by Jack Walker
“After the last two days I do get your meaning. I think we do need to get away from here as fast as possible. Dawson and I were actually looking at maps earlier, and you could possibly help. We think we may have found a way to get through; but could do with your knowledge,” Simon said hesitantly, “With the weapons we have we have limited ammunition and range.”
Jones took the map that Simon held out; spread it quickly on the deck as he kneeled next to it. He looked at the marked area that represented the island; looked over the rest of the map excitedly and looked at Simon with a twinkle in his eye. Calling George over to join them, he asked George the exact dimensions of the boat; then when he got the answer he thought he would get he grinned and clapped both Simon and George on their backs; stood stretched, and headed towards the steering wheel. George and Simon followed him, wondering what he was up to.
Chapter Twenty Six
“My plan is to go through some of the older tunnels that still exist under the streets of New York. I bet you two did not know they were even there, did you?” Jones spoke, smiling.
“Tunnels? Where?” they both spoke nearly simultaneously; looking puzzled.
“There are tunnels that are under New York that have been forgotten; however I know of several that are perfect for our purpose. Large enough that we do not have to worry about the boat getting trapped. We will still have to be careful though.” Jones said, “Mind if I steer for now? Then I can get us in and we can avoid any trouble hopefully.”
Simon and George gaped at him as he took the wheel and powered the boat up to a respectable speed, and turned back the way they had come. While this was happening he explained that there had been loads of tunnels dug when the city was being constructed. Lots of the tunnels had been used for smuggling both illicit goods as well as people. The boat quickly reached a point near the Brooklyn Bridge; where Jones slowed the boat down rapidly. He seemed to be looking for something in particular, and finally he exclaimed that he had found it. He pointed toward a grate that looked like part of the old sewers; but noticed that it was shinier than the others that were spaced intermittently along the shoreline. As the boat moved closer they could see the lock was also shiny. Jones nodded to Simon and George who looked on in utter astonishment as they brought the boat right up to the grate. It was massive, the same size as the boat. George was tasked with getting the boat reversed up to the grate so that Jones could get the grate open. Jones jumped down to the platform that was on the back of the boat; getting a firm grip on the lock he reached up and spun the combination dial to open it up. The gate would need to be swung open slowly; towing it open would be the only way they would be able to get the boat in successfully. Once they had the gate tied off to the back of the boat, George carefully towed the gate open and they saw the massive grate slowly open up to a dark maw behind it. They untied the rope; manoeuvred the boat so the bow was facing the opening, and George slowly started to manoeuvred the boat into the opening.
Before he got too far, Jones was reminded by Ella who had overheard the discussion about the carrier being attacked; and mentioned that they might be followed. Jones had not forgotten but was thinking how they would accomplish the closing of the grate. Simon had also been pondering that, and had thought that maybe they should just tow the gate closed again. Jones looked at Simon’s idea and nodded. Simplest was often the best. So they attached the rope again and tied it off onto the boat. Slowly George increased power to the engines and they watched as the massive grate swung closed behind them; George manoeuvring extremely carefully. George steered very carefully; making sure there was nothing obstructing their way as they proceeded slowly into the passage behind the grate. Jones nodded at George as they got the gate closed just enough; then he motioned for George to reverse the boat so they had enough slack. Unfortunately they could not take the other boat that Dawson’s sons had been on so they had let it go earlier on and left it floating around in the harbour. After untying the rope they had used to close the grate; Simon had hauled out a huge battery operated lantern to guide them. Outside they heard the noise of an engine; specifically a plane engine. It sounded like a Cessna to the trained ears of Jones. He wondered aloud if the plane was searching for any sign of them in the harbour.
Proceeding slowly along the passage way; Simon and the rest of the group were amazed at how much there was to see. The graffiti that was sprayed along the walls was quite dynamic, and there was even painted scenes that were undeniably artistic. They spied several smaller passages off to the sides as they slowly motored along the dank underground tunnel. Turning to Jones, Simon asked him: “How did you know about these tunnels? How come nobody else knows about them?”
