by Roy Bright
The group feel a sense of relief as they make their way down Canal Street unhindered, weaving with stealth between abandoned cars, some of which house the remains of victims of the Taken. As they begin to near the end of Canal Street, the bright lights to the entrance of the Holland Tunnel loom up ahead.
Gary claps his hands together in thanks. “Yes! The power is still on, which means the tunnel is still fully lit up and not on emergency lighting.”
“Finally, some good news” Abi states, trudging along, her exhaustion from spending most of the day on the run evident.
Gary walks over to her and puts an arm around her shoulder. “It’s not gonna be too far now. Only a mile and a half through the tunnel then a couple of miles to the church - you can make it, I’m here for you.”
“Three and a half miles!” she declares, her disappointment clear with his revelation. “I thought the church was like, right outside the exit to the tunnel or something. Hell, I thought we would get to the other side and walk clean into the door it was that close.” She slumps as she moves forward.
Charlotte lets go of Judas’ hand and walks over to her. She has grown very fond of Abi. Throughout the course of these events, the woman has been there for her time and time again, whilst Judas had been occupied, fighting to keep them all alive and as she begins to feel and understand her power more, she knows that Abi has an even larger role to play before the night is over. She has been sensing things all day. She doesn’t know how to explain them although she is aware that some events seem to be mere glimpses into possible futures. Some of the things she has seen have come true and some of the visions have had their outcomes altered by interactions from Judas and Gary, thankfully to her benefit, but the visions surrounding Abi have been strong all day and constant. She grips her hand and smiles up at her. “It’s going to be okay, Abi; I’ll help you get there.”
She smiles back, squeezing her hand. “I know you will, sweetie. What would I do without you?”
Judas turns to the group, “Come on, guys, we are almost there. The entrance to the tunnel is up ahead and as Gary said, the lighting is still on which is a positive sign as I really didn’t want to have to navigate through it under low or no light at all. Let’s get this done and find sanctuary with Father Keel.”
The group breaks into a slow trot towards the entrance.
Gary has his gun trained out in front of him, scanning left and right, his firearm always pointing in the direction he faces.
Judas moves with conviction, his hands gripping the sword handles in the harness, ready to act at any sign of aggression. He slows to a walk and stands at the mouth of the tunnel. Behind him, the violence in the city has now reached fever pitch. Fires rage out of control and the Taken’s numbers grow larger, evident from the increase of screams echoing through the night as people give in to hope, allowing Lucifer to work his way inside their minds, preying on their vulnerabilities. He looks deep into the jaws of the tunnel and although lit, it appears malevolent and foreboding. He knows that under no circumstances will the tunnel be clear of foes; but prays that any attention they encounter will be ahead of them, and that the Taken, or anything else for that matter do not stream in from the rear, as protecting Charlotte from both sides would be a difficult task indeed. He turns to his band of followers whom are eager to hear his plan. It is clear that they now trust him in full with their lives and will obey any command given, even Gary, who has vast amounts of experience in dealing with high-pressure situations and the one to take charge under normal circumstances.
“What’s the plan, boss?” he says.
Judas stares into the tunnel for a moment, takes a deep breath and then looks at him. “Well, we can’t stay here and we can’t swim across, plus the likelihood of finding a boat is slim indeed so, plan A is the only option, I am afraid. We need to get through this tunnel and through it fast. You cover the rear, Gary; I’ll take point and just pray that there isn’t anything more dangerous than a rabid accountant in there.”
“Okay, understood.” Gary says, drawing in a deep breath. “Let’s do this. You girls ready?” He tries to offer as much of a reassuring face as possible to them as their anxiety at the prospect of the tunnel run is evident on their faces.
Abi once again takes Charlotte’s hand and grips it tight, then looks down at her and smiles.
Charlotte looks back up at her and returns one of her own, nodding her head.
Abi turns to Gary and Judas, “Yeah, we are; as ready as we are gonna be at least. Don’t think I’ll bother with these.”
