The tunnel was dark, narrow, and dusty – smelling of many years past. It was made of metal that rippled with sound as we went. Cobwebs got entangled in my hair and I could only imagine the state of my already abused clothing. Ahead I could see the dark form of Suvan edging blindly forward. To my relief, the sound of the Mutans became more distant with every passing moment. The passageway soon ended at an intersection that divided into a left and right passageway.
“Which way do you want to go?” Suvan whispered. Her frightened voice echoed against the metallic walls.
“It doesn’t matter,” I replied with as much confidence as I could muster. “Take any direction you want as long as it gets us away from those infernal creatures. It will only be a matter of time before Tahn figures out where we have gone.”
“But surely the Mutans won't follow us down here. They are afraid of the dark.”
I chuckled. “Once he has them organized and with torches, they will surely follow his orders, darkness or not.”
Without a further word, Suvan took the right tunnel and I followed her.
“He said he was a holy man here. But why do the Mutans follow his orders?” Suvan asked.
With a shudder, I hesitantly replied, “He is actually more than a holy man. He is their father.”
She stopped mid-crawl, making me nearly run into her. “What do you mean by that?”
“Keep moving and I'll explain. You've been to many other cities of the Ancients, haven't you?”
“Yes, of course,” she said as she resumed moving.
“You said yourself that you had never seen the Mutans anywhere else. This is the only place that you know where they live. What makes this place so special?”
With conviction, she replied, “It is the curse of the Ancients. The evil spawned these beasts from the decay and ruins.”
“They had to spawn from somewhere,” I agreed. “But I have seen with my own eyes that the Mutans are bred from the very hands of Tahn and his ancestors.”
She nearly shouted, “But that's impossible! Only Allah can create and take life away.”
“I saw the only female Mutan alive,” I replied quietly. “How it breeds, I would rather not go into detail. But Tahn has a hand in raising and propagating the species. He is building himself an army that will follow his every command.”
“It's preposterous,” she said with finality.
I let the matter drop since we had more pressing issues at hand. The darkness was now totally complete so we had to cautiously feel our way forward. The tunnel was also descending at an alarming rate. Since we had started at the ground floor that meant we were now headed somewhere towards the basement. Even worse were the new sounds reverberating against the walls. It sounded like the Mutans were now inside the tunnels, but I couldn't tell how far away they were.
Suvan stopped and swore. “We can't go any further!”
“We don't have any choice.”
“But there is only a drop here,” she warned.
My voice rose in frustration. “It can't be that far down. We will have to risk it.”
She let out a breath. Then she spun around, took my hands and began lowering herself down. I held on tightly and listened as her feet kicked against the side of the smooth metallic walls. I slowly inched forward, allowing her to drop further. By the time my arms were stretched all the way into that pit, my heart was beating hard in my ears.
“I think I can feel the bottom,” Suvan's voice drifted from below. She released my hands.
I immediately heard a light thud. But any relief was quickly dispelled by a flicker of light coming from behind. I turned my head and saw a burning torch. It was a line of Mutans coming down the inclined tunnel at a hesitant pace. The ugly features of the lead Mutan were made even worse by the shadows cast by the flickering flame. Pulling the pistol from my pocket, I fired. The bullet hit the beast square in the face.
He pitched on his back and slid towards me, the torch flailing wildly in the air. I stopped him with my foot and grabbed the still-lit torch. The other Mutans put up a yell and charged at me. Not waiting any longer, I pushed myself backwards and dropped below.
I hit the floor with a loud metallic clang. Luckily, Suvan had moved out of the way or she would have been crushed by my sudden flight. The light of liberated torch revealed a small and dirty room with square openings on the walls and mummified mice on the floor. Suvan was staring at me with a wild face streaked with dust. Above us, I could hear the Mutans screaming in panic since they had lost their only source of light. But it would only be a matter of time before they came down here. It would be easier for them to join us than returning along those twisty corridors from whence they came.
“We're trapped,” Suvan finally said.
“Nonsense,” I replied. “There has to be some way out of here.”
“As you can see, there are nothing behind those openings but fans. The Ancients must have used these tunnels to move air through the building.”
“Whoever maintained this building had to have access to this room!” I exclaimed. Without a further word, I began examining the walls with the aid of the torch. It was as Suvan said - any egress was blocked by a fan composed of five blades grouped tightly together. No one could fit past those rust-encrusted fans.
Any further investigation was halted by the arrival of a Mutan from above. He fell to the ground with a painful sounding crack. Before he had a chance to rise, I unsheathed and swiped at him with my sword. The cut opened his throat, causing the creature to thrash and gurgle with a terrible moan. His black blood stained the floor.
Suvan only stared at this new horror for just a moment before she started to help me go over this ancient prison. It was just a moment of time when I discovered a part of the metal wall that fit differently than the others. It was flush but had an edge that could be a door. I gave it a push with my hand but it did not budge. In a near panic, I gave it a violent kick that sent a bolt of pain down my entire leg. This time the thin metal buckled and a portion of the wall sprung open. It was a small opening but just large enough for someone to pass through. Before I even said a word, Suvan began struggling through the opening. Her legs kicked free, and she was gone.
Before I could follow, two more Mutans thudded on the metallic floor. I spun around and drew my sword. The foul creatures moved fast this time and rushed at me with their blades at the ready. They slashed at me, and it took all of my feeble skills to dodge and parry their blows.
One blade sliced open my shirt, barely touching my flesh. I took the lit torch and shoved it into the attacker's face. Turning away, he clutched his eyes and screamed, dropping his blade. With only one Mutan left, I was able to use my longer reach. After some quick work, my sword struck him straight in the chest. He let out a groan and slid to the floor. I took this chance and pushed myself through the opening.
Shutting the trapdoor behind me, I found Suvan waiting outside that accursed metal cage. Her expression was one of relief. I handed her the torch. The room we were in was a jumble of broken machinery that was covered in a layer of dust. From the dim light of the torch, I could see a door sagging on its hinges. From inside the metal enclosure came more noises. It was the Mutan and they were in a panic to escape. It would only be a matter of minutes before they discovered the way out.
“They will be free soon,” I warned Suvan.
“I’m sorry I got so scared. I hate to admit this to anyone, but I do not like confined spaces.”
“You aren’t the only one,” I said soothingly. “But enough talk, we have to get out of this building before Tahn sends more of those creatures after us.”
I pushed aside the door, and the hinges gave way, causing it to fall forward with a crash. Going through, we found ourselves in a short hallway with a flight of stairs that went upwards and another steel door across the way from us. It was the same place that Tahn had used to enter the building from the subway. The tunn
els were not a place that I wanted to go, but right now there wasn’t much choice.
Chapter 20