by AJ Eversley
He had to make it. His body was strong, stronger than anyone else here. He was like a brother to me, the only family I had left, and I couldn’t lose him too.
~
My brain was in a fog the next day when I began training with Kenzie.
“Sawyer?” Kenzie asked.
I looked up with confusion.
“Uh, you’ve just been staring at the ground for the last two minutes,” he said.
“Sorry, right. Let’s go through combat drills again,” I suggested.
“That’s what we just did. You told me to untape. Should I tape back up?” His brow scrunched up.
“No, no, you’re right. Sorry, I forgot. Let’s just take a short break then. Allow me to come up with a plan.” I leaned back against the wall and slid down until I was seated.
“Is everything okay?” Kenzie asked, sitting down beside me.
“Yes. No. I don’t know.”
Kenzie scrunched up his forehead. Concern was written across his face.
I sighed. “Kyle’s wound is infected. Doc put him in quarantine to help his body heal,” I explained.
“I see,” Kenzie replied. I could tell he wasn’t sure what to say. “Doesn't Doc have antibiotics or something that can help?”
“Most of the medications are gone. They were used up during the first few years of battle,” I answered.
“Can we go get some from a lab?” he suggested.
“There aren’t any stocked labs nearby. They’ve all been raided or destroyed.” I sighed and leaned my head back against the wall, closing my eyes.
“Not all of them,” he said.
I opened my eyes quickly.
“During the first six years of the war, my family took refuge in the abandoned underground rail system. They have old medical stations down there from before the Bots became healers. I’m certain they are still stocked. In the six years we hid there, I didn’t see a single other person down there. Nobody knew it still existed.”
I sat up straight and turned to Kenzie. “You can tell me where they are?” I asked.
“Yeah, of course.”
“Come with me, now.” I grabbed his wrist and pulled him up with me. We ran to Command as fast as our legs would take us. I didn’t let go of his wrist the whole way.
~
“How can we be sure the correct medication is there?” Smith asked.
“Do we have any other choice?” I argued. “Doc, tell him.”
I had called Doc in as soon as we arrived there. “Well, theoretically all medical stations would be stocked with basic medications such as antibiotics and painkillers. Even if expired, I may be able to use either to treat the infection.”
“See! We’ve got to try. This is Kyle were talking about,” I insisted.
Smith sighed and took a seat. “You’re risking your life for his, you realize that, right? We’re blind out there, and I can’t risk sending out a rescue team if something were to happen.”
“I understand. Kenzie will show me exactly where to go, and I’ll be in and out. That’s it.” I looked to Kenzie for support.
“I'll take you there,” Kenzie replied. What? That wasn’t the plan!
“You aren’t coming with me,” I argued. “I just need the location.”
“You need someone to watch your back, and someone who knows the underground rail system. Simply telling you will be no good. It’s a maze down there,” he explained calmly.
“No,” I almost yelled. “You can give me detailed directions, or stay here on comms with Sam and direct me.”
“It’s too deep for the comms,” Kenzie said. Sam nodded.
I threw my hands up. “Smith, you said yourself you don’t want to risk any more lives, right? Tell him he can’t come.”
“Kenzie will join you, and he’ll show you the way. You leave at sundown,” Smith said, trusting Kenzie more than I did.
I began to argue, but he stopped me. “You either go with him, or not at all.” He shut me up with that, knowing I wouldn’t leave Kyle to die. I sighed.
Reluctantly, I turned to Kenzie. “Go get your supplies and eat. We have two hours,” I said and then left.
This wasn’t what I wanted. He wasn’t ready, and I couldn’t be responsible for another death on my watch. I prayed he would prove me wrong and was better prepared for this than I thought he was.
Chapter 18
The dim sunlight was disappearing behind the converging clouds when the doors opened. Smith had fitted Kenzie with a pack, complete with guns, ammo, explosives, and reserve food in case something happened. We’d been given two hours to get there and back. Sam watched us on limited surveillance cameras until we reached the tunnels. Once we were down there, we were all alone.
