The Faithful

by S. M. Freedman

  “Holy shit, Ashlyn,” she croaked.

  And then they were there: Lexy and Phoenix and Ashlyn and Sumner. Ora was a drowned rat, but at least most of the blood had washed off. Unfortunately, she was still naked.

  “Can someone lend me some clothes or something?” she managed.

  Sumner handed over his shirt. Underneath, he was wearing another T-shirt with a corn dog on it.

  “Thanks.” She pulled it over her head. It hit her midthigh and was blessedly warm.

  “Ora, are you all right?” Lexy asked. Her brown eyes were huge and beautiful in the moonlight.

  “Oh, Lex. Are you?” she asked.

  Lexy nodded, her face tight. But she didn’t touch her, and Ora couldn’t seem to reach across the distance that separated them. The silence stretched out, wounded and uncomfortable.

  “Okay,” Sumner jumped in. “Shall we hit the road, folks?”

  CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

  Josh followed Ryanne through the forest. She didn’t stick to a path, but rather seemed to be following some inner radar. He found it interesting that the girl who had clumsily trailed him not long before was walking with the grace and agility of a deer, while he stumbled over tree roots and slipped across slick patches of the forest floor.

  Intermittent tongues of ground fog licked at his feet, which didn’t help. They added to the dreamlike quality of their movement, and after a time he wondered if Ryanne was sleepwalking, or if he was. He followed her silently, trusting her to take them where they needed to go.

  To Jack. His stomach tightened with excitement, and he almost walked into her.

  “Why did we stop?”

  “We’re walking along untouched forest, right? And without thinking, we put our trust in what we can’t see. So we trust there’s nothing below us but dirt and rock. Thousands of miles of solidity, supporting us up here on the surface.”

  “Okay . . .”

  “And so far you’d be right.” She took his hand and led him forward. After ten paces, she stopped. “Does it feel any different?”

  “No.”

  “Of course not. You never know what’s just below the surface. Not with people and not with the earth. Not unless you dig a little.”

  “I get the metaphor. But what’s below us right here?”

  “A whole world.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There are plants growing and flowers blooming. There’s a river flowing, and generators humming. There are bees buzzing and animals nursing their young. And somewhere under our feet, there’s a young boy with the answers to everything.”

  Josh opened his mouth, but no words would form. The notion that he was standing above a secret world was so huge he couldn’t cram it all into his head.

  “I . . . don’t understand.”

  “It’s a giant fallout shelter, like those built in the fifties to protect against nuclear bombs. But it’s huge. It’s able to sustain all forms of life thanks to an underground river, which provides fresh water and is used to power thousands of generators. The generators run a grid of natural lights and thousands of air purifiers and heaters.”

  “But . . . why?” he croaked.

  “That’s the million-dollar question. Isn’t it?”

  “I guess it is. How long have you known about this?”

  “Since Lexy mentioned it. Or most of my life, depending on your perspective.”

  “How do we get in there?”

  “There are many ways in and out. You just have to know where they are.”

  “And do you?”

  “Some of them. The one closest to where they’re keeping Jack is right in front of you.”

  He looked down at his feet, half expecting to see the neat outline of a trapdoor disguised with dirt and branches.

  “Not there. It’s the tree. See it?”

  Josh examined the tree carefully. It was an ancient ponderosa pine. It looked no different from the others.

  “Look at the ground near the base. Do you see the hole?”

  He bent over for a closer look. Hidden underneath a thickly gnarled tree root, Josh could just make it out. He could have passed by it a million times and missed it. Crouching down, Josh tried to get a better look.

  “We have to crawl in there?” He didn’t much like the idea.

  “What’s the problem, Agent Metcalf?”

  “Um. Spiders,” he admitted. “I’m not a big fan.”

  “Oh wow. I would have bet you weren’t afraid of anything.”

  “I’m not afraid of them. I just don’t like them,” he said defensively.

