by David Meyer
The tunnel was almost silent and I could hear the faintest of noises as we walked north.
Skittering claws.
Beverly’s soft footsteps.
Hissing noises.
My ears perked. I stopped and lifted my face to the ceiling, listening carefully.
I heard gurgling water. Making as little noise as possible, I slid off of the ledge and back into the cool water.
I stepped onto the trackbed and my boots gripped the hard, wooden ties that supported the metal tracks. Following my ears, I cut a path through the water, heading north. Soon, the tunnel dipped and the water got deeper, extending all the way to my thighs. But my gaze stayed firmly locked on the submerged western wall, right where it met the ground.
I nearly missed it. But just as my flashlight passed over a section of concrete, I saw a tiny bubble. Immediately, I flipped my wrist back an inch and examined the area.
I saw another bubble.
And then another.
Leaning in close, I spotted more bubbles. They seemed to emit from the wall itself, rising gently before barely breaking the surface.
Expanding my search, I noticed a strange object beneath the dark, cloudy water. It poked out of the loose track ballast like a worm out of the ground. I bent down and pointed my light at it.
It looked like a long metal nail.
I plunged my hand into the cold, flowing liquid. My fingers wrapped around the head of the nail and I yanked.
It held for a moment and then slid out of the ballast. As I pulled it above surface, gravel slipped into the former hole, erasing all evidence of it.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a rail spike,” I replied. “It’s used to connect tracks to each another.”
“Is it important?”
“Maybe. But it could also be a discarded leftover.”
I dropped the spike and placed my hand against the wall. It felt smooth and cold, yet electric to my touch.
Pointing my flashlight at the surface, I worked my way south, an inch at a time. I was looking for something specific. Something indisputable. Something that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, would connect the wall to the Sand Demons.
Come on you bastards. Where’d you leave it this time?
My beam fell upon an etching at the bottom of the wall, just above the water level. Its lines were deep and straight, the product of powerful, controlled hands. My insides lit up like a Christmas tree.
One skull.
Two pickaxes.
The symbol of the Sand Demons.
I studied it in silence. Each time I saw it, I felt increased curiosity about it. It reminded me of something else. Not just the skull and crossbones either.
It reminded me of a secret society.
Reaching into the water, I touched the design, feeling its grooves and cuts. Gently, I pushed it.
The button depressed and the wall clicked.
A gurgling noise caught my attention. Tilting my head, I tried to locate its origin.
“The wall…”
Beverly’s voice, quiet yet screaming with excitement, broke my concentration. Looking to the side, I noticed a long, straight crack in the concrete. I pushed it and it swung inward, like a well-oiled door.
Water from the trackbed whooshed away from my feet and vanished through the opening. A musty breeze coursed through the crack and swept into my face. It smelled like the inside of a car.
A used car that stank of mothballs and mildew.
Sticking my flashlight through the crack, I peered into the space. The beam shook slightly in my hand as it penetrated the dark recesses in front of me.
“What do you see?”
“It’s a tunnel.” My voice sounded hollow to my ears. “We found a tunnel.”
As Beverly slid off the ledge and walked over to join me, I stared into the cavernous space. The tunnel was large and roughly cut. It angled steeply downhill and at the moment, was covered with running water.
Exhilaration seeped through my veins. But all that was instantly forgotten as another thought crossed my mind.
Somewhere ahead, the Omega and the Bell were waiting for us. But if Beverly and I could find them, so could Chase.
His face appeared in my mind and for a few seconds I stared into his unblinking eyes. Somehow I knew that within the next twenty-four hours, one of us would kill the other.
PART IV
ALADDIN’S CAVE
Chapter 45
As I strode into the tunnel, alarm bells clanged in my head. Puzzled, I stopped and examined the space.
Okay, brain, I’m listening. What are you trying to tell me?
At about thirteen feet tall and ten feet wide, the tunnel was large, yet far smaller than a normal subway tunnel. It took me a few seconds to decide whether the Omega could fit within its walls. It seemed possible, but it would’ve been a tight squeeze.
My eyes lingered on the walls and I found myself intrigued by them. They were roughly hewn and colored a charcoal black, quite dissimilar in appearance from a typical New York subway wall.
I walked over to the nearest one, my boots splashing through the running water, and touched the surface. It felt cold, sharp, and pockmarked. I removed my finger and examined it.
It was covered in black dust. The walls weren’t constructed from artificial materials. They were the original bedrock.
So the Sand Demons hadn’t bothered to pour concrete. The more I thought about it, the less surprising it seemed. The Sand Demons didn’t need to build a permanent structure. They just needed a way to move the Omega into Beach’s secret system.
Something clicked at the mouth of the tunnel.
My free hand grabbed my gun and I spun to the side.
Beverly turned around. “Feeling a little jumpy?”
“Of course not.” I deliberately poured on the sarcasm. “It’s not like people are trying to kill us or anything.”
As I stuffed the pistol back into the holster, I noticed that water no longer ran at my feet. Glancing up again, I saw that the mouth of the tunnel was blocked. “Did you close that wall?”
“I gave us privacy,” she replied indignantly. “The last thing we need is Jack stumbling in here.”
