Every step the group took was painstakingly cautious, as though even their breathing might alert the nearby undead.
They slowly retraced their path, heading toward the back door.
Alan gently grasped the door handle, turning to glance at the others.
Landon took a deep breath, doing his best to steady himself.
Alan then carefully pulled the door open a crack and peeked outside to assess the situation.
The alley outside the door appeared narrow and quiet, with shadows and sunlight intertwining, creating an overwhelming sense of oppression.
In the distance, the street was clearly visible under the sunlight, with a few zombies aimlessly wandering around.
Their stiff movements and purposeless wandering were chilling, as if they could turn their heads at any moment and rush over.
Alan nodded slightly, confirming the zombies hadn’t noticed them yet, and motioned for the others to follow.
The group continued forward, moving slowly through the alley.
When they finally reached the end of the alley, Alan signaled everyone to halt again.
He cautiously leaned out to survey the situation ahead.
The view around the corner was relatively open. Not far ahead, near the roadside, Alan spotted a maintenance manhole cover.
A black SUV was parked on top of the manhole cover, its door twisted and ajar, revealing a mangled corpse inside.
Alan’s brow furrowed slightly at the sight.
Although he had witnessed similar scenes many times before, this sight still weighed heavily on him.
He quickly scanned the surroundings. The distant street teemed with dozens of zombies.
Some were pounding on walls or car windows, attempting to break through obstacles.
Others wandered aimlessly, as if searching for their next target.
While they hadn’t yet noticed Alan and the others, it was clear that if they did, they would attack like frenzied beasts.
Alan pulled his head back and turned to the others, speaking in the softest, most concise voice possible:
“There’s a manhole ahead, but it’s pinned under a car. There’s a corpse in the vehicle, and a lot of zombies nearby.”
Landon’s face turned pale, while Eli and Ethan took turns peeking out to assess the situation.
Eli saw the SUV by the roadside. Though his expression showed some unease, his eyes remained calm and steady.
He quickly scanned the surroundings, noting the movements of the zombies.
Ethan, however, kept his gaze fixed on the zombies, his brow furrowed and his face marked with a trace of disgust.
After finishing their observations, both Eli and Ethan turned to Alan.
Ethan spoke in a low voice: “We either find another manhole or move the car.”
Alan’s response was decisive. “We move the car.”
Eli nodded, adding softly, “We need to be fast and quiet.”
Alan nodded in agreement, then turned to Landon and said in a low voice, "Stay where you are and don’t move. If something goes wrong, prioritize your own safety. Don’t worry about us."
A hint of hesitation flickered in Landon’s eyes, but he said nothing.
Alan signaled Eli and Ethan to move, and the three swiftly approached the SUV.
Throughout the operation, they carefully used the parked vehicles along the roadside as cover, wary of attracting any attention from the zombies.
Once they reached the SUV, the three quietly set their weapons on the ground, ensuring not to make a single sound.
They knew that every move they made from this point on had to be cautious—any sound, no matter how small, could draw the nearby zombies toward them.
Ethan kept a wary eye on the distant zombies, whispering, “Keep steady. Don’t let the car make any noise.”
The three synchronized their movements. Alan whispered a countdown: “One… two… three—”
With their combined effort, the SUV’s body began to shift slowly, emitting a faint metallic scraping sound.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
In that moment, their breaths nearly stopped, nerves stretched taut, as if the entire world had frozen around them.
Ethan clenched his teeth, watching the zombies from a distance, silently pleading: Don’t look this way. Please don’t look this way.
Alan''s palms were already slick with sweat. He knew that at this moment, there was absolutely no room for error.
Eli’s breathing was slightly uneven, his face showing tension and unease, though internally he was calm and composed.
Fortunately, the zombies hadn''t noticed the three of them.
Alan assessed the situation and gestured to Eli and Ethan: "Keep pushing."
With concerted effort, the SUV slowly shifted. The process felt agonizingly long.
Each time the vehicle made the slightest noise, the distant zombies would stir slightly, as if trying to pinpoint the source of the sound.
Finally, the SUV was moved aside by the group, revealing the manhole cover.
Ethan and Eli quickly retrieved their weapons from the ground, keeping themselves as concealed as possible.
Their eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, ensuring they hadn’t drawn any attention from the zombies.
Alan immediately picked up the crowbar from the ground and carefully inserted it into the gap of the manhole cover, attempting to pry it open with extreme caution.
The first attempt failed, and the manhole cover didn''t budge.
But fortunately, it didn''t attract the attention of the zombies.
Alan took a deep breath and adjusted the position of the crowbar.
He carefully found the leverage point and gradually applied pressure.
This time, the manhole cover finally began to move.
He suppressed the joy welling up inside and focused on keeping his movements steady, trying to avoid making any noise.
As the cover was successfully pried open, he gently moved it aside with great care.
