Several hours earlier...
Andre hit the ground face first.
Hard.
For a few moments he simply lay there.
Motionless.
Then he slowly raised his head.
"Ow."
He spat sewer water.
Then looked upward.
Far above him was the open manhole.
A tiny circle of light.
Andre stared at it.
Then stared some more.
"...That red-haired bitch."
He stood up.
Cracked his neck.
And immediately noticed something moving nearby.
Two glowing eyes.
Then another.
Then another.
Andre squinted.
The creatures slowly emerged from the water.
Alligators.
Big ones.
Ugly ones.
One hissed at him.
Andre stared.
The alligator stared back.
Several seconds passed.
Then Andre pointed.
"You."
The alligator blinked.
"You scared me."
The alligator lunged.
Andre punched it in the face.
The creature immediately collapsed.
Its friends looked at it.
Then looked at Andre.
Then collectively decided this was no longer worth the effort.
They retreated into the water.
Andre nodded proudly.
"That's right."
"Know your place."
His victory lasted approximately ten seconds.
Then he remembered he was stuck in a sewer.
"Ah."
Andre searched for a way out.
Eventually he found an old maintenance ladder beneath another manhole.
Hope returned.
He grabbed the first rung.