Ascendant Unrest

by Matthew S. Cox

  “A lot. I’ve only been kidnapped twice. And once wasn’t that bad. It was a little scary when Genna tied me up, but I’m not mad at her.”

  “Dad ties me up sometimes too,” said Sarah.

  Maya blinked, turned her head to stare, and blinked again. “What? Seriously? That’s like way weird.”

  “Survival training. In case we get taken as POWs.” Sarah again stretched up to study the land outside. “What are we looking for?”

  “Survival?” Maya continued gawking.

  “Yeah. Wanted me to learn how to ‘escape and evade’ if we get captured by the enemy. You know how he gets about training. No way to tell him it’s pointless. He doesn’t understand the war ended.” She frowned. “Didn’t help much. He made me practice escaping rope, and the Authority has zip ties. I couldn’t get loose when the damn blueberries got me.”

  “They knocked you out.”

  “I mean the other times.” Sarah frowned.

  “That’s, umm, not normal. What kinda parent ties their own kid up?”

  Sarah looked at her. “Ask Genna.”

  “Ouch.” Maya cringed. “But I wasn’t her kid then. I was ‘a Citizen brat.’ She thought I was as nasty as Vanessa. And she cut me loose as soon as we got to that room.”

  “No one’s as nasty as Vanessa.” Sarah shook her head.

  Maya folded her arms. “Yeah.”

  A few minutes later, Sarah gazed left and right. “It’s all open space. What are we looking for?”

  “Keep going.” Maya pointed forward and left. “It’s out that way in the fog. Stay on the road now, please. Have you ever seen the Spread?”

  “Not up close. Just from the ninth floor, but it’s so far away it’s just a spot of color.”

  Another car emerged from the fog up ahead and zoomed by in a flash of headlights and blue, heading back toward the Hab.

  “You’re doing well.” Maya wrapped herself around the seat, staring backward to watch taillights recede. “Whoever that is thinks you’re driving okay.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “They didn’t stick their middle finger out the window at us.”

  Sarah laughed. “So what’s the Spread look like?”

  “Lots and lots of trailer boxes stacked on top of each other. Right in front of it is this little town. That’s where we need to go.”

  “Pope is at the town?”

  “No.” Maya twisted around to sit normally again and pulled her legs up, heels on the edge of the cushion. “He’s out in the grass. But I know how to get there from that place.”

  “Okay.”

  They drove in silence for some time. Guilt, worry, fear, and hope sat like stones in Maya’s gut. Sarah played with the car, poking buttons and dials to see what they did, and occasionally steering around pretend hazards like in the arcade game. She made machine gun and bomb noises for a little bit while pushing nonexistent buttons on the wheel. Maya kept her gaze locked on the fog, wondering how long they’d have to drive to cover the same distance that took her two days on foot. When she spotted a puddle up ahead in the oncoming lane, Sarah veered for it, causing Maya to scream as water splashed over the windshield.

  “What?” Sarah corrected back into their lane. “It’s a power up.”

  “It’s a puddle! In the wrong lane!” Maya stared at her, not blinking for a moment. “If another car is coming, they will hit us and we’ll die. As fast as you’re going, they’ll find us in the trunk. Of the other car!”

  “Sorry…” Sarah shrank a little. “Trying not to think of Dad, so I was pretending to be playing RoadBlasters.”

  “That’s okay… just stay out of that lane.”

  Forty-six minutes after leaving the Hab according to the dashboard clock, the multicolored rectangular shapes of the Spread’s towers emerged from the mist off the road to the left.

  “Sarah?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Thanks.”

  Sarah looked over at her. “For?”

  “Trusting me. I know you wanted to go check on your dad, but you went for the car.”

  “I… know it’s too dangerous back home. The car just happened. It was there.” A moment of silence stretched between them. “I’m afraid to go back too. I think Dad’s not going to be there.”

  “Sarah?” Maya peered at the rapidly approaching Spread.

  “Huh?”

  “How fast are you going?”

  She studied the instrument panel. “Umm. Either 108 or eighty-four circle eff.”

