by Kris Moger
“Hey, that was one of my best finds,” Jolon protested, his fists full of food.
Pa grasped Jolon’s shoulder as he bounced to his feet. “Hasn’t failed us yet. Whelp, let's get moving, my gophers. Who can tell what kinds of things we will find today?”
“But I’m not done.”
Ma fluffed Jolon’s curls. “Rest easy, dear, I want you to stay and help me and Deb transform yesterday’s booty.” She held out a thermos and a couple of packs of potatocakes and cookies. “Don’t forget these and tell your pa oil stocks are getting low so we might need to change to the gas torches if you can’t find any.”
Teddy stuffed the supplies in his survival stash before he slung the grey sack over his shoulders and adjusted the straps. He rushed after his father and sister while Deb shrieked with delight and his brother groaned, muttering complaints about having to do all the disgusting work.
They entered the shadowy warehouse and collected their scrounging gear. Boxes, bags, and piles filled every corner in an ordered system only his mother understood. Their home was a secure fortress surrounded by cement walls and metal fences with a bridge across a broad crevice, isolating them from the worst of Undercity’s dangers. Sometimes rival scroungers would try to break in, but never succeeded.
They did not make enough money to hire a brute, which the more respectable places owned, so they made do with two mangy dogs who slept most of the time. Critter was a huge, rugged creature more vicious in appearance than in nature, and Stub was, well, a tiny three-legged thing nastier than she appeared. Teddy didn’t carry much love for either of them, they stunk and drooled.
“Now,” his father began as they made their way through the cluttered racks, “I’m guessing we follow this staircase a while further. I don’t want you two to be nervous, but I’m not too certain where we are going.” He whistled and Critter came loping over, nails clicking on the cement, with Stub marching behind.
“What do you mean?” asked Teddy, exchanging puzzled glances with Caden. “I thought the map was pretty clear.”
He gave the dogs their breakfast, which they gulped and slurped faster than he poured the goopy leftovers into their bowl. “It is, but we’re heading into the more central part of the old city. We should locate lots of shops and other places to plunder, but we might find a higher concentration of...” He paused to put his effort into moving the wood and steel door hiding their access to the tunnels. The metal screeched and creaked, screaming in protest as the bottom scraped against cement. They helped, shoving with everything they had.
Pa huffed and cracked a wacky grin. He left the remainder of his last sentence behind and hoisted his bulging stash to his back. Teddy snatched up the lantern Ma created from little candles, jars, and wire. They worked where they had air. By doing so, they saved their handlights and batteries for the dead spaces.
A shiver trickled down his spine as it did when he explored the passages of the past. It was staggering to consider the many places they scrounged were once outside, exposed to the elements.
According to his schooling, history’s leaders had foreseen the vast meteor shower, which decimated their world. To prepare, they built an immense dome out of some advanced energy network they created in outer space. What they did not predict was the massive seismic backlash. Extensive sections of the protective net collapsed leaving only a small portion to live in thus creating Uppercity.
Still, he had a home, a family, and a means of making credits. Not much to some and luxury to others, but safe to them.
At first, the area was essentially impassable with rubble and garbage, but they were experts at dealing with such obstacles. Though the work was hard, they spent over a year cleaning them out and achieved much with few resources. Now, the passages were comfortable to travel.
The roof was good. Only three places sustained major damage and needed re-enforcing with beams and whatever else they scrounged up. They found few corpses along the way and those had decayed to skeletons. Those they disposed of with as much dignity as they could, sealing them up whenever they came to a little hovel leading nowhere else.
A scurrying, scratching sound echoed down the hall; they froze, waiting for more. Teddy gripped the blade he’d strapped to his side, searching for mutated rat dogs, crazed, vicious creatures, which lurked in the gaps and shadows. After one tried to rip his arm off, he always kept a sharp knife on him. His father was adept at killing the things though the scar on his face served as a reminder to them not to get overconfident.