“Simon; we do our training locally here in New York, and some of it we do in these tunnels. We need to keep our teams well trained and disciplined. They get introduced to the tunnels after basic.” Jones explained, “There are tunnels throughout New York and the surrounding areas; the military often uses them to train for disasters and if we need to extract people we can. However, this one has caught the Army and all the other services napping. We thought we were trained for any eventuality. We were wrong.”
Ella asked “But how did the Army find out about the tunnels? Surely they were not common knowledge to everyone?”
“Nope, Miss Ella; some of it was blind luck, but research showed that there were all sorts of abandoned tunnels; old subways; disused bowling alleys all hidden below the streets of New York. Going back through historical records, the various armed services discovered that there were plenty of old abandoned waterways as well. Like an underground Venice; using it for training was the next best thing to train for infiltration and survival. These tunnels I know; because I have trained extensively in them. This particular tunnel has several off-shoots that we could use to get safely away from this other crowd.”
Simon nodded and the he felt Judith put her arm around his waist. She had sidled up to him whilst Jones was regaling them with the tale of the waterways. She snuck her arm around him as he listened then she had placed her cheek on his back, snuggling into his back. He felt her breasts on his back and he started to feel aroused; trying not to think about her closeness he turned his attention back to Jones. He carried on talking to the few people on the deck; having relieved Simon of the light he was using it to point out features in the tunnel. Simon placed his hands on Judith’s, and softly played his hands along her arms, feeling the flesh pimple with his touch. He felt so close to her; almost like she was meant to be a part of his life. He smiled and felt her kiss on his back, and relaxed a bit more into her. Judith wanted him to turn around so she could give him a proper kiss. She wanted to feel his lips on hers now; she was ready to explore the spark between them she had felt the day before. She wanted to feel closer to him and to sit down and talk. However she knew that the time was not right just yet. They had to survive this ordeal they were going through; then hopefully they would be able to start a life together. She was just enjoying the closeness; the hug she was giving him was an indication that she wanted more from him now. Ella noticed the two of them, and smiled as she looked at the two of them. Her wistful look said it all to Judith as their eyes met. Judith was feeling sorry for Ella, and did not want to get her feeling alone. She opened her arms, let go of Simon and moved over to where Ella stood. Her arms enveloped Ella, and the two shared a long hug; making Simon a bit jealous of their closeness now. Judith leant down and whispered to Ella; the two of them then moved over to Simon, and both put their arms around him. Blushing furiously, he now was in the perfect position to Kiss Judith; she had now come from the front. Ella hugged him from the back, and Simon felt her small breasts press into his back and immediately his erection grew. However, Judith felt the growing erection and giggled; briefly distracting Jones as he looked at the three of them standing there in a hug. His eyebrows shot up and he shook his head then carried on talking.
Simon felt heat suffuse his face, and he felt Judith reach up to him and pull his h
ead down for a kiss. Mercifully the light was now showing everyone a passage off to the right, and they were in relative darkness. Her soft lips were slightly parted as she brushed her lips against his, then her tongue darted in briefly for a taste. She quickly placed her mouth over his, and kissed him deeply; passionately. He heard Judith moan softly as she melted into him, forgetting for a brief moment that the rest of the group was still on the boat with them. Judith felt the light start to swing their way, and she quickly broke off the kiss, standing still and leaned into Simon; trying to give the impression of not having just kissed Simon. The blush was just rising on her face as she put her face into Simon’s chest and let out a silent laugh. Simon tried not to grin as he felt the closeness between them growing more intimate. She tightened her arms around his waist, and squeezed. His breath was lost for a second and he just enjoyed the closeness of her. Her hair did smell a little bit of sweat and cooking oil. There was also a hint of perfume; something sweetish but not quite flowery. He inhaled her scent a little and just savoured in the smell of her. He felt her also just inhale, and he gathered that she was doing the same as what he had just done.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Travelling through the tunnels they had not noticed any rats or anything else that moved down in the passage. There was no noise. At All. The silence was absolute apart from the low burble of the big diesel engines of the boat. It was the sudden noise they heard from where they had entered the tunnel that shocked everybody. The roar of a gasoline powered boat echoed up the passage toward them. Jones; reacted by pushing the throttle lever in George’s hand all the way forward and everyone held on tight as the boat shot forward. Roaring the big diesels shot the huge boat forward at an astonishing rate in the small space. People screamed as the walls of the passage flew past rapidly, missing the sides by two feet or less. A wake was forming behind them as they powered forward toward the unknown. George moved over and let Jones take over, his face grim with determination; concentrating on their path forward. George grabbed the light to help guide them into the blackness.
