The clatter of pots and utensils bounced off the concrete walls as Dana stood in line with the others waiting for their supper. She held out the bowl on her tray. This time, the server dumped green glop in there. Wrinkling her nose slightly, Dana put the bowl on her tray and moved down to the bread bin. She searched through it until she found one that didn’t have weevils all over it. Can’t they give us something edible? Noticing that an officer watched her closely, Dana scooted down to the beverage table and picked up a glass of water that was mostly clear.
She found Elsie and Sanders and took her place beside them. They immediately dug into their food, thankful to just have something to eat. Few words filled the spaces between their chewing.
Once finished, Dana put her dishes away and noticed George heading out. Fingering the watch in her packet, she knew what she had to do. Pushing her way past people, Dana caught up with George. She grabbed him and pulled him outside, away from the officers that always lined the area.
“I got payment,” she said. “Now where is the underground?”
“It isn’t that easy,” said George.
“Then make it that easy.” Dana stared at George with determination. She needed medicine and she needed it now.
“Look,” said George. “They keep their location secret for a reason. The council is always trying to close them down.”
“You said that if I got payment, then you would take me to the underground market. I held up my end.”
George rubbed his face, clearly not liking the situation. He thought Dana would never be able to find the money necessary to pay for what she wanted.
“Fine,” he relented. “Meet me at my place at midnight. I know you know where it is and I know you know how to get there without being noticed. And come alone.”
George walked away. Midnight, that was four hours away.
Dana slowly walked back to the barracks and her bunk. She nestled in it, not bothering to get undressed since she would be having to leave in a few hours.
“Hey, what happened to you?” said Elsie.
“Oh, just tired,” said Dana.
“You’re sneaking out again, aren’t you?” Elsie noted that Dana had not undressed.
“Keep your voice down,” hissed Dana.
Elsie and Sanders both moved closer, making certain no one listened. “Where are you going?”
“I have to get something for a friend,” said Dana. “I don’t want to discuss it.”
“What something?” pushed Elsie.
“Medicine,” whispered Dana. “You know that red-headed girl that wanders around here? Well, her Nana is sick and I am going to go get some medicine for her.”
“Why?”
“Because no one else will.”
“We’re coming too,” said Sanders.
“No.” Dana’s voice was a bit louder than she had wanted. “Look, George said to come alone. I barely earned enough of his trust for him to take me there anyway. I don’t want to lose it because I dragged along a couple of friends. He’s very secretive.”
Elsie and Sanders exchanged looks, not liking the entire idea.
”Fine, but you better make sure that you are back before morning, or you know what will happen,” said Elsie.
“And don’t accept their first price. Some of the vendors there have marked up their prices because they know that people are desperate. Haggle them down.”
“Thanks,” said Dana, pulling her blanket up as the lights turned off.
Luckily, Dana was able to see the clock that hung in the room. Just before midnight, Dana threw off the covers and slipped on her boots. She crawled through the same hole in the wall that Jesse had shown her earlier. Careful to avoid the beams of light that flickered from the towers, Dana clung to the shadows, hugging the exteriors of buildings as she ran through the plant.
She found the same spot in the fence that she and Jesse had crawled through before. Carefully, Dana removed the wires and slipped through to the other side. Glancing about, she ran for the small grouping of shacks where those cursed to be born in Waste Management lived. The streets remained empty. Dana wasn’t surprised. Why would anyone be out at this time?
She easily remembered exactly where George’s hut was. Dana knocked on the door. It opened immediately. George’s meaty hand snatched her arm and yanked her inside.
“Anyone follow you?” he demanded.
“No,” said Dana.
George did a quick peek outside before relaxing. He doused the lamp in the room and grabbed his jacket.
“Let’s go.”
Slipping outside, Dana followed George as they dashed through the alleys of Shackville. Despite being much older than Dana, George moved swiftly, avoiding any officers they came upon, while Dana struggled to keep up.
Eventually, they reached the train yard. George found a self-propelled flatcar and told Dana to get on. Together, they worked the mechanism, moving the car down the tracks toward the lights of the city.
“Here,” said George as they slowed down.
Dana jumped off the cart and followed after George as he led her through back alleys of the outer edges of the city. A couple of officers patrolled by. Quickly, George snatched Dana’s arm and yanked her out of the lamp light. They huddled together scrunched against a wall as they waited. Once the officers had passed, Dana and George dashed across the darkened street.
They darted down another alley until they came to what appeared to be an apartment complex. It was more of an abandoned warehouse turned into apartments that the government had deemed fit for the average person to live, but not for its policymakers. People lived in them rent-free, but they lacked heat and air conditioning. On most days, they didn’t even have electricity.
George looked down both ends of the alley, making certain no one watched them. He opened a rotted, wooden door and motioned Dana inside. A dim light bulb illuminated the steps before her, leading downward.
George marched down them. Dana followed, clutching the watch that Kenny had given her. They stomped down the hollow wooden stairs until they reached a metal door at the bottom that was bolted from the other side.
George rapped three times, paused two seconds, and then knocked another three times before ending with a succession of four quick taps. A small panel slid open, revealing two eyes.
