The plan was to meet at the site of the former Kirklee station which was the next stop on the line to the Botanics before both were closed just before the start of the Second World War. There were blocks of apartments over the site now but the platforms were still there, even though they were completely overgrown. If you didn’t know any better, you’d miss them but anyone who’d done any exploring in Glasgow could tell you where they were. If marijuana was a gateway drug then so was the Kirklee to Botanics line.

Gabby said she’d meet him there and sure enough there she was, standing on the old platform next to a tall, slim, younger guy with shoulder-length dark hair. He was wearing a blue-collared fleece zipped up to his neck and looking down at Gabby with more interest than Remy liked and she seemed to be laughing at his jokes.

They were on the part of the platform where the old bridge used to be. It was now bricked up and covered in vivid graffiti. Weeds sprouted by their feet and trees grew where the tracks once lay. Nature had reclaimed this for herself.

Gabby and the guy both looked up at his arrival and their chat stopped. She seemed pleased to see him though. ‘You found the front door then?’

‘You guys know each other?’ asked Mr Tall and Athletic before Remy could answer.

‘A bit, yeah. This is Remy. He organized this.’

‘You’re Magellan? Oh right. I’m Finlay Miller. My forum name’s Astronut. How you doing, man?’ He walked over to offer a handshake that Remy returned.

‘Fine. Thanks.’

‘Good, good. I was just saying to Gabby that this should be a nice wee stroll. I haven’t done any tourist venues for a while.’

Tourist venues. Remy disliked the guy already. Gabby saw it – he could tell by the smirk that was spreading across her face as she stood behind Miller. She was teasing him, daring him to respond.

‘Finlay works in an art gallery,’ she told him, obviously trying to annoy him more. ‘And he helps support emerging talent through a foundation. Isn’t that great?’

‘Really? That’s interesting.’ He’d done his best to make his voice suggest it was anything but interesting.

They were joined by three more people before anyone could reply. Voices back on the path made them look up to see a stocky, shaven-headed man in his thirties alongside a pencil-slim, younger woman with curly fair hair, both in denims and trainers. They turned out to be Ally Aitchison and Lorna Jessop, a.k.a. PencilPusher and NightLight. A few yards behind them was another man, a six-footer wearing a black beanie hat and crew-neck jumper. He was David Haddow, forum name Spook.

While they were all still introducing themselves, a young ginger-haired guy came running into the clearing, a checked shirt open over a white T-shirt. The latecomer was Gopher and preferred to be known as that rather than Donald, a name he admitted he wasn’t very fond of.

‘A couple?’ NightLight was laughing. ‘Me and Ally? No. We just met on the walk here and got chatting. Do you guys all know each other?’

‘Gabby and Magellan know each other,’ Miller jumped in, smiling at her. ‘They’re not a couple either though. Seems we’re all young, free and single. Right, should we get going?’

‘No!’ Remy was louder than he’d meant to be. ‘Not yet. We’re still waiting on a couple of people. I think we should give them a few minutes yet.’

Miller shrugged amiably. ‘No problem, man. It was just a suggestion. Let’s wait, guys.’

They stood, mostly in silence, for five long minutes. Miller looked round at the group every now and again, shrugging his shoulders. Remy stared back at the path, willing the others to appear. He’d just about had enough when a guy in his mid-thirties appeared on the path.

He was about six foot tall with dark brown hair and had a backpack slung over one shoulder. He was looking round the group as he approached, as if he wasn’t sure he’d come to the right place.

‘You guys walking the line to the Botanics station? I’m Tony.’

Ally Aitchison stepped forward, smiling, his hand out. ‘Hey, mate. Metinides, right? Good to finally meet you. I’m Ally. PencilPusher. Glad you could make it.’

‘Hey, Ally, how you doing? Hi, everyone. Sorry I’m late. I hope I didn’t hold you up too long.’

‘No problem. Tony, this is Remy, he organized it all. Remy, this is the guy I invited along. He’s been off the scene for a while.’

Remy waved hello.

‘Metinides? Where does that come from?’ David Haddow seemed confused.

‘He’s a Mexican photographer,’ the newcomer replied, fishing a nice bit of Nikon kit out of his backpack as if to explain. ‘I like his work and it seemed as good a name as any.’

‘I think we should get going,’ Remy announced. ‘If anyone else appears then they can catch us up in the tunnel or the pub.’

They all seemed happy with that and the group made their way to the tall metal fence topped with barbed wire that would have barred the way into the mouth of the Botanics tunnel but for the fact that it wasn’t padlocked. They passed through the gate, leaving it ajar behind them, and strode into the brick mouth of the tunnel.

It was pitch black inside but they walked for a while without using torches, the way backlit by the last shards of daylight filtering through from the entrance. Remy looked back over his shoulder and saw the curve of the walls seemingly tinged with green, the reflection from the foliage outside. They had to pick their way carefully as the remains of the line were strewn with bricks and wood and various bits of junk. There were hollows too and the odd puddle of water.

Remy got himself next to Ally Aitchison and drew him into conversation. ‘So if you’re PencilPusher, that mean you work in an office?’

The man nodded. ‘Wouldn’t be my choice really but yes. Don’t judge me but I’m an accountant.’

‘Not judging. I work in Tesco. I can see why you’d need to get out for a bit of fun though. You done this before then? The Botanics, I mean.’

‘Maybe six years ago. It was probably the first explore I did. Me and a couple of mates did it on a Sunday afternoon after talking about it in the pub the night before. We nearly did it on the Saturday night but had the sense not to.’

‘And you got the bug?’

‘Yeah. My mates enjoyed it as well but that once was enough for them. I got the bug and have been doing it ever since. I go out maybe a couple of times a month. What about you?’

This wasn’t about him. ‘Much the same. Few times a month. So do you just go on your own then if your mates aren’t into it? Or do you know other people in the city that go?’

‘No. Don’t know anyone else really. That’s why I was keen to come along today. Meet some other nutters that did the same thing. Swap some war stories.’

Remy drifted away from Ally not long after that. Not much point in talking to him if he didn’t know anyone else. That meant he didn’t know Tunnel Man from the Molendinar. Instead, he sidled over towards the young guy, Gopher.

‘You just made it today then. Saw you running in.’

‘I’m always late for stuff,’ he grinned. ‘I couldn’t get away from work in Dennistoun till five. I didn’t want to miss this though so caught the bus over then jogged the rest of the way.’

‘You been doing this for long?’

‘Since I was sixteen. I’m nineteen now, so three years. I love going into these old places. It’s a sin when they demolish them or let them rot. At least we get to go in and see them though.’

‘You know any of the others?’ He nodded at the rest of the group.

‘Not really. I’ve seen the big guy before. Finlay. Seen him around. And I’ve swapped messages with a few of them on the forum. I only really know them from on there.’

‘Anyone else you’ve chatted to on OtherWorld who isn’t here today?’

Gopher shrugged in thought. ‘One or two. There’s CardboardCowboy. He’s never off the forum. He’s posted quite a few explores and takes good photies.’