Kael navigated the rest of the maze at a measured pace, forcing himself not to sprint just because he could.
The maintenance corridors under the metro weren't a straight line; they were a nest of cheap shortcuts and dead ends designed by someone who hated human beings.
Cable bundles drooped like vines overhead, and broken conduits ran along the walls in crooked seams. Every few steps he checked the map again, not trusting his own memory even now that his eyes were back. One wrong turn and he'd walk into a pocket full of undead, or worse, waste minutes he didn't have while the fire zone chewed closer from behind.
When the path finally narrowed into a dead end, he almost laughed in relief. Almost. At the far wall, bolted into the concrete like an afterthought, was a metal ladder that climbed into darkness. I
t didn't look safe. It looked old. But old meant it led somewhere that used to matter, and used to matter meant there was a way out.
