When the jeep was out of sight, Beaners stood. “Man, you two have shitty hearing.” He brushed himself off. “You still going to brain me in my sleep?”
“Redsuits,” Anand said. “They may be looking for one of us. Or all of us.”
Chapter 10
The rain just kept coming. The toppled tree’s massive roots were sheltering them from the worst of the downpour, but now there was enough water on the ground that it was pouring into the wide, shallow hole they were squatting in.
She glanced at Anand, who was off in his own world. He was a strange mix; he had an easy smile, and sometimes when he looked at Celia there was a warmth in his eyes that made her feel as if they shared this close bond, even though they’d just met. But sometimes when he stared off into the woods, or was sleeping, he looked like he’d just tasted something rotten. To say nothing of the nightmares. Celia never had dreams so terrible she woke up screaming. In those first seconds after he woke, the terror and pain in his eyes was so raw and fresh it was as if he was still seeing whatever had been in his dream.
Beaners was staring at Celia. She stared back, expecting him to look away, but Beaners just went on staring. He had the strangest expression on his face—his lids half-closed, his mouth ajar. Like the look you’d give a turkey dinner with all the trimmings when you hadn’t eaten in three days.
“We have to get some food.” Celia had to shout over the hiss of the rain.
“What a brilliant idea. Get some food. Why didn’t I think of that?” Beaners said. “Why don’t you call Taco King and see if they deliver?”
Anand pointed at Beaners. “There it is! The scintillating clown wit we’ve been waiting so patiently for.”
“We have to risk sneaking into a town.” Celia expected cries of protest at the idea of swimming through a tunnel, but her companions only stared into the mud puddle they were standing in. They didn’t like the idea any more than she did, but it was either that or keep going and hope they reached the outside before they were too weak to walk.
Or until Beaners brained them in their sleep and ate them.
“I can go in alone,” Celia said. “There’s no point in us all going, and I can hold my breath the longest.”
Anand pushed his dripping hair out of his face, briefly exposing the scars and missing ear. “No, I’ll go with you.”
“Oh, sure.” Beaners spit into the puddle. “Find some grub, come out on the far side of the town and ditch the clown. Uh-uh, ain’t happening.”
Ditching Beaners that way hadn’t occurred to Celia, but it wasn’t a bad idea.
“How can we possibly slip in and out without drawing attention if you’re there?” Anand asked. “You’re like a human confetti explosion.”
Beaners stiffened. His voice got low, threatening. “Is that right, Mister Beanstalk?”
Celia had a brief flash of Beaners’ hand on her back, propelling her through the pipe under Circus Town. He could probably tow her and Anand through the pipe faster than they could move under their own power.
“Fine. We all go. But Beaners, you have to stay hidden once we’re in.”
Beaners shrugged. “Whatever.”
“We passed a town about three hours ago that had a lake beside it,” Celia said. “That’s probably our best bet.”
Beaners made a choking sound. “Three hours ago? That’s six hours of extra walking.”
Celia didn’t like it either. She didn’t have time to backtrack. Janine didn’t have time. “Unless you’re feeling lucky and want to gamble that there’s a town with the same setup not far ahead.”
Anand let his head droop.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Not feeling lucky.” She looked to Beaners. “How about you? You feeling lucky?”
Beaners considered her, his pupils half-covered by droopy eyelids. “Don’t push me.”
“That’s what I thought.”
She climbed out of the hole, her feet feeling like they weighed fifty pounds each. “We might as well get started.”
Celia walked, the rain pelting her, her muddy sneakers squishing. They’d stopped passing towns that Anand recognized two days earlier, so they would be walking into an unknown town.
When the rain finally stopped, Celia took out her phone. If anything happened to her, if she was captured or killed, Molly would march happily out the gates and into ‘retirement’. Celia couldn’t think of anything Molly could do to avoid ending up in that hill even if she had warning, but if she didn’t, she had no chance at all. Celia dialed her number.
Molly didn’t answer, and it didn’t go to voicemail; the line just rang and rang.
Chapter 11
With Anand swimming behind her, towing Beaners down to the pipe was easier this time. She and Anand moved aside when they reached the pipe, and guided Beaners in ahead of them. Celia’s fingers sank into Beaners like he was made of taffy, and again she wondered how he could be so strong. Once Beaners was in the pipe, Celia felt as if she were being dragged by a torpedo. The pipe descended at a steep angle, then abruptly pivoted upward.
They surfaced inside a much larger pipe that had dim yellow lights running along the top. Celia swam a few feet, and her legs hit the floor of the pipe. She stood in thigh-deep water.
“What fresh hell is this?” Beaners asked, looking around.
