Chapter 2 - The Stranger in the Dark
I quickly shoved the blinking tracker deep into the muddy soil to muffle its bright red signal.
I grabbed Sophie's hand firmly and pulled her behind a massive pile of rotting wooden support beams.
The yellow beam of light grew brighter, casting long, monstrous shadows against the jagged stone walls.
I held my breath completely, praying the heavy darkness would be enough to hide us.
Heavy tactical boots crunched loudly on the gravel, stopping exactly where we had landed moments ago.
A massive man stepped into the dim light filtering down from the ventilation shaft above.
He wasn't wearing a police uniform or a bright orange mountain rescue suit.
He wore a heavy tactical vest and held a customized, suppressed hunting rifle.
"I know you survived the fall, Melissa," the man's deep, gravelly voice echoed through the cavern.
A cold, terrifying sweat broke out on the back of my neck.
I had never heard that sinister voice in my entire life.
"Your father sold you to me to clear a very large, very dangerous debt," the stranger continued smoothly.
He kicked the dirt near the buried tracker, unearthing the blinking red light with the toe of his boot.
"He promised my boss two bodies, but it looks like I get to do the honors myself."
He raised his heavy flashlight, sweeping the piercing beam slowly across the tunnel walls.
I squeezed Sophie's hand tightly, desperately searching the ground for any kind of weapon.
My numb fingers closed around a rusted, incredibly heavy iron railroad spike.
The harsh beam of light hit the edge of the wooden beams hiding us.
"Found you," he chuckled darkly, stepping closer.
May you like
He stepped forward with a cruel smile, raising his heavy rifle to aim.
Before he could pull the trigger, the ground beneath his heavy boots completely collapsed with a deafening roar.
