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 detonate 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?”