She is about to throw away her high-heeled shoes when Judas stops her, takes them and with two swoops from one of his swords, removes the heels leaving a pair of flat shoes.
“There ya go. You should be able to run better in those.” He smiles at her.
She laughs as she retrieves them, “Thanks, man, you could’ve done that about fifteen hours ago though.”
He smirks. “Sorry, sweetness, I was too busy chopping bits off huge demons.”
They both laugh.
Gary interrupts their joviality, “Okay, as much as I hate to break up this little soiree of fun, I do believe we have about one and a half miles of death trap to navigate and time is of the essence here people, so?”
Judas nods and turns towards the tunnel. “Okay, gang, fasten your seatbelts, this could be a bumpy ride.”
Abi shakes her head and moans, “Dear God, I’m on the set of Jurassic Park, next you’ll be telling me you spared no expense.”
Judas smirks but this time he does not look at Abi. He sets off into the Holland Tunnel, and they follow him.
Thirty-Seven
Gary brushes past Abi and Charlotte, signaling for them to stop.
So far, and much to everyone’s relief, they have been traversing the Holland Tunnel without incident, but now an overwhelming number of abandoned vehicles block their way; their dead occupants strewn all around and inside them. Bloodstains chart a clear path of destruction, creeping from the vehicles to up and around the white tiled walls; painting an abstract mural of the macabre.
The silence offers up an insane and eerie atmosphere that keeps Abi and Charlotte at the very edge of terror, clinging to one another for comfort.
Gary sides up to Judas who has acknowledged the detective’s signal to stop. He keeps his voice low so as not to alarm the girls. “I don’t like this, it feels too… easy, and I don’t like the fact that only the outbound section of the tunnel is lit up and not the inbound. Call me paranoid, but that suggests to me we are being herded.”
Judas surveys the area ahead and then looks back from where they have come.
For the last ten minutes, they have managed to traverse the tunnel with relative ease, using the raised walkway to the left side of the lanes, clear save for the few bodies of unfortunate people unable to escape the vicious onslaught of crazed Taken, as they hunted them down like wild animals. The thought of loved ones turning on each other by total surprise, succumbing to Lucifer’s will, unable to fight something they have no understanding over, has angered Judas. It has filled him with a fresh determination to fulfil the mission, so that these poor souls may find peace in paradise and that he may save those still surviving this nightmare. But for now, he must use that anger with wisdom and not allow it to affect his judgement; he must keep his head clear and alert.
“I hear ya, Gary,” he says, looking back towards the man, “and in all honesty, I have always suspected that this is a trap, but we have had no choice other than to take this route. We need to keep moving and deal with whatever will inevitably come.”
Gary nods, “Okay, boss, I guess we will know soon enough.”
“Yeah, keep a tight hold on the girls, mate, and let’s keep moving forward.”
He acknowledges and resumes his rear guard position behind them.
Judas claps his hands together. “Okay, guys, break time’s over, let’s keep moving and get through this tunnel. We have had it good so far and I reckon we ar
e just over halfway through. We are doing well so, onward Christian soldiers.”
Abi waves her arms in the air, “Yay! More walking!”
This causes Charlotte to giggle into her hands
Judas keeps himself on high alert as they continue their march towards the exit, constantly reminding himself of the need to stay focused, alert; don’t let your guard down for a single second, he tells himself, you know full well we will come under attack and you must be ready for it. You must stay alert.
Abi and Charlotte walk just behind him hand in hand and the child realizes that they hadn’t had much chance to properly talk since they first met. She takes the opportunity to do so now; the act serving to keep her mind off the horrible sights around them and as far away from fear as possible, also.
“Abi,” she asks in a semi-whiny tone, usually reserved for pestering Sister Anesta for ice cream at a ridiculous hour, “why were you at the motel? Were you alone?”
She smiles and laughs a little, “No, sweetie, I was there with a friend.”
