Red Widow (Vivian Xu, Book 1) (5 page)

“
Do you suppose
Patrik…?”

“
I’m not sure if he is
responsible for what happened that night. That’s what bothers me.
When their fights break out, usually he’s screaming and swearing.
This time, there were no voices.”

Vivian looked at the phone
line protruding from the wall like ruptured blood vessels.
Suddenly, she remembered an eerie detail from the
Blaze
article. Krista’s
last cell phone signal had been traced to a vacant complex beyond
Prague.

“
Has Krista ever been to
the outskirts?”

Daniel perked up.

“
Funny that you should ask…
Krista would often wander there. She was fascinated by its history.
She said she liked to soak it up and be a part of it.”

“
Have you tried looking for
her?”

“
Believe me, I’ve tried,
but the authorities won’t let anyone near the outskirts. Don’t you
remember what happened there?”

“
Yes. I remember.” Of all
people, Vivian knew the atrocities that ravaged that area twelve
years ago. She had experienced them firsthand.

“
Krista said she gained
passage to the outskirts through a gang in the metro
tunnels.”

“
A gang? How did she manage
that?” an astonished Vivian asked.

“
I don’t exactly know. I
followed her once when I learned she was connected to them. At
first, I thought she was hiding in the metro from Patrik, but she
would always return to the apartment. I watched her arrive at
Nádraži Metro and depart at Line C. Here, maybe this will help you.
Let me draw you a map.”

She traced the layout of the metro and
its entangling routes. Vivian simply watched, wondering where her
journey would end. She snapped to attention at the sound of
Daniel’s voice.

“
You won’t let her die,
will you?”

Vivian’s eyes fell to the tangle of
tunnels Daniel had sketched, plummeting deeper
underground.

“
Do you really believe what
you said earlier?” Vivian asked.

Daniel stopped drawing.

“
Every word.”

“
So you still have faith
that Krista is alive?” Vivian asked, trying not to sound callous.
Daniel bit her lip.

“
If I don’t believe, then
what else do I have?”

THREE

If I don’t believe, what
else do I have?
Those words radiated with
more truth than Daniel cared to admit.

Even Vivian had to cling to hope’s
feeble thread if that was all the world offered her. She couldn’t
lose faith for risk of wandering the destitute alleys forever—or
signing her life away to prison.

That notion kept her company all the
way to the metro as the hours waned to dusk. The last few trains
were departing for distant apartments and city plazas.

Only an hour remained before Nádraži
Metro closed and the gates would be bolted ominously shut.
Immigrant workers ferried from factories were already funneling
into the streets to greet the last splash of sunlight.

Vivian glanced down at the ticket stub
in her hand. She had no intention of using it.

She found the usual characters
populating the station; boorish men anxiously watching the
monitors, salivating for a taste of freedom before they were due to
return to work. Mothers clung to their rambunctious children,
assuring them the trains would arrive any moment now. Even a few
security guards trailed off to the side, studying the passengers as
if they were little more than cattle.

One of them met Vivian’s eyes and she
instinctively pulled away.

The last time she boarded a train, she
visited her aunt at a small nursing home. Her aunt had since passed
away, shedding the needles poking her skin and catheters that
sustained her frail body.

She closed her eyes for the final time
only a week before Vivian ran away. But before that fateful day,
they would visit a nearby lake, where her aunt joyously recalled
stories of her youth in Peking. A spark like no other reflected in
her eyes when she described meeting her husband on the pub-strewn
shores of Houhai Lake.

Ever since, Vivian dreamt of returning
to her homeland and exploring those wonders her aunt so vividly
described. Maybe she would find her own happy ending. If only the
next train would take her there.

She inched closer toward the edge of
the platform, clutching the ticket so tightly that it crumpled in
her palm.

Was that guard still watching her? He
kept his eyes trained on Vivian as though he possessed a heightened
sense for trouble.

The guard turned away and she plunged
onto the rails.

* * *

Strange noises bounced around her as
she followed the tunnel’s twists and turns.

Graffiti obscured the walls in a
testament to the vagrants who once dwelt underground. Like
untouchables banished from the earth’s surface, they holed up in
the forsaken recesses of the metro. Only a fool would trespass on
their lairs.

Something snapped in the distance and
a flyer slapped against Vivian’s chest. It fluttered away and
landed on the rails. Vivian couldn’t help but chuckle when her
heart stopped pounding. She was poised to move when something about
the pamphlet caught her eye.

Phreak of Nature,
it read in jagged, bold lettering. Dancing across
the rails, she picked it up.

She was instantly struck by the image
of two gorgeous women, not freaks by any stretch of the
imagination. She couldn’t immediately tell whether they were
promoting a cyberpunk gig or a new nightclub, perhaps even plastic
surgery. Their faces mesmerized her, as if those smiles portended
something far more insidious than the naked eye could
see.

As she puzzled over the image, a
threatening sound rang out—one that sent a sliver of ice through
her. Lowering the flyer, she saw something sparkling at the end of
tunnel.

“
But this tunnel was
supposed to be abandoned!” she cried. No amount of protesting would
save her now.

Vivian had only seconds to escape
before the massive train would shave her down to a few inches. She
spotted a crevice in the wall and mindlessly hurled herself at
it.

“
Damn it!”

Her shoulder burned as she tried to
wedge herself into that space. Just a few inches more and—the
bellowing yawn turned into a mechanical scream. A chain of booths
whirred by, wisps of human faces reflecting from the glass panes.
None of them even spared a glance in her direction as they careened
into the depths.

The sound hammered away at her brain,
scattering her thoughts in every direction. When she tried to curl
up into a ball, she felt herself falling.

