Page 84 of (Mostly) Human Resources

She choked on another laugh and shook her head. Idiots or not, they had a job to finish. “At least it leaves behind special moss and giant footprints for us to follow.”

Looking at said footprints in the mud, Nic grimaced. “Lucky us.”

Alexys took a deep breath. “Flashlights off, I’m guessing?”

“We’re notthatstupid.” Nic tucked his flashlight back into his backpack then held his hand out to her. “They better give us a raise for this.”

When Nic realized she was hesitating, his smile started to slip.

Alexys rushed to take his hand before he could pull it back. She squeezed it and pursed her lips to keep the responding smile at bay.

And like the pair of idiots that they were, they set off after the most gruesome beast in District 13.

CHAPTER 44

“These traditions are nonsense. Grandmother insists on performing The Ritual, but to what end? The Gray Man is gone, and She no longer answers our prayers. If She was ever real, if the earlier stories are to be believed.”

The Fairchild Grimoire,1712 Entry by Eloise Blackwell

The Hollow Walker’s distinct steps crashed through the trees, and the sound led them up the mountain.

When its long strides, slow as they might be, managed to carry it too far ahead of them, they used the muddy footprints along the riverbank or the strange new moss to guide their way. All the while, Alexys thought about Elliot, about Entity, about herself, and Nic. She’d been gone what, five days? It’d felt like a lifetime. And still, here they were, scrambling in the dark after a creature she’d never heard of, praying they all make it out alive.

Eventually, the Hollow Walker’s tracks led them to the rusted ruins of Greenbriar Mine. The abandoned machinery and dilapidated structures looked like the skeleton of a beast half-devoured by the mountain. They carefully picked their way through equipmentand tools Alexys couldn’t even hope to identify. For once, Nic didn’t offer up the information.

The metal grate that should have sealed off the mouth of the mine was eroded beyond use and had been propped up against one side of the entrance, leaning drunkenly against the rocks. The thin metal rails that led inside the mine were still visible here and there, but there was no saying what state the warren of tunnels beneath were in. She imagined most of it had been buried under fallen rocks. She swallowed.

“You ready for this?” Nic asked.

“It’s now or never,” she said.

Nic gave a quick nod stepping inside. “Stay close, and watch your step.”

The tunnel was swallowed by darkness, packed, solid earth lining the ground. No wind, no sound at all, for that matter. Once they entered the mine, they would be completely blind to the monster’s whereabouts. Every instinct inside Alexys screamed not to go in, to turn and flee while she still had the chance. It must have shown on her face because Nic took her hand once more.

“We can turn back,” he offered. “We could file a report on what we know and let them send in a Reaper to finish the job.”

Before he finished speaking, she began shaking her head. “We can’t. We both know we can’t, it’ll take too long. Whoever they send won’t even care about Elliot, it’ll just be about the creature.”

Reapers were ruthless, a last resort, and one Alexys wasn’t willing to consider. Not yet.

“Am I allowed to say ‘I told you so’ considering this is, in fact, Greenbriar Mine?” Nic asked, looking at her with a crooked smile.

“No, you’re not.” She wanted to smile, but the reality of their situation was too daunting. She took another step and turned back to Nic. “Come on, then.”

The shadows of the mine swallowed them as they walked inside. Her eyes tried to adjust, but the tunnel ahead of them was filled with complete darkness. No moonlight, no starlight, nothing natural orman-made that could lend assistance to them as they crept slowly forward. Nic ran his hand along the wall, using the packed earth and wooden support beams as a guide as they walked deeper.

They walked in silence. The shuffling sounds of the Hollow Walker’s hulking form were no longer audible. They moved at what felt like a glacial pace, and Alexys kept wondering just how deep this shaft went. Miles? Possibly. Would they ever find their way out again?

After a few dead-ends and blind corners, they finally took a sloping path and found the cavernous space the creature had ended up in.

Lanterns dotted the walls, offering weak light that did little to illuminate the pit. The lofted ceiling towered above them, and the other tunnels splitting off from the space were nothing more than black spots against the walls.

Alexys barely registered any of it. Her eyes were fixed on the bloodstained floor and the heaving presence crouched nearby. Nic, in front, put his arm out, and he twisted his face toward her, putting a finger to his lips. She nodded in understanding, eyes wide with fear.

The Hollow Walker was hunched over by one of the walls. A disgusting, wet sound emanated from it, followed by a low growl that reverberated in her bones. The squelching noise was nauseating enough, but her stomach truly roiled when the smell finally hit her.

Decay.