The ancient mine elevator descended with constant creaks and metallic groans while cold drafts rose through the shaft.
As the last traces of light from above disappeared, darkness completely swallowed the cage, and everyone instinctively switched on their headlamps before moving closer together for reassurance.
Lucifer remained apart from the nervous group with Ed Oswald beside him.
He still didn’t know exactly how deeply the old mine caretaker was involved with the Crawlers, but he remembered enough from the events surrounding the cave to know Ed was far from innocent.
Whether he was truly controlling anything below or merely serving as their gatekeeper remained uncertain.
Ed’s face had become increasingly pale during the descent.
His eyes darted through the darkness as he muttered repeatedly, “We’re dead.
We’re all going to die.”
Lucifer lowered his headlamp until the beam illuminated the old man’s face.
“You probably are.
Have you wondered which part of you they’ll eat first?”
Ed’s entire body stiffened.
“Who are you?” he demanded, his voice trembling.
“How do you know anything about this place?”
“Who I am doesn’t matter.”
Lucifer studied him carefully.
There was one question he genuinely wanted answered before they encountered the creatures.
“What exactly are the things living down there?”
He knew the Crawlers looked like horribly adapted humans, but appearances weren’t enough in this world.
If they were merely mutated or evolved creatures, Holy Light might not affect them any differently than ordinary living beings.
If some darker supernatural force was involved, however, Lucifer’s abilities would give him an enormous advantage.
Ed suddenly laughed.
“You don’t know.”
The fear on his face shifted into something almost fanatical.
“You really don’t know!
The gods below won’t forgive you!”
Lucifer smiled.
“That’s enough.”
Ed’s laughter stopped.
He stared at Lucifer in confusion, clearly wondering what he had accidentally revealed.
Lucifer didn’t explain.
Whether Ed’s words were literal or simply the ravings of a terrified fanatic, they were enough to make him suspect the creatures weren’t completely ordinary.
“You blasphemer!” Ed shouted.
“You’ll burn in hell!”
The elevator finally struck the bottom with a heavy jolt.
Lucifer stepped out first and glanced back at him.
“Hell?”
A faint smile crossed his face.
“Feels like we’re already there.”
The others exchanged uneasy looks as they followed into the abandoned mine.
Lucifer ignored them and walked toward Cath before handing her the DV camera Bruce had provided.
“Keep this running whenever possible.
You don’t need to do anything else unless Dan needs you.”
Cath accepted the camera with obvious surprise and looked toward Dan.
Dan’s expression immediately hardened.
“Hold on.
Before we came down here, I made it clear that underground operations are my responsibility.”
Lucifer looked at him calmly.
“You control the cave work.
I’m in charge of the rescue.”
“That’s not how this works.”
Before their argument could continue, Sheriff Vaines stepped forward.
With Bruce no longer present, he seemed far more willing to challenge Lucifer.
“I agree with Dan.
He’s the cave expert.
We should follow his lead down here.”
Lucifer looked at the sheriff for a moment.
Then a Glock 21 appeared in his hand.
Before anyone could react, Lucifer pressed the muzzle against the side of Vaines’s head.
The entire group froze.
Lucifer’s voice remained completely calm.
“Senator Kaplan put me in command.
Anyone still confused about that?”
Nobody answered.
Vaines’s face flushed with anger.
“You son of a bitch.
You made me leave my gun up there, but you brought one yourself?”
“Weapons belong in the hands of people who won’t panic and bring the whole cave down.”
Lucifer lowered the Glock but kept it visible.
“From this point forward, nobody runs off, nobody starts screaming without a reason, and nobody ignores instructions when something goes wrong.
We’re here to bring people back alive, not create more bodies.”
Cath held the DV camera awkwardly while staring at him.
After a moment, she pointed toward Ed, who had started shouting again behind them.
“What about him?”
Lucifer turned.
“Easy.”
