"Next time I'll aim fer her."
She jerked her attention back to the man pointing the pistol exactly where he'd said. At her chest. That same area seized. God, I'm not ready to die.
"I'll be still." Alex's voice was hard as the stone around them.
Langley slowly lowered the Colt, his gaze flicking between the two of them. He muttered several words Miriam had only heard once, when a group of rough miners came into Aunt Pearl's Café. They'd made her feel dirty then, but now they sank through her veins like ice.
Langley made quick work of binding Alex's hands and feet, jerking hard on the knots with a grunt each time. Miriam's eyes scanned the cavern where they sat. Wooden beams supported the sides and ceiling every few feet. What did Langley intend to do with them? Leave them here to die of starvation? That might be the best possible scenario. It'd give them time to find a way out, even if they had to dig through to the surface.
Langley pulled one final time on the rope at Alex's feet, then backed away. "Get over by that wa—" A fit of coughing interrupted his words. The wet hacking struck a familiar cord in Miriam's mind. Wasn't that the same sound his brother had made before he died? Was this man suffering from the same illness? Another feeling seized her chest. It couldn't be sympathy. Not when the man held a gun on them. But his pistol shook with his shoulders now, as Langley tried to stop the coughs.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alex slide his legs underneath him. Langley saw it too, because the click of his gun cocking echoed through the tunnel.
Alex froze.
Langley finally stopped coughing, his breath wheezing as he struggled to catch it. "Get over to that wall." He motioned with the gun toward a spot on the wall where Alex would be separated from her by a pile of timbers.
A wave of disappointment washed through her. If she and Alex could sit together, maybe they could try to untie each other's bonds. Or at the very least, she'd have his presence. And maybe they could brainstorm an escape plan together.
Their captor stepped toward the opposite wall, and picked up something just outside the circle of light. A can of some sort. He tucked the pistol in the waistband of his pants, then removed the lid and strode toward her. He veered at the last moment, and dumped the contents over a pile of wood a few feet to her left.
As a sickeningly sweet odor permeated the air, it awakened a terrifying realization.
Langley was planning to set the place on fire.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Terror roiled in Miriam's stomach. For the first time, it was a very real possibility they might not come out of this alive.
Langley pointed to the spot he'd just doused and glared at Miriam. "Sit there."
She hesitated only a moment. Clenching her lip in her teeth, she scooted up and crawled over the wood planks to where he pointed.
The man turned and retrieved another can, then dumped the contents onto the pile of timbers between her and Alex. He jerked his head toward it, barely glancing at Alex. "You. There."
Alex obeyed, scooting up to sit on the pile of wood. Once he was settled, he looked back at Langley as the man turned away from them. "Your brother was a good man, Tad." Alex's voice rose steady and calming. That reassuring accent he used with patients. No hint of fear. How did he do it?
Langley stopped mid-stride and glared at Alex, then spit onto the floor and tossed the empty can into the darkness. The clatter resounded against the stone walls for several seconds.
"Until you killed him." The venom in his words could have slain a grizzly bear.
"I did everything I could for Mick, but the lung fever was too advanced. I know you miss him, Tad. But killing us won't bring him back."
The man turned with a roar, fists clenched at his sides. For a second, it looked like he might charge Alex and tear him apart with his bare hands. "You killed my brother." Langley stood there, shoulders heaving.
Miriam cringed, willing Alex not to respond. The man was obviously not in any condition to reason with.
After a few moments, Langley spun and stepped back to the far wall where he'd retrieved the cans of kerosene. He knelt down and seemed to be fiddling with something.
The smell of the oil so near made her stomach churn, and Miriam tried not to breathe through her nose. She glanced at Alex, but he stared at their captor, jaw set and mouth pinched in a narrow line.
She sank back against the stone behind her. Was she ready to die? So many things she still wanted to do and see. And she'd never had the chance to tell Alex how much he meant to her. Even if he didn't return the feelings, she loved him with every ounce of her being. That was clear now. Another glance at him sent a surge of longing through her chest.
