Page 48 of So Insane

He shook his head. “We were going to suggest following the lines, but that might just lead us to whatever pit they fell into.”

“Or it will lead us to their killer,” Faith said. “I’m done waiting. That rescue team won’t be here until tomorrow. It might be too late then.”

“You think they’re still alive?” Jones asked.

“I don’t know,” Faith admitted, “but they might be. Either way, the sooner we find out what happened, the more likely we are to find our killer. Leave the fishing line where it is. We’ll follow it into the mine and see where the girls were when they were taken.”

“You two shouldn’t go in alone,” Jones said.

Faith had had enough of cowardice. “Stay here if you want,” she said, “We’re going in.”

“So are we,” Jones said.

Faith turned to him in amazement. “We’re going in too,” he repeated. “Me and Horace.” One of the officers nodded. “Gina and Deke are going to wait up top in case they see anything out here.”

Faith nodded in appreciation. “All right. Well, in that case, I suggest splitting up. We’re what, two miles from the cave where the bodies were found?”

“About that.”

“Perfect. I have maps of the mine tunnels.” She handed copies to Jones. “I circled the areas where the mines join the cave network. I want you and Horace to start on that end while we follow the fishing line.”

“All right,” Jones said. “That works for me.”

“Wonderful,” Faith said.

The officers left, and the two lucky enough to remain aboveground busied themselves, setting up a base camp. Faith, Michael and Turk approached the mine, their flashlights casting twin beams of light into darkness so thick it was almost opaque.

“You ready for this?” Faith asked.

“The way I see it,” Michael said, “you’re going to get me killed one day no matter what. At least if I die here, Ellie won’t have to worry about burying me.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Frankie risked a shout. “Shawna! Shawna, where are you?”

The only answer was the soft moan from deep within the caves.

Tears streamed down Frankie’s face. She wished now she had never let Shawna come here. She wished she had thrown a fit or threatened to break the camera or… God, anything, anything that would have kept her from talking them into coming here.

It seemed so foolish to Frankie that less than an hour ago, she was afraid of ghosts. She didn’t fear ghosts now. Ghosts, if they did exist, were just phantoms. The danger they faced now was very real, very solid and very dangerous.

They had made it maybe a half mile into the cave when they heard the voices. Frankie, of course, had suggested that maybe it was time for them to leave, but Shawna, the beautiful brave idiot, had thought it better to take some footage and record the moans and cries, claiming excitedly that this would be their best episode yet.

Then the killer had grabbed them. Frankie had seen him rushing toward them, his eyes huge and glassy, his lips drawn back over yellowed teeth. Her first irrational thought had been that they were being attacked by a vampire. She screamed for Shawna to watch out and, not knowing what else to do, she had thrown the camera at the vampire.

The creature caught it in one hand and brought it down on Shawna hard. Frankie would never forget the way Shawna’s teeth clicked together or how she shuddered when she fell to the ground. Thinking that her girlfriend was dead, Frankie lost control and lunged at him, shouting and screaming that she was going to kill him.

The creature had made short work of her. Frankie was a decent size for a girl, but she was still no match for whatever it was that had attacked them. She saw a gray, leathery fist swinging her way. Then the next thing she saw was the creature’s face when she woke up.

The creature turned out not to be a vampire, of course. Just a man. A grotesque, ugly, deformed troll of a man, but a man nonetheless. He had Shawna and Frankie tied up, and the only silver lining of the situation was that they still wore all their clothes.

“You need to find your way out,” the man said. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“We’re sorry,” Shawna said in tears. “We won’t come back here again. We promise. Just tell us where the exit is, and we’ll leave.”

“You need to find your way out,” he repeated.

He untied Shawna then, saying as he did, “If you try to hurt me, I’ll break both of your legs and make you crawl out.”

---