The pursuers were being tossed around on the wake of the bigger boat and they had to slow their pursuit slightly; the motion of the water making their passage dangerous. They clung on to the boat; their stomachs lurching in dismay with their passage continued. They did not have the luxury of a light; but continued to follow the glow up ahead in the passage. Every now and again they saw the light disappear from their view as the other bigger boat went around a slight bend. Conversation was difficult between the pursuers; they were trying hard to concentrate on the difficult task of staying on the trail of the bigger boat. They did have more manoeuvrability; but without a light to lead the way, their passage was much more dangerous. Their speed reduced even further as they realised that they needed to go slower. They watched ahead carefully; not wanting to get caught out by anything. Not knowing the tunnels as well as Jones was a serious disadvantage; they could not have a clue about where the boat could go. Watching as the light dwindled away as the other boat was racing away from them; the noise of the engines fading.
Everybody on board the boat was hanging on for dear life as Jones sped the boat onward; guiding it toward what Simon hoped was a sanctuary for them. He felt Judith’s heart thudding next to his as she clung desperately to him; the water rushing past them rapidly. Simon clung to the railing next to the wheel and made sure that Judith was still there, as well as Ella at his back. Surrounded by them, he was excited and thrilled to have them both near him. He saw Jones pull the throttle back as the boat started to slow. Jones smiled at last; the passage he wanted was coming up. Slowly the big boat came to a shuddering halt as the engines reversed. He twisted the wheel over to port, and the boat glided silently and smoothly into the bigger passage off to the left. The large open cavern-like space was breath taking as Jones shone the light around and he saw the small dock on the opposite side. He throttled the boat right back and slowly moved the boat forward; inch by painful inch. Nearing the dock he shut off the light and said softly to the rest of the group now huddled below to remain quiet. Instructing everyone to head into the various cabins; there the sounds they made would be muffled. Simon was still standing gripping the railing with the two girls squashed in front and behind him. He saw Jones look at him sideways and shook his head slowly. He could see the silent laugh as Jones shoulders were shaking. He motioned to the girls to head downstairs, but stopped Simon from going downstairs as well. A look passed between Judith and Simon; a pleading look that was probably begging him to stay safe. He nodded at her as she headed down the steps.
Jones smiled at the thought of his niece with Simon; he was a good match for her. Her temperament was fiery but loving and he knew they would make each other happy. From what he had seen with Simon, he was a good match for Judith. He walked softly over to Simon and smiled; then placed his arm on Simon’s shoulder. He motioned for Simon to follow him toward the back of the boat. He handed Simon an AR-15, and passed him a couple of clips of ammunition. Simon suddenly realised why Jones had sent everybody down to the cabins. He wanted them out of the way, and to get them to a safer place. Simon could hear the other boat’s engine as it slowly made its way down the passage they had just come from. With the light extinguished there was very little ambient light that was available for their eyes to use. Their eyes had adjusted very well to their situation; enabling them to see better in the darkness. They still could not see much; but could hear the boat engine getting closer. Their boat had settled, and the small ripples that they had made as the boat had settled. Utter stillness enveloped them, the quiet was electrifying and Simon felt the tension in the air.
