward the blond.
I got a strange sense of a presence near me, and then I thought I heard someone speak. I glanced at the men behind me, but they just stared at me, waiting. To stall them, I looked around and pretended to listen for the sounds of water. Truthfully, I could no longer hear anything that sounded like water. Sighing, I closed my eyes.
"What's going on?" Darren asked in impatience.
When I spoke, my voice was a dry, nervous whisper. "I can't hear the water. You’re making me too nervous."
The men shifted, and Robert grumbled, "I'm sick of this nonsense. Let's just scare the kids out of here."
"This one will know, idiot. He'll tell the others," Darren hissed back at the man.
Robert growled back, "Whose big idea was it to turn our lights on?"
Darren rounded on the smaller man, his finger pointed at him in a warning. "He’d already found Donna. One more word and I'll be hiding your body down here, too."
The smaller man shrank back but folded his arms crossly.
Darren looked at me again. The man was about to speak when we heard footfalls. Robert hightailed it across the cavern toward the other entrance, leaving Darren behind. Darren grabbed me. I tried to shout to whoever was coming, but the next thing I knew, the world tilted as he slammed the back of his gun into my head.
There was a lot of motion the next instant. I saw Darren fly backward, as if someone had knocked him over. In the process, he shoved me down inadvertently. I landed in a heap on the floor.
There were boots by my head and hands on me. I groaned as I rolled onto my back. Thorn's face came into view, and I squinted up at him as the dust swirled through the air. He looked at me for a moment, assessing, then was off toward Darren. I grimaced and sat up. Darren was scrambling to his feet, and I remembered the gun.
Before I c
ould shout, Darren had the gun free of his belt. Thorn seemed to have anticipated it, because he dodged to the side and hit Darren's gun hand out of the way. The shot ricocheted in the cavern, and I crouched and covered my head with my hands out of instinct even if the move wouldn’t provide much protection against a bullet.
Darren grunted, and I looked over to see that Thorn had grabbed the gun away from him; he was slumped over. There was a scream that sounded like Ginger, and I realized that she and Oliver must be at the tunnel entrance.
"Just don't move," Thorn instructed Darren, making his way over to me while watching Darren warily. "Are you okay?"
I stood up and winced, my head smarting from the blow Darren had given me. "Nothing that won't mend. You guys okay?" I asked Ginger and Oliver as they came farther out into the cavern.
Ginger nodded and gave me a thumbs-up as she and Oliver moved quickly over to where I was. Thorn motioned with the gun for Darren to go ahead of us, and the man scowled back under the beam of the floodlight.
Darren's headlamp was on, so it lit the way in front of him, and I held the spotlight as we all made our way back through the mine tunnels toward the way station. We backtracked and squeezed our way through.
Darren did not try to get away, trudging along in front of us and moving as Thorn directed him. It took a long while to reach the way station that I’d been snatched from. When we finally arrived, Thorn nudged the man toward the bench and told him to sit down.
"We need to get the authorities," Oliver said with certainty. I nodded.
Thorn seemed to agree. "We do, but first, I'd like to know what he's doing down here." He nodded toward Darren, who scowled back at us.
"I'm looking for gold," Darren growled.
Ginger shook her head. "You’re a bad liar, Darren. Always have been. What’s the big idea, grabbing Vic like that?"
Darren squinted at her in the light. "I didn't grab anyone. I found the fool in the tunnels babbling to himself."
"He was with Robert Lonny. I found Donna's body in a tunnel, and they moved it to the cavern you guys found me in," I said softly. "I should’ve mentioned that earlier. We have to go get her."
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