He walked back to Ed and drove a hard punch into the old man’s stomach.
“Ugh!”
Ed folded over immediately, clutching his abdomen as he dropped to his knees and struggled for air.
Lucifer shook out his hand and looked toward Vaines.
“Handcuffs.”
The sheriff hesitated before removing them from his belt.
“You don’t need to do this,” Vaines said.
“He’s an old man.”
Lucifer took the cuffs.
“That assumes he’s an innocent old man.”
Nobody understood what he meant, but after what had just happened, no one was eager to argue.
Lucifer dragged Ed toward one of the old support columns and secured one wrist around it with the handcuffs.
Once the old man was trapped, Lucifer crouched in front of him and lightly patted his cheek.
“When we’re gone, feel free to yell as loudly as you want.”
Ed stared at him with hatred.
Lucifer smiled.
“Maybe one of your friends will come find you.
If they don’t, you’ll have plenty of time to think about your choices.”
He stood and walked away without another glance.
The rest of the group remained silent for several seconds before reluctantly following.
Lucifer had no intention of killing Ed himself when leaving him behind could reveal much more about his relationship with the creatures.
They continued deeper through the mine, guided only by the narrow beams of their headlamps.
Before long, they reached a cramped opening leading downward into another section of tunnel.
Rios stared at the gap.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Vaines looked at the narrow passage and sucked in his stomach.
“Just squeeze through.
It’ll be fine.”
He forced himself through first.
Rios rolled her eyes before following him, and the others descended one at a time.
Once they reached the lower level, Dan immediately stopped beside one of the wooden support beams and examined it carefully.
The timber was badly aged, and several cracks ran through the surrounding rock.
“From here on, keep your voices down and watch where you step,” he warned.
“These supports are old.
A strong enough vibration could cause a collapse.”
His gaze deliberately shifted toward Lucifer.
“And if somebody fires a gun down here, we could all end up buried.”
Lucifer glanced toward Sheriff Vaines.
“Don’t worry.
The person most likely to do that isn’t carrying one anymore.”
Vaines scowled but remained silent.
Lucifer turned his attention toward Sarah.
She had been unusually quiet since they entered the mine and now seemed increasingly disturbed by the surroundings.
“Sarah.
Anything look familiar?”
Sarah stared into the darkness ahead.
Her expression tightened as though some buried memory was trying to surface, but after several seconds she shook her head.
“No.”
Lucifer frowned slightly.
Maybe she won’t fully remember until she sees one of the Crawlers.
The group continued through the tunnel until they reached a section blocked by old wooden planks.
Large faded letters had been painted across them.
DANGER — DO NOT ENTER
There was no alternate route, so Dan, Greg, and the others carefully pulled the boards away until the opening was wide enough to pass through.
Beyond it lay an enormous natural cavern.
Their headlamps swept across towering stalactites and strange rock formations that disappeared into the darkness above.
Greg and Cath instinctively slowed down, their professional curiosity briefly overcoming their nervousness as they took in the untouched underground landscape.
Then Sarah screamed.
“Ah!”
The sound echoed through the cavern.
Everyone immediately tensed.
Lucifer spun toward her.
“What did you see?”
Sarah couldn’t answer.
She backed into Rios and clung to her, staring fearfully into the darkness while refusing to look toward whatever had frightened her.
Rios wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Sarah, you’re okay.
We’re right here.”
Lucifer slowly scanned the cavern.
He had been paying close attention since they entered and hadn’t seen anything move.
That didn’t mean they were alone.
The Crawlers had spent generations living underground.
This was their territory.
Lucifer raised his voice just enough for everyone nearby to hear.
“From this point forward, assume we’re being watched.”
Dan frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
Lucifer looked toward the darkness beyond their lights.
“There are monsters in these caves.”
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Fear appeared on some faces while disbelief appeared on others.
Lucifer kept his eyes on the darkness.
He knew they wouldn’t have to wait long for proof.