Free Shadow Cave by Angie West Page B

eces s ary. There was no mistaking the formation of rock in front of me.
    The openings cut deep into the mountain ridge. They were several feet apart and very wide. Jagged stone that looked to be quartz rimmed the edges . It caught the moonlight and sparkled before me like three diamond-rimmed doorways.
    I stood there a few more minutes before reality edged in and I realized that those gorgeous doorways were very dark. And which one did I need to take? I looked up at the stars and frowned as I tried to concentrate and find the pattern. The cluster of stars that marked the path was supposed to have the shape of a torch. I stared hard , focusing my eyes , then unfocused them again .
    “ Ah! There! ” I exclaimed, pointing to the right.
    My voice echoed in the darkness and I felt strange for a minute. Personally, I thought it was a stretch to call it a torch. But then again, I had never been good at stargazing . Some people could look at the sky and immediately identify a particular star or constellation. I was not one of those people. But the more that I eyed the group of stars that hung over the opening to my right, the more certain I became. That was definitely the one.
    “ A flame to light the path , ” I murmured in awe, reciting the literature.
    Taking a step forward , I quietly eased the gun from my pack, removing the safety. Loaded and ready , I thought grimly. I hoped that I would have no need to use it , but it had occurred to me the day before that anyone John sent after me was more likely to wait until I had led them to the cave to attack. I didn ’ t think that I had been followed, but you could never be too careful. The ambush in my backyard was still all too fresh in my mind. I would not take my well-being for granted, I vowed.
    I edged closer to the dark opening and bit my lip when I realized my latest dilemma. I would need light , and lots of it , to navigate the cave. The small penlight would be of no use to me now. I crouched down low and carefully lay the gun between my feet so that I could safely reach into my bag for the heavy - duty steel flashlight I carried.
    I would have to hold the gun one handed — I might even have to use it that way, too , if it came to that . Now there ’ s a scary thought , I considered. A nervous woman trying to hit a moving target in the dark, one handed , while aiming a flashlight. Thank God I had a steady hand ...usually , I amended. Working in a lab was one thing , and of course there was a fair share of pressure. Being forced to defend your life in a matter of shaky seconds was something else entirely. Briefly I wondered about that. In a life or death situation, would a skilled brain surgeon have an advantage over, say, a designer? What about an executive and an engineer? You would think that training made a difference. I, for one, was banking on the theory that training made all the difference in the world. Still, I hoped I didn ’ t do something stupid like try and spot with the gun while pulling the trigger on my flashlight.
    The cave was smaller than I had expected. I brushed at what I could only assume were cobwebs. My mind registered this fact , but it didn ’ t make it any more believable. Good God, those had to be the thickest spider webs I had ever seen. They literally hung from the corners and roof of the cave, weaving a ceiling above me. One of the thick tendrils caught my cheek and I shoved it away with my gun hand ...p robably not the brightest thing I had ever done. I was pretty sure if there was one thing on the list of stupid things to do that could top shooting a flashlight , shooting yourself in the face was it.
    My face stung where the section of web had been and I was sure I would have a small scratch from it. The heavy strand was as coarse as wire. Normally, I was not the least bit scared of spiders. I didn ’ t exactly like them, but neither did they bother me. I spared what I swore would be my last glance at the ceiling and tried not to think