Charlotte frowns and looks away for a second. Looking back at her she says, “Well, won’t your friend be worried and missing you, won’t your friend come looking for you?”
A full laugh from Abi this time, “No, no he won’t, he won’t care one bit about what has happened to me; he wasn’t that kind of, friend.”
“Well, what kind of friend was he? You must have been good friends to have been at the motel together.”
Listening in to Charlotte’s steady bombardment of questions, Gary decides to step in and offer Abi a helping hand, as she fumbles for a suitable response. “Well, Charlotte,” he says drawing her attention. “Some people who don’t have a mummy and daddy, or a wife to help look after them, need to employ people like Abi to help them sort things out and that’s what Abi was doing for her friend, she was helping him get settled in at the motel. Isn’t that right, Abi?”
“Err, yeah,” she replies “that’s absolutely right, Gary; I was helping my friend get settled in and made sure he had everything he needed.” She smiles.
“Ohhh, I see, a bit like Sister Marie did for me when I needed some help getting ready for bed and things.”
Abi looks at her and frowns, shaking her head at the same time.
“Sister Marie was Charlotte’s guardian.” Gary says, cutting in.
Abi acknowledges but before she can speak, Charlotte butts in.
“She died. A demon killed her. I miss her.” She lowers her gaze and stares at the ground, scuffing her feet as she walks, her heartbreak at the thought of remembering Sister Marie evident. She sniffs. “I miss Mr. Tumble as well. I dropped him when the big flying one grabbed me.”
Abi feels for her and shares that emotion with a look towards Gary. She strokes the top of the girl’s head. “Never mind sweetie, when this is over we will get you a new bear, an even bigger one that will love you twice as much as Mr. Tumble.”
“You promise?” she says, her eyes lighting up and a broad smile across her face.
Abi smiles back at her and, acting out the statement says, “Cross my heart, sweetie.”
A sickening, sly and hissy voice rips through the tunnel, “And hopes to die?”
It penetrates the silence causing the group to stop.
“You fucking lying whore. She’s a fucking whore and she’s lying to you, child,” it says.
Gary and Judas rush to the girls’ side, adopting defensive stances just as a foul stench sweeps through the tunnel making everyone feel nauseous and sick to their stomachs.
The voice hisses through once more, “She will never look after you, child, she will never care for you, she is a fucking whore and as useless as the dead nun, all dead and rotting down here in hell with us.” It cackles.
Charlotte starts to cry and grips hold of Abi.
Everyone looks around to see what manner of creature stalks the tunnel, taunting them. But they can’t quite pinpoint where the voice is coming from.
Judas grunts. He ushers them forward. “Keep moving, guys, we gotta keep moving.”
“Keep moving, keep moving,” it says, taunting him; mimicking as a parrot would its owner.
Gary’s eyes dart left and right wanting to catch a glimpse of its location, hoping to spot whatever it is so he can notify its position to Judas and he can drive it back into hell where it belongs. He hates the voice. It reminds him of that of the witch from The Wizard of Oz; a voice that used to terrify him when he watched the movie as a young child. The level of malice in her tone had bored deep into his psyche, terrorizing him as he had tried to sleep at night and he had hated that voice. And now, as an adult, this voice is having the exact same effect on him.
Abi struggles to control her breathing; she doesn’t want to hear another word from this twisted and evil entity. She gasps as she feels heavy breathing snake its way down the right hand side of her neck; hot and foul smelling that causes her to reel away.
The voice follows, burrowing itself into her ear, “You are nothing but a whore; tell the child what you really do for your friends.” It laughs again.
She screams and jolts backwards, stumbling into the wall, wincing as pain shoots into her left shoulder.
Gary fleets towards and grabs her, pulling her close to him and then, taking hold of Charlotte moves forwards to join Judas, pushing the girls ahead.
