I didn’t stop to wipe the blood away.

I slid my legs into the narrow stone shaft first, keeping the babies tucked against my chest.

It was a tight fit, the stone scratching against my denim jacket.

My mother’s voice echoed in my head, repeating the words she had written in the margins of her diner ledger years ago.

*Behind the hearth of the main house, the stone gives way to the old coal path.*

I had never believed her stories about the Romano estate when I was working the late shifts at Sullivan’s.

Now, the cold reality of those words was scraping against my skin.

“Hold on, sweethearts,” I whispered to the babies, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Liana whimpered, her tiny fist clutching at my collar.

I slid further down, my boots finding a steep set of stone steps built into the dark.

The air down here was thick with moisture, the sound of the rain outside echoing hollowly through the brickwork.

Above me, another loud blast shook the chimney.

Dust and loose mortar fell onto my shoulders.