She turned away and stared down at her skirt. Faces paraded through her mind. Mrs. Malmgren, with her spunky outlook on life. Dirty faces of miners who'd been kind and respectful, many of them with lung illness or breathing difficulty. There were so many still to help. Together, maybe she and Alex could have made a difference.
God, I prayed for Your will. If this is it, be with those others. Send someone else to help them.
~~~
Alex stared at Tad Langley's back as thoughts tumbled through his mind. His own death wouldn't be any great tragedy. Maybe he deserved it after all the times he'd failed with his patients. With Britt.
But Miriam? She didn't deserve to die. Someone so amazing, full of life and kindness, and so many talents. She deserved to marry a wealthy gentleman. Travel the world. Have babies to love.
He swallowed past a hard lump in his throat. He wanted them to be his babies. God, why are you letting it end like this? He'd never had the chance to tell her how much she meant to him. To tell her how much he loved her with every fiber of his being. Even though he didn't deserve anyone half as wonderful as her. Still, the unspoken words made his throat ache.
He glanced at Miriam. She stared down at her skirt, mouth pinched in a thin line. She was so brave. Even in the face of death, she wasn't crying. No whimpering or pleading with the man. Just courageous acceptance. Another wave of helplessness washed through him. God, if there's anything You can do to save her. Please. Help.
Langley turned from his pile of materials with another can of kerosene. He doused a third stack of wood just outside the circle of the lantern's light. After leaning over his supplies again, Langley straightened with something small clutched in his right hand.
He picked up the lantern from the middle of the floor, holding it close to his face. The light threw an eerie yellow over his skin as he stared into it. Shadows danced across his features, giving him a distorted look. How had Langley's mind become so twisted that he thought killing them would make up for his brother's death? Was it only vengeance he sought?
Still staring into the light, the man chuckled a mirthless laugh. It turned into a cough, though, and he turned to the side as the spasms overtook him. Realization washed over Alex with unmistakable clarity. Tad Langley had the same wet, hacking cough his brother had suffered from. Was he dying of the same lung disease?
The man finally straightened, struggling to catch his breath. His glazed eyes locked with Alex's. "I'll not die…the way…my brother did." His heaving breaths slowed his words, but the message was clear. Langley planned to perish in this tunnel with them.
A cold dread washed through Alex. Lord, we need Your help here.
Langley raised the light again, gazing into it. The flame reflected in his glazed eyes.
With a mighty roar, like an Indian war cry, Langley heaved the lantern toward Miriam. It crashed against the wood, splintering into glass pieces. The flame lit the kerosene with a whoosh!
Miriam's scream split the air as fire exploded around her.
Alex was on his feet in an instant. A boom exploded through the cavern, and a rush of air whizzed by Alex, striking his upper arm. Pain flashed through the place it touched. A bullet?
"Sit down!" Langley thundered.
Alex fell back onto the pile of wood, gritting his teeth a
s the pain now came alive, searing his arm. In the corner of his eye, Langley moved toward Alex, a flame in his hand.
With a rush, fire burst around Alex. He fought against it, scooting back to the wall as the flames took hold of his trouser legs.
A scream permeated his awareness. Miriam. His mind clearing, Alex rolled over, passing through the flames. Searing heat and fire lit his legs. When he was off the wood, he kept rolling. In seconds, the flame doused.
As he leaped to his feet, the bond at Alex's feet broke free. The fire must have weakened it. With his hands still tied, he sprinted toward Miriam. She'd moved off her pile of burning timbers, too, but now lay in another blaze, as flame billowed from her skirts. She cried out, a sort of half-scream, half-moan.
Alex fought to pull his hands free, but the rope held fast at his wrists. "Roll over!" he yelled. Was it loud enough to penetrate Miriam's pain and fear? With his boot, he pushed against her legs.
She got the idea, and rolled several times until the flame finally burned out.
With that disaster abated, Alex spun to face the next threat. Where was Langley? Flames from the two piles of wood rose almost as tall as Alex, popping and roaring as they devoured the kerosene and wood. And the air.
