Chapter Twenty-Three
Twenty feet below the earth, in the sweltering maintenance tunnel I placed my foot on the concrete floor and stepped off the ladder. I turned, for a moment completely disoriented, and head-thumping, stomach-lurching scared, as my claustrophobia pushed in from the edges.
Somewhere ahead, strange light danced across the walls and shadows stretched into obscene creatures and terrifying thoughts. My pulse quickened.
Breathe.
“Rey?”
“Just a second. I’ve almost got it. There.”
Overhead a series of brilliant lights flickered and popped into existence, bathing the room in a blinding white glare. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust from the darkness of the tunnel above, but when they did, my breath caught in my throat.
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah, that’s what I said,” Re
