Author Note: I have quite a few chapters to upload over the course of this week. The information Linka has been seeking will start to unravel piece by piece over the coming chapters. Read and review guys, I love to hear from you!
Thank you to my Beta... who makes my writing infinitely better!
Only Shadows Ahead
Chapter Sixteen
"The system was built in the 1920's," Kwame explained. "The subway was meant to help tackle traffic congestion — but it was decommissioned decades ago."
Linka looked around curiously as she watched her fellow group members approach what looked like a derelict substation. Years of neglect had taken its toll on the building. The words "Pacific Electric" were just visible across the side of the structure and had faded over time to a mere outline. More graffiti — an assortment of bright, flamboyant colours competing for prominence.
Wrapping the blanket tighter around her shoulders, she noticed someone in front turn and wave in the direction of a block of apartments nearby. A flash of movement caught her attention inside the top-floor window. It appeared that someone inside the building was waving back.
They entered the substation in pairs and Linka breathed in the damp, musty smell that permeated the air. A metal staircase stood in front of her, no doubt used by subway employees who used to carry out maintenance and track work below.
"This is where you live?" she wondered aloud. The metal grates beneath her feet groaned loudly as she descended into the darkness, following Kwame and the others down the stairs and deep within the maintenance building.
"Not here, but below," he answered. "There's one mile of track space down here. The tunnels have been disused for around fifty years."
"Oh," she breathed, clutching tightly to the rickety hand rail. "Is it safe?"
Kwame chuckled. "Yes, quite safe. We have look-outs posted here in the station and outside, along the roof tops. They warn us if anyone unsavoury approaches."
"That is comforting," she muttered. Her foot snagged and she stumbled, falling against the guardrail and remaining upright only due to Tyreese's quick reflexes from behind her.
"Careful," he said cheerfully. "There's a couple of sharp edges down the bottom too."
"Spasiba," she said breathlessly, heart still pounding in her chest as she glanced over her shoulder with a small smile.
A dark shape stopped at what looked like a manhole buried in the earth. Progress on the stairs halted as the man gripped the cover and swung it open.
"Ladder into the tunnels," Kwame explained. His eyes skirted sideways for a moment and he groaned as Matt dropped confidently inside the opening. He gripped the side rails, grinning at Kwame who leaned over, looking annoyed. "Do not even think about it!"
Matt disappeared quickly, his feet skidding down the outside of the metal rungs. Kwame rolled his eyes as they approached the cover, waiting in line for their turn. "We had a broken leg last week from someone doing exactly that."
Linka eyed the black hole warily, observing people slipping inside in an orderly fashion. Glancing around, she felt a sudden stab of apprehension. She watched Grace swing herself over the edge and climb down.
A hand appeared on her shoulder as Linka's turn approached. Kwame squeezed gently, reassuring her. With a resigned sigh, she down on the rim and swung her legs over the edge. Wrapping the ever-present blanket around her neck to avoid it snagging, she gripped the rails with grim determination and began the long descent into the blackness below.
Linka's feet hit the ground. The distance to the bottom of the shaft was longer than she had anticipated. She turned around, stepping away from the ladder to make room for Kwame, who was still making his way down. She was in a narrow access tunnel, just wide enough to fit two people side by side.
She stood patiently, watching the rest of the group weaving their way along the passageway, talking comfortably. Their voices echoed and bounced until they were out of sight, their lanterns casting jagged pathways of light that illuminated the dust present.
"Come on," he said, motioning for her to follow. They followed the passage for a few minutes. The air was cool down here and Linka shivered, raising the blanket over her head.
The path widened out and the earth under her feet disappeared, replaced by a wire-mesh walkway that bounced slightly with each step she took. Linka's jaw dropped as a massive cavernous space opened up below her. She stopped, gripping the hand rail and leaning over, eyes scanning the hive of activity.
A bustling hub lay beneath her feet, stretching as far as she could see. It was noisy; the constant murmur of voices drowned out by sounds of motors running. She leaned back, glimpsing what looked like steam-powered generators running nearby.
