Page 90 of No Man's Land

“Not in my lifetime,” Dutta predicted, smugly in Josef’s opinion.

“And that lifetime’s going to be bloody short,” Violet said, “if you don’t stop yacking and start paying attention. Joe, I can see a door down there.”

She was right. They were almost at the bottom of the stairs. “Be ready,” he said. “One attacked me on the platform earlier. It’s dead, but there could be others nearby.”

Reluctantly, he pulled Alex’s gun from his waistband as Dutta drew his own weapon. After rummaging in her large bag, Violet withdrew what looked very much like a filched policeman’s truncheon. Lottie simply lifted her free hand, palm out, holding the Witch Light high in the other. She murmured something, and the light dimmed.

After a moment’s hesitation, Dutta switched off his torch and slipped it into his coat pocket.

Josef gave them all a quick glance to make sure they were ready before he turned the handle, pushing open the door to the remains of King William Street station.

In the blue of the Witch Light, he saw that the body of the ghoul he’d killed was gone. “Someone’s been here,” he said, drawing to a halt near a splash of blood that marked the spot. “There was a body here, but it’s gone.”

Dutta said, “Are you certain it was dead?”

“I put a bullet through its head.”

He considered that. “The ghoul do reclaim their dead.”

“Reclaim them?” Josef asked faintly.

“Consume them,” Dutta clarified. “Others are likely to be close.”

For all that he’d seen at the front, Josef’s stomach turned. If Alex didn’t make it, the thought that his body might be… But no, he wouldn’t let that happen. He’d save him from that, at the very least. Whatever happened in the next few hours, Josef wouldn’t leave these tunnels without Alex. Even if that meant hauling his body out over one shoulder.

That settled, he felt marginally better. “Come on,” he said, moving down the platform. “Watch your footing. Some of the platform has given way.”

“This is remarkably unnerving,” Lottie said, sounding gleeful as she looked about. “I remember using this station as a child. My father brought me when it first opened—it was the first electrical railway. But to see it like this…” She shivered, clearly delighted. “Abandoned places have such a powerful presence, don’t you find?”

Dutta said, “I’m more concerned with the presence of the ghoul.”

Which, against his will, made Josef smile.

“The tunnel divides at the end of the platform,” he explained softly. “We’ll take the leftmost branch. It goes deeper, so it’s a bugger of a descent.” He glanced uncertainly at the women’s footwear. “And rough going.”

“He’s worrying we’re going to sprain an ankle,” Violet said. It was too dark to see whether she rolled her eyes, but the expression was very clearly in her tone.

“Don’t worry,” Dutta said, with what might have been a laugh. “They’re not your typical ladies; they’re quite capable of looking after themselves.”

“Whatever you may think of ‘typical ladies’,” Lottie said crisply, “I can assure you that most of us are capable of looking after ourselves.”

“And looking after lazy husbands, brothers, and fathers while we’re at it,” Violet added, with vehemence. “We’re onlyherebecause you lot buggered it up, aren’t we?”

Josef didn’t think that was fair, but then Dutta said, “You can’t blame The Society for this. It’s the war causing the trouble.”

“Didn’t say I blamed The Society.”

“Who started the war?” Lottie added. “And who’s keeping it going? Certainly not women.”

Lottie, Josef thought, would get on rather well with May. Perhaps, once all this was over, he’d introduce them. For now, though, he had other things to think about.

“Leave the politics for later,” he said, because they’d reached the end of the platform. “It’s down here.” He jumped onto the empty track bed and didn’t dare offer a hand to Violet or Lottie as they scrambled down after him. Not that they needed any help, despite the inconvenience of long skirts.

Violet sniffed. “I can smell ’em,” she said quietly. “Lottie?”

Lady Charlotte nodded. “Yes. I don’t think they’re far. Nightfall will bring them out; they hunt at night.”

Another chilling thought.

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