This was a bad idea.

Asher had know as much going into it, of course, but he played along. What was the harm? It kept Danica happy, for one. That in and of itself was reason enough. The other one being that Asher had never really expected them to find anything. They had an eternity, what were a few months wasted, scouring the four corners of the globe, chasing a myth they'd never meet in the flesh?

Only this time, they did meet him. And he was pissed.

Wolfie was dead, his ashes wafting in the stale air of that subterranean deathtrap as the ground beneath them began to groan and quake. Their lanterns flicked, lighting up a terrifying vignette of an armored creature, rising out of the earth, thrashing and growling and headed straight for Danica.

She screamed.

The ground was still moving and lights still flashed in and out, but the scream faded into more of screech by the end. A whistle? When the lights finally hold steady, Asher's eyes dart around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

A train. He was standing on a train, Grimwood, Danica and that thing nowhere to be seen. What was this? Did he get knocked out? Had he met the same fate as Wolfie? What the fuck was happening and why was it happening on a fucking train?