Chapter 14

The clouds were so thick in the sky that it seemed like night. The silent lightning was getting closer.

Maddy thought back to her dream. “Stay here,” Maddy commanded. “This isn’t your fight.”

“No, we already talked about this,” said Owen. “I go with you. This is my fight too. This Pike thing messes with you, he messes with me.”

“Ladies first,” Maddy said. She lay down and carefully scooted into the cave on her belly. She could feel the jagged rocks scratch the delicate skin on her stomach. When she stood up, she was in Pike’s Cave. She had never seen such blackness. There was absolutely no light.

She didn’t realize Owen had joined her until he flipped on his headlamp. “Wow,” he whispered. “This is amazing.” They were standing on the edge of a huge room made out of stone. It had a thirty-foot ceiling with spikes that looked like rock icicles. Water pooled on the floor. The dripping sound that had led them to the opening was actually the echo of water droplets falling off these rock icicles, or stalactites. She turned on her flashlight. Already she could feel Pike watching them.

There was only one way to go, and that was forward. They walked through the open space, into the unknown darkness. It smelled like dirt and something rotting. Soon the cave narrowed. Owen had to hunch. Maddy’s flashlight darted. She was looking for a clue—something that would lead them to her mom. Her focus was so complete, she didn’t notice her foot snag something. She crashed to the cold ground. Owen shined his light.

“It’s a duffel bag,” Owen said. He bent down to free her foot.

“Let me see.” Maddy took the bag and opened it. Inside was a jar of peanut butter and jelly and her mom’s police badge.

Maddy hadn’t felt this excited for days. They walked on. The cave opened a little, so Owen could stand up straight. He paused to stretch and take a look around. Small holes had apparently been drilled into the wall of the cave. He shined his light on more of the rock wall. There were chains attached to it. Maddy tugged on his shirt.

There, stuck to the wall, were two dead bodies. Their skin was thin, pulled tight over their bones. Their lips had rotted away so their white teeth stood out. One body was clearly a woman, the other a man. Neither had shoes.

“The missing couple,” Maddy said.

She reached out and grabbed the purse lying next to the dead woman. Then she took a deep breath. Trying hard not to tremble, she lifted the man’s overcoat away from his hollow, empty chest. With the very tips of her fingers, Maddy reached into the inside pocket of the coat. She pulled out his wallet. As she did, her hand brushed the dead man’s arm. It was enough force to make his hand fall off his body onto the cold ground next to Maddy’s foot. She screamed. Stepped back. She was really more startled than scared of the dead bodies. After all, a dead person can’t hurt you.

After the initial shock, she said, “My mom will be happy to see these.”

Maddy stuffed the man’s wallet into the dead woman’s purse. She wrapped the purse across her body.

“Let’s just take a moment to honor the dead,” said Maddy.

They stood in this evil place saying their own version of a prayer.

Maddy could feel something soft moving over her feet. It was so light she almost didn’t feel it. She shook her foot. Then it was back. She shook her foot again, but this time it wrapped around her ankle and wound up her calf. She shined the light on her leg. A snake. No, snakes—plural. Maddy kicked her legs and whipped her arms. She bent down and yanked the snakes from her thigh. Involuntarily, she started to run. The slimy creatures wriggled beneath her feet, but she didn’t stop. Owen tried to keep up, but in the dark it was difficult. For a long time he just followed the beam of light coming from her flashlight, but soon that disappeared.

He slowed to a walk. He listened in the cave for her voice, her cough, even for her breath, but he heard nothing. Only silence. The narrow cave split into two different passageways. Owen had to make a decision. The left passage was pitch-black. He looked down the right passage and couldn’t believe his eyes. There was a dim light at the end of it.

After what Maddy had just gone through, he was certain she had taken the passage to the right, the one with the light at the end. He turned and began his journey toward the orange glow.