by Jane Hinchey
Daniel didn't answer. Instead, he began pulling the bushes away from the rock face. Sure enough, a large bunker door appeared.
“How the hell do you know this stuff?” Daniel demanded. “I've lived here forever—under the dome for twenty-one years—and I had no idea this existed.”
“I had the doctor bring up the blueprints for the dome and a few buildings of importance,” I said.
“And you memorized it all? Just like that?”
I grinned at him. “My brain is a little enhanced these days. We don't have time to get into it now. I’ll explain everything once we're safe.”
Pulling the medical bag from my backpack, I waved it over the panel in the rock face and the door clicked open. Alrik grabbed the handle and pulled. The door was big and heavy, and it screeched in protest, but it stayed open long enough for us to pass through. Inside, lights began to flicker along the passageway, activated by the door opening. The passageway itself was crude, little more than a tunnel with dirt floors and rock walls. The lights were attached to a long cable overhead.
It was another two hours of walking before we reached the end. We were greeted by another door.
This was it. The exit to the dome. On the other side of this door, the wide world awaited. Whether the air was full of toxic gas, radiation, or clean oxygen, who knew? I had a hunch, and it was worth the risk. Plus, I was pretty sure I was right.
With a deep breath, I held the bag containing the doctor’s hand against the panel and the door clicked. Alrik stepped forward and pushed. It stuck. I joined him, throwing my shoulder against the cold metal. We could feel the debris on the other side slowly moving, and soon the door was open wide enough for us to squeeze through.
Alrik led the way, crouched with gun drawn. I followed, with Daniel bringing up the rear. No one was waiting outside to attack. The air was breathable. The sun didn't zap us into ashes.
The door banged shut behind us.
We stood for a moment, taking in the view before us. To our left was an old highway, now buckled, with vegetation growing up through the cracks, but you could still make out the ghost of the line marking the centre of the road.
Abandoned vehicles, old and rusted, served as markers. But the thing I noticed the most was the breeze on my face, the rustling of creatures in the grass. In the distance, I could see birds flying overhead. Earth was not lost. There was still hope.
With tears in my eyes, I turned to Alrik and threw my arms around him. I felt Daniel at my back, trapping me in a group hug. We'd made it. We were safe. And Earth wasn't doomed.
Not needing the doctor’s hand anymore, I quickly buried it beneath a mound of rocks.
Slinging our packs onto our backs, we set off, following what was left of the road. We'd have to set up camp soon, but I wanted to put some distance between us and the dome, just in case we were followed. Daniel was tiring, his steps plodding. We slowed our pace to match his. I had to admit I was feeling weary, too.
“You two wait here while I scout for a place to setup camp.” I'd barely nodded my head before Alrik set off. He was in full armour, his body suit locked and loaded and sexy as hell.
Dropping my pack to the ground, I sat on it with a weary sigh. Daniel followed suit.
“What do you think?” I asked him, gesturing at the forest around us.
“I'm blown away. They had us convinced there was nothing out here but arid desert. Why would they lie?”
“Maybe they don't know,” I said.
Daniel shook his head. “They'd have to. Although that tunnel hadn't been used in a long time, if at all.”
“I figured the dome had sensors built in, to monitor the atmosphere and stuff.”
“You would think so.” Daniel shrugged. “I was never that interested in the dome. But now I can't help wondering if they deliberately constructed it so we couldn't see out.”
We both turned to look at the massive structure looming behind us. From the outside, it was clearly visible, the diamond patterns black on a white background. Solid. The weather, day and night, all fake. No wonder there had been no sunset or sunrise; you couldn't actually see the sun through the dome. Even the light was artificial. The question remained—why?
“Found a spot.” Alrik's return put an end to my musings. We pulled ourselves back to our feet and followed him a short distance into the forest, well away from the road. He led us to a small clearing surrounded by dense foliage, but there was enough room for us to spread out and get some sleep.
