Chapter 38

Darwin sank his fangs into his wrist and attempted to spit a drop of blood on his dagger while clenching them. The sweet aroma belies the deadly nature of the substance. He dribbled the solution onto the carvings in a slow, deliberate motion. He could hear the crackling and popping of the blood on the dirt boulders if he calmed his breathing and concentrated. As his blood stained the boulder, the carvings became more visible. Following a click, there was a low rumble that made him gasp. Approximately ten feet to his right, the trunk of an old tree began to shake, and a narrow passage emerged, one that was wet and slimy. Even though it would be a tight fit, he could squeeze through.

At this point, Darwin's heart was racing, and he was closer than he'd ever been to achieving his goal. He snatched his lamp and squeezed through the chasm with his satchels on, sidling along as they blocked his path. And to make matters worse, the passageway was suffocating, as if it were moving on its own