  She bent down and kissed his cheek. “It’s okay. It just makes you more human.” Her kiss burned against his skin long after she took her lips away.

  “To hell with it,” he said gruffly. “Lead the way.”

  Ryanne eased under the root feet-first and disappeared into the hole one inch at a time, her back scraping along the earth. Soon she was just a head sticking out of the ground.

  “It looks pretty tight in there. Are you sure I won’t get stuck?”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll have Sumner shoot down the tree if you do.” And with that she disappeared.

  “Great. That’s great.” Josh followed her example, sliding his feet into the hole and shuffling forward. His legs dropped in, and then his hips. Around shoulder height, his feet hit soft ground and he had to bend his knees to continue. He took one last gulp of cool night air and slid in the rest of the way.

  Ryanne was waiting for him, barely visible in the dark. It smelled of rich earth and pine needles. They were in a space about five feet across by four feet wide. She had no trouble standing, but Josh had to crouch so his head didn’t touch the earth above.

  That’s where the spiders will be, he thought, and sucked in a deep breath. “Where to?”

  She moved away from him into the black and he followed before he lost sight of her. Whatever moonlight had seeped under the tree root quickly disappeared, and he was blind. He could hear her advancing ahead of him, but he couldn’t see a thing.

  Josh silently wished for his thermal-vision goggles, but he’d lost them when the explosion of fire had practically blinded him. He’d yanked them away from his eyes, and then dropped them to save Ryanne from being trampled.

  The ground beneath his feet was solid, though. It dipped down at a gentle slope as he followed Ryanne blindly into the cool earth. But what if the tunnel collapsed? He shook his head; surely it was reinforced. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and felt the wall beside him. His fingers brushed over a rough wooden beam and, within several feet, another. That was good enough for him. He pulled his hand back and wiped it against his pants, shuddering.

  “Just ahead. There’s a door,” she whispered. “Damn, it’s locked.”

  Josh felt his way along until he was beside her. “I have key picks.” He rummaged inside his utility vest until he felt the small leather package. The lock felt like a normal dead bolt. “Let’s give this a try. I’ve never picked a lock blind, just so you know.”

  A simple dead bolt was quite easy to pick, even with a couple of bobby pins. Josh wiggled the wrench into place, placing light tension on the lock. He used the pick to wiggle the pins up and down, working backward until there was a satisfying click.

  “Impressive.”

  Josh tucked the picks back into his vest, unholstered his gun, and opened the door. After what felt like an eternity in the absolute darkness of the tunnel, even the dim light that greeted them made him squint. Ahead was a long hallway, carved out of rock and strung with long fluorescent bulbs that let off only the faintest glow, likely to conserve power.

  Their feet made scritching sounds against the gritty floor, echoing off the walls in the most unnerving way. Two hundred feet down there was a T-junction. Josh hesitated, but Ryanne didn’t. She
turned left and he followed. At the end of that hall, there was a thick metal door. But this time there was no lock.

  It led to yet another hallway, and then another. Each one brought them deeper within the labyrinth, and Josh grew nervous about finding their way back out. Ryanne seemed sure-footed and unconcerned, so he followed helplessly behind her.

  Another T-junction, and this time she turned right. Several hundred yards down there was another metal door, also unmarked. Josh began to pick up a new sound. It grew in volume, becoming a dull roar.

  “Is that fire?” he asked nervously. It sounded eerily like the bonfire party they had just left.

  “It’s the river.” She opened the door. The dull roar exploded into booming thunder. He half expected the water to tumble through and sweep them away.

  When they stepped through the doorway, he understood. Although the river was deep and fierce, the noise doubled or even tripled as it rolled and echoed along the arched rock walls. The water was onyx edged with silver.

  Ryanne turned right and followed the shoreline, moving upriver. They passed metal door after metal door, and his curiosity began to get the better of him. What was behind all those doors? Animals, she’d said. Plants and bees. Generators and air purifiers. The place was immense, and he got the feeling they had barely scratched the surface.

