Chapter 1
“I swear, man, if we end up falling into a bottomless pit, I’ll make sure I land on top of you.”
Luke rolled his eyes at Eddie, who was following him into the dark tunnel with only their headlamps shining the way. “There isn’t a drop where we’re going. And if you wanted something risk-free, you should’ve gone with your mom to play bingo.”
Choice curses echoed through the damp walls, but it confirmed his friend was being an annoying asshole as usual. Luke lived for urban exploration, or urbex, as those in the know called it. It was his drug of choice, but doing it solo wasn’t a good idea. Unfortunately, Eddie was the only one of his friends who’d been available at short notice. He could’ve waited for a more willing partner, but his own impatience dictated otherwise.
After several searches, Luke had discovered a clue about a chamber linking to an unexplored network of tunnels. The Illinois Tunnel Company had dug most of them more than a hundred years ago. Mostly forgotten, the possibility of a new discovery was the holy grail of urbex nerds.
The area they were in was a well-known intersection dividing two other tunnels. Luke knew that if he chose the left, he’d arrive at the high-ceiling chamber often used for underground parties. However, it was the one on the right he wanted to explore.
“Man, slow down. I think I stepped in shit!”
Eddie had complained nonstop in the hour since they’d entered the maze. Luke was tempted to tell him to shut up. Logically, he should turn back, leave, and try to find someone else to be his wingman, but he clenched his jaw at the idea. Anticipation and the possible confirmation of his theory messed with his usually cool head. He needed to keep going. His instincts demanded it; too bad it wouldn’t be possible with Eddie tagging along. Even if it was best practice to have a second person, this once he didn’t mind continuing alone.
“Shut up, would you? You want to leave? Then, go! I thought you wanted to come underground.”
Eddie groaned. “Come on, man! I thought it would be more glamorous than scouring stinky hell-holes and crawling through vents.”
They hadn’t accessed any really disgusting parts so far, and Eddie would probably cause more problems than not if he continued to tag along, so Luke had to think fast. “Do you think you can walk back alone? It’s a straight line from here. And you came in your own car.”
For the first time, Eddie stopped his whining and appeared genuinely concerned. “Didn’t you tell me it wasn’t safe to do this alone? Wasn’t that the reason you called me?”
“Yeah, but there’s a possibility you’ll probably tread through more shit. You continue, you shut up. Otherwise, you can go home and be on your couch in an hour.” The hesitation told Luke that Eddie had already made his decision but was considering his friend’s safety. “Don’t worry, Ed. I’m used to it. I’m just going to check a theory, nothing more. If I’m right, I’ll organize another expedition. I know the way, so there’s no surprises and no risk.”
There were always risks, but Luke told the little white lie to get rid of him. Within minutes, after an equipment transfer and a final handshake, Luke was pleased to see Eddie disappear from sight. Tension loosened between his shoulder blades.
One look at his watch told him he’d lost precious time if he wanted to finish his investigation before dawn. Not only had he broken his cardinal rule of not going into a new territory alone, but he’d exceed the time he normally spent underground. “I’m just finding the entrance, nothing more. Then I can come back with more people.” His voice reverberating through the dripping concrete walls steadied him, and he continued on.
Being alone in such a place was surreal and something he almost never did, although he loved it. It allowed him freedom and time to appreciate the truly unusual beauty of his surroundings. From a different era, the tunnels showed signs of deterioration, a reminder from nature to humankind on how inconsequential their time on earth was. His trained eyes also saw notches and depressions on the walls, marks from the workers who built this structure and who hoped to never be completely forgotten.
It would be so tempting to become lost in contemplation, but that would open the door to mistakes he couldn’t afford while alone during this exploration.
Mentally revising the map of this section, Luke remembered that at the upcoming intersection on the left was a vast reservoir, now empty of water, but not of building waste thrown there by the city in the fifties. The entrance he was searching for was probably on the right, although it wasn’t as obvious as he expected.
As soon as his beam of light aimed to the right, the reverberation of a man’s screams pierced through him. Panic almost seized his mind until he realized it wasn’t Eddie, as it wasn’t coming from the direction his friend had gone. It was from the reservoir area.
Unmoving, Luke asked himself if the sound had truly been a voice or if it had been one of the many unexplainable noises that traveled so easily through the concrete and metal structure.
His answer was the sound of gunshots. This time, it was unmistakable. The shots and yells were coming from the reservoir.
Years of survival training as a Marine kicked in. He was alone and in danger if he stuck around. He needed to find a way out.
Just as he considered a probable route, he heard another male shout, but this time, it was laced with pain, followed by the familiar rattle of an automatic weapon.
The resonance made it difficult to detect its origin. Was it really coming from behind him, or was it from the tunnel he’d just left? Or maybe even in front of him?
Hesitating, Luke touched his holster. He never advertised that he kept a gun on him during his explorations, but experience told him that being prepared could save his life.
Torn, Luke heard more voices accompanied by footsteps and loud bangs. Drawing his weapon, he peeked back at the intersection, but it was clear. Very carefully, he retraced his steps, but instead of heading toward the exit, he decided to check the reservoir. It was dark, and that was the first clue something strange was going on.
Normally the rusty steel door was wide open and hanging half off its hinges. Reaching it, he could see it was back on and closed. When he attempted to pull open, it didn’t move. The ruckus didn’t stop on the other side and Luke remembered seeing an access point to the reservoir via a ladder. Sprinting back through the tunnel, he turned the corner, and there, just before the access point he wanted to explore, was a hole on the ceiling. After holstering his weapon, he took a few steps back for momentum and jumped. Pure luck allowed his fingers to wrap around the first rung, and he hauled himself up with brute force until he could reach the bottom step and climb up.
Glad to see that the hatch was open, Luke pulled himself into the small room filled with useless pipes and levers before shutting off his headlamp. Open grids at the top of the reservoir allowed filtered light through from the streetlights above. It allowed Luke to see movement but few details. The protective window in front of him had been shattered long ago, and the sound of gunfire and yells were deafening through the open space. Carefully, Luke peered below and saw three individuals, likely male, armed to the teeth, firing at a small hill of junk.
The main door was directly under Luke, and the attackers didn’t try to run to it. Had they locked themselves inside, or was it the opposite and they were desperately trying to get out? Before he could figure it out, one man fell, wounded in the leg, and the two other men rushed to his side to pull him behind what seemed to be a concrete block.