The Shades Page 13

  "Where did that lamp come from?" Lacey asks, with a suspicious tone in her voice.

  "It was in my backpack," Cooper replies. "Why?"

  "We spent the whole of last night in the dark," she says, sounding annoyed. "Didn't you think to mention that you had a goddamn lamp?"

  "The battery's only going to last for a few hours," he says, a little defensively, "and last night, I didn't think we needed it. I wanted to conserve the power. As things stand, I guess it'd be safer if we have some light."

  "I agree with the plan to find Sutton," I say, hoping to interrupt their little disagreement. "We need to be thinking about finding a way out of this place. I guess the water's too rough for us to set sail, but at least if we get hold of Sutton, we can be sure of an exit once things die down a little." I turn to Lacey. "I'm sorry, but the company's going to have to wait for its report."

  She shrugs, as if she's annoyed but she knows she has no choice.

  "I guess you'll get into some trouble if you go back empty-handed, huh?" I continue, hoping to get a better idea of why, exactly, the company was so keen to send Lacey along with us.

  "I'll be fine, thanks," she replies with a forced smile. "Thanks for your concern, but I can take care of myself."

  "There," Cooper says, flicking a switch. The light flickers on, providing a small but welcome halo of illumination in the otherwise gloomy ticket hall. It's getting darker and darker outside, and it's insane to think that we've now been down in this subway station for almost twenty-four hours. The original plan for this mission was to explore the city by day and spend the nights back on the boat, but since Sutton performed his disappearing act and the storm moved in, we've been living very much on our wits. The longer this lasts, the less likely we are to find a way out of here, but I haven't given up hope yet. If the storm clears and we find Sutton, there's no reason we shouldn't be able to leave sooner rather than later.

  "What about him?" Lacey asks, looking over at Lydecker's body. "Does he have to be here?"

  "There's no reason to move him," Cooper says. "Apart from superstition, anyway."

  "What about disease?" she continues.

  "Not at this stage," he replies, "although obviously I'd advise against drinking the groundwater. Do you both still have at least half a bottle from the boat?"

  I nod.

  "Lacey?" he asks.

  "Of course," she replies, reaching into her bag and pulling out a plastic bottle of water. "I guess it's a good sign that none of us seems crazy thirsty, huh?" she continues. "Wouldn't want to go the same way as that woman yesterday."

  "Gretchen," Cooper says firmly. "Her name was Gretchen."

  "I know," Lacey says disarmingly. "I just didn't feel like using it."

  "I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep," I say, looking over at the ledge where the three of us are planning to get some rest. The idea is that we'll take turns, with two sleeping and one staying awake at all times. Although I'm exhausted, I feel as if my mind is spinning, and my body aches all over.

  "We need to be alert for tomorrow," Cooper says. "It's mind over matter time, ladies. You need to force yourself to sleep, even if you'd rather stay awake. Without rest, your bodies will start to fail you, and eventually your judgment's going to be impaired. I need you both to be sharp and alert."

  "I can take the first shift if you like," I reply. "If that's okay with both of you?"

  "I can sleep," Lacey says. "I think so, anyway. It'd be nice to have a few nice dreams, something to take my mind of all of this."

  "Me too," Cooper says. "I guess there's no time like the present. Stef, if anything changes, you must wake us up immediately. Even if it seems trivial, it's better to get a second opinion. Regardless, after three hours, you need to wake me up so I can take over. Three hours should be enough for a decent sleep cycle. Lacey, you can take over after me, and so on until morning. Is everyone in agreement?"

  It takes a while for Cooper and Lacey to settle, but eventually they manage to get comfortable on the ledge and I make my way over to the bottom of the steps, figuring that I should give them some space. The portable lamp is still running, and I have to admit, it feels good to have at least some light. I'm not a superstitious kind of person, but another night in absolute darkness, with the water still flowing down and with Lydecker's body resting on the ledge on the other side of the ticket hall, isn't exactly an enticing prospect. There's something about the darkness that brings out all those fears that can be ignored during the day. As I listen to the sound of the storm raging above-ground, I can't help wondering if we're going to be trapped here forever, left to die in an empty city. It's almost as if this place can't tolerate any life at all, and is using every trick in the book to sanitize itself and get rid of us.

