“This is all because of you anyway!” A woman cried out, cradling a small boy who was probably her son.
“Everything was quiet today until you and your men showed up, I saw it myself!” Another passenger spoke up. All eyes were pointed at Marco, including Sergio whose eyes were just as wide as the others but for different reasons. First, he was impressed that these people thought he was part of Roten Spaten but also in wonderment of what Marco would do next.
“Really, this is what you’re doing? Blaming me for all of your problems because you let a pack of wild animals dictate your lives!” Marco stood up, although not as tall as she might have wanted to, due again to the tunnel being constricted by the flooding.
Sergio moved onto one knee, ready to follow behind Marco no matter what might happen, or perhaps even to defend her if things went badly again. She was his last remaining companion after all, and he doubted he would be able to get through the Red Line without her or any of his original gear. Although it wasn’t the proper time to be distracted by his thoughts, he remembered that he’d never actually double checked his rucksack for his effects. Certainly Marco couldn’t have deprived him of his possessions; at least he knew his Brotherhoodn uniform was inside because he had put it in there himself before they left Avtozavodskaya. Fumbling with his pack, he did his best to keep his eyes on the situation as he rummaged under the flap. Underneath the tough fabric of his uniform, he felt the smooth round form of his helmet and gas mask, a grand prize to be sure! The Brotherhoodn helmets were ones specially built with the air filters attached to a visor that was hinged in, making a complete package. Behind the helmet he felt the cold steel of his new model submachine gun that he had been issued in D6. It was all there, everything he had started out with was still intact and available to him. He unclipped the other strap on the rucksack quickly and began to re-equip himself.
“Fine! It’s not like I want to go back to your damned mess of a station anyway!” Marco retorted, continuing her argument with the passengers. Her voice lowered as she spoke her final and foreboding warning to them. “When the mutants come, remember that you could have had me defending you.”
Sergio garnered from her inflection that they were about to be abandoned on the wrong side of Kitai Gorod station, and wouldn’t be returning to Madrid on the boat. A pang of fear struck his heart as he gazed ahead to where they were about to reach the end of the river. Although nothing was moving, the eerie darkness prevailed beyond the immediate docking zone. The area was penetrated by a bright ray of light from a hole in the tunnel ceiling, eroded in the middle of the platform by water trickling down from the surface. Remarkably, the consistency of the air did not change as they approached the dock; he would have thought the gaping hole to the open sky would have brought with it a gust of the sludgy atmosphere he had endured in other places outside of the Subway. Still, he donned his helmet and lowered the visor over his face just in case.
Marco pulled the straps of her own rucksack higher on her shoulder and then put both hands back on her weapon, eagerly awaiting the edge of the platform and perhaps even an encounter with the mutants that she professed were inhabiting this area. It seemed as if she wanted to shoot at something as an excuse to let off steam and to prove to the irritated boat passengers that she had been right about going down the other tunnel.
The bottom of the boat began to lightly scrape against the crossties beneath them, and Marco did not hesitate to jump onto the concrete platform at the earliest opportunity. Not even looking back at him, she walked straight into the abandoned station vestibule, making a low grunt as she did. He hurried after her, taking a large step from the boat and then paused for a moment to turn back to the passengers. Each of them looked at him with a slightly worried expression, maybe now feeling guilty that they were Marooning the two Hunters in this vacant place alone. He wanted to say something, or at least thank them for the ride, but then he heard his name echoing distantly off the dirty tile down the hall and simply waved goodbye to the fisherman before turning to follow her voice.
“Stay close. They could jump out at any moment.” Marco whispered once she heard his footsteps close in behind her. Sergio heard the switch on her rifle click off from the safe position.
“Where do we go now?” He whispered, keeping his own rifle pointed to cover their right side, which was the side that was open to the hopefully empty darkness.
“They’ve built up a huge barricade in the left hand tunnel where there’s a bandit hideout. Most of the right tunnel is collapsed, but halfway down there’s a passage that goes into Kitai Gorod station. We may be able to get through there.” She switched on the tactical flashlight on the underside of her rifle, its bright yellowish beam quivering with anticipation from the cracked tile wall to the mildew covered ceiling.
“And, if not?” Sergio’s voice was suddenly hoarse.
“There’s a stairway exit on the other platform that goes to the surface.” Marco said in a hollow voice that expressed fear and hope that they would not have to go that way. She stopped abruptly and held up her right hand; up until now they had been slowly creeping along the damp platform with silent steps. Perhaps she had seen or heard something?
Sergio clicked on his headlamp and put his back to her, straining his ears to listen for any sound other than their breathing and the dripping water, which was hard to do from underneath his helmet. There was a light scratching sound coming from his right, where they had just been walking, and he scanned along the corner where the wall met the floor, searching for movement. He nearly jumped when he felt Alek’s hand slip underneath the bottom edge of his armored vest, pulling him as she began to creep forward again. Why was she always pulling him along behind her? He stepped backwards carefully, not wanting to step on her heels, still scanning every crevice his light could penetrate. The tension between and around them subsided as silence prevailed, and Marco released her grasp on his vest and began to walk at a normal pace towards the right tunnel opening.
Turning around to join her, Sergio lit the wall in search of the doorway to the transfer passage while Marco kept her light scanning the floor and opposite wall for obstacles or enemies. A light affirmative breath emanated from Sergio’s lips when his light reflected on a wide gray door with the letters “К-Г” stenciled on it, alerting Marco to its presence. She aimed her weapon and light down the open tunnel to their left, it seemed to stretch on further than Sergio had been imagining when she mentioned that it was collapsed. Finding nothing notable, she lowered her rifle and tried the handle of the door with no success.
“Its locked. There’s no outpost here anymore?” She kicked it hard twice, but the door did not give way. “Черт!”
Sergio too, tried to pull open the door in vain, then knocked hard a few times, and finally gave a short grunt to signal his surrender.
“We’ll have to go up.” Marco said with a notable tremor in her voice, her eyes scanning the ceiling as if she could see through it.
Then a most chilling and unfortunately familiar howl left Sergio’s hair standing on end, his whole body was electrified at the sound. He watched in slow motion as Marco had her weapon aimed, shoved her body against the wall facing the open tunnel, and started to walk backwards towards the platform. Sergio could only think to light and lead the way back, keeping his own weapon ready until she spoke up, not knowing where the exit was.
“On the left, where the hall opens up there’s a switch in the corner!” She kept her back pressed against his, trusting that he was watching for debris and their escape route at the same time.