One Day in New York by J. F. Penn

Author:J. F. Penn
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Conspiracy, Supernatural, Thriller
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2015-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

***

After winding through Central Park, Regina led Jake and Naomi down a zigzag of side streets until they reached an area that even Jake wouldn't want to visit at night.

"Where are we going?" Naomi asked as they walked.

"It's more about how we're getting there," Regina replied with a smile. "I dated a sandhog once. He showed me a lot of the tunnels under the city."

"Sandhog?" Jake asked.

"I guess you could call them urban miners, construction workers who spend their lives underground – boring tunnels, building ducts for new projects, excavation, making sure the water pipes are OK. There's a lot that goes on under this city." She paused by a grate on the sidewalk, pulling a tire iron from her backpack. "Of course, if we're found, we'll get arrested. But just act like this is normal and no one will even notice." She grinned, a feral look coming into her eyes, and Jake caught a glimpse of the girl who had once survived on these streets.

Regina glanced around quickly. There were no cop cars in sight. With one smooth movement, she wedged the end of the tire iron into the grating and heaved it up. She pulled it sideways to reveal a metal ladder leading down into darkness.

"Quickly now," she said. "Wait for me at the bottom."

Jake looked at Naomi and shrugged, then stepped on the ladder and descended. The light dimmed as he went down, his footsteps echoing on the rungs. The sound of dripping water intensified as he reached the bottom. He pulled out his phone and used the torch function to look around. The tunnel was six feet at the tallest point so he would have to crouch to walk through it, and there was shallow water running along the concrete bottom. It smelled earthy with a metallic tang, but underneath there was a hint of the rotting decay and sewage that flowed through these tunnels somewhere.

Naomi stepped down from above and Jake resisted an urge to help her descend the last few rungs. His South African upbringing could sometimes be misconstrued as sexism and he had a suspicion that both these women were more than capable of looking after themselves.

"This is so cool," Naomi said as she looked around, wiping her hands on her tailored suit, oblivious to the dirt. Her eyes were bright in the torchlight. "I've always wanted to come down here, but all the official tours are waaaay too boring."

A clang came from above as Regina pulled the grating back over the hole and then came down to join them. She pulled a pair of gloves and a powerful headtorch from her backpack and put them both on.

"Sorry I don't have more gear for you, but this was a short-notice thing. We don't have too far to go anyway, so your phone batteries should last as torchlight. This way."

Regina stepped into the side tunnel, staying on one side to avoid the water channel. Her left hand touched the wall lightly with sure fingertips, as if the brickwork were braille and its message only for those of the underground world.

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