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Sure enough, she did. It took about ten minutes, but sheeventually came to the place where Derik had been hit. The small chamber justup ahead on the right served as a marker of sorts. She shone her light into it andsaw the same setup as before. A few candles and small indications that the roomhad recently been in use.
She then redirected herself. She had to fight to trusther instincts, but she eventually found the route Samson had taken when he’dmade a run for it. After a few more minutes, she found herself in the tunnelwhere she’d had to make that terrible decision: continue chasing Samson, orhead back to make sure Derik was okay.
As she walked, she encountered several forks in thetunnel, and it took all her concentration to remember which way she had comefrom so that she didn’t loop back around. She couldn’t afford to get lost downhere, not with the stakes so high.
The walls seemed to shrink, growing in tighter andtighter around her. Each time she came to a new bend or branch, she shone herflashlight around the area, trying to see if there was any movement in thedarkness. But there was nothing. No sound, no movement, nothing to indicatethat Samson was anywhere nearby.
She had no idea how long she’d been down there. Maybeforty minutes at most. It was long enough for her to consider the fact thatmaybe she was wrong. Maybe these mines weren’t as important to Samson as she’doriginally thought.
The mines were quiet, but as she kept going, she couldhear the sound of water dripping from the ceiling. She shone her flashlightaround the area, and that was when she heard it—a soft, almost inaudible chantingcoming from the room ahead.
A single male voice, speaking into the darkness.
And then she saw a flickering light source ahead, dancingweakly in the shadows.
Morgan’s heart began to race as she approached the sourceof the chanting. She knew she was getting close to Samson, and the thought offinally capturing him made her feel alive. She moved quietly, trying to make aslittle noise as possible. She didn’t want to alert Samson to her presence justyet.
As she approached the source of the light, she saw thatit was coming from a small room. The chanting was getting louder, and she couldnow make out some of the words. It was a prayer of some sort, but she couldn’tquite make out what it was for.
Morgan’s hand went to her gun, but she hesitated. Sheknew that if she were to make a move now, it could be disastrous. Samson wasdangerous, and she didn’t want to risk anything.
She took a deep breath and slowly made her way to theentrance of the room. She peeked inside and saw a small altar made of rocks andbones. Candles flickered around it, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Shestepped into the chamber, her hand hovering over her Glock.
“Samson,” she said. She didn’t have to ask. She alreadyknew. He was here somewhere.
Just not in this room. He was close, though. She couldhear him chanting. Of course, she could only imagine the sort of tricks thesemines and tunnels would play on sound. He could still be a good distance away,but if the acoustics of these tunnels were at all misleading, it could sound asif he were right on top of her.
Frustrated and just a little spooked, Morgan continuedinto the room. She saw a thin, yet tall opening along the back of the chamber,right where two walls intersected. And as she walked over to it, she saw anothersmall light source coming from within.
Morgan approached the opening cautiously, shining herflashlight inside. It was a tight squeeze, but she knew she had to see what wasinside. She squeezed through the opening and found herself in a small chamber.The chanting was louder now, and she knew she was getting closer.
She followed the sound of the chanting and came toanother opening. She was looking into another chamber right away, yet another openingto her right. And the moment she saw this, the chanting came to a stop.
The mines went eerily quiet. Morgan focused on thatsilence, listening for any signs of movement. She still heard that drippingnoise further back and, layered with it, a very soft sound. Like the footsteps ofsomeone trying to sneak around.
Fear seized her as she finally drew her Glock. The suddensilence told her that Samson knew she was here…that he was on to her and usinghis knowledge of this tunnel system to get the drop on her. She didn’t want tobe stuck in a tunnel if he did manage to get the best of her, so she made herway into the next little room instead.
Another tiny altar sat at the back, a single candleflickering just like the chamber before. She realized that there were threedifferent openings all around here…three different ways for Samson to get toher. She leveled the flashlight, scanning the room with her left hand while sheheld the Glock in her right.
She stood in the dark, heart hammering madly in her chest,waiting.
Suddenly, she heard a faint rustling from one of theopenings. She quickly turned toward the sound, pointing her gun at the opening.But she saw nothing. The rustling had stopped.
Morgan took a few deep breaths, trying to calm hernerves. She knew she had to be careful. Samson was dangerous, and she couldn’tafford to make a mistake.
Just then, she heard footsteps coming from behind her.She quickly spun, ready to point her gun at the sound. But it was too late.Samson had already grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arm around her neck.His grip was instantly like a vise. She was quite sure both arms were wrappedaround her neck as he pulled her back. They struck one of the walls, anintended action by Samson, as he tightened his grip around her neck. She triedto fight against him, but it only served to cut off her air supply.
Morgan struggled, trying to break free, but Samson wastoo strong. She felt his hot breath on her neck, and she knew he was enjoyingthis.
“You wasted ten years of your life in prison because ofthings I did,” he whispered in her ear. “And this is how it ends. You shouldhave just stayed in prison.”
Morgan gritted her teeth, trying to hold on toconsciousness as Samson tightened his grip. She knew she was in trouble. Yes, shehad a Glock, but firing it blindly out into the darkness in such a tight space,with rock walls to all sides, could prove very dangerous.
“It’s not over for you yet, though,” he said. His voicewas starting to sound far away. And even though the little chamber was dark allaround her, she could sense everything fading…her thoughts, her hearing,everything.
To hell with it,she thought.
She started to raise the Glock, trying to angle it sothat it would turn at a backward slant. But as she raised it, the strength wentout of her arm as her lungs begged for air. And then, just as she thought herchest might collapse from the lack of air, Samson released her.