  Maya leaned left. A large 108 sat in the middle of the dash, with a smaller 84°F at the top left by ‘e-motor temp.’ Her chest tightened. “Please slow down. We’re doing a hundred and eight miles an hour. If you hit something, we’re going to die.”

  “Right.” Sarah raised her leg but hesitated before simply stomping the brake like she always did with the game. She eased her foot down.

  The car pitched forward. After the initial jerk, she relaxed even more and bled off speed.

  “How fast should I go? I guess it wasn’t that bad since you weren’t scared ’til you looked at the number.”

  “Umm. I dunno, like fifty? You gotta slow down anyway, we’re almost there. Tell me when it says like thirty or less.”

  Sarah stared at the speed, her forehead almost touching the wheel.

  “Sarah, Sarah, Sarah!” yelled Maya.

  They ran over a furry lump.

  “You just re-killed something.”

  The redhead looked up. “Eep. Sorry. I was watching for the thirty.”

  “You gotta watch the road and the speed.” Maya raked her hands through her hair. “Ugh.”

  “That’s hard! How can I watch them both?”

  Maya held her hands up in a helpless shrug. “I dunno. I’m nine! I’ve never tried to drive before. Ask Mom.” Light from the settlement flickered in the foggy distance. “Here. Turn left here. Go off the road.”

  Sarah obeyed in an instant, pulling hard to the left and tossing Maya once more against the door.

  Horn blare came out of nowhere as an oncoming car materialized from the mist almost the second they crossed into the wrong lane. Maya screamed, but the other driver swerved into the right lane to clear them.

  The car bounced off the paving onto dirt.

  “Is he holding his finger out the window?” asked Sarah.

  Maya clutched her chest, staring wide-eyed at her friend. “If I spend five more minutes in a car with you driving, I’m gonna be as pale as you.”

  “Huh?” asked Sarah.

  A cluster of ramshackle buildings emerged from the fog, the outermost portion of the Spread. Old cargo containers as big as semitrailers lay in scattered groups, stretching into the distance, many converted into homes. At the center, the wide one-story brown building with a bright neon sign reading ‘The Devil’s Hangover’ glowed like a lighthouse in a stormy sea.

  “Forget it.” Maya took a few breaths. Despite the car jostling about, she sat up. “There. That’s Diego’s place. Drive up to that. We can leave the car there.”

  Sarah nodded, smiling. She slowed to 10 MPH—and drove straight into the wall.

  A purple neon light in the window above where they struck the building sputtered and died. Something inside hit the ground hard enough to hear the bang from the car.

  Sarah, still clutching the wheel with both hands, looked over at Maya. “Oops.”

  “I said up to it. Not into it.” Maya grabbed the shifter and pushed it to park.

  “Sorry. I was watching the speed thing, making sure I didn’t go too fast. The building snuck up on me.”

  Diego raced out the front door with a metal baseball bat in hand; he looked ready to kill someone. At the sight of the girls, his rage evaporated into bewilderment. He stood speechless, waist-long black hair hanging straight. Maya flashed a cheesy smile. His mustache had grown a little. With a tank top on, he didn’t have such a feminine silhouette, though he still reminded her of the guys from that ballet show she’d b
een dragged to a few years ago.

  Maya pushed the button to turn off the e-car and got out. “Uhh. Hi, Diego. Sorry about that. My friend’s still learning how to drive.”

  A whump came from behind as Sarah closed her door. “Sorry for hitting your place.”

  “What the hell, kiddo?” Diego ran his hand over his head, scratching at the back. “What are you two doing driving? And who’s piece of shit is that?”

  Maya glanced back at the car: missing both side mirrors, scratched, dented, and battered. The rear quarter panel and bumper had fallen off at some point, and a splatter of red, chunky goop covered the right passenger side door. She cringed at the gore, about to scream, until the scent of tomato sauce made her remember the bag of cans they’d run over.

  “Wow. Umm.” Sarah walked around the back end and stood at Maya’s side. “I maybe bumped a couple things.”

  “Some guy already stole it,” said Maya. “He was robbing Mr. Nori’s place with a gun, and we, umm, well, we had to get out here fast and… yeah.”

