to. She kept her revolver pointed into the darkness, at where this thing's body must be. As much as she wanted to shoot the hands as they approached, precaution demanded that she wait until she had a clear shot. Besides, she wanted to know what she was shooting at.
A round shape edged its way into the lantern's light, and Cora swallowed back a cry. It was the face of a frozen corpse. Ashen skin hung from the cheeks like old leather. Wisps of a gray beard still clung to its jowls, framing a row of pointed teeth that glinted at her from black lips. Between the yellow eyes was a pit, lined by cracked skin, where a nose had once been.
Only the eyes were alive, burning from within their dark pits. They regarded her with murderous intensity, and the teeth clacked together in anticipation.
Cora had seen enough.
A bright flash erupted from the barrel of her Colt. The gunshot filled the tunnel with thunder as the silver bullet found its mark between the creature's eyes. Cora pulled back the hammer and fired a second shot into the cloud of smoke, then holstered her revolver and turned toward the ladder. Her cold limbs sent spikes of pain shooting through her body, but she forced them into action. The lantern dangled from her left hand as her boots slammed into the wooden rungs. With each step, she expected to feel the grip of those long black fingers closing around her ankles. The gunsmoke burned her lungs, and she began gasping for breath.
She reached the top and pulled herself out of the mineshaft. The sunlight was still streaming through the cabin's tiny windows. She rose to her feet, pulled her gun, and aimed at the smoke-filled opening. Thinking better of it, she set the lantern on the floor and pulled her saber free of its scabbard as well. Then she waited.
The hands were the first to emerge from the smoke, grasping at the cabin's floor with black fingers. Long white arms followed. When the creature's body lurched into view, a shaft of sunlight caught its ribs, outlining them in hideous detail.
Yellow eyes turned toward her. Cora fired, the bullet punching a smoking hole in the creature's cheek. It wailed in anger, mouth yawning open far wider than seemed possible. Cora unloaded her remaining three shots. Her bullets struck it in the neck and chest, sizzling through icy flesh. It cried out at each impact, but the silver rounds didn't seem to slow it down.
By now, she could see the entire creature. Its head and torso were man-sized, but the limbs were long and grotesque. The cabin's low ceiling forced it to crouch like a giant, four-legged spider. Its wounds seeped a thick black fluid that pooled in the ragged beard and ran between its ribs like tar. It was injured but far from dead, and her revolver was empty.
With a sinking feeling, she realized that she'd let it get between her and the cabin's door. No way out but through the creature now staring at her with demon eyes. She returned its gaze in the dim light, listening to the clacking of its teeth as she gripped her saber. Then a flash of recognition washed over her, and the air left her lungs in a rush.
The monster had the face of Jules Bartlett.
A pale arm shot toward her, black fingers outstretched. Cora slashed with her saber, carving a deep gash across the creature's palm. The force of her blow knocked the hand away, and it smashed into the cabin's wall. Picks and shovels rattled on their hooks. Her saber flashed in a beam of sunlight as she brought it down on the creature's forearm. The blade bit through the thin flesh but stopped cold at the bone, the jolt sending a spike of pain through her arm. The sword fell to the floor with a clatter.
Cora jumped backward as the black fingers came for her again. Her boots landed on a fallen mining pick. She stumbled for a moment, lost her balance, and fell heavily on her back. Knowing those fingers were closing in, she flailed her arms in a panic. Her hand found what felt like a metal handle. Thinking it was her saber, she swung it with all her might at the ghastly face as the monster bore down on her.
To Cora's surprise, the monster recoiled as the lantern shattered against its face, spilling flame onto the cold skin. Taking advantage of