Claws in the Dark | ✔

XXXI

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The long trek was finally over. Miles and his group safely made it to the caves, their footsteps echoing in the hollow space. Water dripped in various places, the walls damp and cold as of the change in climate.

They found themselves ducking in order to dodge the overhead icicles and rock-sickles, in addition to avoiding rock stumps in the uneven ground.

When they came to a large opening, filled with old rail cars and various mining tools, they paused. Enrico came to the front and surveyed the area, reminiscing on his past mining life. He took a deep breath and turned to face everyone.

"Let's stop here and take a rest," he announced. "We should be safe in here."

"Yeah," Nelson said. "That is, until those monsters find their way in here and rip us to shreds."

"Kid, we don't need your pessimism right now, okay?" Miles growled, setting Rebecca down somewhere smooth and comfortable on the ground.

"Maybe Nelson's right," Gina agreed, placing George in his sister's lap. He was fast asleep, and Rebecca smiled as she enveloped him and gently patted his head. "I mean, what's stopping those creatures from coming to these caves? Eventually, they'll find us, kill us, feed on our corpses, and no one will ever know but us."

Miles ambled over to her as she broke down into tears and hugged her tightly. "Everything's going to be okay. Trust me, we're safe here and we'll make it out of this alive." He released her and turned to face the small group. "All of us. We're gonna stick together and fight through this. No monster is taking any of us."

"But think realistically," Nelson persisted, "what if those monsters did get in here. What would we do then?"

Enrico turned back to survey the rail cars and the tracks, and a smirk tugged at his lips. "Then, we use the mines to our advantage."

"How?" Antonio asked. "Papa, you've seen how vicious those things are. We can't harm them without getting close enough, and we all know what happens when you get within two feet of those creatures."

"You're right, mi hijo, but listen to this: we have everything we need in these caves to defend ourselves against the likes of those monsters. We'll just have fo search for the equipment, and then come up with a plan. Anyone with anything in mind?"

"Wait, first of all, what do you mean we have everything we need right in these caves?" Miles asked.

"Well, when I used to work in the mines, we had a lot of useful tools to help dig deep into the earth," Enrico replied. "Like that jackhammer and pickax over there," he pointed. "But the best and most useful thing of all, that we had, was the--."

"--dynamite," Nelson finished, his eyes widening as Enrico nodded. "I remember my grandfather used to talk about blowing up the mine shaft almost every weekend, and it helped them to bring in more gold and diamonds and other gems."