  “You in trouble again, cariña?” Diego rested the bat across his shoulder.

  “Yes. Some men broke into our apartment in the middle of the night. I don’t know if they were trying to kill me or kidnap me, but we got away. I need to find Pope.”

  “Genna okay?” Diego’s eyes widened with worry, though his brow hardened.

  “Mom’s busy with a mission.” She bounced on her toes. “I need to find Pope. Is he here?”

  “No way. That man and me don’t see eye to eye. Far as I know, he’s still in his little mole hole.”

  “Okay.” Maya faced the wavering tall grass. “Can we leave the car here?”

  Diego walked around to the driver’s side door. “Sure, but I’m gonna back it out of the wall.”

  “It’s not in the wall,” said Maya. “Just touching it.”

  He lowered himself into the car. “How long you gonna be? Someone’s gonna run off with it.”

  Maya bit her lip. “Not long. I hope.”

  “’Kay, well, I’ll do what I can ta watch it for you, but if the shit is gone, don’t be surprised.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You kids need anything? Food?”

  Maya shook her head. “No thanks. I’m still full…” She spun around. “Got any pants or shoes our size?”

  “Naw. I give ’way all the kid stuff to the poor bastards livin’ out there.” Diego nodded toward the Spread.

  “Wait.” Sarah ran to the car, yanked the passenger door open, and grabbed the Hornet from the floor. “Almost forgot this.”

  Maya waved to Diego. She looked around at the grass one more time to get her bearings, then walked following instinct, chasing the shadow of a memory etched in fear and desperation. The whole time she’d been out here before, her gut had been twisted in a permanent knot of worry over Genna. Not knowing if she’d been killed had been worse than if she’d found her dead.

  Tears in her eyes, she turned and hugged Sarah, overcome by the realization that her best friend had to be holding back the same dread—and had decided to help her get out here rather than rush back to her father’s side.

  “What?” asked Sarah, hesitantly returning the embrace. “What’s wrong?”

  Maya pulled back, sniffling, and resumed walking. “I know how you’re feeling about your dad. I felt the same way the last time I was here, not knowing about Genna after the Authority got her.”

  Sarah opened her mouth but closed it without saying anything, then glanced away and down, wiping at her face.

  “Pope will help.” Maya strode faster, headlong into a sudden stiff breeze that rustled the meadow grass and whipped her hair.

  “I trust you,” said Sarah in such a small voice her words almost drowned in the howling gale.

  A few minutes of walking away from Diego’s, they slogged through grass up to Maya’s chin. In her memory, the trip from Pope’s entrance hatch to the place hadn’t taken that long, and paralleled the road. About twenty minutes of walking later, she reached a familiar spot; at least it looked like the place they’d been when she witnessed Brian meeting with the Authority. She clenched her hands, unsure how angry to be with him. He’d gotten Genna arrested and Sarah clubbed with the end of an assault rifle. His tip brought down the Authority on their building, but he hadn’t intended them to take Genna. For all he knew, Maya had been kidnapped and forced to stay. He might’ve thought he helped her, plus the reward for his family.

  Assuming, of course, Vanessa would’ve paid anything.

  “Where is it? Everything looks the same.” Sarah walked forward while doing a full circle turn.

  “I think we’re close. Look for a round hole about this high.” She tapped her leg below the knee.

  Maya looked back toward Diego’s, a small presence in the distance. When they’d started walking here, she didn’t remember seeing it at all. She sighed in disappointment. “Never mind. We’re not far enough yet.”

  “Okay.” Sarah sniffled.

  Keeping the road in view to the left, Maya hurried forward. She couldn’t quite get up to a jog while fighting the tall grass, but she tried. As best she could remember, they’d walked almost two hours. In hindsight, driving straight to the tunnel might have been a better idea, certainly faster. Although, the car probably couldn’t handle all this grass. She knew the way there on foot from the Devil’s Hangover, and doubted they’d even be able to spot a low-lying sewer access tunnel from a moving car. Not to mention, Sarah probably would’ve crashed into it.

  Eventually, she couldn’t see Diego’s bar any longer and searched in earnest for the tunnel opening.