“Might be shifting rubble,” Caden said with hope in her voice.
They waited a moment, but nothing happened. Pa sheathed his blade and agreed. “I guess all is clear. Go forth, gophers, go.”
Exhaling, Teddy let himself breathe again. He exchanged a grimace with her and caught up with their father.
“If we can discover one thing, that one amazing thing, we might move up and enjoy the sky,” Pa said.
He was a dreamer and Teddy understood because a day didn’t go by when he did not fantasize the same thing.
Caden rolled her amber eyes. “Yeah, yeah. The skies will part and the world will shift, and yada, yada, yada.”
He gave her a half hug. “Oh, come now, my pessimist, find hope and bring a smile to your beautiful face.”
She hid behind her hair, struggling with her difficulties with self-esteem. Teddy had seen her stare in mirrors and turn away in disgust.
Somehow, Pa had a healing effect on her. He was not so handsome with his scar, kinked back, and twisted leg, which made his toes point to the side. Perhaps the twinkle in his eyes and his addictive personality gave her comfort. His presence always improved Teddy’s mood.
“Dream with me, girl. Keep me young.”
Caden managed one of her rare smiles. “Fine,” she said with more affection than usual. “Oh, wow, wouldn’t it be wonderful?”
Teddy shared a chuckle with his father who lifted his lantern, casting light far along the corridor.
“It’ll do.”
“Don’t say anything,” she said as Pa guided them. “He’s happy, that’s what counts.”
“Okay,” he said and scrubbed his jaw to hide a smile though he understood his sister’s wariness.
She punched his arm. “Oh, stop.”
He could only imagine what her life was like in the Nest, the home of the traffickers who sold people to Adult Quarter scum of Uppercity. Some became brutes, some slaves, and others adult amusement. At least, that was a fate he avoided growing up. Every time he passed those seedier markets, he felt as though a thousand covetous eyes trailed after him. Eligible, desirable bodies were rare commodities Uppers valued, which was why their little sister never left their home. His parents itched to move up from the sewers to improve their daily comfort and for their protection.
‘A brute, this is what they need,’ his father would say and hug Deb close as she grew older. Apprehension showed in his eyes, so they all watched over her.
Teddy coughed as they reached a pocket of sour air. They slipped on masks and breathed in some oxygen from their tanks attached to their stash packs. It was not much, and they handled them with care, but the equipment allowed them to pass through various gas pockets and dead spots. They flicked on their handlights as their candles went out. Soon, they would reach the area where the passage would open up into a larger space. They stepped into the echoing chamber.
Caden shone her light toward the roof. “Hey, Teddy, if we can breathe the air filtering down from above, why can’t we dig our way to the surface and leave this city behind?”
He shrugged. “I think it involves the strength of the rays and the violence of the storms raging the on the sun. At least, that’s what my teacher used to say.”
“Hm.” She picked her way through the rubble. “The school thing didn’t give many answers, did it? Seemed to make more questions.”
He shrugged again. “They tried. Too bad you never went.”
“Yeah, well, the whole thing’s
a vast pit now, isn’t it? No teachers, no books, just a hole leading to an even deeper hole.”
“Would you have liked to have gone?”
She kept her eyes on their father who was several feet in front of them. “I guess. Hey, Pa, are we going to go all day or do we get to stop and snack on something?”
He dropped his stash on the ground and sat down on the crumbled cement. “Good idea. Bring out the goodies.”
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A while later, after they munched a potato pie and had a drink, they proceeded down another corridor and roamed the twists and turns, which terminated at a concrete staircase. Most times, they avoided stairs because they tended to be unsafe and often led nowhere. This particular set had a few cracks in the steps’ treads and risers but seemed sound enough.
“How far did we get last time?”
“One flight,” Teddy answered.
“Oh, yeah, Jolon tripped over his two klutzy feet and tumbled back down,” Caden whacked Pa on his shoulder. “Good idea leaving him home this time.”