“Did you check to see if there’s a way to reopen it?”
“Not exactly.”
“It sounds like you really thought this through.”
“Well, I…”
I shook my head. “Forget it. Just forget it.”
I swung my beam to the ground and moved a couple of yards into the tunnel. I could see that the floor, like the walls, consisted of bedrock. Across its uneven, soaked surface ran a single set of tracks, with chunks of extra wood used to level them out. They wouldn’t pass inspection, but they looked more than capable of managing the weight of a single subway car.
I maneuvered my light, confirming the absence of a third rail. Then I knelt down and examined one of the metal tracks. Although heavily smudged, it still looked almost brand new.
“What was that about?”
I glanced up and saw Beverly looking down at me. Her face expressed disapproval.
Vehement disapproval.
My defense mechanism instantly kicked into gear. “You were careless. If we can’t reopen that wall, we’ll die in here.”
“What else was I supposed to do? Leave it open? In case you didn’t notice, this tunnel is right off the Lexington Avenue Line. A deaf, dumb, and blind man couldn’t miss it.”
“You should’ve checked with me before you closed it.”
“I did what I thought was best.”
“And potentially made a mistake in the process.” My chest tensed up. “Unfortunately, we can’t afford to make mistakes. Chase has Diane and he and Standish want to kill us. Plus, there’s a bunch of maniacs running around with an alligator on a leash.”
“You’re blowing this out of proportion.”
“Am I? Because last time I checked, it’s not just our lives on the line. Chase wants to detona
te a hydrogen bomb in this city. Thousands, maybe millions could die if we mess up.”
“I know all that. That’s why I closed the wall in the first place.”
I exhaled. “You’re right. Don’t mind me. I’m just spouting off some steam.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Is this just about the wall? Or is something else bothering you?”
“Yeah, this tunnel.”
“What about it?”
“That’s just the problem. I can’t figure it out.”
“Walk me through it. Maybe I can help.”
I rotated my torso so that I faced away from the tunnel mouth. My beam penetrated for about fifty yards before giving way to the darkness. “I don’t know. It’s probably nothing. Let’s keep moving. I’ll walk up the left side of the tunnel. You take the right. If you see something out of the ordinary, don’t keep it to yourself.”
I slipped to the left of the tracks and cautiously began walking through the tunnel. Despite my nagging concern, I couldn’t help but feel astonished by it. The Sand Demons must’ve slaved away for weeks, quietly carving it out of the bedrock.
As we traveled farther across the chewed-up landscape, I started to move my light a little more frequently. I couldn’t escape the feeling that there was something off about the tunnel. Something wrong.
Something that could kill us.
Beverly cleared her throat. “Take a look at that.”
I pointed my light through the tunnel and sucked in a mouthful of air. A wall loomed in front of us. “Well, how about that? It looks like another dead-end.”
“What’s that stuff on it?”
I squinted. “Whatever it is, it’s bright. There must be a reflective surface mounted on the bedrock.”
“But why?”
“Don’t know.”
Beverly resumed walking but I stood still. The nagging feeling returned. It was much louder now, practically screaming at me to slow down, to watch my step. Reluctantly, I shifted my flashlight from left to right and then from down to up.
I’m imagining things. Why would anyone…?
My beam caught a strange glint of light originating from the ceiling. Tilting my head, I noticed a couple of old wires strung along the bedrock. I followed them with my eyes as they veered to the sides of the tunnel and then plunged to the floor.
There weren’t any light fixtures in the vicinity. There wasn’t even anything remotely electrical for that matter. So, what purpose did the wires serve?
The ceiling rumbled.
“It’s a trap,” I shouted. “Run.”
My gaze shot to the right and I saw Beverly stumble.
With a thunderous explosion, rock blasted into the air.
I veered to the side and crossed the tracks. Yanking Beverly to her feet, I shoved her with all my might.
A large weight crushed me.
Terrible pain shot through my body.
And then, all was quiet.
Chapter 46
I inhaled a mouthful of dirty water and choked. My oxygen-starved brain panicked. My lungs worked, trying to suck in air. But instead, I choked on more water. I tried to move but something heavy held me down.
“Cy, where are you?”
Who’s that? And where the hell am I?
My brain felt sluggish and dull. My head felt like it had been repeatedly dunked in a swimming pool. I just wanted to drift off to sleep. But something told me that if I slipped into unconsciousness, I’d never return.
I felt the weight on my back. It pressed my body firmly into bedrock and wet wood. Maneuvering my arms, I placed my palms on the ground and pushed upward, thrusting my chest an inch off the ground.
Fresh air poured into my burning lungs. My mind crystallized. I was in the makeshift tunnel. I was searching for the Omega. I was…
“If you hear me, make some noise.”
It was Beverly and her tone sounded desperate. I heard frantic movement as if she were scooping away rocks and debris.
I opened my mouth to respond but my voice box refused to listen to my brain. Before I could take charge of it, my strength gave out and I plunged back into the icy, muddy liquid.