  Lost in thought, I spend a couple of hours at the bottom of the steps. The storm seems to have its own rhythm, and I find myself just listening to the sound of the rain and wind as they get stronger and weaker over time. There are still a few rumbles of thunder overhead, and I can hear lightning, while the flow of water down the steps adds its own constant noise to the scene. Eventually, however, my reverie is interrupted by the flickering of the battery-powered lamp, which seems to be already struggling. Glancing over, I see that part of the cable has slipped down into the water, leaving the switch only an inch or so above the water-line. Figuring that maybe the whole thing could break, I wade across the ticket hall and lift the cable up. The lamp continues to flicker for a moment, but I figure the battery will hopefully last a few more hours. Then again, even if it lasts the whole night, there's still the question of what we'll do tomorrow night if we're still stuck in the city.

  As I work on fixing the flickering light, I hear a distant splashing noise, coming from somewhere behind me in the darkness. Glancing over my shoulder, I listen for any further sign that either Cooper or Lacey might have woken up early; hearing nothing, however, I figure that I must have just imagined the sound, or that maybe there's a leak somewhere. Getting back to work, I find that one of the cables at the back of the lamp seems to be a little loose, so I spend a few minutes trying to force it back into place. The lamp flickers on and off a few more times, until finally I manage to get the cable to sit properly and the light stays on properly, at which point I take a step back and realize that I've managed to get it fixed without too much hassle. If the -

  Hearing another splashing sound, this one seeming to come from somewhere a little closer, I turn and look into the darkness. This time, I'm certain that I didn't imagine it, and after a moment I hear it again.

  "Cooper?" I hiss, keeping my voice down in case I wake someone up. "Lacey? Are you there?"

  I wait, but there's no reply.

  Grabbing the lamp, I turn and shine the light across the ticket hall. The first thing I see is that Cooper and Lacey are still on the distant ledge, and they don't seem to have moved since the last time I saw them. Turning the lamp toward the steps, I see nothing unusual, but after a moment I hear the splashing sound behind me and I spin around, shining the light back toward the ticket booth and finally seeing that there's a figure standing a few meters away. As the light reaches his features, I realize that it's John Lydecker, his rotten, discolored face staring straight at me.

  "Cooper!" I shout, turning and hurrying through the ankle-deep water as fast as possible. With the storm having been raging for a full day, the flow of water has become stronger and stronger, to the point that it's getting difficult to walk against the flow. I manage to keep myself steady, however, and although I'm desperate to get over to the others, I make sure not to rush too much; if I lose my footing, I could be swept deep into the corridors and tunnels of the station before I get a chance to get back up. So far so good, however, and I can only hope that Lydecker's progress is even slower. After a moment, however, I feel something slip loose from the lamp, and I realize that the battery compartment has come loose. Before I can catch it, the trailing end drops into the water, shorting the bulb and plunging us once again
into darkness. "Cooper!" I scream.

  "What's wrong?" he shouts, sounding as if he's only just woken up.

  "He's moving!" I shout back at him as I splash toward the ledge where he and Lacey have been sleeping.

  "Who?" he asks.

  "Lydecker!" I tell him as I reach the ledge. "He's up and moving about!"

  "Bullshit!" Cooper replies.

  "I saw him!" I shout, desperately trying to get the lamp to work again. "Part of the battery went into the water," I say, "but I saw him. We have to get out of here." Just about able to see him in the gloom, I reach out and grab his arm, trying to pull him toward the steps.

  "What do you mean?" Lacey asks, her voice filled with panic.

  "We have to get out of here!" I shout.

  "You must have fallen asleep and had a nightmare," Cooper says, sounding as if he doesn't believe me. "Lydecker's about as dead as it's possible to be, Stef!"