He spotted Langley, on his knees, doubled over as his shoulders shook in a coughing fit.
Now was his chance.
Eyeing the nearest fire, Alex strode toward it. He turned his back to the fire, and craned to see as he shuffled backward until the cord at his wrists touched the flame. Heat seared his skin, but Alex clamped his jaw against the pain. The moment the rope pulled free, he jerked his arms away and stumbled forward, grabbing his wrists with both hands. The pain almost blinded him as he clutched his burning flesh.
But he still had a job to do. God, help me.
Eyeing Langley, he spotted the pistol in the man's front waistband. Alex crept around behind him. He'd have to be quick enough to get the gun before Langley did, but that would be a challenge because of the way the man doubled over from coughing.
Inhaling a breath, Alex lunged, wrapping his arms around the man's thick mass as he reached for the Colt. The force of his charge propelled them both to the ground. Langley cried out, then his body went limp under Alex.
Alex scrambled to turn the man over until a glint of silver appeared within the folds of his shirt. He closed his fists around the wooden handle and jerked it free, then clambered backward until he was a safe distance away. He pointed the handgun at Langley, clutching it with both hands to keep from shaking.
But Langley still didn't move. No coughing. No struggling to rise. Just lay there with his body contorted into the position Alex had rolled him.
Goose bumps raised over Alex's arms, despite the heat from the fire just feet away. Were they safe? Or was Langley bluffing, trying to lull him into a sense of security so he could pounce?
Or had he hurt the man? Nausea rose into Alex's throat. He'd never intentionally caused injury to another human being. It warred against everything within him. Against the Hippocratic Oath he'd sworn to uphold.
Pressure on Alex's arm jerked his attention and he whirled to face the threat.
Miriam.
Pain and fear washed in her eyes through the smoky haze. He had to get her out of here. He reached for her hand, but stopped. Her wrists were still tied behind her back. Were her feet bound, too?
Alex scanned the area. What could he use to cut the straps? The flames had grown taller beside them, shoulder height now. Any moment they would spread to the timbers that lined the walls and ceiling. They had to get out.
His gaze landed on Langley. The man probably had a knife. And he lay only a couple feet from the flames. Alex crouched by his side, rolling the man toward him as he checked pockets. Nothing. He jerked up the hem of his pants legs. Aha.
Alex yanked the knife free by its bone handle and spun toward Miriam. "Here."
She turned her wrists to him, and he sliced the cord with two tugs of the knife.
"Oohh." He barely heard Miriam's groan over the roar of the fire.
He dropped to his knees and pushed what was left of her burned skirts aside with his arm. The heavy stench of soot clogged his nose, but he forced himself to breathe through his mouth. The first smoky breath almost gagged him, clenching his chest in a cough.
The brown leather of Miriam's boots had turned black. Lord, please don't let her be burned. The leather strap binding her legs together split on the first slice of the knife. As his elbow jerked with the effort, it raised the hem of her dress high enough to see red flesh where her stockings had been burned away. His stomach clenched. How much pain was she in? He had to get her back to the clinic where he could tend her wounds.
The sound of coughing brought Alex to his feet. After clearing her lungs, Miriam raised her head to meet his gaze. Her eyes rimmed red.
Slipping his hand into hers, Alex gave it a quick squeeze. "Let's go." His words came out in a croak. His throat burned.
Alex scanned the cavern. They needed a light to make their way out of the mine. He bent low and pulled a piece of wood from one of the burning piles. Most of it had burned—was still burning—leaving a two foot handle on one end. "Stay close."
He started toward the shaft they'd come through, but stopped when he almost tripped over Tad Langley. The man groaned and rolled onto his back. What should they do with him?
Alex glanced at the fire, less than a foot away from the unconscious man's boot. They couldn't leave him here. The man would die in this fiery cave. Alex stared into the pale face on the ground. He tried to summon the anger that coursed through him when he saw Langley holding up Miriam's limp form. But all he saw in his mind's eye was the grief on the man's face when he broke down at the clinic after his brother's death.