I couldn't see the sun through the trees, but the light was fading. The day drawing to an end. It was good to be out from under the dome, to hear the birds roosting in the trees. I was even happy to slap away the insects that were buzzing around my head. It felt normal. It was what I remembered.
Alrik had disappeared again into the woods around us, and now he returned with an armful of branches for a fire. He set them up in the middle of the clearing, using one of the silver balls from his belt to light it.
“Is it safe to have a fire?” I worried we'd be spotted if they had followed us.
“The trees will shelter it from view. We're safe.”
He was right. The foliage was thick and lush, untouched for decades. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The trees towered around us, their branches merging with the ones next to them, creating a natural, impenetrable screen.
“I'll take first shift keeping watch,” Alrik said. “Whoever wakes up first can take over.”
He settled himself on the ground with his back against a tree, long legs stretched out in front of him, his dark eyes settling on me. I wished I could fall asleep in his arms, but he was right. Someone needed to keep watch.
Daniel grunted in acknowledgement, burrowing in his sleeping bag, his back to the fire. Within minutes, the sound of his snores filled the air.
Setting up my bed next to the fire, I blew Alrik a kiss before closing my eyes. Sleep was instantaneous.
* * *
The following morning, we packed up the camp in silence. Alrik and I had taken turns keeping watch, although nothing had come near, not even wild animals. Assuming there were even animals out here. I figured there must be; if there were birds and insects, then there had to be bigger predators about. We also had no idea how living creatures had been affected by the fallout from the bombs. Alrik had told me his suit monitored our conditions and so far had detected no radiation, which was great for us. But then why was Redmeadows living under a dome to protect them from radiation that didn't exist?
“Daniel,” I said as I zipped up my bag. “It's been bugging me and I have to ask ...”
He turned to look at me, pausing in the process of tossing his own bag over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised.
I forged ahead. “The doc had our DNA. Said you provided it to her. I'm wondering how that came about?”
He blew out his breath on a sigh. “I pulled hair samples from the shower drain and took them to be analysed. I just needed to be sure you really were—are—my sister.”
Alrik's eyes met mine briefly before he returned to kicking dirt over the camp fire. It sounded plausible, and in all honesty, I probably would have done the same.
“I understand.” I smiled, letting it drop. What was done was done. We'd been captured, but had prevailed, finding a way out of the dome.
Now it was time to look to the future, to work out where we were going to go, how we were going to survive. We knew nothing of the world beyond the dome. Were there survivors? Were there cities and towns out there, thriving? Or was there nothing? We knew there were other domes. Did they live the way Redmeadows did, with rules and restrictions and secrets?
We made our way back out to the road and continued along the same path as yesterday, following the fractured highway.
“I was thinking we should head for Kathryn Springs,” I said. “It's about ten kilometres from Redmeadows. We can walk that in a few hours. We’ll check it out, see if anyone is still there.”
“If survivors lived at Kat
hryn Springs, wouldn't they have turned up at the dome by now?” Daniel pointed out.
“How would they have known, though? No one can see out of the dome. Even you had no idea any of this—” I waved my arm around, “—existed. Though if survivors did turn up, I can't help but wonder if they would have been taken to quarantine for experiments.”
Alrik changed the subject. “Tell me about Kathryn Springs.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Population?”
“Around three thousand, based on when I was last here,” I said. “It's this beautiful, historic, picturesque little town with friendly people. There were a few very successful B&Bs operating there.”
Alrik raised an eyebrow at me. “B&B?”
“Bed and breakfast,” I explained. “A place where you can pay for accommodation and a meal while taking a break—a holiday—from life.”
“Ah, downtime.” Alrik nodded, understanding. “So Kathryn Springs is along this road?”
“We have to turn off. If we keep following this road, we'll arrive at Adelaide, which is a hundred kilometres away. Adelaide is bigger than Redmeadows.”