“
Oof!” The air blasted out
of Vivian’s lungs as she hit the ground hard. She opened her eyes
to find herself on the other side of the wall.

As if oncoming trains weren’t
ill-fated enough, the ceiling had collapsed ahead. She peered over
her shoulder as the growl of another speeding train pierced the
silence. The map Daniel provided didn’t reveal anything about
hidden tunnels. There was no way she was wedging herself through
that crack again.

The next few tunnels were equally as
abandoned, steering her further away from her destination. At least
she wouldn’t have to contend with oncoming trains this time, just
rats.

A solitary figure emerged among the
ruins. Vivian quickly ducked behind the rubble.

It can’t
be
, she thought.

The small figure shifted ahead,
prancing in the darkness. It was skipping stones down the tunnel
and hopping around like an imp.

I need to turn around. I
should never have been so reckless in cutting through these
tunnels. Nikolai can suck it because I’m done!

The hair on the back of her neck
bristled as something crawled up her legs. She dreaded the thought
of looking down to see whatever pest was exploring her body.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have to. The gnashing of little teeth
told her all she needed to know. Thoughts of rabies and other
rodent-borne diseases tormented her as needle-sharp claws pricked
her skin. She held her breath, trying not to provoke it with any
sudden movements. A nail poked her pink flesh and she let out a
sharp gasp. The rat skittered away. Vivian breathed easier and,
after a few minutes, she looked around the rubble. The silhouette
was gently petting the rat.

The figure looked much smaller than
she thought, and Vivian smiled at the oddity. Maybe it wouldn’t
pose her any danger. Its head violently snapped up.

The silhouette barreled toward her,
and before she knew it, a little boy buried her in a hug. Vivian’s
terror was quickly replaced with a smile.

“
What are you doing down
here?” The boy didn’t reply. He only curled himself more intently
around her leg. He wore a jacket made of coarse fabric and his toes
poked through his shoes. Thick, brown hair wreathed his face, and
his marble-like eyes glimmered in the flecks of light. “Are you
lost?”

He shook his head.

“
So you live here? In these
tunnels?” She peered down the metro, its jaded horizon bathed in a
glossy pall. For all she knew, this surreal passage led to a realm
beyond the mortal world, condemning her soul to wander for
eternity. The boy tugged insistently on her hand.

“
What in the world are you
doing underground? What’s your name?” He remained mute, nuzzling
against her warmth like a baby cub. “Can you at least take me to
the outskirts?” He nodded eagerly, almost too eagerly. Vivian had
so many questions bubbling up inside, but his voice seemed locked
away. Maybe the only way to extract any answers was to follow him.
“Okay, show me the way.”

Similar to the tunnel behind her, the
ceiling had begun to sink into the floor, as if an enormous worm
had shaped the tunnel.

“
Are you sure it’s safe?”
The boy’s chin only bobbed up and down. Tinted sunlight peeked
through holes gouged in the ceiling, casting its icy hue on the
tunnels. The jungle of concrete and shambles reminded her of a
post-apocalyptic scene from a film.

Vivian could see light emanating from
around the sharp bend of the tunnel. She anticipated filling her
lungs with fresh air or soaking in the sunlight. She was gravely
disappointed when she stumbled around the corner. Sixteen figures
were gathered around a bonfire, gazing into its snapping
depths.

“
Shit!” She stumbled back,
dragging the boy along with her. To her indignation, he refused.
“I’m not going that way!” she hissed.

He matched her stubbornness, thrashing
and pulling her forward. His hands were like iron, clenching her so
tight that needles of pain burrowed into her skin.

“
Stop
it!
” she screamed. Her voice echoed around
the bend, and she knew at once the mob of strangers heard her. The
rustle of bodies grew louder like a swarm in the dark, passionately
waiting to envelope her. Gritting her teeth, she gripped the boy’s
hand and marched ahead.

One of the figures slowly reared up
from the fire, towering over the newcomers. His face was chiseled
by the elements of the metro, reflecting a rugged existence that
very few chose to endure. Even his eyes seemed a bit engorged from
the perpetual darkness.

“
Mikhael, how thoughtful of
you to invite someone,” he smiled.

The boy pointed excitedly at Vivian
and hugged her leg again.

“
No, she isn’t your mother.
But maybe she could be your sister, if you want. I appreciate you
delivering her to me.”

“
Delivering
me?
” Vivian sputtered. “What do you think I
am? A gift for you?” She tried to step back even as the boy latched
on to her leg.

“
Forgive the expression. In
all honesty, you should be grateful to Mikhael for shepherding you
through the tunnels. Anyone roaming aimlessly around in the metro
could trigger an underground collapse. I am Joakim, and these are
my family.”

“
I need passage to the
outskirts.”

“
Do you have a
name?”

“
Vivian.”

“
You will certainly die if
you attempt to pass these tunnels alone, Vivian. Some of them are
unstable and prone to collapse. Only we know the safest path
through the metro.”

“
You don’t strike me as the
sort of gentleman who would help me if I say ‘please.’”

“
No, not exactly,” his lips
curled in a smile. “But I recognize an opportunity where we can
both benefit from each other. I’m sure we can come to some
arrangement.”

“
Nothing is ever easy, is
it?”

“
No, I’m afraid not.
Please, follow me into our train.”

“
Your train…?”

Vivian’s eyes widened when she saw the
mangled booths strewn across the tunnel. The windows had been blown
out and the roof peeled off in a grotesque fashion. Only then did
she realize that items of clothing and luggage were stoking the
fire they gathered around like a witches’ coven.