The earthquake starts just as Landis clambers down to the base of the hill, and he doesn’t realize at first what’s happening. The ground seems to roll underneath of him, making his stomach lurch with sudden seasickness. Grace grabs his arm and latches on - he winces as he feels her manicured fingernails dig into his skin. He worries he’ll fall and pull them both to the ground. But as soon as the earthquake begins, it ends, and he and Grace are still standing, disoriented, at the bottom of the hill.
Walker isn’t so lucky. He’s only halfway down the hill when the tremors hit, and Landis watches him pinwheel his arms for a split second before falling on his ass and skidding the rest of the way down. It’s almost humorous - it would be if Landis felt like laughing, anyway. Danton is the only one who actually laughs, and it’s only for a split second. Landis looks up to see him floating high above the group, the midday sun shining through his translucent body, illuminating dust particles within it.
“What the hell was that?” Walker growls, picking himself back up once everything is still again and brushing the dirt off his jeans.
“Earthquake,” Landis mumbles. He’s felt plenty of them before, in California, during college. But this one seems too much of a coincidence. Too close to the mines, where he knows the lake entity is working some horrible blood ritual. “I think.”
“Colorado does get them sometimes,” Grace adds. She lets go of Landis, but looks questioningly between him and where Danton is floating for a moment before visibly deciding not to comment. “Little ones, you know. Not as bad as California, or other places.”
Landis nods mutely in agreement.
“They can be,” Sheriff Maxwell says.
Landis, Grace, and Walker all look to their right in unison. The sheriff, who was the first one down the hill, is standing there next to something that Landis initially registers as the mouth of a cave. But he soon realizes it’s outlined by wooden beams, and there are metal tracks in the ground, stretching into the darkness. Not a cave. A mine shaft. Richard really did lead us to the right place.
“Oh,” Grace says, in recognition. There’s a dawning horror on her face that Landis doesn’t understand.
“I’m getting a feeling like I’m not in on the joke,” Walker drawls. He snaps a rubber band off his wrist and starts tying his hair up and out of his face.
“Forty-four people died in this mine, back in the 60s,” Sheriff Maxwell says matter-of-factly. Landis feels his already-queasy stomach flip over again, and his Adam’s apple bobs in his throat as he swallows back a wave of anxious bile that threatens to come up. “There was an earthquake, and part of the mine caved in. People in town took to calling it the Antlers Mining Disaster. I’ve read the reports on it. Some of the bodies were never recovered.”
“Well, shit,” Walker says, and looks over at Landis, “you’re sending us into a haunted mine?”
On cue, Richard emerges from the shadows within the mine shaft. His expression is hard to read. Landis’s heart skips a beat as he steels himself to hear that they’re too late to stop whatever is going on. That Austin is dead and the lake entity finished the blood sacrifice. That’s the only thing the ground shaking could possibly mean. He’s sure of it.
“They’re not very far in,” Richard says, instead. “I can show you where.”
“How’s Austin?” Landis blurts. He can’t stand not knowing anymore, even if Austin is dead. He can’t walk into the mine with his thoughts racing like this. The others - save Danton - stare at him with arched eyebrows.
“That’s kind of what we’re going to find out,” Walker says slowly. “Hey, you didn’t just lure us all to a weird abandoned mine to kill us, right? I mean, no offense, but there is sort of precedent for -”
“Shut up,” Landis says, and is surprised when Walker actually does so. He swallows, and continues. “Richard says they’re not very far into the mine. I just wanted to know if - if Austin’s - you know…”
“Austin is more than capable of taking care of himself.” the sheriff fixes her gaze on Landis. “He’s beaten this thing before, hasn’t he? And whatever it is, it’s only human-sized, correct?”
Landis nods. For now, anyway. Who knows what that blood sacrifice is going to do for it.
“Austin’s fine,” Richard reassures him, expression softening a little. “But we should really get a move on.”
“Right,” Landis says. He steps up to the entrance of the mine shaft, running a hand gingerly over one of the rotting support beams. The wood feels soft and spongy under his fingertips, but he tries not to think about that. “Let’s go. Uh - let me go first, since I can see where Richard is taking us, and -”
“Me next,” Walker says.
Landis looks over his shoulder. “I thought you didn’t trust me not to murder you in the dark.”
“Trust me, it was all in good fun. You wouldn’t be able to lay a hand on me if you tried.” Walker grins wolfishly, lacing his fingers together and popping his knuckles. He tilts his head from side to side, cracking his neck. “Look, I’m the heaviest hitter you’ve got, and I might be the only one who can restrain that thing, so you’re not exactly going to want me bringing up the rear. Unless you enjoy being smashed to a bloody pulp, or eaten, or whatever that thing has in store.”
“I have a gun,” Sheriff Maxwell points out, her hand straying to the holster at her side.
“Yeah, that worked out real well for you against the last monster, huh?” Walker says offhandedly, still grinning. Landis doesn’t understand what he’s getting at, but Sheriff Maxwell seems to - her eyes narrow, and she opens her mouth like she’s going to retort.
“Hey, let’s not fight,” Grace says, cutting her off. “How about Landis’s two ghost friends go in front, then Landis and Walker in the middle, and Monty and I will bring up the rear. Does that sound good to everyone?”
The sheriff presses her lips into a tight, thin line and nods curtly. Landis also nods, more caught up in the surprise that Grace even noticed Danton following the group. He supposes that he really shouldn’t be so startled at her perceptiveness, or anything about her, really. Not after the whole incident at the lake.
If we get out of this alive, Landis thinks, I’m going to buy her lunch, and we’re going to do something together, as friends, that isn’t this nerve-wracking for once.
“Flashlights,” Sheriff Maxwell says, more of an order than a suggestion. She’s already unclipped hers from her belt, and switches it on, shining its fluorescent beam into the mine shaft. There’s nothing ahead of them but tunnel and cart track for what looks like miles.
Walker fishes his keyring out of his pocket, turning on the small flashlight clipped to it. It barely illuminates more than a few feet in front of him. Grace takes her flashlight out, the same police-issue one as the sheriff, and Landis comes up empty. He feels himself flush. Really? Who forgets to bring a flashlight to a fucking underground exploration?
“You can have mine,” Sheriff Maxwell says, holding it out to him. “If Grace and I are walking together, we’ll only need one. And your friend -”
“He’s not my friend,” Landis clarifies quickly.
“Mr. Rivers’s flashlight is, ah. Pathetic.”
Walker barks out a laugh but doesn’t contest the statement, shoving his keys back in his pocket. Landis takes Sheriff Maxwell’s flashlight gratefully. His hand is shaking around the handle, but he manages to produce a fairly steady beam of light ahead of him and Walker. Danton drifts up towards the front of the group to join Richard, uncharacteristically quiet. Landis catches sight of him as he passes, and his face is drawn, startlingly serious.
“Are we ready now?” Richard asks. There’s an edge to his voice. Impatience, probably.
“Lead the way,” Landis says, and steps over the threshold into the mine shaft.
walker’s flashlight isn’t the only thing pathetic about him