Pursuing them had been a good idea at the time, but their lack of light was now becoming a serious problem as they had absolutely no idea if the other boat was hiding, or if they had actually managed to escape. Knowing how badly it would be if they did not manage to destroy the other boat; they continued down the passage extremely cautiously. Speed would no longer be of use to them if they could not see where they were going; that was a sure-fire way to destroy themselves. Cursing softly, the pursuing boat’s pilot doubted himself now and if they had missed the boat somehow, and were now wandering around down here getting hopelessly lost. Puzzled, the pilot was wondering if they had gone past the boat, when he heard something that was out of the ordinary. He cocked his head and turned toward the slight noise he had heard and was about to say something to his partner; but the noise that he heard chilled him to his core. There was an infected down here with him. Perhaps more than one; there was no way of knowing. They shut the boat engine off; hoping the infected would ignore them and move on. His biggest fear right at that moment was being attacked by the infected with no light. That would spell disaster as there was no way they would be able to see them coming. Splashing alerted them to the fact that the infected were either in the water or.. Suddenly he realised what he had heard; they were not in the water, but the splashes were pebbles being thrown into the water, and the hissing was being made by a human. Bullets ripped through the boat; decapitating the pursuers, blood spraying out in red fans. The bodies sprawled in the bottom of the boat; their lifeless bodies now devoid of life. Jones had succeeded in his aim to kill the pursuers. Knowing the necessity of their deaths; he had wanted to see if there was anything he could salvage from their boat.
Jones slowly stroked his way to the side of the boat, and hung onto the side. Looking into the boat he saw the attacker’s blood pooling at the bottom of the boat. They had pursued the wrong man, and it had led to their deaths. Jones’ training in the tunnels had paid off in full, with the successful ambush of the pursuers. His wicked smile played over his face as he softly said to the dead mean in the boat ‘Gotcha!’ Even if they had known where the other boat had hidden they would have struggled to find the hiding spot without light. That had been their fatal mistake. Their pursuit had been hazardous at best, but with him keeping his calm and ensuring the boat’s peoples safety had been his number on
e priority. Killing the pursuers had been a necessary evil, but he would do it again if he needed to. His trade had been killing; which he had been extremely good at. Killing was after all his field of expertise; something he had more than enough years of experience in.
Simon had blanched at the thought of Jones going to hunt the pursuers down, but the logical way Jones had presented it would be to the groups benefit. He had slid silently into the cold water, had kept the AR dry by swimming slowly with it held above the water in one hand and had slowly made his way down the passage to where the other boat was. Thinking back on the training he had undergone; and had kept up with, had helped him tremendously with his plan. It; the plan had been simple; to approach the other boat and distract them long enough to get them to reveal their position to him; then he could kill them all. Jones had known that they would need to be killed for them to get away safely; ensuring the rest of the groups safety. After all, they did want to get to the island safely. His thoughts were such that he needed to concentrate and wait for Jones to get back safely to their boat. Hearing the gunshots he rationalised that either Jones had succeeded or the pursuers had killed Jones. He heard the soft whistle echo down the tunnel toward where they had tied up the boat to the underground jetty. Simon sighed in relief as he heard the noise of swimming coming from where Jones was now coming back.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Jones climbed aboard the boat, reaching for the towel Simon held out to him. Drying himself off, he removed his shirt and trousers and stood in his underwear. Judith had brought clothes up on deck so Jones could dress in dry clothes. Once he was fully dressed again he pulled Dawson and Simon aside; exactly what had happened down the tunnel and how they were now able to proceed toward the island. Their time left would be about an hour to clear the tunnels at the other side and then they could head for the island. George again deferred to Jones; who piloted the boat now at a gentler pace than earlier. Proceeding slowly they discovered more caverns and open spaces with many more tunnels branching off to the sides. Daylight was finally a dull glimmer in the distance and Jones opened the throttle a little more, making a bit of speed toward the light. Drifting to a stop, he pulled the boat around into reverse and looked carefully at the lock there. Grabbing the keys he used previously he had to reach through the gate to reach the lock; finally unlocking it and they had to then carefully push the grate open. The daylight was a welcome relief for them coming out of the dark tunnel. Looking around at their surroundings, Simon realised the other end of the tunnel had deposited them out in Sheepshead Bay; right by Neptune Avenue. He spoke to George briefly; consulting the map that had been left in the boat, and realised that they were actually still a fair distance to the Island. Simon had been hoping that the tunnels would have deposited them closer to the Island, but that was not to be. George took back control of the boat as they started to depart from the bay; wanting to get them away from the nearest part of land.
