Daylight - Book 1 (No Death for the Wicked) Read Online Free PDF Page B

grabs my attention.
    I ease back in my seat and spout off, “What is it? I mean, I know what it is, but why should I remember it?” 
    She takes out an old folded piece of paper, and opens it up. A map, and not just a map of the city, but underground too.
    “This is where we are...” she points at a location that apparently has been circled far too many times and then she drags her finger to another area.
    “We have two stops, S outh Pointe and Intercity South before we get to Intercity North, that's our stop.” She peeks up briefly to see if I'm still with the program.
    I nod. “Yeah, okay.”
    She motions a subtle gesture toward the plaque and adds, “The ones with gargoyles mean that there is passage out of the subway through a tunnel labyrinth for our use during the day.  Some stops don't have gargoyles and that means no access to the tunnels.  We can use them at night though.”
    “So, there is significance to them other than giving you the creeps?” I crack a sidelong smile at her.
    “Yes, they hold a huge significance. So pay attention.”  She folds up the time worn map and stuffs it back into her pocket. As the passengers settle, the train begins to roll out and Pan des cribes a little more about the Metro system. It parallels the public Solace Metro which has four main track lines. Each platform has concealed entryways with protection beneath the city from the daylight.
    We hit our first stop and I study the men and women leaving.
    “Why do the humans use the subway?”
    “It's faster.”
    “Okay, next question. Why don't I notice any kids on here?”
    “Solace is not that type of city. The men and women that come and live in Solace come for one purpose.”
    “And that would be?” I quirk my brow at her.
    “It's a Hell in Paradise.” 
    The train stops so smoothly I barely notice but it is our stop.  Taking a quick look around to make sure no humans can hear me, while the next question hovers on my lips impatiently. An automated tone sounds and a soothing feminine recorded voice tells us to “ please depart safely and have a good day,” as the doors slide open. Pan nudges me and we bustle off the subway train and onto a landing identical to the one we boarded from.  Pan shows me the difference by pointing out the gruesome snarling stone gargoyle hunched over the plaque. I make a mental note about them stationed around the platforms.  Following Pan, we silently make our way to the restrooms, but instead of going in, we pass those doors to another set that says authorized personnel only .  There is another swipe pad next to the door.  It looks like a credit card reader.  She swipes it once and the door clicks open. “The gold pass is for vamps only and it gives us access to certain tunnels too.” 
    I chase after her for about ten minutes before she treks to an underground basement, a waft of mold and dampness practically strike me off my feet. I battle with a cobweb clinging like ivy in my hair, wondering whose bite would be worse as I flick the nervy little spider off me. The light up ahead brightens, following the wrought iron stairs upward I ask, “So, is this how urban spelunkers live?”
    “No, it's how we live.” She unlocks the door, and we enter a dark blue hallway.  Once I went on a midnight tour with Sammie to an up scale museum with all its marble domes, white columns and exquisite tiled floors. Well, we snuck in , okay well, we broke in , but still. All of that does not even compare to the elaborate and incredible hall that I stand in now. This very much resembles something out of a palace. Paintings and brass wall sconces line the hall. Again, I'm trying to keep my gaping mouth from becoming a permanent attachment to the floor.
    “Paradise,” I utter out trailing my fingertips along a golden trimmed frame, the title: The Nightmare by Henry Fusell's 1781 piece.
    “Here we are, apartment 218,” she announces about five doors down. I venture inside as she tosses her