  "I saw him!" I shout, still pulling on his arm in an attempt to get him over toward the steps. "I'm not imagining things! I saw him!"

  "You can't have seen him," he replies.

  "Listen!" I say, turning and looking out at the darkness. "Just listen. You'll hear him."

  "Stef -"

  "Listen!" I shout, and for a moment we all stand in silence. Sure enough, after a few seconds, there's the sound of someone splashing through the water, slowly coming toward us. "You hear that?" I whisper.

  "It's just water coming from a leak," Cooper says, even though I can hear the sliver of doubt in his voice.

  "What if it's not?" Lacey asks. "Turn the lamp on!"

  "I can't," I say, hearing another splash as Lydecker gets closer. "I can't explain it, but you just have to trust me! Please, he's up and walking!"

  "No," Cooper says firmly.

  "I'm going to the entrance," Lacey says, pushing past me and splashing through the water as she makes for the steps.

  "Come on!" I shout at Cooper, trying to pull him along. "I swear to God, that thing was there! There's -" Before I can finish, the lamp starts to flicker again, and I immediately swing it around and shine the light straight across the ticket hall. It takes a few seconds, but I soon manage to find Lydecker, who is slowly making his way toward us. "See?" I shout at Cooper. "We have to get out of here!"

  "This isn't possible," he says, as if the sight of Lydecker has frozen him in place.

  "We'll work that out later!" I shout, as Lydecker gets to within a couple of meters of us. "Right now we have to -"

  Before I can finish, Lydecker reaches out and tries to grab the lamp. I duck out of the way, but in the process I lose my footing and fall face-first into the water. I try to get up, but when I reach out to grab hold of a railing, I find that I'm too far out from the wall. The lamp has gone off again, presumably having landed in the water when I fell, and as I try to grab hold of something that might help me to get steady, the flow of water starts sweeping me across the ticket hall. I call out to Cooper for help, but suddenly I realize that the floor beneath me is sloping downward, which means I must have entered one of the corridors that leads down from the ticket hall. If I get swept down into the depths of the station, with no light, I'll never find my way out.

  "Cooper!" I scream, trying to find a hand-rail that I can grab, but can feel myself being carried further and further along the corridor, tumbling into the darkness. I try to call out again, but there's water in my mouth and I can't do anything to keep myself from sliding down into the depths.

  Caroline Jones

  Fifteen days ago

  "Reed!" I scream, backing away from Chloe's body until I'm up against the wall. "Reed!"

  Seconds later, the door swings open and Reed rushes into the bathroom, followed by the guy who was working behind the counter. They both stand and stare, as if they can't comprehend what they're seeing.

  "I don't know what happened," I tell them, with tears streaming down my face. "She just died right in front of me!"

  "Call an ambulance!" Reed shouts as he kneels next to me. "Caroline, what happened?"

  As the other guy runs back out to get help, I look at Reed and try to say something, but I feel as if I'm frozen. There are no words that can explain the horror I just witnessed. All I can do, instead, is stare at him and hope that somehow someone comes and makes everything right again. I feel as if my mind is about to shatter.

  Dr. Stef Grant

  Today

  "Cooper!" I scream, as I finally manage to grab hold of a metal railing that runs along the length of the tunnel. I haul myself up, but in the darkness I have no idea whether I fell down just one corridor, or maybe down several. All I can do is try to pull myself up and hope that I find the ticket hall. "Cooper!" I scream again. "Where are you?"

  I wait for him to reply, but the only sound comes from the water flowing past me, heading deeper and deeper into the station. I'm pretty sure I can't have been swept far along the tunnel, but I'm still going to struggle to find my way out in the pitch darkness. I'm completely disorientated, and although the sloping floor allows me to work out which way leads back up in the right direction, I have no idea if I was swept past any junctions. I pause for a moment, trying to control the sense of panic that's rising through my body, and finally I decide that my only chance is to just follow the slope and hope that if I keep going against the incline, I should eventually get back to the ticket hall.

  "Cooper!" I shout again as I haul myself inch by inch along the corridor.

