Chapter 8 - The Underworld
A massive explosion from the upper floors suddenly rocked the entire skyscraper.
The shockwave caused chunks of the concrete ceiling to crash down onto the black SUVs.
Victoria screamed as a heavy slab of concrete crushed the hood of her vehicle.
The armed mercenaries scattered in panic, entirely abandoning their boss in the chaos.
Mark did not waste a single second of the distraction.
He grabbed Elena's hand and dragged her toward the heavy steel door of the security elevator.
He punched in a sequence of numbers on the rusted keypad, praying his old access codes still worked.
The green light flashed, and the heavy doors slid open with a metallic screech.
They rushed inside, and Mark smashed the button for the subterranean level.
The elevator plummeted downward just as Victoria began firing her silver pistol at the closing doors.
Bullets sparked against the steel, but the doors sealed shut just in time.
They descended deep into the forgotten maintenance tunnels beneath the city.
The doors opened to reveal a dark, damp passage illuminated by flickering yellow bulbs.
"Where does this lead?" Elena asked, trying to catch her breath.
Mark shifted Billy's weight in his arms, kissing the boy's forehead gently.
"It leads directly to an abandoned subway station," Mark explained.
"If we can cross the tracks, we can blend into the crowds at the central transit hub."
They walked quickly through the freezing tunnel, the sound of dripping water echoing around them.
Elena kept looking back, constantly terrified that Victoria's men were following them.
They finally reached the rusted iron gate of the old subway platform.
Mark pushed the gate open, and they stepped onto the dusty concrete platform.
Across the live tracks, they could see the bright lights of the active central station.
All they had to do was cross the rails and climb up to safety.
Mark lowered Billy to the ground and held his hand tightly.
"Step exactly where I step," Mark instructed them both with extreme caution.
They jumped down onto the rocky gravel, carefully stepping over the electrified third rail.
They were exactly halfway across when a blinding light suddenly illuminated the tunnel from the left.
The ground began to vibrate violently beneath their feet.
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A rogue, out-of-service maintenance train was hurtling down the abandoned track directly toward them.
The conductor's cabin was completely empty, and the throttle was jammed to maximum speed.