“Silent is the night,” said the man on the other side in a harsh voice.
“Where stands Lady Liberty,” replied George.
“Who’s she?” demanded the man, indicating Dana.
“A friend,” said George.
The panel slid shut. The clicking and clacking of bolts on the other side filled the area. Slowly, the metal door pulled open. The husky man waved them in before closing it.
The place amazed Dana. It was an underground marketplace. Little shops and vendors lay everywhere as people bustled about buying and selling. Strings of incandescent light bulbs filled the ceiling, providing enough light to make one think it was sunset. Dana observed the women with their children hurrying from shop to shop with their basket of goods.
“You can’t just bring anyone,” said the man to George. “The bureaucrats have been cracking down on us.”
“She needs stuff just like everyone else,” replied George. “Stuff she can’t find anywhere else.”
Dana noticed an officer stroll by with a handful of items. At first, panic rose up within her until she realized that he was a customer and others walked by him unafraid.
“What is an officer doing here?” she asked.
The man at the door laughed. “You think you’re the only ones who buy from the black market? We pay many officers to leave us alone. A lot of them come here for items that they are denied above.”
It had never occurred to Dana that even the officers would be denied stuff. But, like her, they did not choose their career. A board chose for them.
“Come on,” said George. He led Dana away to the maze of shops. “What sort of medicine do you need?”
“Something that can
cure tuberculosis,” replied Dana.
George rubbed his whiskers. “That’s a tall order. There’s only one man I know who might have that stuff. Mind you, it won’t be cheap.”
He led her through some aisles and past many areas of goods and wares Dana had never seen. A bakery rested on a corner, and next to it was a tailor.
“Fresh vegetables!” yelled one man from his place of business.
Dana paused momentarily. She examined the mounds of carrots, cabbage, and turnips. A bright red tomato caught her attention. It had been months since she saw one.
“Care for a few tomatoes?” asked the man. “Only six coins.”
“Coins?” asked Dana.
The man laughed. “First-timer, huh? You have to get coins from the bank.” He pointed at a big window with the word “bank” on it. “You take them the items you brought from outside and they exchange them for coins. Those coins are only good here though.”
“Maybe later,” said George, grabbing Dana’s arm. “We have prior business.”
Dana allowed herself to be carted away. “Why didn’t you tell me about the exchange?”
“Forgot,” said George. “I’m so used to it that I didn’t think about it.”
They walked to the bank. The big window opened the moment they approached. “What have you got?” asked the man behind the counter.
Dana handed him the watch.
The man took it, amazed that she had such a valuable item. “Where did you get this?”
“You’re better off not knowing,” said Dana.
“I’m sure of that,” said the man. He looked at the watch with a magnifying glass. “This is the genuine article. Most bring me fakes. How did you come by this?”
Dana didn’t like being asked questions. She knew she couldn’t tell him the truth, and she needed the medicine. “My work took me into the city today and I took advantage of the opportunity.”
“Fair enough,” said the man, “though you wouldn’t be the first to steal something to sell down here.”
Dana’s lips pursed at being called a thief. She bit her tongue to remain silent, reminding herself of why she was there.
“Well, I’d say this is worth 500 coins.” The man plopped a bag on the counter.
“A thousand,” said George.
“What?” said the man.
“You said that was the genuine article. Any fake is worth 500. This is worth at least 1,000.”
The man behind the counter turned purple, angered at the fact that George prevented him from cheating Dana after immediately pegging her as a newbie. “Very well. One thousand coins.” He plopped another bag on the counter. “Want to count it?”
“No,” said George. “I trust you.”
Dana took the bags and they walked off. “That’s Phil,” said George. “He’s a good businessman, but sometimes he gets a bit greedy. This way.”
George turned a corner and they walked down a row of small vendors all yelling and shouting to anyone who listened. George ignored all of them. Dana trotted to keep up.
After a few twists and turns, George stopped in front of a small store. “Here,” he said.
Dana followed him inside, ignoring the grime on the window.
“May I help you?” asked the man inside.
“Hey, Bob,” said George.
“Oh, hello, George. What can I do for you?”
“The little lady here needs some stuff for curing tuberculosis.”
Bob peered over his reading glasses at Dana. “Really? That isn’t easy to come by.”
“Yes, but I told her you’ve got it.”
“Well, let me see.” Bob walked to the back and pulled out a case. He opened it and revealed five glass vials with a clear serum in them. “Got some here, but not much. How sick is the patient.”
“Very,” said Dana.
“Hmmm,” said the man. He grabbed two bottles. “Got any needles?”
Dana shook her head. “No.”
Bob scooped up five needles, each individually wrapped in sterile packs. As he placed them all on the counter, Dana noticed him take a quick glance at the bags of coins in her arms. She scolded herself for not taking the precaution of concealing them.
“Eight hundred coins,” said Bob.
Even though she was new to this, Dana knew the price was too high. “Three hundred.”
Bob’s eyes widened a bit. “Seven hundred.”
“Three fifty.”