I followed behind Kenzie as he crept out onto the open street. My feet didn’t make a sound. In fact, nothing did. It was eerily quiet. It set me on edge and had me scanning every corner. The closest tunnel to the rail system was only a mile away. We neared the spot Kenzie had pointed out on the map and slowed down, crouching to inspect the drainage grate. It looked untouched and empty. We opened it as quietly as the rusted hinges would allow, and I lowered myself down first. My feet reached a small ledge about eight feet down and then a ladder that we’d take the remainder of the way. Kenzie closed the grate and followed behind me.
The ladder creaked softly under our weight, and I prayed it’d hold.
We seemed to descend for ages. As the light from above left us, we were in complete darkness. Once we were sure we couldn’t be seen from above, we turned on our flashlights.
Finally, we hit the bottom, and I stepped back to survey the area. Kenzie wasn’t kidding about it being a maze. There were six tunnels all leading in different directions, and from where I stood I saw each one splitting off again. I had no idea which way was north or south down here. I was already lost.
He pointed to the farthest one to the right. “This way,” he said, and we took off.
My brain scrambled as I tried to remember each turn, but I was quickly lost. A right, then a left, straight at the fork in the road, and again left. I never would’ve found this place on my own, and even though I didn’t want to admit it, I was glad Kenzie was with me.
We reached what used to be a main station for people to board trains. Rocks and rubble were scattered everywhere as the train system had been decommissioned over fifty years ago when SPACs were invented.
We climbed up to the platform and surveyed the area. It was covered in dust and remnants of garbage everywhere from years of not being used. Kenzie led the way to the medical station at the far end, evident by its bright red cross overhead. We were almost there when we heard a rustle to our right. I crouched down low, gun ready. Kenzie mimicked me. The noise stopped, but we saw where it came from, just behind a bathroom stall door still ajar. I nodded to the right, directing Kenzie to flank that side, and I’d take the other side. As we crept forward, there was another rustle.
One more step. We had it surrounded. There was no way out.
The rustling paused. It knew we were there.
I paused, ready to take it out the minute it walked out those doors. The old door creaked open further.
My finger squeezed lightly against the trigger. Kenzie and I both gasped. “What the hell?” I mumbled, lowering my gun.
“It’s a dog,” Kenzie exclaimed, standing up straight.
At least that’s what we thought it looked like. This small ragged animal resembled a dog of sorts. It was skin and bones and missing patches of fur on its already thin coat. It was covered in dirt and garbage and came prancing happily toward me. Before I even had a chance to move, it placed a slobbery, wet kiss right on my nose.
“Yuck!” I screamed, whipping my free hand wildly at my face.
Kenzie keeled over in laughter. “Friendly little guy, isn’t he?”
The dog wagged his tail at Kenzie. We hadn’t seen dogs, or any animal for that matter, since the war began. Most had been killed during the battle. S
ome became meals for humans trying to survive; it was a desperate time.
“Gross,” I said, standing up again. I brushed off the dirt. “Well, we’ve got no time left. Let’s get the meds and go!” I turned to the dog. “You stay,” I said, and the dog sat. Good.
We made our way to the med station, and I heard a pitter-patter behind me. I turned around. The dog was right at my heels, tail wagging happily.
“Stay,” I commanded, and he sat.
As I walked again, the pitter-patter followed me once more.
“Oh for goodness sakes.” I spun around. “Stay here. Do not follow me.”
He sat again, tail wagging and tongue sticking out to the side.
Kenzie was chuckling to himself.
“Amusing, is it?” I glared at him.
“What?” he responded innocently.
“Just get what we need, and let’s go,” I grumbled.
Kenzie headed into the med station and filled his pack. I checked my watch. “Forty-five minutes. We’re taking too long. Hurry up!” I yelled.
