Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
C heyenne
Cheyenne couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Here was another lead, after the others had given up. And she had found it.
Then someone called out, “Hey, who is down there?”
“Grab it,” Micah commanded, his voice low and urgent.
Despite the short time they’d known each other, she obeyed him instinctively. Maybe it was the commanding tone in his voice, or maybe it was the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Either way, her fingers trembled as she reached into the coffin, the cold metal of the amulet necklace brushing against her skin.
Her grip tightened around the clasp. As she tugged, brittle bones shifted and gave way beneath her touch. She stifled a scream, clenching her jaw tightly as her heart pounded in her ears.
“Who’s down there? Is someone down there?” a voice echoed from above, sharp and alarmed.
Cheyenne yanked the necklace free, the bones rattling softly as they settled back into place.
Micah quietly lowered the coffin lid, then gestured toward the exit. “Let’s move.”
They hurried out of the crypt, retracing their steps to the barred gate. Micah slid the key back into place, turning it carefully before hanging it on the wall where they’d found it. He adjusted the lock and checked it twice.
The voices above grew louder. “Who would be down there?”
Micah took Cheyenne’s hand, his grip firm. “This way. I think there’s another way out.”
Cheyenne hesitated. “Why would there be another way out?”
Micah didn’t slow down, pulling her along. “I’ve walked the cemetery before. Some of these graves connect to the crypts below. Trust me.”
She followed reluctantly, dodging rats and stepping over scattered bones, keeping her flashlight low. Her stomach churned as the smell of damp earth and decay thickened in the narrow passageways. The sound of voices and footsteps reverberated through the tunnels behind them.
“I think we should go down there and check it out,” one of the voices called, echoing ominously.
Micah rounded a corner and stopped abruptly. Cheyenne nearly collided into him. He pointed upward, his flashlight illuminating a ladder that disappeared into the darkness above.
“That’ll take us out,” he said.
Cheyenne froze, staring at the ladder. “You mean we’ll come out in a grave?”
Micah gave her a quick shrug as he started climbing. “Yeah. A lot of these graves have markers on the surface, but the burials lead down into the crypt. It makes sense.”
The sound of voices grew closer. “There are rats down here,” someone grumbled. “This place has been abandoned for decades … but someone’s been here recently.”
Panic spiked through Cheyenne. She clenched the necklace tightly in one hand. “Hurry up!” she whispered harshly.
Micah pushed against the heavy stone lid at the top of the ladder, grunting with effort. For a moment, nothing happened.
“Do you hear something?” another voice echoed from behind them.
Cheyenne’s breath caught. She looked down the dark passage, half expecting to see flashlights closing in on them.
Suddenly, the stone above them shifted with a grinding noise. Micah gave one last shove, and the lid slid aside. He reached down, gripping Cheyenne’s arm and pulling her up the last few rungs. She scrambled out after him, emerging into the cool night air.
They stood atop a stone grave, one of the many scattered throughout the old cemetery. Micah moved quickly, sliding the heavy lid back into place with as much care as he could muster.
Cheyenne’s chest heaved as she fought to steady her breathing. Her anxiety was a live wire sparking in her chest, but the graveyard appeared empty.
Micah grabbed her hand again and guided her swiftly toward the south side of the cemetery, away from the church. “We’ve got to go. They’re searching down there now, but it won’t be long before they start checking the rest of the area.”
Cheyenne struggled to keep up with his pace, her mind racing. “Do you think they’ll know we took the amulet?”
Micah glanced back, his face tense. “I don’t know. But if they figure it out, we need to be long gone. I say we head straight to where that church used to stand. If there’s a connection to the map or the treasure, it’s there.”
Cheyenne clutched the necklace tighter as they slipped through a rusted gate and onto the street. Her heart was still racing, but a small thrill of adventure flickered through her fear.
Micah tightened his grip on her hand, leading her down the shadowed path. “We are going to figure this out together.”