Kate reached up above her and pulled what appeared to be an antenna out of the wall and threw it into the River Styx.
“What was that?”
“That was beautiful,” Kate answered. “What my grandfather just did was give me carte blanche when I get to the compound. He all but promised that I was going to become an Original. This means I’ll be able to move freely through the compound with no interference. No one questions the Originals, and in our culture I’m pretty sure this will also apply to a potential Original. There are two Shadows left in the compound; the others are with Lod. Both of them are going to be very respectful because they know that with just one negative word from me to my grandfather, their chances of becoming Originals are zero.”
“Are you saying they’d allow you to let Coop go?”
“No, but I might have enough clout to call a meeting, which would allow you to let him out.”
“What’s to stop them from coming after us?”
“Nothing. As soon as they know Coop is out they are going to try to run us down.” She pointed to where she had torn out the antenna. “But I just took out all of their radio communication and cameras. They go out all the time, so no one will be suspicious. Lod won’t know we’re gone, or be able to coordinate the hunt until he gets back to the compound. But the two Shadows that are there are good, and they’re going to be highly motivated when they figure out I betrayed the Pod.”
She started walking along the path again and looked back at me. “Are you doing okay?”
“I’m not afraid of the dark.”
“I know.”
“And I’m fine.”
I actually was fine.
Considering where we were.
And what we were about to do.
Coop had taken the left.
Kate said that it was lucky he had.
“If he’d taken the right tunnel, he would have run into Lod before I found him.”
I imagined Coop gushing through a narrow opening and being gaffed by a Shadow like a dead fish.
“You think Coop is okay?”
“Pretty sure. When I left he was in the infirmary. His hand was getting better. I’ve kept Lod and the Originals pretty busy since we got caught. We’re not far away and they’re going to be watching for me. You’re going to need to turn your headlamp off and stay at least twenty or thirty feet behind me. If you hear me talking to someone, then veer off into the nearest tunnel and find someplace to hide. I’ll come back and find you when I can. If I make it all the way to the entrance, I’ll turn around and blink my headlamp twice. There will be a tunnel on your left. Go down it and wait for me.”
“What if someone comes along?”
“Trust me. No one will go down that tunnel.”
We had walked by at least twenty side tunnels.
“This place is honeycombed with tunnels. What if I go down the wrong one?”
“The tunnel you’re going down doesn’t smell anything like honey. It’s our sewer egress. Not even the Seekers venture there.”
“Nice,” I said.
“About fifty feet down,” Kate continued, “there’s an air shaft with a fan. Don’t worry, the air shaft is huge … nothing like my detour. Crawl inside and you should be able to escape the worst of the stench. But you might want to hold your breath until you reach it. It could be a long time before I can get to you. Don’t worry, I’ll be there.”
how the wind burns your eyes.
By the time I reached the shaft it felt like mine were melting out of their sockets.
Kate forgot to mention that part.
But she was right about the fan.
It was like being in a wind tunnel.
I lay on my back, eyes watering, catching my breath.
I smelled bacon.
I looked at my watch.
Someone, somewhere, was cooking Christmas breakfast.
To take my mind off my hunger, and to save my ears from the roaring fan, I put the earbuds back in and hit Rewind, then Play.
Kate was speaking …
“Not all of us are in the Deep. We have people above.”
“What do you mean?”
“We don’t have time for this. You have to leave here, now.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Why did you watch me tap?”
“It was amusing.”
“It was more than that. Why are you helping me?”
This was followed by dead silence.
For a moment I thought the recording had ended.
But then Kate answered.
Quietly.
Softly.
“I don’t know. There was something about you.”
This was followed by another pause.
Then a voice that I knew was Coop’s, but it didn’t sound like him.
Nervous.
Stuttering.
Breathless.
As though if he didn’t get the words out quickly, they would not come out at all.
“I know this sounds strange … bizarre … crazy … but I think I’ve been headed toward the Deep my whole life … looking for something … something important … something that will change my life … I didn’t walk down here … I was pulled. The reason I started tapping was to keep my feet moving when I didn’t know where to go.”
Another silence.
Longer than the first.
I imagined the look of shock and derision on Kate’s face.
And Coop’s embarrassment at her response.
But I was wrong.
Kate said …
“Maybe I’ve been waiting too.”
“Then you know that I’m not leaving without you.”
“They’ll come after us.”
“Then we better get going …”
The recording ended.
Then sometime later …
Dogs howling.
Men shouting.
“I can’t believe you’d run off with a topsider.”
“I can’t believe that you think I would run off with a topsider. That’s insulting!”
“What were you doing with him, then?”
