Fake Fan Fiction ❯ FAKE In Love: Act XXI, Above And Below ❯ Chapter 6

Warnings and Disclaimers: I don't own FAKE. I make no money off of this. This is yaoi with adult situations included. Huzzah!

 

 

Dee glanced around and then ducked into the almost hidden opening of the tunnel, one hand securely wrapped around a flashlight, the other thumbing over the gun holstered at his shoulder. He didn't like this plan; they'd been warned by everyone of the tunnel's dangers and yet, here they were, blindly walking into the dark. Great idea.

He listened to Ryo follow him, what little daylight bled in after them quickly vanishing in the growing black. Their flashlights swept around them in feeble beams that didn't quite do enough in the close space.

“We should have brought a lantern,” Dee muttered.

“Where should we start?” Ryo asked.

Their voices were hushed, and Ryo couldn't help the sneaking suspicion that despite that, someone had heard them. He shifted and glanced back over his shoulder. The entrance seemed to be nothing more than a pinprick of light behind them.

“Alright,” Dee said.

They'd reached their first intersection, the tunnel branching off in three directions now. Each looked like a wall of darkness that easily swallowed up the quick flash of their lights.

“So, if we go south, we can get to the Cage scene,” Dee said. “North will take us to where we found Lucy. And if we keep going straight…”

Dee's flashlight swept ahead in the tunnel and he sighed quietly.

“We'll go deeper underground.”

Ryo smiled and rested one hand on Dee's shoulder.

“Let's get going.”

Without another word of conversation, they plunged on into darkness, the world above falling away in the perfect black.

 

“Shit,” Dee hissed. “I just kicked something and I think it kicked me back.”

The flashlight jerked around on the floor, but picked up nothing more than a few broken bottles and a pile of newspapers.

“Hold the light still,” Ryo said. “This thing is hard enough to read without you blinding me.”

“Sorry.”

The beam flicked back to the map Ryo was holding, their progress checked off in red pen and a few well placed marks left behind on the walls.

“We could connect to a subway line here,” Ryo said, thumbing against the paper. “Or there's an entry way to some of the lower level tunnels here.”

Dee scuffed his foot against the floor and shook his head.

“We don't even know what we're looking for,” he said. “But I don't think it's a good idea to go in any deeper.”

He looked up at Ryo, the faint afterglow of their flashlights dimly illuminating his partner's face.

“We should have seen some people by now,” Dee said. “Even if this tunnel is up for sale sometimes, it should be in use. Something's going on, and I don't think we're in a good spot to dig too far down.”

“That's probably a wise move.”

Dee jerked hard at the voice, his gun drawn and light spinning up to blind the big man now standing behind them. Matches threw up his hand and stepped back.

“What are you doing down here?” Dee snapped as he put away his gun.

“I figured you were stupid enough to come poking around anyway,” Matches said. “So I told some guys to watch for you. You're lucky they've been watching out for you too.”

“Are they the reason we haven't seen anyone down here?” Ryo asked.

“No,” Matches said. “This tunnel's been marked off limits by the Man. The city guys are always passing through here. We avoid them as much as we can.”

“There wasn't any notice,” Ryo said with a frown.

Matches shrugged. “The word gets around. Let me see that map.”

The flashlights pinned down onto the grid and the big man snorted as he stared at it.

“I can tell you five things that are wrong with this map without even looking hard,” he said. “You're lucky you really didn't go in that deep with only this to rely on.”

“Lucky us,” Dee said sweetly. “We've got a guide.”

“Hell no,” Matches answered with a scowl. “I just came to pick you guys up because your lab rat is going to get himself killed.”

Disbelief settled on Dee's face.

“You're kidding me.”

 

“What are you doing?”

Jack almost dropped the vial he was holding, the barked words snapping into his ear. He spun around and Dee glared down at him with open irritation.

“Getting samples,” Jack answered dumbly.

Ryo shook his head and glanced over his shoulder, Matches positioned further down the tunnel to keep an eye on their exit. Word had apparently spread about the CSI working alone at the Lucy scene and according to Matches, it wouldn't be long before someone came down to take care of the problem.

“Without a police escort?” Dee asked.

“I have a gun,” Jack said and turned to dig around in his case for a minute. “See?”

“Any bullets?” Dee asked flatly.

Jack frowned and again turned to his case.

“Maybe.”

“Good God,” Dee muttered.

Jack couldn't be more different from Jamie Karlisle. She'd been quick on the draw and anxious to prove that she was ready to play in the big leagues. Jack seemed to be completely oblivious to the world around him. Dee wondered just how in the hell CSI did its recruiting, because they seemed to take all kinds.

“Well, come on, Barney Fife,” Dee said finally. “We're getting out of here.”