“Not anymore” Daniel grumbled. “Adelaide was blown to smithereens, remember?”
Of course. That was where mum and Emily had been when they were killed. A morbid curiosity made me want to see the city—or what was left of it‚—but I also had a healthy appreciation for my own health and well-being. The city ruins were bound to be contaminated, poisoned by radiation. Plus, it wasn't worth a week of walking just to satisfy my curiosity.
“Any other civilisations?” Alrik's question jerked me out of my thoughts.
“Devil's Bridge,” I said. “That's probably a day or two's walk. They had a population of around ten thousand.”
“It makes sense to walk to Kathryn Springs first, since it's closer,” Daniel said. “We can most likely find shelter there, even if it is abandoned or in ruins. We may be able to find something useful, too.”
We continued on in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. I was still shell-shocked by the turn my life had taken over the past month. Life as I'd known it had changed irrevocably, and there was no clear plan for the future. That was tough for a girl who always had to have a plan, who’d always had a clear direction for where her life was going.
“Look. A sign!” Daniel rushed off the side of the road. He was right; an old post was leaning at an impossible angle, a rusted sign that read 'Kathryn Springs' still attached to it. I could just make out the smaller road leading off the main highway.
Smiling at Alrik, I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the side road. But as we stepped through the bushes blocking the road, we froze again, shocked by what we saw. The road had long ago been consumed by the elements, and in its place was a dirt track. A dirt track with very visible tyre marks. Tyre marks that wouldn't be there after twenty-one years of disuse.
Someone in a vehicle had been here recently.
Alrik engaged his suit, his armour covering him and his helmet snapping into place. Alarmed, I pulled my gun. What had he seen?
“It is just a precaution,” he assured me. “We can't be certain of our welcome. We need to proceed with caution.”
“Okay.” I replaced my gun, blowing out a calming breath.
“These tracks are a few days old, so it is doubtful anyone is here now, but it indicates this area is populated,” he went on.
Daniel had dropped his bag and was digging around inside it. Crowing in triumph, he pulled out his phone, a clear piece of plastic that lit up at his touch.
“What are you doing?” I demanded. Why did he have his phone? It wasn’t supposed to work outside the dome. I was surprised he'd brought it with him.
“To document this. To document what we find!” He snapped a photo of the tyre tracks and quickly typed in a notation to go with the image.
“Who are you going to send it to?” Alrik's voice dripped with suspicion.
“What? No one. I don't even have a signal. But I can use the camera. I'm documenting it for me.” He showed us the phone. I could see an icon flashing near the top telling us it had no signal.
“Give it to me,” Alrik demanded, hand outstretched, face angry.
“No.” Daniel slid the phone into his pocket, folding his arms over his chest. “It's thanks to you that we're in this mess.”
“It was your actions that put Sierra in danger,” Alrik spat. “They were planning to kill her. You do realise that, don't you? That by giving them her DNA, you signed her death warrant? Leaving the dome was the only way to save her.”
“Says you.”
“Boys! Enough!” I stood between them, palms out. “Alrik, Daniel wouldn't do anything to put us in danger. He's an outcast now, too, and it can't hurt having him document what we find.”
“I don't like it,” Alrik said.
“He's my brother,” I insisted. “He wouldn't do anything to hurt us. He's been helping us. Besides, he's in the same predicament as we are.”
Alrik growled, his eyes never leaving Daniel’s face. “Not exactly the same. He's not carrying alien DNA. The risks aren't as high for him.”
Alrik had a point, and I didn't like it. Nor did I like that I was an outcast on my own planet. It stung. And the sudden tension between Alrik and Daniel had me on edge. Why was Alrik being such a dick? Daniel was my only family; all I had left in this crazy world. I needed him.
Ignoring the pair of them, I trudged onward, keeping to one side of the dirt track so I could dive into the undergrowth if anyone approached.