Kenzie slung his full pack over his shoulder and jogged out. We were turning to leave when the ground shook around us. I held onto the wall for support as dust and rock fell from the roof. There was a loud crash, and then a cloud of smoke billowed from the tunnel we were supposed to take back. The dog was huddled at my side.
“Cave in,” Kenzie stated in reply to my bewildered expression. He helped me to my feet and dusted off his clothes. “It happens from time to time. These are old tunnels that haven’t been maintained. The support systems sometimes collapse.”
“Well, that’s good to know now! Don’t you think you could have mentioned it before?” I asked.
He shrugged.
“How are we going to get back now?” I asked.
“These tunnels are basically one big circle. We can loop around back to the same spot we came from.”
“Good.” I tried in vain to get the dust off of me. “Let’s go then.”
“It’s at least half a day’s run, might as well fuel up first,” he suggested and sat down, oblivious to the urgency I felt.
“I’d rather not. Smith is going to assume the worst when we’re not back in two hours, and the quicker we can get back the less likely he is to kill us when we return.” I was still standing. He shrugged and pulled out some food, ignoring everything I said.
“Argh! You’re not very good at this listening to me thing, are you?” I sighed but sat next to him. He handed me some food and placed a small bit on the floor for the dog. “Great. Now he’ll never leave us,” I said.
“What’s the harm in that? He’s kind of cute—in a rugged, needs-a-bath kind of way.” Kenzie smiled, patting the dog on the head. The dog wagged his tail in appreciation. I shook my head.
Once we had finished our food, we packed up and set off at a steady pace in the opposite direction we came. Sure enough, the dog followed us despite my repeated commands for him to stay. Kenzie found it all amusing.
A few hours in, we decided to walk for a while. Kenzie convinced me that it would be a long, hard run if we don’t stop once, and by the time we’d reach street level we’d be so burnt out that anyone could catch us.
I was impressed by Kenzie’s knowledge of the tunnels. He knew every little turn and shortcut. And his training was paying off as he kept up with me, no problem. “How long did you say you were down here?” I asked.
“Six years with my family, two years alone,” he replied.
“What happened?” I asked, not sure why I was prying or even why I cared. He didn’t seem to mind.
“My dad was a road officer. He helped maintain the magnetic system and got SPACs back online whenever they went down. Because of this, he knew every tunnel and street in the city like the back of his hand. When the war hit, he knew where to take refuge. We took as much food as we could carry and made our way here. I don’t think anyone expected the war to last this long, let alone wipe out that many people.” He looked down at his hands. “Our supplies only lasted four months, so we started making supply runs. My dad would direct us to the closest grate with a food mart nearby, and my brother and I’d find anything edible we could survive on.”
He was silent for a few minutes, and I waited, noting the sparkle in his eye dim a little.
“We lasted about four years like that, making ends meet. I didn’t even notice she had stopped eating—” His voice broke, and he quickly cleared his throat. “My mom was skipping meals in hopes that we would survive longer. She died only a few weeks after I started to notice. By then, it was too late.” I saw the pain in his eyes, the guilt of survival I knew all too well.
“My dad and brother took it the hardest. I had to keep us moving to stay alive. I started going on food runs alone. One day when I was out searching for food, a tunnel collapsed. My dad and brother were in that tunnel. It took two weeks to dig them out, but they were long gone.” His shoulders slumped down as he sighed.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
He shrugged. “We all have a story, right? I stayed in the tunnels alone for another two years until one day on a food run I found Edith. She and a few others had been hiding in an old hotel, and I joined them. Edith and I got separated from the rest just before you found us in that warehouse, at least that’s the last thing I remember.”
I nodded, remembering the rest of the story.
We ran in silence until we stopped for a quick rest and more food. It must have been after midnight.
The dog, who Kenzie named Chevy, sat between us happily drinking out of Kenzie’s water bottle. “You know he could be diseased,” I said.