The noise was thunderous — the generators were powering industrial floodlights which illuminated the area below. Kwame gently gripped her hand and she resumed walking, thoroughly distracted and letting him pull her along.
She fell in step behind him, open-mouthed and fascinated by the level of organisation and ingenuity that surrounded her. She descended another set of stairs and found herself amongst a sea of people. Kwame weaved his way through them, holding tightly to her hand.
Linka tilted her head upwards, staring in fascination at the suspension bridge above their heads. A brass sign hung affixed to the wall opposite the bridge and she squinted, trying to read the contents but it was too far away.
"We are in the Belmont Tunnel," Kwame explained. "It was built as a rail transit system to combat traffic, but the area was abandoned in the 1950's. It is concrete lined, very sturdy. We've modified it. Made changes and extended upon the existing structure. It's not much, but it's home for about 500 of us."
"This is amazing," Linka murmured, however her voice was drowned out by the clamour around them. She spoke louder this time. "It is like a city down here!"
Kwame nodded. "The people here are the ones who have chosen to stay. We have engineers here, architects, doctors." He grinned suddenly. "Botanists."
"Coming through!" A voice issued sternly from behind her and Linka jumped, startled as a trolley was pushed past the pair. Cardboard boxes were stacked neatly within and Linka noted they were filled with cans of food — mainly tuna and tinned beans. The trolley was pushed away. It wove unsteadily off to the right as she was led towards a separate tunnel to the left.
"Headed for the store room. We ration out what we can. Manufactured food is getting harder to come by."
Several large metal drums were tucked away in the corner, filled with soil and growing an assortment of vegetables. The low hum of another generator rumbled as she passed it, connected to what looked like a complicated UV light system.
"Kwame, is that…" she started, intrigued by the complicated setup and hoping for a closer inspection, but he tugged her onwards. The generator noise ebbed away, along with the human clamour from the main subway tunnel. They appeared to be in a less densely populated area of the system now, and she assumed it was one of the recently added sections.
Turning abruptly, Linka found herself guided into a common area not unlike the one she knew so well on Hope Island. Kwame released her hand and she halted just inside the doorway, feeling ill at ease with the assortment of strangers lounging around on the sofas and floor.
"Welcome back," one of the new additions called, slapping Kwame on the back on his way out and he nodded in response.
Linka watched Kwame approach a girl sitting perched on the back of the sofa, chatting quietly with the people around her. Kwame reached out and shoved her playfully. The girl overbalanced and nearly tipped forward, turning and shoving him back with a grin.
"That's not nice," she chastised him. Linka's heart skipped a beat and she bit her lip, observing the glossy mane of black hair, dead-straight and shiny. It flowed to the middle of her spine, much longer than Linka could ever recall seeing it.
"When did you get here?" Kwame asked the girl, glancing back at Linka and smiling, motioning for her to come over. Linka stood rooted to the spot, however.
The girl twisted slightly to address Kwame, granting Linka a view of her profile. The familiar upturned nose and sparkling eyes were blessedly familiar. The voice even more so.
"This morning," the girl answered, giving him a once-over. "Another wild goose chase?"
"No," he answered, motioning towards the entrance, and Gi at last settled her gaze on Linka. The shock was evident on her face. Her jaw hung open and the smile slipped from her lips. A look of disbelief and grief contorted her pretty face.
Her physical reaction was even stronger. Body jerking and twisting, she slipped off the sofa with a huff, tumbling out of sight as her legs followed.
Ignoring the grumbles of pain from those around her, Gi quickly regained her composure. She scurried to her feet and crossed the room in three strides. She launched herself at Linka, clutching her around the neck in a panicky embrace as Linka hugged her back.
"Oh God, oh God, oh God," Gi whispered, her voice breaking. She swayed slightly, leaning back and pulling Linka's blanket around her shoulders so she could get a better look. Gi bit her lip, her eyes wet as she reached out, her fingers dancing across the abrasions and marks on Linka's face. "Oh God, look at you."
