A single crack was responsible for the beam of light in the room, illuminating just enough to see. Two hours had passed since they locked themselves in, and their attackers had stopped trying to break down the door, but it was still possible to hear the movement of legs occasionally.
The blood pulp turned into a puddle and left the environment with a nauseating iron smell. Except for Michel and Naomi, who stayed next to their partner, who had regained consciousness twenty minutes ago, the other three searched the place for anything that could help.
Naomi looked at her injured friend and realized that if it weren't for Samuel, the girl would have died from the clot that was spreading abnormally. With the back of her right hand, she felt the temperature of the other, which was burning with fever. They put her pants back on, but cut one of the legs to avoid interfering with the injury.
The long cut was inflamed from the brutality imposed on the flesh, but since it was burned, it wasn't at risk of infection, though everyone knew it would leave a scar.
"Did you find anything?" asked Livya, straining to speak.
Bia felt that since the rookie had woken up, she was acting differently, more determined, not wanting to be a dead weight. She admired her teammate for that, replying:
"Stay lying down, we're having an idea."
"Really?" asked Naomi, with a new hope on her face.
Samuel went to one of the barrels in the corner of the room and slapped the old iron. Smiling with satisfaction, he said:
"These barrels have gasoline; we can use it to create a fire barrier. It should be enough for us to get out. So yes, we're serious."
"The problem is that even if we knock over the canister at the door, it will take a while for the liquid to travel from one side to the other," said Gabriel, staring at a corner of the room. "So, Bia and I are going to go into the ventilation duct and try to find something that helps."
Naomi almost laughed. So, the three of them were relying on luck. But given the current situation, she couldn't think of anything better. She accepted that madness, and by Michel's stance, the Raven seemed to think the same.
"Why don't you try making the crack bigger, so we can get out?" asked Livya, pointing at the ceiling with her head.
"Too risky," concluded Bia. "Yes, I'm aware that this idea is as dangerous as ours, but think about it, if it goes wrong, we all die. Now, if ours goes wrong, only Gabriel and I will die."
"That's not very encouraging," said Gabriel, helping Samuel push one of the barrels under the ventilation duct entrance. "But it's the best we've got for the moment."
Samuel handed the lighter to Gabriel, who thanked him and grabbed his Magnum, loading the empty ammunition slots in the barrel. Bia did the same, checking her cartridges. Both tried their best to appear calm, but the uncertainty stirred in their minds like a trapped animal.
"But we can't know if there will be more spiders," said Naomi, concerned about her partner.
"Not really," agreed Bia. "But after what Gabriel did to that big one, I doubt they'll give up on us that easily. It seemed like a hornet's nest and she was the queen."
"Yeah," agreed Livya, making a face. "I loved seeing her explode."
The nervousness of the duo was so intense that they laughed loudly like two idiots, causing some of the arachnids to crash into the door.
"Don't lose that anger!" said Bia to Livya.
"Let's hurry up," Gabriel urged, heading for the barrel.
"Gabriel," Naomi called. "Don't you dare die!"
"That's the plan."
Bia took her friend's torn pants, cut off the part of the shin that hadn't been damaged, and with a few more cuts, made two strips. She tossed one to Gabriel, who looked at her confused.
"Better tie it around your face," she warned while tying the cloth like a mask. "God knows how much dust we'll find in the ventilation; I don't want to have a rhinitis attack."
The guy nodded and tied the cloth like his teammate. Meanwhile, Samuel removed the cover from the ventilation duct using his knife, needing to climb onto a barrel to reach it.
He jumped back to the ground, placing the old piece of metal against the wall, clapped his hands to remove the bits of iron and dust, and after analyzing the duct again, he said:
"The situation inside isn't good. Be careful in some spots; if it gives way, who knows where you'll fall."
The duo nodded and both pulled out their firearms, checking the ammunition. Gabriel reloaded the empty spots in his Magnum while the other checked her magazines. Samuel handed the lighter to Gabriel.
"Better go ahead, with a weapon like that, there's no risk with anything straight ahead."
Gabriel nodded, accepting the iron object with a picture of a rearing horse, and gave a final glance at the four left behind. Finally, he climbed onto the barrel while lighting the lighter. Taking a deep breath, he lifted half his body through the crack, aiming the weapon in the same direction as the flames. He analyzed both sides and saw that there were no spiders.
The other, waiting to climb, helped him by making a hand support. Gabriel squeezed until he was lying on the creaky metal, crawling toward the dimly lit darkness, giving just enough space for the other.
He waited while Bia struggled to fit, cursing several times because of the tightness.
"Ready," the woman whispered.
Stretching out her arm with the light ahead, the Raven began to crawl, exploring the darkness. With each movement, he felt the filth of years all over his body. He was glad for his teammate's idea to use masks.
Both knew it wasn't a good idea to fire in such a tight space, as there were more spiders than they had bullets. They had also noticed before that the spiders simply passed over those who fell. The weapons weren't meant to be used against the arachnids.
A screw scraped Bia's shoulder, sticking to her clothing, followed by the sound of fabric tearing. She stopped immediately and moved her shoulder until she felt her shirt detach. She felt relieved that she hadn't injured it, as it would have been tetanus for sure. The only part she could distinguish were the feet of the guy ahead. The rest was just something moving, and the light was almost entirely blocked.
They passed another pipe entrance, but it was impossible to see anything, as the darkness obscured the whole area. Occasionally, Gabriel would look back but couldn't see anything.
