Mike didn’t respond immediately to Hilary’s question. His thoughts were a whirlwind inside his head, but something compelled him to keep walking, as if a powerful magnet refused to let him stray from his path, no matter how much he tried. The forest carved its way through the night’s mist, and after a stretch of sepulchral silence, the two of them found themselves standing before a fissure in the mountain.It didn’t look natural. The rocks formed a sort of perfect arch, and a cold, dense air escaped from within, as if that entrance were breathing on its own, giving Mike and Hilary the unsettling impression that it was alive.“A cave…” Hilary murmured, rubbing her arms against the sudden drop in temperature. No matter how thick her long-sleeved uniform was, it wasn’t nearly enough to keep her warm the way an ordinary jacket would have.Mike stepped forward, holding the flashlight in one hand and the weapon still trembling with red energy in the other. The glow barely skimmed the surfac