“Already ahead of you.” He held something in his hand. He shoved a second one in my left. “If you see any movement, pull the pin and lob this at them.”
The metal orb felt heavy in my hand. I raised it to my helmet light for a better look. It had a tab at the top. Like a grenade.
“Just be sure you’re at least twenty feet back,” he added, “or you might get some of the blowback. Wait thirty seconds. When the screams stop, it’s safe.”
I swallowed and shoved it in the breast pocket of my vest, hoping I wouldn’t have to use it.
“Shadi and I will take point. Prospero, be ready to provide cover.”
I nodded and removed my Glock from my belt. “Ready.”
“Move out.” Morales and Shadi took off at a jog. Mez shot me a here-goes-nothing-look and together we took off after them.
This section of tunnel was enclosed, like a large concrete pipe. Our boots splashed through puddles of liquids best left unexamined. Every now and then, an echo would carry down to us from clashes the other cops were having in other parts of the tunnels. But our path remained unobstructed except for piles of trash.
Eventually, we came to a spot where the pipe opened up to the platform. A throne made from an old armchair, tires, and two rusty bumpers sat empty in the dark. Morales put a fist up to indicate we should halt. Then he slowly worked his way to the lip of the tunnel. We’d all turned off our lights, so we couldn’t see much besides vague shadows. The only sound was my heartbeat thumping in my ears and the sound of air scraping in and out of my lungs.
My instincts prickled with something that felt a lot like alarm. It took me a minute to pinpoint the source of my unease. “Guys, this feels wrong,” I said. “Why haven’t we run into anyone else yet?”
Shadi shrugged. “Maybe they’re all asleep.”
It was true that blood fiends tended to be nocturnal, but it still felt off. Wouldn’t Bane have Sentinels set up at intervals?
Morales made a hand signal to move in. He and Shadi moved forward to check the area. Finally, I heard a whispered “Clear” from Shadi, followed soon by another from Morales. They jumped back down to join us.
“Okay, the area we believe to hold the stash is probably three hundred yards farther. That’s probably where we’ll find the guards. Be ready to go in hot and fast.”
Morales gave the signal to head out. This section of the tunnel had several niches set into the walls, which meant each had to be cleared, making our progress slow.
Finally, up ahead, the light looked different as we approached another train platform.
“Cover me,” Morales whispered. I crouched down by one wall and Shadi took the opposite. With each step he took, I scooted forward a bit. Behind us, Mez readied his potion bombs.
When we’d studied the blueprints, we discovered this platform was different from the other because it held a large room originally designed to be an electrical shed. We figured it was the most likely place for the stash since it had a door Bane could lock and guard.
“Clear.” Once Morales called to us, we all climbed the platform.
Once again, my alarms started buzzing. “Guys, something’s really wrong here.” Where were all the Sentinels?
The door was maybe fifteen feet away. The area in front of it was covered in trash, just like the rest of the tunnels. I shined my light around and froze when it hit the ceiling. Over our heads, someone had spent some time creating a spray-painted masterpiece.
“Uh-oh.”
“What?” Morales hissed. He was approaching the door but stopped when I spoke.
I pointed up and everyone stopped to look. “I think someone’s trying to tell us something.”
“It’s a lizard eating a pig—so what?” Shadi said.
“That’s a red dragon,” I corrected. “The symbol of Bane’s coven. Anyone want to take a wild guess at what the pig might represent?”
“That could have been done anytime.” Morales narrowed his eyes as he studied it. “It’s certainly not the first graffiti we’ve seen down here.”
“Yes, but it’s the first we’ve seen outside a stash room that is conspicuously free of guards,” Mez said. “What if it’s a message?”
Morales raised his gun and turned back toward the door. “Only one way to find out.”
The wizard and I exchanged a tense look. Finally, he shrugged and pulled a potion bomb from his bandolier just in case. “Here goes nothing.”
Since Morales had left the ram near the entrance of the Arteries because of its weight, he had to open the door the old-fashioned way.
“Step back,” he warned. Two seconds later, he raised his weapon and shot the lock. Sparks flashed off the metal door, which now sported jagged bullet holes. When no one fired back through the door or threw it open to engage, he started ramming the thing with his shoulder.
While he punished the door for existing, Shadi stood nearby with her rifle. Mez and I hung farther back, offering additional cover.
Soon the door surrendered and flew open. Morales dropped into a crouch and aimed his weapon into the dark room. Shadi went forward, shining her light inside. I couldn’t see past either of them but moved ahead just in case things got spicy.
“What’s that?” Morales called. “Get the lights!”
A split second later, Shadi flipped the switch and light spilled out of the room to create a pool on the platform.
“Shit!” Shadi called.
“Prospero, Mez—get in here!”
My heart started running before my feet did. The short distance separating us felt like miles instead of yards. When I skidded to a halt inside the room, Morales was squatting next to something. Shadi was in my way so I couldn’t see what. There was no doubt we’d found where they’d kept the stash. The scent of ozone permeated the concrete and made my lungs feel clogged with dust.
“What’s wrong?” Behind me, I heard Mez echo my question.
Morales didn’t say anything, just looked at me with a grim expression that made my bowels feel watery. His finger pointed to the only item in the room—an empty, upturned crate. A piece of paper lay in the center.
“What’s it say?”
Morales lifted it, read it, and then passed it over with a grim expression.
The words were written in dark red—blood, probably. “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.”
“What the hell?” Mez asked.
“Not often you hear a wizard quote the Bible,” Morales said, his jaw tight.