Time Agency by Aaron Frale

of an effort. He didn't stop running until he was pretty sure no one could ever find him. Hours later, he was lost and unsure where he had been. He slowed down to figure out his position. He walked until he found a ladder. He climbed until he came to an access panel.
    Jerry climbed through the access panel into a subway tunnel. A train barreled down the track toward him. He ducked back down after being almost thwacked by the train. The rumble stopped, and he poked his head back up. It seemed clear, but he decided to wait. He wasn't sure about the length of the tunnel or the interval of the train. He heard another rumble about fifteen minutes later. After a few hours, he figured out the pattern. Fifteen minutes. Train. Fifteen minutes. Train. Thirty minutes. Train. Then repeat the cycle.
    He decided the thirty-minute wait was probably his best option. He considered abandoning the subway tunnel idea but decided whoever chased him through the sewer would monitor the entrances and exits to the sewers. His better probability of escaping without notice would be to enter another system. He needed to leave the sewers entirely. A half hour between trains was probably better than he'd ever find in a big city unless he waited for the night train schedule. The men with flashlights would have dogs by now, and he wasn’t sure if he could outrun a tracking dog. He could not hide his smell. He needed to get back to the surface.
    The train rumbled by, and he got out of the hatch as fast as he could. The subway tunnel curved in either direction. He didn't detect anything more than the standard subway tunnel lighting. He decided to go the direction the train was heading. He felt that running away from the train was a better idea than running toward it. He may be adding to the precious seconds he needed to make it to the stop. He ran at a near sprint. His lungs and heart seemed to kick in naturally. He felt the strain on his body but not as much as he would expect. He could keep his pace indefinitely.  
    He ran for what seemed like hours, but in reality, was only fifteen minutes. In the lowlight of the subway, his night vision didn't quite kick in. It was too bright for infrared and too dark to see very well. His foot kicked a piece of scrap metal, which was almost obscured by the darkness. He tumbled to the ground and cut himself in the rocks and filth. He scrambled to his feet. Precious time was lost, and he was nowhere near an exit. He slowed his pace anyway. Another fall on the train track was dangerous enough with the rocks, metal, and city filth, but the lost time in the thirty-minute window could be even more dangerous.
    He jogged without any loss of lung power. His body ached, and the cuts stung. The darkness began to feel crushing. He felt a wave of panic threatening to overcome his senses. A wave of nausea flooded his innards. The walls were closing, and he heard the distant blow of a subway whistle. The train was coming. He looked for anywhere to hide, but the walls fit a subway car like a glove. Unless he could flatten himself on the walls, he would be torn apart by the car. He thought about laying on the tracks and waiting for the car to pass over him, but he didn't think there was enough clearance. He rekindled his sprint and ran as fast as his lungs will let him. If he tripped now, he'd be dead. He began to feel the rumble of the oncoming subway car.
    His lungs began to burn. He finally pushed himself to the limit, and the fatigue started to overcome his body. His heart threatened to pound out of his chest. The rumble became louder. He rounded a corner and saw light. There was a stop ahead. With lungs on fire and a heart that felt it was about to give out, his body screamed. Cuts and bruises pulled him apart. The adrenaline shot through his body and deadened the pain.  A light of a subway car began to fill the tunnel behind him.
    The commuters waiting for the train were startled as he burst forth from the tunnel. People screamed