Ojore looked over to Cahir and scowled at him. Cahir ignored the insolence of the man and walked into the circle.
“Askold, did you get a map of the Murkway and the schedule of Rozzers down in the Barrio?” Benny asked as he shook the men’s hands.
“Yes. We’re good to go.” Askold answered, who was no longer wearing the Rozzer uniform and was now dressed in dark clothing, matching everyone else. On the dry ground around him were extra swords with holsters. “The shift change happens at midnight, like here. And here is the map.” He reached into his pocket and held out a folded piece of paper, handing it to Benny.
Benny opened it and examined it. “This is going to be real shitty, guys.”
“Soooooo funny,” grumbled Askold with a roll of his eyes, “I just can’t wait to traverse through shit. It will be a first for me.”
Ojore looked over at him, “Oh, I highly doubt that.”
Askold punched Ojore in the side, and the two began to fight.
“Enough!” Benny snapped. “We’ve got to stay sharp if we’re going to pull this off tonight.”
Cahir looked at Benny. “Let me see the map.” He held out his hand.
Ojore stepped forward and blocked Cahir. “Benny is the leader here, notyou.”
“Oh, shut the fuck up. We all need to review the map in case something happens to it when we’re down there,” Cahir sneered.
Ojore punched Cahir directly in his left eye. Cahir flew back but landed gracefully on his feet, his eye beginning to swell.
“I saidENOUGH!” Benny shouted, a little too loud considering they were trying to be discreet. “Cahir is right, we all need to review this. We’re about to travel through some disgusting waters, and if we lose the map or it gets damaged, we need to know our way around.” He stepped around Ojore and handed the map to Cahir.
Cahir looked it over and then handed it to Askold, purposely walking around Ojore, who scowled at him.
Askold chuckled.
When everyone finished reviewing the map, Benny said, “Okay. We will leave now to make it down to the Barrio in time for the shift change at the Murkway. Then we will sneak out through here.” He pointed to a spot on the map, and everyone nodded in agreement. “Have you all packed weapons, just in case?”
Cahir grabbed one of the extra swords and strapped it to his back. Everyone looked around at each other and nodded, except Ojore, who only glared at Cahir.
“Let’s go,” Benny said.
They traveled through Orience by sticking against walls, crouching low through fields, and avoiding any Rozzers patrolling. Twice, they split apart to make it through large groups of Rozzers lining narrow passageways with no other way around. They made their way south until the fields began to thin out and the dilapidated homes of Barrio came into view.
The roads were dirt and riddled with potholes. The houses had peeling paint, some with shutters that were hanging off the hinges, and the sounds of crying babies and drunken yelling came from within their walls.
Benny led the way, looking down at the map multiple times, taking turns, and then circling back. When Askold asked if they were lost, Benny shushed him and kept on his winding path. The smell of the Murkway grew stronger the further south they traveled, and when they approached a short wall that fell deep into a gulch of foul-smelling liquid, Benny pointed down to it.
“We’re here,” Benny said. “We’ll need to get into the tunnels just a ways up.” He pointed to the tunnels on the map.
Ruel sighed as he took the first leap into the dark liquid that rose to his stomach. He looked up at the others and gave them a thumbs-up.
“Hey! What are you doing out after curfew?” A Rozzer yelled from a distance, pulling out his gun and running towards the group still above the gulch.
The remaining men exchanged a brief look before quickly sliding into the murky water with Ruel, splashing the foul-smelling liquid around them.
“Quick! Into the tunnels!” Benny shouted, and the men pushed forward as quickly as they could through the water.
“Get back up here!” The Rozzer shouted. He began firinghis gun into the darkness at them. The bullets hit the water and splashed around them.
Cahir pushed his legs as hard as he could. A bullet hit him in the back and ricocheted off his skin. The tunnels were getting close, and the Rozzer was yelling curses at them from behind, refusing to dive down into the liquid himself.
Fear gripped Cahir’s spine as the Rozzer fired at them, not for himself but for the others. He was okay risking being hit by the bullets, but it wouldn’t be the same for them if one made its mark.
The Rozzer was evidently too disgusted by the Murkway to pursue them, as he made no effort to slide down after them. Cahir didn’t blame him; this was truly horrible. The stench was so foul it burned his nostrils as he gasped heavily, straining his muscles to reach the tunnel.
