Chapter 62

62

Down in the old factory's basement, the barrel-mounted flashlight of the stolen MP5 cut through the darkness.

The circle of its light revealed wire mesh fronted storage bins that contained an amount of stuff that didn't seem possible.

Inside were dartboards, Persian rugs, china, nutcrackers, license plates, comic books, a porcelain Bugs Bunny cookie jar, Mickey Mouse slippers, Barbies, a Happy Days lunch box next to a Charlie's Angels one, old board games.

Every fossil of Americana from 1970 onward that still existed seemed to have been gathered here to molder, I noticed. It was like a Gen X childhood museum. One bin we passed was filled only with old Cabbage Patch dolls lined up on tables like an army regiment.

"Now, there's something you don't see every day," said Colleen behind me.

Scotty led the way toward the tunnel with me close behind with the MP5 followed by Colleen, Daisy and Jodi.

I was also carrying one of the salvaged ballistic shields. Why not? Whatever the heck happened next, not getting shot seemed like a good idea to me.

I had another curious item that we had stripped off one of the tactical guys. An M67 fragmentation grenade. I say curious in that police SWAT teams didn't tend to go around tossing grenades when civilians were about. These psychos were clearly geared up for a guerilla war. I was almost surprised we hadn't found a flamethrower and some claymore mines.

Sticking with the escape plan we'd cobbled together, once we found the tunnel and made it to the town museum, the ladies could wait there safely. Then Scotty and I would head back and join Mathias and Mario in the old factory.

A successful escape would have to be all about the timing, I knew. We needed the bad guys to start laying siege on the factory. As they came at us, we would let off some rounds in the air to make them think we were truly pinned down. Then as they went through the laborious process of searching room to room, we would boogie down here to the basement, escape through the tunnel in the chaos and be well on our way in my truck before they figured it out.

That was the plan, anyway.

Someone grabbed almost painfully at my back a split second later as there was a clang ahead.

"It's all right. I just kicked over an old paint can," Scotty called back as I turned to see a wide-eyed Colleen behind me.

"Sorry," she said.

"This is the way. I remember now," Scotty said as we came to a short set of descending steps.

At the bottom of them, there was a big metal tank, an old oil tank by the sour smell of it. Beyond it along the wall was of course some more stuff, rusty wheeled hand trucks, a collection of old doors, a legless pool table with a torn felt top.

And what do you know, a Mr. T pinball machine next to a Michael Jackson one followed by a Ms. Pac-Man arcade game.

I looked at Michael in his white suit standing on a dance floor.

Now, if only we could find his sparkly glove, I thought, we could maybe moonwalk the hell out of here.

I almost bumped into Scotty as he suddenly halted.

"There it is. In the wall. See? I told you."

As I stepped closer, I saw the opening. It was tight, about the width of a coffin. From within it, you could hear a slight dripping of water, and I noticed that the air in front of it seemed discernably colder.

As I poked the light in, I saw the walls of the tunnel were made of rough yellowish blocks of rock on the bottom with an arching vault of brick above. The stale smell of damp earth was intense.

"We're supposed to go into that?" Jodi said.

"Wimps," Daisy said, holding her own phone forward as she tried to get past Scotty.

"No, let me go first, Daisy," Scotty said. "I have the flashlight."

Daisy relented and Jodi went next, then me and then Colleen.

Thirty steps in, the walls became rough stone like a mine shaft and after another ten, we came to a part where water was dripping from a crack in the ceiling and down the left-hand wall.

"See? They made an underground storage room off it to the left here," Scotty said, pointing his light into an opening ahead.

I pointed my own light as I got to it and saw a windowless cell with what looked like railroad ties in it. It smelled like mushrooms and dead mice.

Jodi shuddered in front of me. I patted her gently on the shoulder. The last thing we needed now was for someone to get cold feet.

We walked on for another hundred feet or so and then the tunnel seemed to get even narrower. I saw a few leaves along the floor and noticed it was getting colder. Moss appeared along a wall. Small piles of fallen bricks and rock began to pass on both sides.

"We're close now," Scotty said. "Up ahead it turns left and then it's only another hundred feet or so."

A second later, there was a strange scuffling sound.

"I can't take it. It's too tight. Help. I can't breathe," Daisy called out, pushing past Scotty.

"Daisy, wait. We're almost there," Scotty said.

A moment later, there was a loud thump and scuff ahead along with a short cry of pain from Daisy. In the choppy light ahead, I could see she had fallen down.

"Daisy, stop freaking out. It's dangerous," Scotty said.

In the light we watched as she got up and without turning around bolted ahead into the dark of the tunnel.

What the hell? I thought.

"Wait for us, Daisy!" Scotty called out. "Daisy, wait up!"