  “Hey,” said Sarah, not quite at full volume. “Is that it?”

  Maya looked where she pointed: a trail in the grass like something or someone had walked there recently. On a burst of hope, she darted forward, grabbing and pushing at the endless piles of green vegetation surrounding her. Sarah followed close behind, single file.

  When the concrete square with the metal disc in it came into view, Maya had to bite her forearm not to cheer out loud.

  Yes! She whirled to face Sarah. “We found it!”

  Maya grabbed the handle and tugged, but only made the metal rattle. She set her feet and pulled with her whole body. For all her effort, she succeeded only in making her fingers hurt. She let go before they fell off. “It’s stuck!”

  “It moved a little. You’re just weak.”

  Maya gave her a raspberry.

  “We should try together. I’m weak too.” Sarah flexed her unimpressive biceps.

  She set the Hornet on the concrete and they both grabbed the cover plate.

  Grunting and straining, they managed to lift it out of the hole and drag it aside, exposing a vertical shaft with a ladder.

  Maya rushed around to that side and backed into the opening without hesitation. “Come on!”

  She ignored the cold metal underfoot and climbed as fast as she felt safe doing, reaching the dry tunnel in about half a minute. Sarah descended more cautiously and seemed out of breath by the time she reached the bottom.

  They stood in a weak shaft of light coming down from above, the tunnel around them midnight black.

  “It’s so dark,” whispered Sarah, her voice echoing.

  “Yeah. Pope had a light. It’s okay. I remember the tunnel. There’s only one way to go here. When we gotta turn and stuff, there’s light.”

  Maya took Sarah by the hand and walked to the right, reaching out to brush the wall. After a few minutes of being dripped on and stepping in freezing puddles, Maya stubbed her toe on the floor.

  “Ow.” She stopped and reached a tentative probing foot out. The ground sloped upward at a curve, which had to mean she’d hit an elbow bend in the old sewer. “Right turn.”

  She followed the contour of the pipe, walking in the lowest part. Fifteen steps later, light appeared on her left, revealing an S-shaped switchback in the concrete tube. Minutes of being in total darkness had allowed her eyes to ad
just, so even that weak light gave her the confidence to hurry up to a brisk stride. Ahead, passages diverted left and right as well as continuing straight.

  Pope’s markings near the ceiling in chalk helped her navigate the series of tunnels, turn after turn, in the dark. The last time she’d been here, he’d carried her, which made the trip feel much faster than walking it herself. The fourth passage led to a tiny room with ancient metal boxes on the walls full of dials and dead lights. From there, a narrow corridor connected to a larger office on the other side. A single doorway opened to a larger, square-walled tunnel that contained the remnants of train tracks.

  She remembered approaching that door from the other side and turning right to go in, so she headed left, gaze upturned in search of more chalk marks. An arrow pointed left at a fork. Sarah clung to her from behind, trembling at the echoing darkness.

  “Don’t be scared. I remember this place.”

  Sarah sniffled. “’Kay.”

  Another mark pointed to the right at a wider fork. Maya hurried up to a light jog as her feeling of being near the end grew. Soon, they emerged in a chamber where a flat area abutted the tunnel with the broken tracks. Grinning, Maya hurried to the edge and pulled herself up.

  “This is it!”

  She remembered the green cot, rat dinner, and the little metal table with three chairs. A row of military-style trunks sat in front of a long locker cabinet opposite the cot. In the far left corner, a toilet perched on a spur jutting out from a vertical pipe, shrouded by a hint of broken wall.

  Sarah ran for the toilet.

  “Pope?” asked Maya, wandering closer to the cot. “Pope?” she repeated, louder.

  “Do you think he’s gone?” asked Sarah.

  Maya looked at her in horror, never even having considered that he might not be here anymore. Her friend sat on the bowl, high enough off the ground that her feet dangled. “Uhh. I don’t know.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “He could be out hunting.” Maya cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled, “Pope?”

  Her voice echoed a few times before fading to the silent symphony of endless dripping.

  “Why does he live underground like this? It stinks here.” Sarah jumped down, adjusted her dress, turned to reach for a handle, and froze. “Whoa. Where’s the thing?”