Page 80 of Obscurity

But it was the words written at the bottom of the map that made Olive’s blood run cold.

“SAVE THEM” was scrawled in dark letters that looked like they’d been written with the Guardian’s own blood, probably in his final moments before death claimed him.

Olive and Jason studied the map’s details. The chambers were all spelled out.

“He knew something was going on down here,” Olive murmured.

“He died to get this information,” Jason added.

“We can’t let his sacrifice be meaningless. We have to keep going.” Her voice shook as she said the words.

Jason looked at her with an expression that mixed admiration and concern. “We’re walking into an active crime scene with people who are willing to eliminate anyone who threatens their operation.”

“I know. But Chloe and Becca and whoever else they might be holding don’t have time for us to be cautious. If we wait for backup or try to work through official channels, more people are going to end up like him.” Olive gestured toward the Guardian’s still form.

Both of them seemed to feel the weight of what they saw. An innocent man, killed for trying to do the right thing. A team was probably on the way, ready to clean up the mess of his death.

That meant they didn’t have much time.

It wouldn’t surprise her if there was a string of dead bodies traced back to this location.

But why? That was the question echoing in her mind.

Why was someone doing all this? What made someone think human lives were expendable?

CHAPTER 58

Following the Guardian’s hand-drawn map, Olive and Jason continued farther into the dark mine.

A few minutes later, they descended what appeared to be a newer staircase carved directly into the mountain rock.

At the bottom, they emerged into what felt like another world.

Harsh white LED arrays turned the tunnel system into what resembled a high-tech manufacturing facility rather than an abandoned mine. The tunnels had given way to some type of industrial operation. Ventilation systems pumped fresh air into the passages.

In the distance, they saw workers—probably twenty—bent over conveyor belts while guards monitored the perimeter.

Olive and Jason stayed in the shadows, careful not to be seen.

“What in the world?” Jason whispered, staring at the scene before them.

“This isn’t some small-scale illegal dig,” Olive murmured, snapping a couple of pictures. “This is a full industrial extraction facility.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Neither had Olive. But the sophisticated equipment was being used to extract . . . something.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t coal.

This was more than Olive had ever envisioned.

The stakes were higher.

And that made this situation much worse.

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed from somewhere deep in the facility—multiple sets of boots, moving with purpose toward their location.

“We need to go,” Jason whispered. “Now.”