same way: trap them in a small space, line them up, and cut them down."
James just shook his head, speechless.
"All right, Ben," she called. "Bring them boys on through."
James looked back and waved at them, then turned back toward Cora and began picking his way around the lifeless arms and legs littering the tunnel floor. Cora fell in behind him, her boots cracking ribs with a sound like a popping fire. She could hear the shuffling of the men's feet as they followed them deeper into the tunnel.
After a few minutes, the party reached the ruined cross. James and Cora crouched down and inspected the damage.
"Not the work of a vampire," James concluded after a few moments.
"No, sir," Cora said. "No way they could get up close enough."
"It looks as though our intruder had a similar revulsion for holy objects," James said. "The damage is quite extensive." He stood up and looked around. "Come to think of it, he seems to have made some of them vanish. I distinctly remember erecting three crosses here."
Cora looked at the dirt covering the floor. "Didn't drag them out, neither."
"This would explain how the vampires escaped, at least," James said. "That's a comfort."
"Ain't much of one," Cora said, "but I reckon it'll have to do."
She waved James forward, and he took up his position at the head of the line. They continued down the tunnel, silent except for the shuffling of their boots. The light from their lanterns kept the shadows at bay, and James continued his habit of lighting the tunnel lamps as they moved forward.
Soon, the tunnel walls gave way to a cavern. Cora called for a halt. The men formed a cluster behind her, their lanterns throwing long, human-shaped shadows in every direction. The echoes of their footsteps died away. In the following silence, Cora strained her ears, listening for the slightest sound from beyond the ring of light, but nothing came. After a few minutes, Ben stepped up beside her.
"Anything wrong?" he whispered.
She shook her head. "No, and that's the problem."
"What is?" James whispered.
"Ain't nothing here," Cora said. "If them vampires is really in here, they're being more quiet than they ought to."
"Perhaps they're frightened of us," James said.
"Right," Cora said, throwing him a look. "Nobody's waving their crosses or garlic in the air, so they don't know to be scared of us. Dumb as we look, any vampire would take us for a proper feast. You said there was at least a dozen of them suckers in here, right?" James nodded. "Well, we ain't killed that many yet, so the rest of the nest should be fixing to drink us dry to replace the losses."
The men overheard her, and shuffling began echoing through the cavern. Cora waved her hand, and they quieted down. She listened for a few more moments, then sighed.
"Hey!" she yelled, startling the group. "You suckers in here?" Her voice bounced off the invisible stone walls. "Come on out! We're plumb dripping with hot, juicy blood!"
"What on earth are you doing?" James whispered.
"Proving a point," Cora said. "Now hush."
They stood in silence for a minute, their ears ringing from Cora's shout. Finally, the hunter nodded in satisfaction.
"Yep, this place is as empty as Jack Evans's head."
James stared at her in stunned silence, but Ben laughed. "You've proved your point."
"Damn right I have," Cora said. "Now let's get out of here."
"I beg your pardon?" James asked.
"We're leaving, George. Ain't nothing else to be done here."
"Surely you aren't serious," James said. "We haven't eliminated the remaining vampires."
"They ain't here," Cora said, "and frankly, that makes me a good sight more worried than if they was."
James blinked at her. "Whatever for?" He smiled then, showing his teeth. "We've reclaimed the mine! Our job here is done."
"No, it ain't." Cora turned and started walking through the group. "It just got all kinds of messy. Instead of a nest of vampires trapped nice and pretty in a mine, we've got a nest of vampires free to roam about as they please. And, if you're right about how vampires work, we've still got a big bad to burn out somewhere."
James scrambled after her, and the rest of the men followed. Ben brought up the rear, keeping his crucifix pointed behind them as they entered the tunnel.
"You're a real boost to the morale, you know," James said when he caught up to her. "I'm beginning to understand why you work alone."
"Ben don't seem to mind," Cora said. "I reckon the rest of you