“Five hundred,” said Bob. “That’s my final offer.”
“You and I both know that the entire case is not even worth that much. My offer stands at 350.” Dana gambled that she had guessed right. Her risk paid off. Bob’s face betrayed the fact that she was right, that he had severely marked up the price thinking he could get away with it.
“Four,” said Bob.
“Done,” replied Dana.
George stood silent, watching the proceedings with interest. He hadn’t expected Dana to know how to bargain. “We got ourselves a shrewd businessman here.”
Dana handed over the coins while Bob put the items in a bag and gave it to her. “Nice doing business with you,” he said. “Do you know how to inject it?”
Dana stopped cold. She hadn’t thought about that.
Bob waved her back. He took out a needle he used just for such purposes.
“She will need five injections total spaced three hours apart. You will fill the needle like this. Push out any air bubbles. Then inject it in the vein, here.”
Dana watched carefully as Bob demonstrated how to administer the medicine.
“You got all that?”
“Yes,” said Dana.
“Alright, off you go, you haggler.”
Dana didn’t know if Bob was teasing or not. She left the shop with George, and they moseyed down a lane past more vendors.
“Is everyone here trying get everyone’s money?” asked Dana.
George laughed. “Naw, most folk are honest. Bob was just testing you. You have “newbie” written all over you. But medicine is hard to come by, so it gets expensive. It’ll take him five months to get some more.”
“Fresh milk!”
Dana paused by a man holding up bottles of milk.
“Want some milk?” asked the man.
“Where did you get it?” The question popped out of her mouth before she could stop it.
The man cackled heartily. “Right here.” He pointed at a dairy cow that he had down there. It looked at her while chewing on some grass. “Have to keep her down here; otherwise, them officers will take her away.”
“So you just milk her and place it in the bottles?”
“That’s the general idea. I told you it’s fresh milk. Oh, don’t worry, it won’t kill you, and the bottles are sterilized. Here.”
The man walked over to the cow and placed a bucket underneath the udder. Gently, he talked to her and caressed the udders so that she wouldn’t jump. After squeezing enough for a glassful, he brought the bucket over and poured it into a cup.
“Drink up,” he held it out to Dana.
“But won’t raw milk kill you?” She had always been told that eating anything raw was bad for her health. Of course, such advice always came from helpful government officials.
“Life will kill you,” laughed the man. “One day. Here, I’ll try it with you.”
He put some into another cup and drank it.
Unsure about it, Dana took a drink. Surprisingly, it tasted really good. “Not bad.”
“Told, ya. Ten coins a bottle. And it ain’t watered down like that stuff you get up top. Nor does it have manure in it.”
“Manure?”
“Ever see brown stuff settling on the bottom of the milk you get up there?”
Dana thought about it and remembered that that sometimes happened. “Yes.”
“That is manure,” said the man. “Regulations allow for a certain amount of it. And even though they cook the milk before distributing it, manure is still manure, even when c
ooked.”
Suddenly, Dana felt sick, realizing that she had grown up with the government approved stuff. “I’ll take two bottles.”
The man gladly wrapped them and handed them to her in exchange for the coins. “You’ll need a bag for all that stuff,” he said handing her a basket.
“Thank you.”
“Come again.”
“So you like shopping here?” asked George when Dana rejoined him.
Before returning to the surface, Dana decided to stop by the vegetable vendor and the bakery. She picked up a few loaves of bread and enough vegetables for a week. Jesse would need more than the medicine for her Nana.
Two hours later, Dana and George arrived back in Shackville. They parted at his hut. “Now don’t tell anyone about that place. Though many use it for their own purposes, the council has many spies. They want to shut it down.”
“I won’t,” said Dana.
“At least clear it with me first,” said George.
“Okay.”
He shut his door, leaving Dana alone with her bundles. Quickly, she took off down the dusty road towards Jesse’s place. A single flame shone in the murky window.
Dana knocked softly on the door. “Jesse, it’s Dana.”
The door opened a crack, revealing Jesse’s freckled face and tangled red hair. Dana went in and bolted the door. She gave the food to Jesse, whose eyes opened wide at seeing so much that was actually fit to eat.
“These are for you and your Nana,” said Dana. “They should last you the week. Maybe more.”
Jesse hugged Dana tightly. She returned the embrace.
Once the food had been put away, Dana pulled out the needles and vials of medicine. She called Jesse over and showed her how to administer the serum, hoping that she remembered correctly. Nana grumbled some as Dana injected the serum, but remained asleep.
“Remember, she gets four more injections, but they each have to be spaced three hours apart.”
“I’ll remember,” said Jesse. “Will it make Nana better?”
“I hope so, sweetie.” Dana’s heart ached for the girl as she remembered the losses she had suffered.
Once again, dawn peeked over the horizon and Dana had to go. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she said to Jesse as she left.
Before the sun appeared completely, Dana raced back to the hole in the barbed wire fence and squeezed through. She crept back to the barracks, avoiding the patrolling officers, and closed up the hole just as the buzzer sounded.
Great, thought Dana, another day of no sleep.
Chapter Eight