When they passed through the large opening of the tunnel, the Rozzer’s yelling faded to a quiet echo behind them.
“Was anyone hit?” Benny asked frantically.
Everyone replied with the same answer, “No.”
“Do you think he’ll call backup, and they will be waiting for us on the other side?” Ruel asked.
“We don’t really have a choice now. We have to keep going,” Benny replied.
“Well, this is fun.” Askold gagged as they followed the flow of liquid, his voice muffled as he held his arm over his nose. “Thanks to that asshole back there, now it’s in my hair.”
Ruel took the lead and pulled out a flashlight from his shirt pocket. “Glad I put this here and not in my pants.” He grimaced and looked around him as he turned on the light.
Light illuminated the stone walls of the tunnel they were walking through.Dark green slime grew up the walls where it met with the water, and condensation dripped down the stones.
“Turn right up there.” Benny pointed the direction to Ruel as theycame up to a split in the tunnel. The men turned right and slowly trudged through, noticing how the liquid was gradually deepening with each step.
Benny held the map far above his head and peered up as often as he could. The murky water was up to his throat now, as he was the shortest of the five men. “If this gets into my mouth, I’m going to puke.” He gagged loudly and cleared his throat.
Ruel pointed the flashlight at a warning sign plastered on the wall.
“Beware beyond here. Sewer Monster present,” Ojore read aloud. “This sounds fucking promising.”
“I didn’t know monsters were in here! What do we do?” Askold’s voice was high-pitched, and he frantically looked around at the brown water surrounding them. He jumped back and shrieked when Ojore walked next to him.
“Boo,” Ojore said to him with a bright smile.
Askold shook his head and muttered something like ‘fucking asshole’ as he pushed himself away.
Ruel continued leading them down the tunnel while holding his flashlight far above his head. Benny swam up to him. “There will be another split ahead. Turn left when you see it.” Something suddenly grabbed both Benny and Ruel and pulled them under the water.
The two men, the light, and the map vanished into the darkness simultaneously, leaving Ojore, Askold, and Cahir behind.
Askold panicked again.
“We need to find them,” Cahir commanded. “I’ll find one. Askold and Ojore, find the flashlight and the other. On the count of three… One, two, three!”
The three men sank into the murky water. Cahir felt around for anyone as he continued forward. This part of the Murkway was deep enough that he could not reach the surface. He swam as hard as he could through the thick water. He felt something brush against hisleg and went down. He pulled Benny up to the surface, and Benny let out a breath of air.
“Something pulled me under. Ruel! Who’s got Ruel?” Benny shouted.
Ojore turned on the flashlight, holding it as he swam through the water, sweeping it around while everyone searched for Askold and Ruel.
Askold came up for air and yelled, “I cannot find anything! Help!”
Cahir lunged back into the deep, slimy water and reached around for Ruel. He kicked something soft and went down to grab at it. He yanked, but the object was stuck on something. He pulled again forcefully, and it dislodged.
Something slid past Cahir’s leg as he lifted Ruel’s unbreathing body from the water.
“Over here!” Benny shouted from a small landing he found a few paces away. “Bring him here!”
Cahir swam with Ruel to the landing and dragged his body onto it, meeting the others.
“He isn’t breathing,” Askold observed.
Benny performed chest compressions on Ruel and gave him rescue breaths, gagging between each. Over and over, he repeated the steps.
Finally, Ruel gurgled and choked out brown liquid from his lungs. He looked up at the others. “Ifanyof you ever bring this up again, I will kill you all,” he said to them, his voice raspy and strained. “What the fuck pulled us under?”