The evil voice zips around them; from above, to the side, then below. It feels as though it is everywhere at once yet, nowhere they can pinpoint. Singing as a child would a nursery rhyme, it repeats: “You’re all going to die; you’re all going to die.” Over and over, the ferocity rising in pitch and intensity as the natural reverb of the tunnel sends the taunt echoing through every inch of the underground tomb. Moaning and shuffling joins the horrible singing, as the dead start to writhe in their decaying positions; rising to join the trickster in tormenting them.
Judas screams, “Don’t listen to it! Push it out of your minds; it’s only an illusion, it’s growing off your fear!”
The moaning and writhing grows louder; the singing louder still. Bloody and mutilated hands grasp at the railings just in front of Charlotte and Abi and they scream, fear overwhelming them. The sound of the singing voice eats away at them: “You’re all going to die; you’re all going to die!”
Abi screams, “Shut up! Shut up! Stop it, stop!”
“You’re all going to die; you’re all going to die!”
Charlotte drops to the floor, clasping her hands to the side of her head, covering her ears. The cackling voice is too much for her and she wishes it would go away. She pulls her feet towards her body in an attempt to move them as far away from the rising dead as they moan, gurgle and wail.
Judas screams at them once again. “Close your minds to this madness! It cannot affect you if you shut it out. Do not let it in!”
The noise inside the tunnel is horrific. The demon’s voice continues to screech the same taunt over and over. The rising dead moan and clamber towards the group and Judas screams at them to block out the sounds but his voice has become muffled and distant to them all.
Abi shakes her head from side to side, screaming; her hands pressed tight to the side of her head as tears stream down her face.
Gary drops to his knees, his hands planted on the concrete floor, guns stretched out under them, sobbing and repeating, “Jacob, I am sorry,” as he is tormented with visions of his dead son in amongst the wreckage of the car that took the boy away from him.
Judas continues to scream at them, trying to bring them back into reality but he cannot reach them. None of them hears his voice as the moaning from the dead and singing from the demon reaches a bloodcurdling crescendo.
Then, deep and guttural, the voice screams one last time: “You’re all going to die!”
The lights go out.
Abi screams in absolute terror.
Judas calls out to his wards, loud and forceful, “No one move, a muscle! Everyone stay perfectly still and control yourselves.”
Abi and Charlotte freeze.
Abi’s breathing is shallow and deep and it pulses within her ears. She attempts to view her own hand, waving it in front of her face, but she cannot, such is the density of the dark. Shuffling all around her causes her breathing pattern to worsen and she hyperventilates. Something touches her hand. She shrieks in terror.
Charlotte speaks to her, “Abi, it’s me, it’s me; it’s Charlotte.”
She relocates the girls hand and grasps it and once again, the feeling of wellness hits her like a hammer blow and her breathing returns to almost its normal rate. She locates Charlotte’s head and torso and puts her arms around them, dragging her in towards her. Fear starts to dissipate from Abi as she becomes aware that Charlotte appears calm, and unaffected by the situation. All at once, understanding hits her as she realizes that the direr and hopeless a situation is around Charlotte, the stronger and more enlightened she becomes.
Charlotte addresses Abi; her voice monotone, calm and collected. “It’s going to be okay. Judas will save us. But close your eyes for a second, I need to light his way.”
Abi’s eyes dart back and forth, seeking within the darkness. Confused, she asks, “What Char—”
All at once Charlotte bursts into a beacon of light illuminating the entire tunnel.
Abi screams, as right in front of her face, almost touching hers, slavers the trickster demon, grotesque and twisted with a sharp and crooked teeth filled mouth, locked into a permanent grin.
It recoils in agony as the blinding light washes over it, eyes bulging out of their sockets, clawed hands raised to its face. It is almost the same size and shape of a well-built man but reptilian in appearance, with a long tail that now hammers at the floor, from the agony caused by the light. Lizard-like, it zig-zags away and over cars emitting a deafening scream as it moves; a scream so loud, it sets off car alarms within the tunnel.
Judas and Gary seize the opportunity to round themselves on the girls having now pinpointed their location.