  "Stef!" he shouts, sounding impossible distant. "Use your flare!"

  "What flare?" I shout back at him, before remembering that we each have one emergency flare in a zipped pocket on the legs of our haz-mat suits. Reaching down, I quickly manage to find it, but before I can launch it, I need to get far enough away. These things are designed to be used at sea, not in the confines of a New York subway passageway. At least it's water-resistant, so it should burn for a few minutes once I've got it going. The biggest danger is going to be from the heat as the flare is launched, because there's a risk it could cause significant burns when it's let off in such a narrow space.

  "Use your flare!" he shouts again.

  "Where are you?" I call out, making my way along the corridor. "Where's Lydecker?"

  "I'm going to use my flare!" he shouts. Seconds later, there's a huge explosion of bright red and white light up ahead, illuminating the entire corridor.

  Shielding my eyes, I start hurrying forward, aware that I haven't got long before the flare dies and the light goes. When I try to look ahead, all I can see is the faintest outline of a figure standing somewhere near the light, and as I get closer I realize that it's Cooper. The flare is still burning with dazzling intensity, but I have to keep going. This is my only chance to get back to the ticket hall, and if I end up going any further along this passageway, I risk being swept away entirely and consigned to the dark, flooded depths of the subway station. Looking ahead, I see that Cooper is still waiting for me, reaching out a hand as he waits for me to reach him. My relief is short-lived, however, as I realize that there's another figure right behind him, which means that Lydecker is stumbling toward him.

  "Behind you!" I scream.

  I watch as Cooper turns, at which point Lydecker grabs him by the shoulders. Cooper tries to push him away, but they both fall against the wall of the corridor before losing their footing. The water sweeps them toward me, and I reach out to grab Cooper. Despite my best efforts, however, he and Lydecker are carried straight past me. All I can do is turn and watch in horror as they're swept along the corridor and into the darkness, finally vanishing from sight. I stare at the stop where I last saw them, convinced that at any moment they're going to reappear, but as each second ticks past, I start to realize that they're gone.

  "Cooper!" I shout, realizing that he's in danger of being swept down into the depths of the subway station. If he ends up down there in the dark, labyrinthine corridors and tunnels, he'll never find his way out. "Cooper!" I shout again, desperately hoping that h
e might have managed to get hold of one of the railings. Realizing that I can't go back up to the ticket hall without him, I start carefully making my way down the sloping corridor. After a few minutes, however, the light from Cooper's flare has started to dim, so I realize that I'm going to have to use my own. I lodge it carefully between the railing and the wall, before pulling the pin and hurrying a little further along the tunnel. My heart is pounding, but I have to find him. I can't lose Cooper. Not here, and not like this.

  "Cooper!" I call out yet again, before my flare explodes, filling the corridor with light and blasting me into the opposite wall. I manage to grab the railing just in time, which helps me to get back on my feet.

  As soon as I look along the corridor, my heart sinks as I see that there's a junction ahead, with four separate passageways leading down into different parts of the station. There's no sign of either Cooper or Lydecker, which means they must have been swept deeper into the darkness, presumably down to the platforms and then maybe even further, down into the subway tunnels themselves. I want to believe that Cooper might somehow have found a way to hang on and start making his way back up, but even if he wasn't knocked unconscious, he'd be down there in the dark, disorientated and with no way to find the correct route. The odds of him surviving are almost zero.

  Still, I can't leave him down here.

  Making my way carefully along the corridor, I realize that the main flow of water seems to be going into a corridor that leads off to the left. Figuring that this is my best chance of finding Cooper, I start making my way along that corridor, even though the light from my flare is starting to dim. After a moment, however, I stop as I see that up ahead, there must be some kind of stairway or escalator leading down, but the entire platform area seems to be filled with water. Cooper and Lydecker must have been swept down there, in which case there's no way either of them could ever find their way back up. They must both be drowning, and as the final red light of the flare dies and leaves me all alone in the darkness, I realize there's nothing I can do. It's too late.