Gi sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her shirt and giving Linka a watery smile. "C'mon," she said gently, gripping Linka's arms and steering her away from the curious crowd.
They spent the first ten minutes in relative silence, limbs tangled on the bed and cuddling. Linka lay still; relaxed and sleepy. Comfortable enough to close her eyes and gather her thoughts. Every now and then a tremble would wrack Gi's body and she would burrow closer to Linka, sniffling quietly.
Gi had taken her to one of the many sleeping areas; small spaces hollowed out of the subway walls. A set of wrought iron children's bunks filled most of the space and the pair were lying on the bottom level of the bunk. A curtain had been drawn across the entrance, intended to allow the owner of the space a modicum of privacy.
A wet sniffle issued from Gi, and Linka's eyes fluttered open. She had her face pressed so close to Linka's forehead that she could feel Gi's teeth grazing her hairline.
"Are you all right," Linka eventually asked. The sound of her Russian accent must have set off a new wave of tears because Gi groaned loudly, tightening her arms around her.
"Oh God," she whispered, eyes glistening as she leaned back and regarded Linka with a weak smile. "Here you are all banged up to hell and you're asking me if I'm all right."
Linka repositioned her body, biting her lip. Gi's eyes were red rimmed and her face was blotchy. She rolled onto her back as Gi sat up, tugging Linka into a sitting position beside her on the bed. They sat with their backs against the wall, however Gi didn't relinquish her hand. She drew it into her lap, clutching it tightly. Gi's sniffles had subsided and Linka found herself being closely scrutinised.
Linka found her neck and face heating up, peering shyly at the girl who was so obviously Gi, but not at all the friend she remembered. Older. Her eyes had darkened over the years and a set of lines had appeared at the outside corners of Gi's eyelids. Linka drew her knees up to her chest and turned slightly, running her fingers through Gi's long tresses with a small smile.
"I like your hair," she offered and Gi laughed, throwing her free arm around Linka's shoulders. She pulled her in close, pressing a kiss against Linka's forehead.
"God," Gi repeated, squeezing her hand. "I was here when Kwame and the guys headed out again. It's the third time they've picked up someone with your description over the radio." She shook her head with wonder, giving her a tight smile and Linka watched on as the tears began to fall again. Gi wiped them away again.
"Kwame said he contacted everyone?"
"Yeah. I was here, anyway. I divide my time between here and home. When my communicator turned green, I thought must have been a glitch. I just assumed the latest run was gonna be another false alarm," Gi whispered, breaking down into sobs again. She raised her eyes, regaining her composure and wiping her cheeks with the back of her fingers. "God, it's good to see your face."
"You look so different," Linka breathed, and Gi chuckled.
"You look so damn young," she replied. Gi dropped her head onto Linka's shoulder and they sat quietly. "How old are you? Now, I mean? Then? Twenty-one?"
"Twenty-three." She watched Gi frown for a moment and Linka saved her the effort of calculating. "Eleven years. Blight said she brought me forward eleven years."
"I thought Gaia had to be wrong," Gi whispered. "I didn't wanna believe it. I mean, with everything that has gone down since she…" Gi trailed off, sniffling again. She rubbed her thumb over Linka's ring, twisting it around her finger. "Never mind. I'm babbling."
She squeezed Linka's hand again and sighed, fixing a cursory eye over Linka's dishevelled appearance. Despite the clean-up attempt at the mall, her blonde hair resembled a bird's nest and a new layer of grime coated her skin.
Gi tutted, prodding gently at the wounds on her head, neck and face. "You look terrible. Looks like you've been through hell. Let's get you fixed up, Lin."
"All right."
Gi stood and tugged her to her feet, heading out into the dim light beyond. As they passed through the makeshift doorway, Gi wrapped Linka in an affectionate embrace, squeezing her tightly.
"I've missed you," she said softly. "More than you'll ever know."