“I was checking our security, like always, and ran across his trail. Obviously he survived the Styx. I was trying to grab him before he stumbled into the compound. I can’t believe you’d accuse me of betrayal. I don’t even know this kid. A few hours ago I tried to kill him.”
“Maybe.”
“What do you mean ‘maybe’? I’ve had all of this I’m going to take! If you’re going to treat me like this, I’m gone, Lod. I’m not going to take any more of this unwarranted abuse.”
“What’s that in his hand?”
“It’s a broken flashlight. What? You think this kid’s carrying a gun? Throw it away.”
The sound of rushing air.
That was the end of the recording, as Coop’s recorder, aka the broken flashlight, smashed against the rocks.
I transcribed everything into my journal to pass the time.
It wasn’t easy with the fan blowing and the smell of bacon churning my stomach.
Where’s Kate?
Did Lod and the Originals believe her story?
Did they grab her as soon as she walked into the compound?
Was Coop in the mush room?
Was Coop alive?
later Kate crawled into the shaft.
“I was worried. Where’ve you been?”
“It took me longer to slip back out than I expected. I forgot about Christmas breakfast. It’s one of the compound traditions.”
“I smelled it. Did you happen to bring leftovers?”
Kate smiled. “Sorry. I’ll find you something to eat when we get to my quarters. The breakfast may have lost us some time, but it’s also going to help us. Everyone wakes up early and we have this communal feast. Afterward, people go back to their quarters to celebrate the holiday with families or friends. This is usually followed by a long nap. No work on Christmas for most of the P
od. There won’t be many people wandering around the compound. You should be able to find your way out easily.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be distracting the Guards and the Shadows. I’ll meet you and Coop as soon as I can get away.”
“How is Coop?”
“He’s shocked that you’re down here.”
“You talked to him?”
Kate nodded. “He’s still in the infirmary, but his hand’s a lot better. I relieved the guy guarding him so he could get some breakfast. We got here just in time. Lod was going to move him to the mush room tomorrow.”
“What’s the mush room?” I asked again.
“It’s not really a room. It’s an area … a very big area. It’s how we make our money. We grow mushrooms and truffles and sell them up top. Everyone except the Shadows work on the mushroom farm. Three months on, three months off. It’s unpleasant work. Pod members who fall out of favor are put down there permanently, or until Lod decides to let them back up. The Originals decided to make Coop a permanent laborer.”
“Who runs it?”
“Lod’s in charge, but I don’t know who runs the day-to-day operation. People from above, I assume, or maybe Originals who even I don’t know. Lod is the only person who knows all the pieces and how they fit together.”
“How do they get the mushrooms above?”
“I don’t know that either. But they aren’t brought up through the compound.”
“So, there’s an exit there.”
“There has to be,” Kate said. “We sell mushrooms all over the world. But if you’re thinking that we can use that exit, you can forget it. The Guards down there make the Shadows look like angels. They carry rifles and Tasers. And they have dogs that will kill people. Lod parades the Guards through the compound a couple of times a year, allegedly to meet with the Originals, but I think the real reason is to remind us what will happen if we betray him. I think Lod used the Guards to hunt down my parents. I just hope he doesn’t send them after us along with the Shadows.”
The idea of terrible mushroom men creeped me out.
“What’s the plan?”
“First I need to get you into the compound.”
“How?”
“The same way you and Coop are going to leave.”
“I’m going to switch it off, but just for a second. You’ll need to crawl past the blades quickly. The fan’s monitored in the control room. If it’s off too long, an alarm sounds and this place will be filled with Seekers and Shadows.”
“What is this place?”
“Sewage treatment plant. The treated sewage is piped down to the mushrooms and used as fertilizer along with the garbage the Community brings us.”
Treated or not, I was never going to eat another mushroom as long as I lived.
“Are you coming with me?”
“I can’t. The Interrupt switch is only on this side. Even if I could turn it back on from the other side, I still couldn’t go with you. I walked out the front door. If I don’t return the same way, people will get suspicious. Crawl down to the first turn and wait. And be careful. You don’t want to get sucked into the blades. I’ll come and get you when I can and lead you to my quarters. Ready?”
I got down on my stomach and crawled as close as I dared to the swirling blades, surprised that I didn’t have even a twitch of claustrophobia. After the detour the small space felt cavernous.
I looked back at Kate and nodded.
She reached up and flipped a breaker.
The fan did not come to an immediate stop.
The eye-watering stench returned.
I glanced back at Kate again.
Her hand was on the switch.
She looked nervous.
I started through before the fan came to a complete stop.
My feet barely cleared the blades before they started again.
I crawled on my hands and knees as fast as I could.
Turned right.
Took shelter against the wall.
I was in an air duct.
The smell of bacon was so strong I could taste it.
