Nick and Todd rode in the lead wagon. Nick felt much better sitting beside Todd and was finally able to relax. “How’re you doing?” Todd held the team’s reins in one hand and rubbed Nick’s knee with the other. “You tossed and turned a lot while we were supposed to be sleeping.” “Sorry.” “Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” Todd gave his knee a squeeze. “Look up there. Natural light. How well did you jam the lock on the inside of the entrance door?” “Pretty well, though I guess if someone really wants in, they’ll get inside. We could bring explosives back and collapse the tunnels. So far it’s clear in this section,” Nick said. Todd sighed. “I guess first things first, get these people out safely.” The last thing Nick wanted to do was go back and confront those spirits again, but if it was necessary, he would do his job. He leaned back against the bench and closed his eyes, letting the gentle rocking of the wagon lull him to sleep. Nick woke up when the motion of the wagon stopped. As before, he felt much better after a few hours’ sleep. A look at his watch told him it had been more than a few hours, though. He’d slept for six hours. The wagons were stopped and gathering into groups again. They would rest and feed the teams, then themselves. A few hours later, Nick was adjusting the tack on one of the saddle horses. He pulled the girth tight and fastened the straps. “I’m all packed and ready.” He looked over the horses then back at Todd. “I haven’t felt anything hostile since we left the area of the first control room.” Todd nodded. “Good. Scouting ahead will be a lot more efficient…and faster…on horseback.” He swung onto the horse. Nick mounted his horse as well. Each of them carried a bag of iron shavings, salt, and an iron rod along with their standard weapons. They rode side by side, a Faraday lamp fastened to each of their saddle pommels. The side of the tunnel that ran parallel to the tracks had been originally engineered to drive livestock through, so it was fine dirt tamped down to make it firm and level. “Whatever happened near the first control room must have been bad,” Nick said softly. Todd glanced at him, reached out, and patted Nick’s thigh. “Tell me about what you sensed.” Nick sighed deeply. “It was all scrambled.” “Nick, I know you’re not comfortable remembering or talking about this stuff, but keeping it bottled up isn’t healthy for you. Spill.”
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