the weight behind her pinning her down. She felt cold hands grab her elbows and yank her arms backward. Pain exploded in her shoulders, sending waves down her arms and across her neck. Her spine popped as the creature pulled. Each breath became a battle. A moment later, she heard a sharp hiss and felt the scraping of razor-sharp fangs against her neck.
The hands suddenly released her. She flopped forward, but caught herself before her face smashed into the floor. Forcing air back into her lungs, she pushed herself onto her hands and knees. Somewhere behind her, she could hear banging, scraping, and hissing. Her fingers curled into fists as she pulled herself to her feet and turned toward the sound.
James was grappling with the vampire against the far wall. His right hand held a wooden cross in a death grip, and he kept trying to press it against the monster's chest. The vampire growled and snapped at him with jagged fangs, trying to shove the cross away without getting too close to it. James pressed his attack, always keeping the cross just beyond the reach of those cold fingers.
Seeing an opening, he thrust the cross into the undead face, and the vampire recoiled in fear. James took advantage of the brief respite and reached for something at his belt. Not feeling what he was looking for, he glanced down. The vampire seized its chance, throwing itself into him. He tumbled backward, and the cross flew from his grip. He fell to the floor with a heavy thud and screamed as the monster pinned his arms down. Pale lips drew back from the mouthful of jagged teeth. With a hiss of anger, the vampire's head descended on the scholar's neck.
Thunder filled the small room, causing dust to stream down from the rafters. The vampire reeled from the bullet's impact, and Cora fired again. The second round punched a smoking hole clean through the undead skull, and the monster collapsed.
Everyone stood in silence for a moment, waiting for the harsh ringing in their ears to fade. Blue smoke hung in the air. After a few seconds, Cora lowered her revolver.
"Anyone dead?" she asked.
"Just this fellow," James said, struggling beneath the corpse. Cora gave the body a solid kick with her boot, and it rolled aside.
"Seems we got a problem," she said, looking at the scholar. "I guess they ain't scared of them contraptions in the tunnels no more."
"A disturbing development, certainly," James replied, "but not one I fully understand."
"Don't take a genius to figure it out," Cora said.
"Yes, it's clear they've gotten past the barricades, but the question is, how?" James stepped over to his fallen cross and picked it up. "You saw it for yourself: the vampire was still weakened by this cross. They clearly haven't developed an immunity to holy items, so they must have discovered a way around the ones in the tunnels."
Cora was about to reply when Ben cut in. "Meaning that the rest of the nest could come galloping through that door any minute. Let's get a move on."
"Yeah, you're right," Cora said.
"Of course I am," James said, tucking the cross into his belt. "Now, let's get a move on." He motioned for the rest of the men to follow him, but they remained in place, staring at the fallen vampire. Rolling her eyes, Cora drew her saber. There was a wet crunch as the blade sliced through the monster's flesh. Holding the head aloft by a tuft of hair, she waved it at the group.
"See, boys? It's dead." She tossed the head onto the desk. "Can't hurt you no more."
The head rolled off the edge of the desk and thumped to the floor. They flinched as one, then began shuffling toward James. Cora grinned as she watched them go. With a little luck, a few of them might close the day out with a kill of their own.
She wiped her sword clean on her coat sleeve and sheathed it. She stepped over the headless corpse and went to retrieve her lantern. A curse fell from her lips when she found the shattered remains. The struggle with the vampire had snuffed out the small flame, leaving her without a light. In a flash of anger, she kicked the broken lantern against the wall, shattering what remained of the glass casing. She cursed again before following the group into the mine.
"Keep them crosses handy, boys," Cora called out as she stepped into the large processing room. "Never