Gabriel scrutinized the spring for any darkening of the already reddish water, half-expecting a rush of crimson from the intake that would dissipate—
The crown of a head broke the surface and there was a loud gasp.
Gabriel nearly squeezed off a shot, would have had his hands not been shaking so badly.
Cavenaugh paddled toward them, but as soon as his back crested the water, he thought better of it. The barrel of the rifle pointed over his right shoulder as the broken wing of an angel might. The strap crossed his chest. Steam twirled from his head in the cold air like a recently extinguished candle.
“I was right,” he said, still panting for breath. “There’s a tunnel down there. Leads right out from the bottom. Barely wider than my shoulders, but it goes…all the way into the cavern. Without light, I can’t…can’t tell how big it is, but I’d guess it’s pretty large by the acoustics.”
“Was there anyone inside?” Kelsey asked.
“Like I said. I couldn’t see a thing, but I could smell…” Cavenaugh paused and dunked his head again to replenish his warmth while he formulated his words. “There was definitely something dead in there. Once you’ve worked a homicide, you don’t forget the smell.”
“So what now?” Gabriel asked.
“We do some spelunking.” Now that Cavenaugh had regained his breath, his smile returned. “I don’t know what kind of geothermal vents heat that cavern, but it’s like a sauna in there. The backpacks are waterproof, so we can carry all our clothes through the tunnel and change once we’re in there. I already dumped mine.”
He produced the empty backpack and tossed it at Kelsey’s feet.
“You’re crazy if you think I’m going in there,” Kelsey said.
“Fine. Stay here. I’m going back in regardless. How about you two?”
Gabriel opened his mouth under Cavenaugh’s intense gaze, but no words came out. The prospect scared the hell out of him. He heard a zipper behind him and turned to see Jess shrug out of her coat.
“I’ll go,” she whispered.
“Gabriel?” Cavenaugh asked.
Gabriel stared down at the rifle for a long moment before passing it to Kelsey. He reached for the zipper on his coat with trembling hands.
“You can’t leave me out here alone,” Kelsey said.
“It’s your choice, doctor,” Cavenaugh said. His grin now had teeth.
“What if they come back? How could I possibly—?”
“If I’m right, they’re already inside. You’ll have nothing to fear unless they get past the rest of us.”
“You think they’re in there, waiting for you, and you still want to go in after them? After they’ve already proven their willingness to kill?”
Cavenaugh’s face remained stoic.
“You’ve lost it.”
“The floor of the tunnel is littered with bones, Kelsey, and the current runs directly toward the end of the spring over there where all the rest are piled. Are you following my logic? If you want to figure out what happened to Levi…the only way to do so is by going in there.”
“Where there are people waiting to butcher us.”
“The rifles are waterproof as well.”
“I don’t share your death wish. I have a wife, and a respectable practice—”
“Suit yourself,” Cavenaugh said.
Gabriel stood in his underwear and tee shirt, the rest of his clothing stuffed in the backpack beside his socked feet. He shivered and his teeth chattered. What in the name of God was he thinking?
“Make sure to pack both flare guns,” Cavenaugh said. “We’re going to need them.”
Gabriel wedged the bulky gun and spare cartridges into the bag and zipped it closed again. The frigid wind felt as though it blew right through him. The time had come to decide. Either he unpacked his clothes and got dressed again before he froze to death, or he forced his legs to propel him forward into the water. Jess emerged from his peripheral vision in only her bra and panties, a mismatched set of pink and white, and slid down the rocks into the water, dragging her backpack by the strap. She waded out a couple steps and dropped into the deep water with a startled cry. A heartbeat later, she returned to the surface, coughing and spitting out the vile liquid.
One step at a time, Gabriel eased closer to the spring. He felt a sense of detachment, as though he had somehow separated from his body and were merely watching himself inching toward the spring from afar. At the edge of the bank, he lowered himself to his rear end and slid down into the water. He scooted forward to the edge of the rocks and plunged into the depths. About eight feet down, his feet met the bottom, which he used as leverage to launch himself back up into the cold air.
“The opening to the tunnel is pretty much right under us,” Cavenaugh said. “It’s roughly fifteen feet long and the current will be pushing you right in the face. You’re going to need to take the biggest breath you can hold and use your arms to pull you through.”
“What about the backpacks?” Jess asked.
“Loop the straps around your ankle.”
“What if it gets stuck?” Gabriel asked.
“Then ditch it and we’ll go back for it.”
“What if—?”
“It’s now or never,” Cavenaugh said. “Follow me if you want, or stay if you don’t. At this point, I don’t care. Either way, I’m going now.”
He took a deep breath and was about to dive under when Kelsey spoke.
“Wait.”
***
Gabriel waited a moment after Jess dove, drew as much air as his lungs could hold, and dove under the water. The salt content stung his eyes so badly he could barely keep them open, but he managed to see Jess’s feet before they disappeared into the rocky mouth of the tunnel. The red bacterial sludge grew over everything, covering the uneven rocks and the scattered, strangely shaped objects he assumed were bones. He couldn’t help but wonder about the consequences of exposing his bare eyeballs and the sensitive membranes to the foreign microorganisms.
Gripping the stones at the edge of the opening, he pulled himself ahead into utter darkness. His shoulders scraped against the walls, ripping his shirt. The skin on his fingertips threatened to peel away and he was certain he was going to lose a nail, but the pain was nothing compared to the pressure in his lungs. He already needed to take a breath. It felt like his chest was full of smoldering coals. The irrational panic cut through what little semblance of control remained, and he began to thrash. Tearing open the skin on his elbows and knees, on his scalp and toes. Colored amoebae floated across his vision and the entire tunnel rotated around him. He clawed forward, faster and faster, not caring if he flayed every inch of flesh from his bones, until his head slammed into something hard.
Gabriel opened his mouth to scream. Something struck his back between his shoulder blades and jerked him upward. He sputtered with the influx of air, retched, then rolled away from the opening and vomited onto the stone floor.
“Shh!” Cavenaugh hissed into his ear.
Gabriel continued to gasp until he calmed down and rationalized the situation. The darkness in the cavern was lighter than the underwater tunnel by degree, but only enough to limn the silhouettes of the others. His harsh breath echoed hollowly in the large, unseen room.
“Hurry back,” Cavenaugh whispered.
With a soft splash, Jess crawled down into the water and headed back for Kelsey. She was obviously a better swimmer and had handled the journey far better than he had.
Gabriel sat up and tried to get a feel for his surroundings. The blackness was claustrophobic, and even though he couldn’t see the stone walls, he felt confident they were about to collapse and bury him alive.
There was a rustling noise, then a metallic snapping sound.
“This won’t last long,” Cavenaugh whispered. “Memorize everything you see.”
Gabriel wasn’t sure what Cavenaugh meant until with a whoosh and a scream, a fireball streaked off into the
