Chapter 39: INTO THE QUEEN’S NEST.
The jingle faded behind them, replaced by a new sound: a low, eerie hum like something huge breathing below.
Johnquis stopped at the railing and looked down. What used to be a mountain of rubble and broken beams was now cleared away. In its place, the old buried escalator gleamed under flickering lights, polished glass railings and squeaking rubber steps moving slow and steady.
When they reached the landing, Johnquis froze and smiled.
"Holy shit... would you look at that."
The escalator was actually moving. It creaked, but the steps kept flowing down like a gentle metal waterfall. He leaned over the railing, staring at the way the metal plates dipped into the lower floor, carrying air and shadows with them.
"A magic stair..."
He said, his voice almost boyish. "Back in the cathedral, the kids called these things magic stairs, they’d carry you up and down without a rope or chain. I always thought they were all gone by now. But this anomaly... it really brings back everything we’ve lost."
He bounced on his heels, chain rattling on his arms. "I’m tryin’ it. Come on, Dancer. Watch this."
He planted a foot on the moving step, wobbled then braced himself, arms flaring out like a kid testing ice. The escalator tugged him forward, and he laugh that bounced down the echoing walls.