My nose slammed into rock. Blood from my face oozed into the water. I tried to shout but merely swallowed more of the nasty sludge. Opening my eyes, I realized that my face was positioned over a water-filled crevice. I attempted to twist my head to the side but my mouth still failed to clear the water.
I noticed a thin shaft of light. It passed over me and quickly vanished. As darkness returned, I realized that I was no longer holding my flashlight. And since I couldn’t see a second beam, I assumed it was no longer working.
I propped myself on my hands for a second time. Then I pushed up, lifting my haunches a few inches off the ground. This time, I slid my legs forward and curled them up underneath me.
I couldn’t quite reach the air. My brain felt foggy and my mind seemed to be floating away.
Desperately, I tried to lift my head out of the water. But the heavy weight on my back cut me off.
I steeled myself.
Then I burst upward.
Air entered my lungs and I gasped. The heavy weight on my back shifted. With one final twist, I managed to shake it off of me.
A heavy rock crashed onto the ground next to me with a loud booming noise. A bright beam poked at my eyes. Lifting my hands, I shielded my face. “You can put that away now. I’m here.”
The light shifted and Beverly’s face materialized out of the darkness. She smiled. “Nice of you to finally show up.”
Slowly, I extracted my legs from under a few chunks of bedrock. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
“I’ll try harder next time. By the way, thanks.”
“For what?”
“For saving my life.”
“No prob—”
“Then again, if you’d seen the explosives in the first place, you wouldn’t have had to save my life.”
I feigned shock. “Wait, you’re blaming this on me?”
She laughed. “Well, I’m certainly not going to blame myself.”
Before I could respond, she pointed at something beyond me. “Whoever set those explosives meant business.”
“What do…?” My sentence trailed off as I twisted around. A mountain of crushed rock reached almost to the ceiling, separating us from the Lexington Avenue Line.
“Lucky break,” I said. “Hell, I’m amazed the whole street didn’t cave in on us.”
“Luck had nothing to do with it.”
“Oh?”
“I know about explosives. And whoever planted the ones in here knew their stuff. They were designed to cause a small, controlled cave-in with no impact on the surface above.”
I nodded. Then I glanced at her leg. “It looks like you’ve got a nasty cut.”
“It was just fine until some jerk came along and shoved me onto the ground.”
“You’re just grumpy because you owe me one.”
I checked my body for injuries. While I saw plenty of cuts and bruises, none of them seemed overly serious.
After brushing myself off, I reached down and felt along the ground. My fingers bumped into my flashlight. Carefully, I withdrew it from the pile and tried to turn it on. To my surprise, it lit up, casting a dim glow upon the bedrock.
I clambered off the rock pile, ignoring my protesting muscles. I was tempted to call for a brief rest but all that changed when my beam fell upon the wall at the end of the tunnel.
It twinkled brightly, casting additional beams in hundreds of different directions. As my eyes grew accustomed to the light, I realized that the wall wasn’t the end of the tunnel.
It was part of an entirely separate tunnel.
A perpendicular tube connected to the one in which we stood, forming a T-intersection. Keeping an eye out for explosives, I strode forward and stopped at the point where the two tunnels intersected each other.
I shone my light about the new tube in both directions, marveling
at the spectacle before me. It wasn’t gigantic, maybe two feet taller and five feet wider than the current one. But it was unlike any tunnel I’d ever seen. There were no signs of crumbling concrete or ugly metallic beams. In fact, the entire passageway looked like it belonged in an art museum.
It was almost perfectly cylindrical except for a deep, smooth groove carved out of the red-bricked floor. Arching beams, painted bright red, sprouted out of the ground and ran across the ceiling before returning to the ground again. Brightly colored, ornate tiling covered the walls.
My remaining doubts melted away. Still, I could scarcely believe that I was looking at an abandoned subway tunnel constructed decades before the rest of the system. But it wasn’t just any tunnel.
It was Alfred Ely Beach’s lost subway system.
My eyes drifted to the one unsightly structure in the area. On either side of the groove, metal tracks ran to the north as far as I could see. They looked exactly like the tracks from the other tunnel.
It was most likely the work of the Sand Demons. They installed the tracks to transport the Omega farther into Beach’s system. I frowned as I examined their addition. It was a little like drawing a smiley face on a Norman Rockwell.
Nice going, Sand Demons. Way to ruin a masterpiece.
Beverly joined me and for five minutes, we just stared at the uplifting piece of art masquerading as a subway tunnel.
Finally, she broke the silence. “Why do you suppose the Sand Demons set up that trap? Why didn’t they just seal off the tunnel after they moved the Omega in here?”
I shrugged. “Flexibility? Maybe they wanted to keep their options open in case they needed to move it again.”
She frowned. “I wonder if they knew about its true purpose. They sure seemed hell bent on keeping it hidden.”
“I don’t know.” I stepped into the tunnel. “But I do know one thing. If there was one booby-trap, there’ll be more. And if we’re not careful, the next one could be our last.”
Chapter 47
As the tunnel’s visual impact faded, my nerves began to tingle. I knew that the Omega and its lethal cargo weren’t far away. Yet, I was short on time and even shorter on patience.
“Just so I’m clear,” Beverly said. “This is Beach’s work right?”