at a rock until his arms fell off. She preferred wide open skies and endless trails, but she'd always loved being outdoors. Even as a girl, she'd spent more time playing in her father's fields or swimming in the river than learning needlework with her mother.
A shiver ran through her body. Even needlework would have been better than mining. At least you could do it next to a fire instead of in a chilly, cramped tunnel. She flexed her free hand, trying to fight the chill that was growing in her fingertips.
A chill she'd felt before.
A wave of dread washed over her, sending tingles down her spine. Her instincts told her to run, but she forced herself to think. Jules could still be down here somewhere. Maybe the monster hadn't found him yet. If she was quick, she might be able to get him out.
Another groan rolled through the tunnel, bringing with it an image of the old miner lying in the dark, torn apart and left to die. Even if she did find him, she wouldn't be able to save him. She had to assume the creature could see like a cougar in the dark, meaning her lantern would draw it in like a giant, bloodthirsty moth. The sooner she got topside, the better.
She drew the Colt from her belt and began backing out of the tunnel. The walls echoed with the metallic click of the revolver's hammer before another moan swallowed the sound. She felt a small twinge of guilt for leaving the miner to die, but better one death than two. The chill had already overtaken her elbows, and she could feel it starting in on her toes. It was spreading faster this time.
Her boots ground against the pebbles on the tunnel floor as she made her way back to the ladder. Keeping the barrel of her gun pointed into the darkness, she fought the growing urge to run. The lantern's flickering light played tricks on her eyes, and she nearly shot one of the tunnel supports when its shadow jumped out at her.
Then, without warning, the groaning fell silent. Cora halted her retreat. Panic squeezed at her lungs, and she tried to quiet her breathing to listen. Silence pressed in on her from all sides. Her breath curled around her face in short-lived white clouds.
Then, somewhere beyond the lantern's halo, a new sound crept into her ears. It was quieter than the groaning, but she knew it right away: the soft padding of skin on stone. A faint scraping of pebbles along the tunnel's floor. It was slow but constant, the quiet sound of a predator stalking its prey. Whatever it was, it was following her.
Cora forced herself to face the approaching menace as she resumed her exodus. With each step, she hoped to feel the ladder against her back, but the tunnel seemed endless. The shuffling stayed with her, lingering just out of sight. By now, the monster's chill had spread through her limbs and was starting to send cold fingers snaking across her chest. In this state, climbing the ladder would be slow and painful, but it was either that or charge headlong into the thing's waiting jaws.
After an eternity, she bumped into the ladder. Stealing a quick glance upward, she could still see the sunlight at the top of the shaft. The glare left a blind spot in her eyes. She let out a quiet curse as she tried to blink it away.
As if in response, a moan echoed up the tunnel. It sounded close, almost close enough to see. Keeping her revolver aimed at the sound, she waited. She thought she could see two points of light floating in the darkness. She squinted against the purple blotch in her vision, straining to see.
Then, at the very edge of the lantern's tiny halo of light, something emerged from the shadows. It was a human hand. Elongated fingers settled on the floor of the tunnel, their tips cold and black. Loose skin hung from the wrist like white curtains. As Cora watched, a second hand appeared, followed by a thin arm. Blackened veins wormed their way beneath the sickly flesh as the hand settled onto the tunnel's floor.
The first hand moved again, long fingers curling as the arm flowed into the dim light. It was long, too long to be human. The pale limb stretched from the edge of the light almost to her boots, yet she still couldn't see the creature it belonged