“Not right now,” Matches mumbled as he silently moved back down the tunnel. “Head in deeper, they're here already.”

 

“Don't say a word,” Matches breathed.

They pressed themselves tighter to the tunnel wall and listened to the shambling footsteps that passed by them in the dark. Matches kept them still for almost ten minutes after the sounds had faded, his fingers lightly squeezing Dee's shoulder. Dee turned his flashlight back on and watched Jack blink almost owl like in the beam.

“Well, this is fun,” Ryo said.

“They'll be watching all the close exit tunnels,” Matches said. “We'll need to figure out some way around them before I can take you back up.”

“You know where we are?” Dee asked.

Matches gave them an uncomfortable grin and shrugged a little.

“About.”

“Great,” Dee muttered.

“I can leave you here to find your own way out,” Matches offered. “You do have that handy map after all.”

“I'm telling Mother on you.”

 

“Shh,” Ryo hissed. “Did you hear that?”

“What?” Dee asked.

“It sounded like something falling.”

“I didn't hear it,” Jack said.

“Me neither,” Dee said.

“Things fall all the time down here,” Matches said boredly. “Hell, this whole place is falling apart.”

Ryo frowned and remained frozen, his senses straining for another sound.

“I want to check it out,” Ryo said.

Matches shook his head but Dee just grinned at him.

“Trust me, you won't talk him out of it.”

“Fine,” Matches grunted. “Which way?”

Ryo stared out into the darkness and then turned back to the direction they'd come from.

“This way.”

“Should we be back tracking like this?” Jack asked.

“No,” Dee answered. “You can wait here.”

Jack scowled at him and they crept back down the long tunnel.

“Turn off the light. It didn't sound that far away,” Ryo murmured.

They felt their way down the concrete, pipes and pieces of metal brushing under their hands. Something twitched in the darkness, something that moved like oil around them.

“What--”

Dee's words cut off as he staggered sharply into Ryo, the other man grunting as he bounced against the wall.

“Holy fuck!” Matches snapped and something clanged loudly against the wall.

“Light,” Ryo yelled, Dee dead weight against him.

Oh God, he didn't like thinking that in his head. He clutched at his partner and suddenly one of the flashlights flicked on. Running feet careened down the tunnel and Ryo's head jerked after them, but the darkness pulled in too quickly.

“Dammit,” Ryo hissed and slowly slumped down to the ground, Dee cradled in his arms. “Turn the light over here.”

A large bump was forming at the base of Dee's skull, the skin already mottled and beginning to bruise. Dee groaned quietly and Ryo gently probed the skin with his fingers.

“He didn't get the full hit,” Matches said, the big man standing a little further down the tunnel and poking at something with his foot. “But this guy did.”

Ryo glanced down at the corpse the homeless man was standing over and then turned back to Dee. His partner wasn't moving, and Ryo couldn't help the little shiver of dread that ran down his spine.

“We should get out of here,” Jack breathed.

A few quiet footsteps sounded further down the tunnel and Matches bared his teeth in a thick grimace.

“We can't go back that way.”

Ryo's fingers carded through Dee's hair and he shook his head.

Their only choice was to follow in the footsteps of the killer.

 

Matches slung Dee over his shoulder, cautiously adjusting the detective as they continued down into the tunnels. They were moving fast now, with almost no talking. Just darting quickly into the next turn, bolting away from the shadowy footsteps that still trailed after them, and straining to hear any that might be waiting around the corner.

Ryo felt like they were being herded further and further underground, and a growing sense of claustrophobia and nervousness was beginning to build in his mind.

“We need to start heading up,” Ryo said. “We can't keep going down like this.”

Silence leaned in oppressively close and then Matches sighed quietly.

“I don't know where we are,” he admitted.

Ryo swallowed and closed his eyes, the darkness just as perfect as it was with them open.

“I see,” he managed finally.

“So,” Matches said.

They were silent again.

Ryo slumped back against the wall and wished Dee was awake. This would be a lot less nerve wracking if Dee could just get pissed about it. Then Ryo could calm him down and that would give him a reason to keep calm as well. But right now, all he could think about was…nothing. Nothing was really forming in his head.

“Just check the map,” Jack said nervously.

“There's no way of telling where we are,” Ryo said as he shook his head.

“Well,” Jack said. “We started at the scene and then we went left for about forty feet, then right and a quick left, and then it was about--”

“Wait,” Ryo said as he stood up straighter. “You've got all that memorized?”

“Yeah,” Jack said and Ryo could almost imagine the man blinking absently back at him. “I've got an eye for details.”

Ryo pulled out the map and shined the flashlight down onto it.

“Figure out where we are.”