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nails.
    Thoughts of invulnerability vanished in the haze
of combat and Gravedigger renewed her actions, pushing back on the creature’s
throat. She grabbed hold of the broken crossbow bolt and began to twist it,
eliciting a howl of outraged agony from her opponent.
    Suddenly freed by the monster’s desire to retreat,
Gravedigger was able to finally draw her weapons. She unsheathed her sword once
more, mentally telling herself to never again put it away unless she was 100%
sure it was safe. A curved dagger also appeared in her other hand and she
brandished both weapons with obvious skill.
    The blind creature hissed like a cat, sniffing the
air. Her nasal slits opened and closed as she sucked in air. She seemed to
sense that her intended prey was now armed and as such, she crept around
Gravedigger, keeping her distance.
    “If you can understand me,” Gravedigger said, her
voice as steely as the blades she wielded, “I don’t want to kill you. Surrender
and I’ll do whatever I can to reverse what’s been done to you.”
    The woman paused, as if digesting Gravedigger’s
words. Whether or not she truly understood was a moot point as she lunged
forward, teeth snapping at the air.
    Gravedigger struck expertly – her knife swept up,
catching her foe between the breasts, where Gravedigger dug the blade deep. Her
sword then came down, decapitating the horrible monster in one fell swoop.
    Splattered with blood, Gravedigger stepped back,
letting the corpse hit the soft earthen floor. After putting her weapons away,
she immediately began looking around the room once more, convinced that this
locked room had to be more than a mere prison: the naked woman-thing was a
guard of some sort. But what was she protecting?
    Kneeling, Charity began poking at the earth. Since
there was nothing to be seen above ground, could there be something beneath?
    After scooping out several small holes,
Gravedigger suddenly yanked her fingers back. Something was moving in
the dirt! After forcing her hand back into the ground, she felt her fingers
close around something slimy and undulating. She yanked it up into the light,
revealing a horrible white worm, one end open with a sucking mouth. The
creature was as blind as the woman who had guarded it.
    Gravedigger shoved it into a pouch on her belt,
shivering at the thought of carrying the disgusting creature on her person. It
wasn’t that she was squeamish about bugs or snakes but something about this
thing was unnatural. Further digging showed that there were more of the things,
many in various stages of development.
    “It’s a nursery,” she realized with a start. Meeks
was cultivating these… things .
    Realizing that she’d spent too much time on this
affair, Gravedigger sprinted up the stairs, not bothering to turn off the
lights. Meeks would know she’d been there when he discovered the corpse,
regardless. Despite that, she did shove the clock back into place, covering up
the doorway.
    Then she was out into the night, scurrying off to
meet Mitchell. Perhaps Goldstein would recognize this worm that she was
carrying and would have advice on how to proceed from here.
    Though she was loath to admit it, she was going to
need his help on this one.

Chapter V: Death Moves Quickly
     
     
    Gravedigger and Mitchell knew that something was
wrong as soon as they reached the front door. It was partially open, something
that Goldstein never would have allowed.
    “Miss Grace, let me enter first.” Mitchell drew a
pearl-handled pistol, his dark face lined with concern.
    Charity had changed out of her uniform in the
backseat of the car, shoving the weapons and garish clothing into a large bag
that was now slung over her shoulder. “I’m not some helpless little girl,” she
pointed out, setting her bag down and fishing out a curved blade. “You move
around back and make sure that no one gets out that way. I’ll go through the
front.”
    Mitchell nodded and vanished into the gloom.
    Gravedigger swung open