“Then it’s a good thing we just got a bunch of medication, right?” He smirked and poured Chevy more water.
“Why Chevy?” I asked.
“My dad was always obsessed with this old transportation system, automobiles. He talked for hours about Chevys and Fords. He loved them all.” Kenzie smiled at the memories.
We were quiet as I looked around the dark dingy tunnel, wondering what it was like back then.
“What was it like?” he asked softly.
“What was what like?” I asked, stuffing another stale cracker in my mouth and breaking off half for Chevy.
“The war.”
“What do you mean? You were there, weren’t you?”
“Well, my dad had a small warning before things went bad. I never found out how, but he brought us down here two days before anything even happened. By the time we went up to the surface the worst of it was over.”
I gaped at him, mouth open in shock. “Are you kidding me? Somebody knew this was going to happen before it started?” I was stunned.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“But…how?” I was baffled, unsure what to think. How could someone know what was going to happen but not warn anyone else? And Kenzie’s dad knew but also didn’t tell anyone. How could they do that? I was about to ask when I noticed the guilt in Kenzie’s eyes. He was just as young as me when the war broke out. He had no way of knowing what he could have done to help out so many people.
“We didn’t go to the surface for four months after the war started, and by then the destruction was so vast we weren’t even sure who started it. I eventually got the gist of what happened, but a lot of it is still unclear.” He looked at me with questioning eyes, and I sighed.
“Nobody is really clear on what happened,” I said. “One day, the Bots just turned on us for no apparent reason. I have my theories, but we’ll never know for sure.”
“What’s your theory?” he asked.
“Well, Dr. Ian Coleman was the lead scientist at Sub 9, and when the attacks began, Sub 9 went into lockdown. Only Dr. Coleman, from inside, could’ve given that order. Plus he was the only one capable of controlling the Bots. So my theory is he was in on it the whole time, or he was helping someone else. I’m not sure which one, but I know his body has yet to be found, and we’ve been looking.” There was a flicker of something in Kenzie’s eyes,
a panicked sort of look. “What?” I asked.
“I…nothing. Just thought I recognized the name, but I don’t,” Kenzie muttered. I could tell he was lying because his eyes averted from mine. This was becoming a tell with him, but I hadn’t worried about it much.
I let it go.
“We should get going again.” I stood.
Kenzie agreed, and we took off at a jog. We stayed silent for the rest of the way, but I couldn’t help wondering what he was hiding.
~
We reached the ladder back up to street level faster than I expected. Chevy kept up with us the whole way, but it was time to say goodbye.
Just as I was ready to climb up, I heard a soft bark. Turning around, I saw Chevy looking up at me, hoping to come. “No, you’ve come far enough. You can stay,” I tried, but he barked again.
“Aww, come on. We can’t just leave him here.” Kenzie patted Chevy’s little head.
“If you want to keep him, you take him,” I said and took a few more steps up.
“I would, but I’m not sure the ladder would hold the weight of both of us. You’re much lighter than I am. Come on,” he whined, and Chevy chimed in.
I sighed. I couldn’t believe I was about to say this. “Fine. Strap him to my pack.” I climbed back down and leaned over the dog. “No squirming! Sit still back there, or I will climb back down and leave you here.” He licked my nose, and I tried my best to not smile. My hard façade was melting a little.
Kenzie strapped Chevy to my pack using the spare blanket we brought. He wrapped him up like a burrito with just his head and tail sticking out. I tested the ladder under the added weight; it held. Chevy didn’t move an inch aside from his tail which wouldn’t stop wagging.
Once I reached the top, I saw that the sun was rising, and for the first time in a long while, the clouds were parted enough to see the sunrise. I listened for any sign of noise, but there was nothing but silence. Carefully, I pushed open the grate and pulled myself up. Kenzie was close behind me, and we set off back to the base. It wasn’t far, and we didn’t run into any trouble. I kept Chevy on my back so he wouldn’t attract any attention.