Walter had been down in the subway like this just once before. A little over ten years ago he had been involved in a rescue team sent down into the tunnels when a train caught fire, a faulty electrical wire trapping a couple of hundred New Yorkers underground as it threatened to consume them all.
He could still remember the thick cloud of smoke which greeted him as he arrived at the accident, being forced to suit up and head underground in full protective gear. Of the almost two-hundred civilians stuck underground, his team of policemen, firefighters and paramedics had managed to save one hundred and seventy-four lives. It was one of the greatest rescue missions the force had ever recorded, resulting in one of the many medals Walter had earned throughout his career being pinned to his lapel.
Remembering that day as he entered the tunnels again, Walter kept his wits about him and swore he would do better. They might have saved one hundred and seventy-four lives, but they had also lost fourteen, including two children. To Walter, every life lost was a family that he had let down, that day inspiring him to fight even harder through the rest of his career, never leaving a man behind or a job half done.
Cries of the people trapped on the train echoing through the darkness told Walter and the others that they were heading in the right direction. He wasn’t certain how many remained encased in the metal box, but for them not to have fled like everyone else told him they had to be trapped in some way. They continued to bang and shout, trying to find a way to escape, unaware that a team was on its way to them.
The sight of the subway car as the four of them arrived and lit up the scene with their torches was horrifying. The front end of it was mangled beyond belief, the metal bent out of shape and crushed inwards from the force of the impact. As the people left inside noticed the light and the officers, their shouting and whimpering grew louder, desperate to be saved from their metal tomb. Seeing the emergency door at the rear of the carriage wide open, Walter indicated to the rest of his team to wait behind as he boarded the car.
“Help us, please!”
“We’re stuck. We can’t move.”
A chorus of pleas tormented his ears as Walter stepped into the carriage, those that remained on board desperate for help. “It’s okay, stay calm,” he spoke as he took in the scene, finding five people trapped by the bent metal which had resulted from the impact. “I’m Lieutenant Walter Davies with the NYPD, we’ve come to get you out of here. First thing – are any of you hurt? Is he breathing?”
Walter was reluctant to move any closer to the group until he’d gathered more information about what happened. He didn’t want to put them in any more danger, the five of them – one man in particular who was motionless though based on the other’s response to his question, thankfully only unconscious – looking like they were in a great deal of pain. The subway was concaved on one side, the wall of the carriage crushing the victims against the other panel, leaving them with no room to maneuver out and escape like the rest of the passengers. Shaking his head, Walter was disappointed that no one had stayed behind to try and help them.
“I can’t feel my legs anymore man,” one man replied in a panicked voice. “You need to get us out of here. I can’t move. You need to help.”
“Calm down,” Walter repeated, indicating out of the open subway door with his hand that Naylor, Dicky and Harris could come on board. “We’re going to get you all out but we’ve got to be rational about it. That guy,” he indicated to the unconscious one, “what happened to him?”
“He was knocked out in the crash,” a woman replied, speaking with a more level tone than the man before her. “He’s lost some blood from a cut in his head, but other than that I think he’s okay. Please,” she paused, taking a deep breath to try and steady herself. “I’m pregnant. I sent my son down the tracks with everyone else when they fled for help. Did you see him? He’s twelve; short dark hair. I didn’t want him to get stuck down here like us. Do you know if he’s okay?”
Walter faltered, not remembering passing by a child of that description on their way into the tunnel. He turned to Dicky and gave him a nod, indicating that the officer re-trace their steps back through the tunnel and look for the little boy, along with anything else they could use to help free the victims.
“We’ll find him ma’am,” he assured the woman. “And we’ll get you and your baby out safely, don’t you worry.”
“You need to hurry pal,” the same man from earlier urged Walter on. “I think I’m losing the use of my legs.”
Walter nodded; it was obvious the man was in a state of panic but it was nothing the Lieutenant wasn’t used to. He’d developed a way of tuning out the screams and cries of people over the years, allowing himself to focus on the task at hand without being distracted. Some may say it was callous, but it helped Walter to think and to find the most efficient way to help people.
The five ahead of him were a diverse bunch. They were all lined up beside one another due to the way the crash had moved them: the panic-stricken man occupying the farthest