I could hear them bickering behind me, but refused to look back over my shoulder or stop and wait. The last thing I needed was the two of them at each other’s throats. And I certainly didn't want to have to choose between my brother and the man I loved. I didn't care to stop and examine those feelings, either, because sooner or later, Alrik would have to return to his ship, to his own world and people. Just the thought of it made my chest ache.
Before long, the township of Kathryn Springs came into view. We left the track and crept from tree to tree, but saw no signs of life. The place didn't look as derelict as I was expecting. Although the buildings needed a good coat of paint, they looked structurally sound and in decent repair. A lot more tyre tracks were present now, darting from behind buildings, along the main street, around in loops.
Eventually we ran out of trees to hide behind and had no option but to step out into the open if we wanted to explore the town further.
“No contamination,” Alrik confirmed.
We walked the length of the main street. Nothing. Even the birds had gone silent.
“Something's not right,” I said.
“Agreed,” Alrik grunted.
We turned around and that was when we saw them. A dozen men in the street behind us, weapons drawn, their eyes a dazzling, luminous blue. I glanced at Alrik, but he kept his eyes on the men.
A tall, heavy set man stepped forward from the group. “Drop your weapons.”
“We mean no harm.” Alrik replied, holstering his weapon. Daniel and I followed suit.
“I said DROP THEM.”
Alrik shrugged. “Sorry. Not going to happen.”
A tense minute passed and I held my breath, waiting to see what they would do. The upgraded suits Daniel and I wore would protect us, unless they were smart enough to go for a headshot. Alrik was bulletproof from head to toe.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” the man demanded.
I spoke up before Alrik could answer. “We've escaped from the dome.”
The man’s attention shifted to me. “Escaped? No one has ever escaped from the dome.”
“Until now.” I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face.
“How?”
“I'd be delighted to share that story with you, provided you lower your guns,” I said firmly. “I assure you, we're not here to hurt you.”
The man turned to his comrades and they conferred in hushed voices
before turning to face us again.
“Very well. Follow me.” He slung his rifle over his shoulder and made his way toward what looked like an old bakery. We followed, the rest of the men behind us, weapons now holstered.
The wooden stairs of the porch creaked and groaned under our weight. Inside, the place was dusty but tidy. The floors were free of debris, completely unlike the derelict homes in Redmeadows. The room was full of small, round café tables, each ringed by chairs.
The man pulled out a chair at one of the tables and gestured at the others. “Sit.”
We sat. I looked to Alrik for reassurance, finding it when his hand settled on my knee.
“Talk,” the man ordered.
I gave him the abbreviated story of our escape from the dome, leaving out any mention of my space adventures, aliens, and contaminated DNA. I was acutely aware that Daniel still had no clue what had really happened to me, and for reasons I wasn't yet ready to examine, I was reluctant to tell him about it now.
When I was done, the man looked at someone standing behind me. “Tell Praya we have someone for her.”
“Who's Praya?” I asked.
“A seer. She will know if you are telling the truth.”
“Fine,” I said. “While we're waiting, tell me about your eyes. How did they become so blue?”
Because it was really bugging me that all of the men surrounding us had Bellatania blue eyes. How had they been contaminated with alien DNA?
“I would ask you the same question,” he shot back. “How can your eyes be green?”
“My eyes have always been green. I was born this way. But you weren't, were you?”
“No. Survivors of the bombs experienced an unusual side effect. Our eye colour changed.”
“So this happened after the bombs? After the nuclear war heads?” I pressed.
“They weren't nuclear.”
I frowned. “What?”
“The bombs,” he said. “They weren't nuclear. They contained something, but radiation wasn't the fallout.”
“What do you mean?”
“For those of us unprotected by the dome, the fallout from the bombs either turned our eyes blue within forty-eight hours, or we got sick and died.” He leaned across the table and clasped his hands. “Let me spell it out for you. All survivors have glowing blue eyes. Full stop. Those whose eye colour didn't stick, for whatever reason, became sick and died.”