Kate had said that Coop was shocked I was here.
I smiled in the pitch-dark.
My brother was alive.
bobbed toward me in the darkness.
I hoped it was attached to Kate.
It was.
She whispered, “No talking. Sound carries. Pay attention. Right. Left. Right. Follow me.”
I did.
The air duct was …
darktightsqueezewiggleinsidecrawldown
… all the sensations that usually caused me to shut down.
My knees hurt.
My hands, scraped and bloody.
I was hungry.
Tired.
But not afraid.
Poof!
My claustrophobia had vanished.
Right. Left. Right.
“Turn your headlamp off,” Kate whispered.
We crawled toward a dim rectangle of light.
It was a grate, hinged from the top.
She pushed it open.
Stuck her head through.
Looked both ways.
Flipped onto her back.
Did a backward somersault.
Now, face-to-face, I saw she had slipped on her sunglasses.
She whispered, “Don’t worry, you won’t have to try that. I’ll help you down headfirst.”
If I tried that, I would be wedged in the vent forever.
She wiggled through the opening and disappeared.
I scooted forward.
She was standing in a dimly lit, narrow hallway made out of cement.
“I’ll break your fall,” she said.
“You better not try,” I said. “Stand clear.”
My exit wasn’t as graceful as Kate’s, but I managed to get down without breaking anything, including Kate.
“Do you really need sunglasses?”
“Shadows always wear shades. It keeps our eyes accustomed to the dark. If you see someone in the compound with sunglasses, it’s a Shadow.”
I glanced down the dim hallway. “Are there surveillance cameras here?”
“Yes, but they haven’t worked for months. The only camera that still works inside the compound is the one covering the entrance. I wasn’t kidding when I told Lod that our security is weak. And this is another reason why I’m suspicious that he and the Originals are getting ready to do something. Maintenance used to be a high priority and a constant problem, but this past year they’ve let a lot of things slide. I think Lod is getting ready to abandon the Deep.”
“Why?”
“I wish I knew.”
I was getting a little nervous standing in a long hallway with nowhere to hide if someone happened to come along.
It must have showed.
“You’re right,” Kate said. “We should get moving.”
It was a maze. Everything looked exactly the same. After about the fifth turn I stopped.
“What’s the matter?” Kate asked.
“I’m already lost. How am I going to find my way back to the vent?”
“It’s not as complicated as it seems. I drew a map for Coop. And he’s pretty good at navigating underground.”
“Have you forgotten how long it took him to get to the Deep?”
Kate smiled. “It’s a really good map. All you need to remember is how to get to the fan.”
I had to think about it for a second.
“Left. Right. Left.”
“Perfect.”
Kate pointed to a square of light about fifty feet in front of us.
“That’s the door to the stairs. No one uses them. On the off chance someone does, we’ll hear them long before we see them. The steps are metal. We’ll go through the door to the nearest floor and find somewhere to hide until they pass.”
“How many floors are there?”
“Including this one, thirteen that we have access to.”
?
??What do you mean by access?”
“We have three elevators. The middle one has a key that allows it to go deeper. Lod has the only key. That’s how he gets to the mush rooms. I have no idea how many floors are beneath us, or what’s there.”
so they didn’t clank on the metal steps.
When we reached the fifth floor we heard someone coming down.
Fast.
Kate grabbed my hand and pulled me through a doorway.
Another cement hallway.
Carpeted.
With numbered doors.
We ducked into 526 on the right-hand side.
Kate took her shades off and put her eye to the peephole.
“What is this place?”
“Living quarters,” she answered with her eye still to the hole. “Apartments. No one lives on this side. There’s no view.”
Without taking her eye away she reached down and flipped a switch.
It was more like a cement cell than an apartment.
No windows.
Carpeted like the hallway.
Kitchenette.
No furniture.
Bathroom with a shower, toilet, and sink.
One bedroom.
No bed.
I wandered back out.
“We’re clear,” Kate said.
I followed her into the hallway.
She opened the stairway door and listened.
We sprinted up to the thirteenth floor.
There were several doors on the right-hand side, but only one door on the left, halfway down the hallway.
“Lod’s lair,” Kate said.
was the number on the door.
Kate pulled out a lanyard from under her collar with a magnetic card attached to it.
“I’ve lived here my whole life,” she said, swiping the card and opening the door. “I never thought I’d leave.”
I might have felt the same way if my quarters were like Lod’s.
It wasn’t an apartment.
It was a penthouse.
Beautifully furnished.
Immaculately clean.
With a panoramic view of the compound through a window running the length of the room.
“None of this furniture came from a Dumpster,” I said.
“Nothing in the compound comes from Dumpsters.”