“Now, Cad, it’s not his fault his one leg is shorter than the other.”
“Ah, huh, makes him unstable, I know, poor thing,” she said and went forward.
Teddy ignored his sister’s lack of sympathy and went with her up the steps. Their candles cast little light, and the gloom of the tunnels was unsettling. Bits of gravel and rubble made the stairs slippery as rocks stuck in the treads of his boots. Alert for danger, they all kept silent though the sound of their crunching of feet bounced around them.
At the top of the first flight, their father moved in front, beads of sweat trickling down his face. Teddy paused and took a drink from his flask. The air was hot and thin, making him somewhat lightheaded. He inhaled a long breath and trailed after Caden. More debris covered the second level, and they tread with care in case it hid weaknesses, which might cause the whole staircase to fall apart.
The third landing was almost impassable. The outer wall had collapsed into a heaping mass of rubble and twisted metal. Teddy inched onto part of the pile, holding his light high.
“Not much here, but broken cement and such. No way through, either. Not without an extensive excavation,” he told them as he came back to the steps.
After handing his lantern to Caden, their father took out his map, turning it about to find their location. He tapped the paper with a finger.
“Appears as though this doesn’t lead to much.” He peered further up the staircase. “There’s more up this way if this thing is accurate.”
Teddy frowned. “Pa, half of this is missing. How are we gonna get up to the next level?”
“There’s always a way, boy. We always find a way.” He put on his playful and infuriating grin.
Caden snorted in exasperation. “Remember, Ma will kill you if we come back in pieces.”
“We’ve always gotten back, yes?” he said with a laugh.
“Yeah, sort of and not always without wounds.”
“This debris contains some metal,” Pa said as he crammed the map back in the front pocket of his grey stash, pulled out a folding shovel, and began to dig. “Let’s check if anything can help us.”
Shaking his head, Teddy propped his lantern on a step and took out some gloves. “You wanna toss this rubbish downward?”
“Best way to remove the stuff. Stay clear of the stairs. Don’t want to block our way down.”
“Yeah, that would be peachy,” said Caden as she lobbed a slab of crumbling wall over the railing. It fell into the black void and hit the bottom with a clang. The noise echoed around them.
Teddy grabbed a bent metal sign and shovelled rubble over the edge. Dust and dirt whirled around them, forcing them to wear the respirators they kept in their packs. After what seemed to be hours, he rested, coughing as he sipped some water.
They cleared a fair portion of space on the narrow cement landing, enough for them to continue upward. Weary, they all put away their masks and took a thirst-quenching drink. Pa studied the next flight of stairs as they rested.
“These break off half way. If we can stretch these steel braces across, we might make our way up.”
Exchanging a fatigued glance with Caden, Teddy rubbed at his forehead before assisting his father as he hoisted one of the warped metal beams upward. He grunted, his arms straining under the weight, but they maneuverer the girder across the gap in the steps.
Pa huffed as he pushed at the beam. “Well, I don’t think we’re gonna move this any further without help.” He began to climb the slender bridge, holding tight to the edges and gripping with his toes. Teddy moved in behind him to be able to catch him in case he fell.
After a few precarious moments, his father stood on the lip of next landing. “Okay, I’m up.” He pulled out his handlight and swept the beam about. “All appears good from here. Not too much rubble.” He set his light aside. Kneeling, he held out his hands. “Cad, you next.”
She frowned and put down her lantern before starting to climb. “If I fall, I will blame you for the rest of your life.”
Teddy steadied her from behind. “Me? I’m not the one who came up with this silly idea.”
Her foot slipped as she hit the halfway point and she yelped, but their father leaned down and seized her hand.
“I got you.”
She muttered something incoherent as she passed him and crawled to a safe spot near the landing’s back wall.
Pa tilted his body toward Teddy. “Hand me the lights.”
He passed each one up before climbing. His fingers gripped the edges of the girder as he willed his feet to stick to the metal. Breath shallow and nerves taunt, he climbed beside his father. He blew the hair from his eyes and tightened his jaw as he peeked downward.