  Finally, she opened a door to expose another dimly lit hallway. Plain gray doors marched along either side, spaced ten feet apart. The doors were numbered, starting at Q-1 and counting up, odd numbers on the left and even numbers on the right. Ryanne stopped in front of Q-17 and placed a trembling hand on the doorknob. In the dim light she looked slightly green.

  “Here goes nothing,” she whispered, and opened the door.

  It was a bedroom. Sparse and utilitarian, like a dorm room before any personal flair had been added. A small dresser sat against the left wall. On the right was a single bed with a nightstand and metal lamp.

  The boy lay on the bed. He wasn’t tied down. He wasn’t bandaged. He didn’t stir at their arrival.

  Ryanne pointed to a metal pole beside the bed. An IV. Josh’s gaze followed the line from the bag of dark liquid to the needle that disappeared into Jack’s hand.

  A fierce burst of anger propelled Josh forward. As gently as he could, he pulled off the tape. He slid the needle out of the boy’s vein. Jack’s hand was so small, and covered in bruises. His skin was ashy and his hair was long and matted.

  “Jack,” Josh said, his voice hoarse with emotion. “Jack, can you hear me? We’re here to rescue you. We’re here to take you home, to your dad.”

  “If only that were possible,” a voice said from the doorway. “But I’m afraid that won’t do at all.”

  The man was shrouded within a crimson robe. His eyes were sparkling with some dark amusement, but beneath that Josh sensed an abyss that could swallow a person whole.

  Josh knew those eyes. He’d seen them bleeding through the clear green eyes of the woman next to him, tormenting and taunting him.

  He’d raised his gun toward them once before, but hadn’t pulled the trigger. This time, he vowed he would.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

  Sumner helped guide Ora to the Suburban, trying his best not to think about the fact that she was wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt.

  They limped along behind Lexy, Phoenix, and Ashlyn. The girl had proved to be much more handy than a garden hose, and clearly expected them to take her with them in return for her help. She wasn’t letting Phoenix out of her sight for a second.

  It seemed to take forever to make it the half mile. By the time they saw the black gleam of the Suburban’s roof, whatever adrenaline had been pumping through Sumner’s veins was gone, leaving him shivering and queasy. He bent over and closed his eyes, swallowing hard against a black wave of nausea.

  “Come on, Sumner.” Phoenix clapped him on the back. “The day’s not over yet.”

  Sumner shook his head, trying to clear it, and moved to the cargo area. He rummaged through the duffel bags until he found Ryanne’s clothing, and handed Ora a pair of jeans and a pink hooded sweatshirt. She took them gratefully, although both were several sizes too small.

  “Any socks in there?” she asked hopefully, and Sumner hunted around until he found some. He grabbed Josh’s sweatshirt for himself.

  Phoenix helped him hoist up the third-row seat, and Sumner sent up a silent thank-you to the designers at Chevrolet for making a truck that could seat nine. They were going to need it. He hoped.

  Sumner climbed into the driver’s seat. Josh had left the keys in the ignition. The Suburban’s engine roared to life and he winced, hoping it hadn’t attracted unwanted attention. The others piled in.

  “Where to, folks?”

  “North,” Lexy said promptly. “Get as close to the cliff as possible.”

  Sumner put the car in gear and rolled across the forest floor, using the moonlight as his guide. He almost ran over the crimson-robed figure who stepped out in front of them. Sumner jammed on the brakes and the rest joined him in a communal scream.

  The Suburban came to rest several feet away, and the man pulled the hood off his head. It was Father Narda. His gaze met Sumner’s through the windshield.

  “Shit!” Ora spat. “Run that son of a bitch over!”

  “Hell with that,” Lexy chimed in. “Sumner, give me your gun. I’m going to shoot him in the balls!”