After the manhole cover was opened, Alan glanced at Ethan and signaled for him to enter the sewer first.
Ethan quickly crossed over to the edge, placed his feet on the ladder, and began climbing down step by step.
Alan then gestured for Eli to enter the sewer, but Eli looked in Landon''s direction, as if waiting for him to move.
Alan’s eyes showed a hint of confusion but were soon replaced by a look of approval.
He thought to himself: Even in such a dangerous situation, he still looks out for his teammates. Someone like that is undoubtedly reliable.
Landon was extremely nervous at this moment. Seeing Eli''s gesture, he took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
He knew he had to move quickly, and he couldn''t make a sound, or he would put everyone in danger.
Landon moved swiftly, keeping his head low and his back hunched. Every step he took was cautious, his focus entirely on where he placed his feet, constantly fearing he might step on something and create noise.
After passing a few abandoned vehicles, Landon finally reached the manhole cover.
Eli motioned for him to put down his weapon and enter the sewer immediately.
Landon obeyed without hesitation.
He placed his foot on the ladder and gripped it tightly with both hands, descending carefully, one step at a time.
He eventually reached the bottom safely, standing silently on the ground without a sound.
Once Landon was safely inside, Eli quickly picked up the weapons left on the ground and handed them down to Ethan and Landon below.
After ensuring they had secured the weapons, Eli climbed down the ladder into the sewer himself.
Alan was the last to descend. He grasped the ladder and moved down a few steps before attempting to close the manhole cover.
With one hand, he exerted his strength, slowly closing the manhole cover.
As the manhole cover returned to its place, the light vanished completely, leaving the four of them enveloped in absolute darkness.
The darkness felt especially oppressive, and the narrow space was damp and stifling, filled with a pungent stench.
The ground was slippery, producing a faint squelching sound with each step, evoking discomfort, as if stepping into some unidentified decaying substance.
Faintly, the sound of running water could be heard, along with the occasional drip of droplets.
These sounds were amplified in the darkness, echoing through the confined space, adding an invisible sense of pressure.
Eli’s eyes instinctively adjusted to the darkness, switching to night vision mode, allowing him to see every detail clearly in the lightless environment.
He observed the ground, slick with slimy sludge, the corners pooling with stagnant water, and the walls coated in a thick layer of grime.
Water droplets fell from the top of the pipes, hitting the ground and splashing into sprays, remarkably clear.
Despite seeing everything clearly, Eli squinted deliberately, pretending to struggle to adjust to the darkness.
He took out his phone and turned on the flashlight function.
A faint beam of light pierced the darkness, illuminating a small portion of the surrounding area.
The faint light brought a sigh of relief to Alan and the others, as if they had found some comfort.
Landon quickly followed suit, taking out his phone to light the ground ahead.
Alan glanced at Landon and said softly, “Turn it off. We need to conserve power in case we need it later.”
Landon nodded immediately and switched off his flashlight as instructed.
By the dim glow of the phone, Alan noticed a lighting device on the wall.
As if recalling something, he whispered, "There should be a switch for the lighting device nearby. Eli, light the way for me; we’ll look for the switch."
Hearing this, a sudden alarm went off in Eli’s mind.
Turning on the sewer lights... was definitely not a good idea!
Feigning hesitation, he said, “Maybe we shouldn’t turn on the lights... If we attract mutated creatures, it’ll be trouble.”
Ethan and Alan exchanged a glance. Though they had no real knowledge of mutated creatures in the sewers, Eli’s reasoning made sense.
Alan abandoned the idea of searching for the light switch and said in a low voice, “You’re right. Better safe than sorry.”
He glanced around, his eyes roaming in the dim light: "I remember there are some maintenance stations in the sewers. There might be maps or tools there."
“Maps?”
Ethan shook his head and sneered, "Not likely. I can hardly imagine the city government leaving maps in the sewers. More likely, they simply have no interest in managing this godforsaken place."
Alan gave a faint smile and continued, “Even if there aren’t maps, we can use the numbers and markers on the walls to figure out where we are and make our way to the Lincoln Tunnel.”
Eli nodded silently, agreeing with their assessment.
Actually, Eli didn’t care whether they found a map or not, because his intuition had already constructed a clear "map" in his mind.
The direction of the maintenance stations, the distance to the target location, even potential dangers ahead—all these were vividly mapped out in his head.
This mental map was very much like the "map feature" in a video game.
Ethan tugged at his collar, covering his nose, and muttered, "Let’s move! I don’t want to stay in this hellhole for even a second longer!"
Eli glanced at the steel pipe on the ground, then turned to Landon and said quietly, "I need my phone for light. Hold this for me."
He added, "We don’t have many weapons, so we can''t afford to abandon any."
"Got it." Landon quickly crouched down, picking up the steel pipe, his fingers clenching around the cold metal.
After that, the group continued onward.