“The journey back is going to be a bugger, isn’t it?”
“Eh, we’ll tackle that later. For the moment, up, up we go.”
Caden grabbed a lantern and inched her way toward the top. Pa whistled as he climbed as though going for a leisurely stroll. Teddy trailed after them, and they ascended two more flights. They stopped at the last landing.
Filthy glass double doors, which begged to be opened, stood at the other end. This was what he loved about scrounging, finding a new area, discovering how life once was. He wiped away some of the dirt to reveal a plastic film with coloured images blocking his view.
“Masks on,” Pa said, taking the precaution that shielded them from any toxic gasses lurking behind the sealed entrance.
In one sense, he didn’t need to fear, at least not for Teddy. He had his breath caught in the knots in his stomach. His father tossed a crowbar his way and put another one to the seam between the doors. Together, they forced the panels apart an inch. Caden leaned in, peering through the opening before she shook her head. Trading a glance with Pa, he nodded. They tried again, putting all their effort into it.
Teddy grunted through his mask as he flexed and strained his body. “Can’t we just break the glass?”
“That would be cheating,” Pa said with a snicker.
She scrunched her nose. “Yes, let’s be fair to the inert piece of hardware blocking our way.”
The doors creaked open inch-by-inch until she could hold her lantern high and let the light through. A soft wind blew at her hair as the air escaped. Pa and Teddy waited, but she backed away. They went at it again. This time, the two of them grasped one frame and heaved until they had space to go through.
Panting, they wiped the sweat from their faces, Teddy’s excitement mirrored in his father’s eyes. He grinned, gesturing to Teddy to go first. His hand shook as he held his lantern high, hoping for safe passage into the unknown.
At first, he saw little, just another room. Slowly, he realized it was a foyer with another intact pair of clear doors several feet beyond. Dust and cobwebs covered the area; otherwise, the place was clean of debris. He stepped forward with his sister and his father behind him. The glass was cold against his fingers, and their lights reflected off the
surface, showing them distorted pictures of themselves. His father took hold of one of the handles and pulled. The door swung open and another gust, stronger than the last, rushed past them.
Teddy slung his stash off and took out his portable air tester. He pressed a button and hoped the batteries were still good. While his father always made certain their equipment worked in top order, working batteries were a rarity. The lights came on. Green. Good, breathable oxygen levels. He gestured a thumb’s up to his father and sister and took his foggy mask off. A tingle of fear and doubt touched him as he hesitated before taking his first breath. It was the same sensation he always experienced and shared with the others when experiencing the unknown of a new region. He inhaled stale, but breathable, air with a metallic flavour. Relieved, the three of them laughed.
“Amazing how spotless this area is,” Teddy said, scanning the space with his light.
Caden put her fingers on the next entrance, staring through the glass. “It’s weird how some areas are rubble and some are almost pristine. Looks like a solid barricade of crap and dirt this way.”
“Must be something about the way they’re built,” Pa said, searching his supplies.
“There’s another room over here.” Teddy crossed to the wall on the right and tapping on a set of smooth tan doors. The metallic sound echoed through the room. “Huh, elevator?”
“I’d say so.”
“Got a single door over here.” Caden placed a hand on the silver bar across it.
“Just wait,” their father cautioned. “We’ve gone far enough for today. Let’s see if we can figure out where we are.” He sat down on a stone bench near the wall to their left. She held her light over the book in his hand as he flipped the pages to discover where they were. “Mon... Montgom....”
“Montgomery Mall,” Teddy said. “Ummm.” He turned toward the others and pointed at the words carved above the trim. “East entrance.”
“What’s a mall?” asked Caden and Pa laughed.
Chapter 2
Pa bounced around like a child with a cookie. He would not hold still. The instant they returned from scrounging, he swept their mother in his arms and twirled her around. “We did it; we did it!”