How could Alex leave him here to die? A fellow human being? He turned to Miriam. Saw the understanding in her gaze. He thrust the torch into Miriam's hands. "I'm going to try to carry him."
Langley was even heavier than he looked. Alex bent low and tried to hoist him over his shoulder. The first time, they both ended in a heap. Miriam set the flame down and helped lift the man, then steadied them both as Alex crouched under the weight.
"Let's go."
Chapter Twenty-Five
Alex stumbled as fast as he could go, doubled over under Langley's weight. Miriam scampered ahead to light the way. Every ounce of his body begged to rest, but Alex pushed on.
They reached the end of the shaft, and Miriam hesitated. Alex dropped to his knees, settling Langley in a heap on the floor. His chest seized from the exertion and from breathing deep gulps of the smoke hanging in the air. It had followed them, drifting down the passageway and filtering through the air they breathed.
"Which way?" Miriam spoke in a loud whisper, the darkness around them cloaking everything in an eerie quiet. The torch she held glowed only red embers now, and it didn't do much more than reveal the outline of her face.
"Go left."
"Wha…" Langley groaned in Alex's arms, but it turned into a fit of coughing. The man's chest shook as Alex kept him draped over his shoulder.
When the coughing finally ended, Alex gave the man a little shake. "Are you awake, Tad?" If Langley could walk out on his own accord, they'd be in a much better spot. Alex's muscles had no power left. His arms screamed as he gripped Langley's body. He wasn't sure if he could carry himself, much less this giant of a man.
Langley grumbled something incomprehensible, which ended in another phlegmy cough that wracked his body.
When Langley stopped hacking, Alex pushed the man away. "Can you stand up?"
Langley propped his head in a big, grimy paw and groaned.
"We've got to walk out of this mine and get you help, Tad. Stand up now." Alex wrapped the man's free hand over his shoulder and slipped an arm around Langley's bulk. Miriam's glowing stick moved closer, and she positioned herself at Langley's other side.
"One, two, three…up." With a groan and several grun
ts, they all three stumbled to their feet. "Now walk." Alex mumbled the words as he took an unsteady step.
Langley responded with another fit of coughing. Alex's chest tightened. They had to get the man out. He needed a good dose of fresh air, and medicine to open his lungs.
For a split second, an image of Britt flashed through his mind. Lying in bed while the cough wracked her frail body until her lungs gave out. Alex clamped his jaw against the image. That wouldn't happen again with this man if it took every last ounce of his strength.
The going was slow, especially when the tunnel narrowed and they had to turn sideways. Langley seemed to be coming awake, and bore some of his weight. He kept up a steady stream of coughing though. Had he ingested too much smoke?
After what seemed like days, a faint lightening appeared in the darkness ahead. Daylight? A flutter of relief sank through Alex's weary limbs.
The light grew, opening into a circle of brown grass and blue sky. If he'd enough strength, he would've cried out for joy.
The moment they stepped onto soft ground, Miriam stumbled and went down. Like a row of dominos, Langley fell next, then Alex. After dropping to his knees, Alex rolled to the side, out from under the weight of the brute they'd just worked so hard to save.
Langley started another coughing fit. He lay face down in the grass, his shoulders jerking with each spasm. The spit that gurgled from the man's mouth dripped black and viscous. Each wracking cough sounded like the last contraction of the man's lungs before they collapsed.
When the coughing spell finally ended, Langley crumbled to the ground, his back rising with each gasp for air. Alex struggled to his knees and leaned close, pressing his ear against the man's back. A gurgling sound accompanied each breath.
Helplessness washed through Alex like water through a pipe. He had to do something before Langley's heart shut down or his lungs caved in. He scanned the area around them. What were the chances he would find an elecampane plant? Possibly a wild cherry tree, but that would take too long to powder the bark, and he had no tools to make an extract.
Mountain Dreams Series: Books 1 - 3: Mountain Dreams Box Set 1 Page 42
