Page 61 of Seeking Evil

“I don’t think so.”

Sierra grabbed hold of her uninjured hand and assisted her to her feet.

Dawn looked around where they were. There were at least two tunnels shooting off from the main one they’d been in before the collapse. “What is this place?”

Sierra dusted off her clothes. “It looks like some type of old mine.” From her best guess, they were deep in the mountain behind Henry’s home. The temperature had dropped dramatically.

“Which way do we go?” Dawn pointed to the tunnels.

Sierra had no idea which was the path that would lead them out of the mine. “I guess we will try both.” She pointed to the right. “This way first.”

Sierra’s back hurt from the beating it had taken from the collapse, not to mention the hours they’d spent walking bent over down the tunnel and dealing with heavy rocks.

“Do you think he’ll check to make sure we’re dead?” Dawn voiced Sierra’s biggest fear.

“Probably. He can’t afford to let us get away. Everything will fall apart. We can identify Henry. His accomplice is no doubt someone close to him. His world will come crashing down around him if we get out of here alive.” All the more reason they couldn’t stand still for long.

“If this is some type of mine, then it must belong to Henry. He has to know every single tunnel in this place.”

Sierra guessed what Dawn meant. “You’re right. I’m hoping we can get out ahead of him.” It was a longshot. Unfortunately, it was all they had.

“I don’t feel so lightheaded now.” Dawn told her.

“Me either. Hopefully, the gas won’t reach us here.” But another threat, far more frightening, had her praying they’d reach freedom soon. This whole place could collapse if Henry chose to destroy all the evidence inside his house. She didn’t share that thought with Dawn.

After walking for more than an hour, the worst possible outcome had Sierra screaming her frustration. A dead end. She tried not to give into the desperation threatening.

She went over to what appeared to be a wall. This wasn’t a pile of rocks blocking the way. Someone had deliberately bricked it up.

“What do you think is on the other side?” Dawn seemed surprisingly less panicked than Sierra.

“I don’t know.” Sierra rubbed her hand across her face and felt the sting as the dirt from her hand embedded into the gashes on her face. “Maybe a part of the mine that was no longer fruitful.” Or maybe there were more bodies hidden there. She shuddered at the thought.

“Let’s go back to the fork and take the left shaft.”

Dawn must have seen something on her face because she stepped close and reached for Sierra’s hand. “You’ve been so strong for me. When I wanted to give up, you forced me to keep going. Let me be strong for you now.”

Tears blurred Dawn from sight. She nodded. “Thank you.”

“Come on. Let’s finish this. We’re going to get out of here and return to our families. And we’re going to tell the world what Henry and his partner, T, did to us and to those women. We’re not going to let their story die.”

Sierra almost wanted to jump up and down and pump her fist at the pep talk.

“You’re right. Let’s go.”

Dawn laughed. “How about you tell me about that man of yours?”

Sierra pictured Zeke’s worried face. She was certain he’d come here along with her team. They wouldn’t stop looking for her until she was found.

“He’s a great guy. A little older than me but smart, you know.”

Dawn nodded. “He sounds like an amazing man.”

Soon, the words just came tumbling out. “I love him, and I want to get married and have a family, but he wants to take it slow. It’s because of how he grew up. His father left the family when they had a crisis. He and I are very different, I guess. I dive in headfirst. He weighs all the options.” She shrugged.

“Sounds like a perfect match to me. Your differences complement each other. You will help him become more impulsive, and he’ll curb your reckless tendencies.”

Sierra hadn’t thought about their differences complementing each other before.

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