Page 77 of No Man's Land

Picking their way through the rubble—whoever had ripped up the tracks had not taken much care—they headed left without discussion.

Inside the tunnel, the going was easier, with less debris from the platform underfoot. The ceiling grew lower though, the tunnel narrower, and the downward gradient steep. With each step, they were going deeper and deeper into the earth—into the subterranean world of the ghoul.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, and the tunnel filled with a loud, rumbling rattle.

“A train,” Alex said softly. “We’re not far from the other lines, here.”

Josef glanced up into the darkness. It was hard to imagine that they were close to anything, let alone a well-lit train full of people. “There must be a way into the other tunnels,” he guessed. “This place would be useless to the ghoul otherwise.”

“Yes, although I imagine that access is somewhere beyond this point.” Alex had stopped and was playing the torch over a solid wall of brick filling the tunnel before them.

Presumably, this was intended to stop German infiltrators, although why they’d need tunnels when they could simply drop bombs from the air, Josef couldn’t imagine.

“Over here,” Alex said, getting closer to one side of the blockade where it abutted the tunnel wall. When he shone the torchlight on it, Josef could see that several bricks at the bottom had been dislodged and torn away, leaving a narrow gap. A narrow, man-sized gap.

He groaned. “Don’t tell me we’re going through there.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about,” Alex said, crouching down to examine the hole. “Think of me, and my shoulders.”

“Hey, are you calling me scrawny?”

Alex flashed a look at him, all shadows in the dark, save the gleam of his eyes. “Not scrawny. Slender.” He turned back to the hole, shining the light through it. “I happen to find slender men extremely appealing.”

Despite the circumstances, Josef couldn’t stop his smile. “Turns out I rather enjoy a set of broad shoulders.”

All he heard from Alex was a huff of amusement before he said, “Hold the torch, will you? I’ll go first.”

Pulse thumping, he watched as Alex worked his head and shoulders awkwardly into the narrow gap, grimacing as he moved. Obviously in pain. Whatever Lottie and Violet hadgiven him, his shoulder was obviously still bothering him. And perhaps getting worse.

As Alex’s legs and feet disappeared, Josef crouched and shone the light through the hole after him. “All right?” he whispered.

“Yes, come through.”

Shoving the torch ahead of him, Josef wormed his way through the gap headfirst, feeling the rough brick edges snag on his coat. The ground was wet beneath his hands, icy water seeping into the knees of his trousers as he scrambled through.

Alex took his arm, hauling him back to his feet. And he didn’t let go. Josef was grateful for that and crowded closer, pressing his body firmly against Alex’s, relishing his warmth. His sheer human presence. To his delight, Alex wrapped an arm firmly around Josef’s shoulders and pulled him close. Josef went eagerly, sliding his arms around Alex’s middle and holding him tight. In the pitch black, what did it matter? No one could see. In a strange way, down here, they were freer than in the daylight above.

They stood like that for a few long moments, both perhaps needing an anchor in the disorientating dark.

“Fuck,” Josef whispered at last. “It’s dark.”

“How much longer will the batteries last?”

The torch was noticeably dimmer now, its electric brilliance turning honeyed yellow. “I don’t know. Half an hour? Shit, I should have thought to buy spares.”

Alex didn’t answer, his breaths loud in the silence of the tunnel.

“Maybe we should turn back?” Josef suggested, half hopefully and half reluctantly. As much as he hated this fucking tunnel, he knew they were running out of time.

Nobly, Alex said, “You go back. I’ll—”

“Oh, fuck off,” Josef muttered, pressing himself closer, feeling Alex’s arm tighten around him. He gave into it for a moment, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against Alex’s shoulder. He could still smell the poultice and the infection beneath, but for that moment nothing mattered more than the comfort of this closeness, comfort he hoped he was returning.

Briefly, both Alex’s arms went around him, squeezing tight. In an emotional voice, very unlike his usual aristocratic calm, he whispered, “Thank you. My God, I’m glad you’re here even if I wish you were miles away, and safe.”

“You’re definitely going to owe me a pint,” Josef muttered, smothering his suddenly riotous feelings. “A real one, too, not that dishwater piss they serve these days.”

Still in that tremulous, emotional tone, Alex said, “I want nothing more from this world than to buy you a pint, Josef.”

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