  “Ladies, please,” Sumner said with surprising calm. He was locked in his former mentor’s gaze, and couldn’t turn away. He shut off the engine and opened the door.

  “Bad idea, my friend,” Phoenix warned. “Get close to him and he’ll rip your heart right out of your ass.”

  “No. He won’t.”

  “Sumner!” Ora called, but Sumner was already out of the car.

  “Father,” he said.

  “Hello, Sumner.”

  Sumner’s heart lurched, and acid seared his throat with bitter fire. It was too much to bear, and his voice shook. “I see you still have quite the way with the ladies.”

  “I’m a Priest.”

  “In other words, you can do whatever you want. It’s in the covenant you made.”

  Father Narda shrugged.

  “You bastard! I loved her. And you knew it!”

  “Yes. I knew you loved Adelia,” Narda said, unapologetic.

  “Your selfishness killed her!”

  “I understand how you could see it that way.”

  “And now . . . Lexy! How could you?”

  “I did it for the greater good. To plant the seed. You know this, Sumner.”

  “The same way you planted a seed in Adelia?” Sumner spat.

  “She produced two beautiful, faithful girls.”

  “That’s all she was to you? She was just an . . . incubator?”

  “A very enjoyable one.”

  “You fucking bastard.” The gun found its way into his hand. He aimed it at the Father’s head.

  “In the balls, Sumner!” Lexy screeched from the Suburban.

  Father Narda watched him, his brows lifted in curiosity. “Could you shoot me?”

  “You better believe I could,” Sumner said.

  Father Narda looked at him gravely. “You’ve done significant damage, my son. I should terminate you for your disobedience, but I won’t. You’re free to go. I won’t stand in your way.”

  “What? Why?”

  “As horrible as you think I am, well, by your standards I’m probably worse. But I do love my daughter.”

  “You have a messed-up way of showing it.”

  The Father lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “Perhaps. But I don’t want my daughter to die. I am grateful to you for saving her life, and in return I will spare you yours, on one condition: you must keep Lexine and Ora safe.”

  “Are you shitting me righ
t now?”

  “One learns such foul language on the Outside. No, I’m not shitting you. My daughter may hate me right now, but someday she will realize I gave her a gift.”

  “What?”

  Father Narda smiled. “The seed has been planted. Within the womb of her lover grows a baby of Ora’s lineage. I gave Lexine the one thing my daughter couldn’t. I gave them a new life!”

  “You . . . sick . . . bastard.”

  “Yes, yes. All that and more, I’m sure. Will you do it, Sumner? Will you protect them?”

  “From what!”

  “Since they won’t be safe on The Ranch, you need to pick your location very, very carefully. Do you get my meaning?”

  “Shit,” Sumner grumbled.

  “Do you get my meaning, Sumner? Day Zero is upon us. I want my daughter, and my unborn child, to be safe. Will you do it?”

  “Oh, hell! Of course I will, you bastard! But how am I supposed to protect them when I don’t know what the hell I’m protecting them from!”

  “Keep to the center of the country, away from the big cities. Stockpile enough supplies to last at least a year. Buy air purifiers and a generator to run them. Tape up doors and windows. You won’t want to go outside for a while.”

  “What the hell are you guys planning?” Sumner asked in horror.

  “I’ve already said too much.”

  “We’re going to stop it, whatever it is,” Sumner vowed.

  “No.” Father Narda shook his head. “You’re not. It’s too late to stop it. All you can do is save the lives of those closest to you.” And with that, Father Narda turned and disappeared into the forest.

  “Perhaps we’ll meet again, someday.” His voice floated back to Sumner on the cold wind and wrapped icy tentacles around his heart.

  “In the New World we have created.”

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

  “Your guns are of no use, Agent Metcalf.” Father Barnabas was smiling, but his smile was more of a grotesque leer.

  I was pretty sure I had wet myself when he appeared in the doorway, but would deal with the embarrassment of that later. If there was a later. It seemed unlikely, given the circumstances.