On all fours, John crawled first through the tunnel from the crypt chamber. Cobwebs and dirt clouded his wolf face. So he snorted to keep the particles off his senses.

Toward the end, he crawled out through another hole and stood up. The tunnel was big, with train tracks on the ground. It was actually a subway tunnel. Maybe his x-ray vision couldn't show him clearly from his previous position.

“I thought this is a sewer tunnel,” said Kara behind him.

John glanced at the women. “I thought so too.”

Alexia held out her palm and grew a purple, shimmering ball above her hand. It brightens the tunnel enough for the space witch to observe the tracks. “If we follow these tracks, it will lead us to a station. It should be close to Central Park.”

John nodded and followed the tracks. The women ambled behind him, watching all sides.

John wasn't claustrophobic, but if his squad ran into a blockage inside the tunnel, they would need to turn around and find another exit. The more time they waste, the more chances the demons might take the beacon off-world.

John paused when his pointy ears twitched. Something screamed far behind his squad. "Do you hear that?"

Tiara glanced around. "I hear… Screaming."

"It sounds like screeching metal," Lena suggested.

John turned around and saw a bright light shimmering behind his squad. It grew brighter and brighter, speeding closer.

His heart raced. “Stand against the walls!”

After they took cover against the tunnel walls, a burning train roared past them. The flames nearly licked John’s face, and its heat brushed against his fur. With his eyes closed, it felt like someone trapped him inside an exploding oven.

Soon, the trains left smoke and small inferno particles in the charcoal air behind. The tracks glowed orange, probably burned by the train's hot wheels.

John stepped over the tracks and glanced ahead. That train will keep going until it crashes into something.

"I hope nobody was on that subway," said Lena.

Kara glared at her. "You think?"

"Well, we can never be sure."

"I doubt it, or else that train wouldn't be burning." John grimaced. If it was now harder to escape the city, especially on trains, then there was no hope for any stranded civilian. His squad must keep moving.

They continued down the tunnel and reached the platform near the station. The stairway leads them up to a street close to the Central Park gate. Above the dark trees, the demon base rose toward the red swirling sky. Red lightning bolts flashed around the dark structure as if the base were a lightning rod.

“We’re almost there,” said John. “Be ready for anything in the park.”

“Should I scout over the trees?” Tiara asked.

“No, that will be too risky. If they see you, they will know we are coming.”

"What if they don’t recognize her?" Lena asked.

Tiara crossed her arms. "If they do, they will shoot me in sight. Or they will assume I am from another demonic colony, trying to calm this Earth. Eitherway, my suit doesn't match their armor."

“So sticking together sounds like a better option,” Alexia suggested.

Kara beamed her eyes at Tiara. “I wished I didn’t have to stick with her.”

The demon lady only shrugged.

“We stick together,” John ordered, still annoyed about Kara’s attitude toward Tiara. “Keep moving.”

He sprinted through the gate, following the paved path. While moving, explosions boomed in the sky like cannon fire. Could that mean some troop carriers or fighters reached the base?

If so, they could distract the base's defenses while John’s squad sneaks in. More lives will be sacrificed, but none of their deaths will be in vain if Purple Squad succeeds.

Close toward the base, John and the girls hid before a tree. When the wolf peeked, his blue eyes narrowed. "Crap…"