The descent continued, and Hunter glimpsed evidence of recent use: Candy wrappers, a Coke can, a shovel with the handle broken in half, and more evidence of small, wheeled vehicles going up and down the shaft. Once, on the shaft wall, she saw a fist-sized band of white quartz veined with rusty material. Maybe cinnabar, maybe iron, she thought.

The shaft walls and floor changed. She realized it was the original mine shaft now, older and worn, with a different smell. A glimmer of light ahead on the floor made her slow until she reached it and realized it was a pool of water, crystal clear and appearing to be only three or four inches deep. To go further, Hunter realized she had to wade through it, so she put her right foot down in the water and immediately fell forward when her foot didn’t touch the bottom.

Flailing and splashing, she stumbled forward and felt her feet hit bottom. The water reached her armpits and felt cold. Crawling out on the far side as her teeth chattered, she felt almost frozen in wet clothes out of the water. Hunter thought about the sat phone and quickly removed it from her soaked backpack. The sat phone dripped a small stream of water from the bottom. She shook it and heard water slosh inside. Maybe it will dry out, she thought. As Hunter continued down the shaft, she hoped no one could hear her squishing and dripping as she walked.

Half an hour more and her heart quickened when she saw the faintest pinpoint of moving light far down the shaft, as if a reflection from an adjoining room with the brightness filtering under a door. She didn’t want to, but Hunter flicked off her light and stared into the darkness toward where the light was.

Nothing. It was so dark. She waited five minutes, forcing herself not to panic, and then started to turn on the flashlight.

A dead cold hand closed on her wrist.

Hunter’s heart froze.

“Don’t turn it on,” a woman’s voice whispered.

Hunter felt able to breathe again despite her thudding heartbeat, and whispered, “Who are you?”

“Maria Garza, Can you help me get out of here?”

Hunter said, “We can walk up the shaft and climb down the mountain, get out that way.”

“If you came down that way, you’re lucky they didn’t catch you. They check the entire shaft all the time.”

“I never saw anything but footprints, and wheel tracks of something going up and down the shaft, and a pool of water to cross.”

“Maria said, “The ramps to cross it are against the wall.”

“I didn’t see them.”

“Easy to miss.”

Hunter turned on her light, keeping it half-hidden in her hand but leaving enough brightness so she could see this woman.

Maria was dirty, thin, with scraps of a blouse and filthy jeans covering her body. She also wore a dusty blanket around her shoulders. But her eyes were alert. Hunter said, “How long have you been down here?”

“I don’t know. They kidnapped us in Presidio and brought us to a big ranch. We were there a couple of days before my fiancé escaped and tried to get me out, but we were separated. I found the mine opening in the back of one of the buildings at the ranch house and ran into it. I’ve been here ever since, but don’t know how long, I haven’t seen the sun and I don’t have a watch.”

Hunter said, “Come with me, let’s get out of here.” She took Maria’s hand and squeezed it for a moment to reassure her, then they walked side by side.

Maria stopped, “There’s a patrol coming very soon, coming back down this way.”

“I told you, I didn’t see anyone on my way down.”

Maria said, “They went up earlier. I don’t know how long ago, but they went up and haven’t come back down. There were three of them.” She waited a moment, then said, “If they went down the second shaft, it takes a little longer to check it, too. But they’re coming, I guarantee it.”

Hunter thought of Raymond in the second shaft. “I have a partner in that shaft.”

“I hope he finds a place to hide.”

“I need to go help him.”

Maria bit at her lip, and Hunter knew the woman wanted out of this place so bad…

They heard a faint splash and a muttered, “Dammit!”

Hunter grinned in the darkness and whispered toward the pool, “Raymond, we’re here.”

Maria said, “Your partner?”

Tags: Billy Kring Thriller
Source: readsnovelonline.net