She directed a thick lance of kinetic energy at the zombie, carefully moving it closer to the window. It stirred, tearing at her kinetic hold. Hot lances of fire burned into her brain, and she bit her lip, blinking back tears as she eased the creature back to the floor.
Ethan had the trap door open and was squatting near the edge, peering down into the darkness. "It smells damp. Musty."
She nodded. At least the air coming up from the darkness was free from the scent of death — for the moment, anyway. "I'll go down first, check that it's okay."
He glanced at her. "What if we're attacked?"
She slipped off the pack and opened it, grabbing the stakes and zombie deterrents. "Use these," she said, offering him a set.
He just looked at them. "Thanks, but I'll stick to my gun."
"A gun won't work against the dead."
"I'm sure they'll stop if you shoot their damn brains out."
"Zombies have no use for brains, so splattering them won't make a difference." But she put one set of weapons away, knowing he wasn't going to believe her until he actually shot a zombie and discovered for himself what little effect a bullet had.
She handed him the pack then peered into the hole. It was as dark as hell down there, but the breeze was coming from the right. She looked up at Ethan. "Just how good is your night sight?"
"Wolf keen." He frowned. "I was under the impression your sight was pretty damn good as well."
"It normally is, but I can't see squat down there."
"Then I'd better lead once we're down."
She nodded and climbed in, dropping lightly to the stony ground. For several seconds she did nothing more than listen. Everything was still — silent. Almost oppressively so.
She met Ethan's gaze. "It's okay."
He jumped down then caught her hand, his fingers warm against hers. "Nothing?"
She shook her head. "Nothing dead, at any rate."
"Good."
He tugged her forward. The chill in the air increased, and the ground seemed to be sloping downward, though the darkness was so deep it was hard to be sure. The tunnel was narrow, tight, and her breath caught as she imagined the weight of the walls and the roof bearing down on her. She only had to straighten her fingers and she could brush the cold stone. Sweat trickled down her forehead, and she bit her lip. Damn it, why couldn't she see? It was odd, to say the least. Especially when Ethan obviously could. She would have thought a raven's sight to be nearly as good as a wolf's, but obviously, it wasn't. Or maybe it was just the fact they were under the ground rather than above it.
Ahead, moisture dripped, lending the darkness a steady heartbeat. The dank smell increased, until it almost felt like they were breathing in liquid.
"I'd say there's a river overhead." Though his voice was soft, it seemed to boom through the tunnel, echoing loudly.
"I can't hear water running."
"Probably wouldn't, with the amount of rock above us."
Right now, she didn't need to be reminded about the weight above them. She swiped at a trickle of sweat and peered past his shoulder. Something glowed up ahead. "Is that light?"
"Torchlight, by the way it's flickering." He squeezed her hand. "It opens up a little up ahead."
"Good." She didn't bother masking her relief. "Can you smell anything?"
"Humans. Two of them."
Though his voice was flat, she could feel his excitement. "It might not be her, you know."
"I know."
But his pace increased regardless. The flickering glow grew until it shone warmly across the damp rocks and finally lifted the darkness. Ahead, the tunnel opened up into what looked like a wide cavern. Relief crawled through her.