Not A Small-Town Girl

David’s death was now non-negotiable. Only with his demise could Polly have everything she craved.

A vicious glint flickered in her eyes as she plotted.

*****

Meanwhile, David’s group hastened their pace, moving with the relentless determination of a force of nature. They were in a race against time—every second that passed could mean one more minute of danger for Danielle.

"Mr. Charrington, it feels like we’ve been walking in circles," Nathan said, after tracing a path on the wall to mark their steps. They’d passed the same stretch of tunnel three times.

David noticed it too. Who would have thought a little cave would be full of traps? "Hmm," he muttered.

"I marked it too," Jaden said, looking troubled. "We’re really lost. This place is... strange."

"Strange? You could say that again," Aran grumbled. "A bunch of little traps and monsters, if you didn’t know better, you’d think we’re hunting treasure."

Suddenly, a few gunshots echoed through the tunnel.

David raised his gun, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. After the shots rang out, the path ahead shifted, revealing the real way forward.

"How did you do that? Were those traps triggered by your gunshots?" Nathan asked, looking at David like a kid mesmerized by a magic trick.

"Yeah," David replied, keeping his gun in hand. "Let’s move forward."

The group quickened their steps to keep up with David.

But then, David raised his hand, signaling them to stop.

"Something’s off ahead, isn’t it?" Jaden asked, squinting into the darkness.

The path ahead looked like any other, but David had a gut feeling that it wasn’t that simple.

The cave was pitch-black, and they had to rely on their flashlights, but that also meant they had to stay extra vigilant about what was beneath their feet.

"That path ahead is probably a trap," David said, his voice low.

"I’ll check it out," Aran offered, as the head of security. It was his job to be the first to act.

"Be careful," David warned.

Aran took cautious steps forward, fully trusting David’s instincts. If David sensed danger, there was definitely something wrong.

But just as Aran focused on the path ahead, the ground beneath him seemed to give way. His foot sank into the earth, as though something was pulling him down.

"Mr. Charrington, something’s pulling me down!" Aran yelled, panic rising in his voice.

Without missing a beat, David shouted for a rope. One of the bodyguards threw it to Aran, who grabbed it with both hands.

"Grab the rope," David ordered.

As soon as Aran tried to hold on, whatever was under the ground seemed to fight back harder, pulling him down more forcefully. The bodyguards braced themselves and tried pulling him back up, but the force was too strong.

Aran’s leg was completely submerged now, and he could feel something wrapping around it like thick, suffocating tendrils.

"Shoot, but avoid Aran!" David barked.