They kept a frantic pace. Sweat soaked their bodies and clothes, making all the dust stick to them. Breathing was becoming harder and stopping was not an option. Panic flirted with their minds the whole time, the lack of air, the heat, the bodies pressed together, the darkness, and the constant vigilance that something with eight legs might appear at any moment, made time crawl for the duo.
Then a light appeared.
Several meters ahead, the end of the tunnel could be seen, and to their relief, there was light. They kept the pace, now desperate for the end. The brightness made their eyes hurt, and finally, Gabriel managed to reach the grate.
The tunnel continued sideways, but it wasn't necessary to stay in it. Maintaining the little control he still had, Gabriel looked through the cracks for any sign of danger. He saw a courtyard with several shops against the walls, most deteriorated by the years, a piece of ceiling collapsed halfway, and various remnants of tables, a food court.
"What are you waiting for?" whispered Bia, with desperation trying to take over her voice.
Turning off the lighter and putting both it and the gun away, the man used both hands to push the metal, which gave way easily, falling without making a sound. Gabriel stuck his head out, seeing the fallen metal on the plants.
He squeezed out like a baby being born and fell into the vegetation next to the piece of metal, which he grabbed and pulled out of there. Soon after, Bia appeared, her hair white with dust, doing the same as him.
Both were completely covered in dust and pieces of rust. Bia took off her makeshift mask, saving it for the return, and began to brush off the dust that was falling endlessly. Her companion did the same, staying at it for long minutes, as the dust seemed endless.
"Better than this, we won't be," muttered Bia.
"Yeah."
"So? Any idea of something useful we can find here?"
"Honestly, no. If Livya hadn't been hurt, we could have passed all of us through the duct."
"Hardly," the young woman commented. "Samuel has a serious problem with tight spaces, he would just freeze."
Gabriel made a face as he shook his hair. So, it was up to the two of them. They looked in all directions, at the storefronts, which had once contained glass but now were open pieces with mannequins missing parts and some remnants of clothing hanging.
Similar to the entrance, the place had no life, except for the plants. The Crow walked toward one of the store entrances, seeing old iron shelves and rotten wood on the floor. A bookstore, but since all the paper was gone, he gave up on it.
Bia did the same. She looked at the entrances and judged if anything could be helpful, but she was never satisfied. Finally, she entered a store that had an iron plate shaped like a battery above the door. Following her example, Gabriel went to the clothing store.
It was strange to think that hundreds of years ago, people had walked there calmly. They would have never imagined what the future held or who the new inhabitants would be. Jumping over the arm of a mannequin, Gabriel wondered when was the last time a person had entered there.
The counter managed to stay intact because it was made of marble. An entrance led to the back, and with the intent to explore, he headed toward the room, but as he passed the cracked stones of the counter, out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel saw something that froze him.
Under the furniture, a round, furry body was curled up in a corner. Eight completely black eyes, the size of apples, stared at him. Long legs moved, shifting the body into two parts. One was a small trunk, and the other was a swollen abdomen extending backward, making half of the creature stick out of its hiding spot.
Below the eyes, two black fangs glistened with venom, the front legs rose, giving the arachnid a sinister look, and just below the stingers, there was something pink, resembling a small tube.
Gabriel froze, staring directly at the predator in front of him. Never in his life had he felt so helpless and fragile. He had put away the Magnum, keeping eye contact with the creature, feeling his body drenched in sweat, more than he had been in the ventilation tunnel. He couldn't blink, as he felt in his subconscious that if he made even the slightest movement, he would be killed.
The spider's rear legs started to flex, preparing to pounce, when something gray hit its abdomen, making it stagger. Immediately after, Bia, with a leap, plunged the blade of her short sword into the creature, and with both arms on the handle, she made the metal cut long, opening the spider. Something white spilled out of the creature as it writhed, struggling to keep its guts intact.
Just as quickly as the Crow appeared, she retreated. After landing the blow, Bia jumped back, pulling out her weapon. It didn't take long for the spider to turn belly up and start folding its legs as life drained from its body.
"Gabriel," called Bia, pulling him out of a strange trance of terror. "Gabriel!! Are you okay?"
"Yeah!" The words came out strange from his dry mouth. "How did you know something was wrong?"
"I came to call you because I found something interesting and saw you standing there like you'd seen a ghost. Then, a piece of the creature appeared."
"I see, thanks."
With his legs still a little weak, the man dragged himself away from the store with his savior following close behind.
"I'll tell you something, Bia. I'd much rather face another person. At least you can feel something coming from them."
"Did you piss yourself?"
"Go fuck yourself," he retorted, managing to smile. "What were you going to show me?"
"Wait a moment," she said, while rushing to a snack bar and returning a minute later with a bottle. "Vodka!"
Gabriel looked at the bottle with curiosity. He had heard stories about the Ancients drinking that beverage, but had never seen one in person. He asked the other:
"How do you know it's actually vodka?"
"It's written here," she replied, showing the bottle. "In big blue letters! Anyone can see it. Want to try?"
For a moment, the man considered saying no, but after everything that had happened, he didn't care anymore and accepted. She, satisfied, opened the old bottle and took a sip but made a disappointed face. He took the bottle and understood why. It was weaker than any spirit he had ever tried, but it still had alcohol, and then he had an idea.
"I think I know how we can get out of here," he said, a strange gleam in his eye. "And maybe end this subway nightmare."
"How?"
"How many of these did you find?" Gabriel asked, ignoring Bia's question.
"Five."
"That'll do." He took another sip and said, "Have you ever heard of a Molotov cocktail?"