Road to Hell Read Online Free Page B

lights to change and trotted across the wide lanes. Once I reached the other side, I glanced at a store to see the words NY Souvenirs stenciled above the door. I was shocked to realize that I was in New York, or Manhattan to be more precise.
    I was pretty sure Canal Street was somewhere to the south of the island. Far from home and in an unfamiliar place, I had no idea what to do now. Staying out of sight of the cops was my only goal, but it was easier said than done. Seeing another cruiser turn the corner, I hurried into a side street before the occupants could spot me.
    Wandering randomly, I quickly became hopelessly lost. I left the streets that had actual names behind and found myself passing numbered streets instead. Walking along Eighth Ave, I ducked into a doorway as yet another cop car appeared. It cruised past slowly, searching for trouble. There were still people on the street even at this late hour. They eyed me suspiciously as I slunk past, but no one bothered me. With my hood hiding my face, I was just another anonymous pedestrian.
    Exhausted by now, my feet were dragging and I knew I couldn’t keep walking for much longer. I’d already dodged a lot of cop cars, but I couldn’t avoid them forever. At that thought, another cruiser appeared behind me. I automatically turned left and was in luck. It was a one-way street and they couldn’t follow me.
    I walked alongside a building that stretched the along entire block. It was two-toned in color, alternating between gray and a rusty red. Gigantic steel girders in the shape of an x ran the length of the structure. I glanced up at a sign as I passed a door to see it was the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Wondering why I’d been deposited on Canal Street rather than being taken here, I reached Ninth Ave, crossed to the other side then headed north again.
    Up ahead, I saw yet another cruiser coming towards me and turned left into West Forty-Third Street. I hid in the shadows of another doorway until they were out of sight. Heading down the street, I came to what seemed like a vacant lot. Vines covered a chain link fence and gate that was topped with barbed wire. I peered through the vines, but it was too dark to make out anything. A long gray metal barrier ended at another chain link fence.
    A metal box clung to the left side of the fence. It looked like it housed electrical wires judging by the warning sign. This section of the fence was devoid of vines and I peered through the wire to see the glint of train tracks below. There was just enough light for me to make out a tunnel. It might offer me shelter for what was left of the night.
    Weighing up my options, I realized that I didn’t have any. I had a few hundred dollars in my wallet, but that wouldn’t last long in this city. I wasn’t about to waste my cash on a hotel room. For all I knew, a room for a single night might eat up every dollar that I had.
    Examining the barbed wire, I saw that a section had been cut and then shifted to look like it was still attached. The ends were rusty, so it must have been cut a long time ago. Looking around to make sure I was unobserved, I climbed up the fence. I put my left knee on the electrical box, hoping it would hold my weight. It did and I carefully shifted the barbed wire out of the way then climbed through the gap.
    With the toes of my boots digging into the chain link fence, I shifted the barbed wire back into place then climbed down. Headlights appeared as a car approached and I hunkered down in the overgrown grass. Yet another cop car drove past, giving me the eerie feeling that I’d been herded to this spot.
    Shrugging off the paranoia that I was being controlled, I waited for the car to leave before walking to the edge of the crumbling wall. Sitting down on the large rocks, I lowered myself over the edge as I tried to judge how far the drop was. I leaned forward, which made my backpack swing forward as well. Losing my balance, I slid to the ground and landed next