Chapter 182

Kasim shrugged. "Now? They're just leftovers no one gives a shit about anymore." He paused mid-step but kept his flashlight trained forward while glancing over his shoulder. "Except people like us trying not to die topside."

Jacques let that sit for a moment before asking something else that had been gnawing at him since James first mentioned Kasim's history with these tunnels.

"How'd you find out about all this—the underground system?" Jacques' question hung in the stale air for a few moments before Kasim finally answered.

"Accident, really," he said, shining his flashlight toward a low-hanging pipe they had to duck under. "Years back, I was working an overnight shift. Some rich bastard's apartment lost water pressure, so my boss sends me down to check the main lines. Long story short, I got turned around—ended up in a section no one had touched in decades. No maps, no markers, nothing."

"You didn't report it?" Jacques asked as he adjusted his pace.