Something besides the alligator was flowing through the river.
Something that hadn’t been there a few weeks earlier.
Something deadly.
Chapter 22
As I pulled back the sheet that separated the tunnel from the layup yard, I saw something disturbing.
Very disturbing.
Five people from the colony stood in a semicircle, surrounding me. One by one, they crossed their arms and adopted defiant looks. The giant stepped forward.
But before he could reach me, a hand touched his side. He paused to glare at me. Then he stepped out of the way.
Ghost walked past him and stopped directly in front of me. “I thought I told you to leave.”
“It must’ve slipped my mind.”
“I doubt that.”
“When did you notice me anyways?”
Ghost patted the giant on the shoulder. “Fritz here recognized you from the moment you entered our home. He summoned the rest of us.”
I eyed the giant. “Pretty cowardly, Fritz. What’s the matter? Couldn’t handle me by yourself?”
He didn’t say a word. But the glare etched across his face spoke volumes about his feelings for me.
Ghost cleared his throat. “Listen to me very carefully. I don’t like you. My people don’t like you. The only reason you’re still alive is because I haven’t given the order to kill you yet. Do you understand?”
I shrugged. “Sure.”
“Now, I want answers. If you provide them, everything will be fine. If you don’t, then we’re going to have problems. Do you understand that?”
I nodded.
“Why did you come back here? Aren’t you afraid of the infection?”
“You’re not infected. At least, I don’t think you are. I need to run some tests to be sure.”
“Yesterday, you were looking for someone who tried to pawn a gold bar.” He gave me a suspicious look. “Now, you claim to be studying our sickness. Which one is it?”
I decided to level with him. “Both. A few weeks back, a homeless man named Fred Jenson attempted to pawn a gold bar dating back to World War II. He was last seen escaping into a nearby subway station. My employer sent out search teams to find him. One of those teams vanished under mysterious circumstances. I was hired to find the team and if possible, Jenson as well. I don’t know anything about Jenson yet but I believe the team’s disappearance is related to the problems your colony is experiencing.”
“Keep talking.”
“It’s the river. I think it’s poisoned.”
He frowned. “Is that right?”
“Late last night, my partner and I found four bodies. Two of them belonged to the search team. I think the other two are the people you lost recently. Peter and Mary.”
He clenched his fists. “You’re lying.”
“I wish I was. But like it or not, something killed them in the Lexington Avenue tunnel and dragged them through a series of natural crevices into the sewer system. And then, that something ate them.”
Whispers and murmurs started to circulate among the others. But one hard look from Ghost shut them up again.
He turned back to face me. “If that’s the case, then what exactly ate them?”
“I found a tooth. An alligator tooth.”
The colony members burst into frantic whispers and discussions. Ghost gave them another hard look, but this time, they didn’t stop.
Annoyed, he wheeled around again. “Alligators in the sewers? That’s just an urban legend.”
“First, it’s not confined to the sewers. At the very least, the gator was capable of accessing the subway system. And second, it’s not impossible. It’s reality.”
“How would a gator get down here anyway?”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters right now is that it appears to be snacking on people. And that means one of two things. First, we might be dealing with an alligator that’s developed a taste for human flesh. Or second, the alligator turned to humans after an interruption in its food supply.”
“Food supply? What food supply? There’s no food in these tunnels.”
“But there is food in the river,” I replied. “Up until a few weeks ago, I think the alligator survived on fish from the waterway. Then something happened to the water. Something big. In the aftermath, the fish were poisoned. The gator’s food supply dried up. So, it ventured out into other tunnels, searching for sustenance.”
“And you think that whatever poisoned the fish also poisoned us?”
“It makes sense. After all, your colony uses the river as a water source.”
“What’s the poison?”
“If I had to guess, I’d bet on industrial waste. But without testing, it’s impossible to know for sure.”
I took the bottle I’d found in the tunnel out of my satchel. “That’s why I gathered this water. I’m going to take it back to the surface and get it tested.”
“Give me the bottle.”
“Why?”
“Just give me the bottle.”
I handed it to him.
He unscrewed the top. Before I could stop him, he poured the liquid down his throat. Afterward, he tossed it on the ground. “It tastes fine to me.”
“You don’t understand. Just because you can’t taste poison doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”
“No, you don’t understand. I’ve had enough of your lies. Now, get out of my yard. And this time, stay away. If you come back, I won’t be responsible for what happens to you.”
“There’s an alligator loose around here.” My fists shook with anger. “And your water’s most likely poisoned. You need to take your colony and get out of these tunnels before you’re all dead.”
“We’re not going anywhere.”
“My employer’s wealthy and connected. He can fix everything. We’ll bring in the CDC. We’ll evacuate all of you to a private hospital where you can undergo tests and receive treatment.
Ghost got in my face. “I already told you, we’re not going anywhere.”
Fury burned within me. Reaching out, I grabbed him by the shirt collar. “Damn it, Ghost, your people are sick. If they stay here, they’ll die.”
He pushed me away. “We’re not leaving.”
“Stop drinking the water then. Let the toxins flush their way out of your systems.”
“No.”
I stared at him for a moment. Then, I turned my attention to the others. “You don’t have to listen to him,” I said loudly. “You can come with me if you want. I’ll take you to the surface, find help for you.”
No one budged.
Ghost flashed me a triumphant look. “We’re a family. And nothing you do is going to tear us apart. Now, leave.”
I forced my way out of the semicircle and walked out of the layup yard. Why’d I even bother trying to help him and his colony? All it had brought me were threats and aggravation.
Halfway out of the area, I snuck a glimpse to the side. During my previous visit, I hadn’t gotten a chance to examine the living situation. But now that it lay sprawled out before me, I knew I’d never forget it.
A couple of men and women, clearly emaciated, sat in small circles, sipping water from dirty plastic bottles and gnawing on bits of garbage. Little boys and girls, their eyes dull and lifeless, sat on ripped and tattered mattress pads and sleeping bags. They played quietly, without energy. I felt ill just looking at them.
As I walked out of the layup yard, I considered my next move. I could return to the surface and seek out Chase and Beverly. I could relay my suspicions about the river.
But Beverly’s threat still rang loudly in my mind. And without hard evidence, I doubted they’d listen to me. Even if they did, it would take time to find them, convince them, and organize a rescue effort.