306 Exploration and Rescue

Luke firmly opposed the idea. "I suspect that the spiders have taken over the mines as their nest. Bringing everybody in will just be sending them into the mouths of the spiders as food."

Samantha was surprised. "But Wade escaped through there. He worked in the mines before, and must be familiar with the territory. That guy is cunning. It's possible that this is the escape route he prepared for himself."

Luke thought for a moment, but disagreed. "If Wade really knew that the giant spiders were coming, he could've skipped town for a few days; once everybody was dead, there would be nothing to stop him from selling the town. The fact that he only escaped just now suggests that this isn't an escape route he had prepared beforehand."

Samantha was unwilling to give up, mostly because the panicked residents were urging her to find a way out, the spiders proving too big a pressure on their nerves.