Anand turned to Celia. “Upstream or down, Captain?”
Celia narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, don’t even think of calling me that again.” Both directions looked pretty much identical. She pointed. “Downstream.”
“Is that a wild guess, or do you have a particular reason?” Beaners asked.
“It’s easier to walk with the current, and I’m tired.”
That seemed to satisfy her companions. They slogged downstream, their eyes watering from a chemical stink that permeated the pipe.
“There must be female clowns,” Anand said, breaking a longish silence. ”Otherwise, how did you get here?”
“What can I tell you? I’ve never seen one.”
Celia had read enough science fiction to know there were other possibilities. She suspected Beaners had been made in a test tube somehow. That would explain not only his appearance, but his freakish strength. The thing was, that was science fiction, as in, it might be possible someday. Who had been able to make him today?
One side of the pipe opened onto a platform. They climbed out, dripping wet, and followed a stairwell up, single file, moving as silently as possible. The stairs led to a big tunnel, with recessed rail tracks set right down the middle.
“A subway tunnel.” Celia had seen them in so many movies, but there were no lights in this one; it was nothing but a black hole.
“I’ll bet this is how everything is transported,” Anand said, a tinge of awe in his tone. “It has to be. Food, clothes. Everything.”
Which must mean the tunnel led to the outside world.
“Hey, marks, Take a look at this,” Beaners called from around a corner. He was sneaky; Celia hadn’t even noticed him go.
Beaners was sitting in a vehicle—something between a golf cart and a car. As Celia and Anand stepped into view he gripped the wheel and cackled.
“Anyone know how to drive?” Celia asked.
Silence.
“How hard could it be?” Beaners moved the wheel back and forth. “You turn it on and steer.”
They could reach the outside in no time. Today, maybe. “I’ll drive.”
Beaners scowled. “I found it. I’m driving.”
#
“Not so fast,” Celia shouted over the whine of the engine. The vehicle drifted toward the left wall.
“Whoa!” Beaners jerked the wheel to the right, overcompensating. They careened toward the right wall until Beaners yanked the wheel the other way. The back end of the vehicle fishtailed.
“Slow down!” Anand screamed.
“I don’t know how,” Beaners cried, “and even if I did, I’m not sure I want to. This is terrific! Look at me go.”
&nb
sp; Celia clutched the seat, wondering if Beaners had a death wish. Up ahead, overhead lights glowed. “We’re coming to a station. Slow down.”
Beaners hit the brake, sending Celia lurching toward the dash. Tires squealed as they skidded to a stop.
The station looked identical to the one they’d just left. A number was stenciled in red on the wall: 226873. Celia pointed it out. “That’s how they know where they are. Only we don’t know what it means.”
“Let’s drive a good while. The farther we go, the better our chances of being on the outside when we surface,” Anand said.
Beaners gunned it. Celia’s head jerked backward as they accelerated down the dark tunnel, the vehicle’s headlights painting a dim light that mostly illuminated the ground immediately ahead.
Anand leaned forward from the back seat. “Have you thought about how you’re going to get Janine’s medicine once you’re there? I’ll help any way I can.”
Celia’s throat tightened with emotion. “Thanks.” She hadn’t thought it through, not since she’d learned her original plan of finding Max wasn’t going to work. It was comforting to think she wouldn’t be alone out there.
She and Anand decided their best bet was for Celia to visit doctors’ offices and tell her story, begging for Detrium until someone agreed to give it to her.
After a while, the steady vibration of the vehicle and sameness of the tunnel made Celia drowsy. She closed her eyes, incredibly grateful to be able to doze and make progress at the same time.
#
The screech of brakes jolted Celia awake. She raised her arms instinctively just before slamming into the dashboard again.
“Beaners, what—” That’s when Celia noticed the single bright light ahead, centered in the tunnel, moving closer.
“Reverse! Where’s the reverse?” Beaners was frantically pulling on the vehicle’s gear shift.
“Out. Out!” Anand shouted.
Celia jumped onto the tracks and cast about for an exit. There was nothing but smooth wall as far as she could see. Beaners sprinted past her as the train bore down, nearly silent, its light blinding. Panicked, she ran a few strides before realizing that was pointless. She wasn’t going to outrun a train. Fighting the urge to flee, she pressed herself against the tunnel wall. Hopefully there was some clearance. Anand saw what she was doing and pinned himself against the wall on the opposite side.
There was a deafening crash as the train slammed into their vehicle and drove it forward. Sparks flew as the train closed in on Celia. She closed her eyes and pressed the back of her head to the wall.
She could feel the train an inch from her nose, as a whooshing rose and the backdraft tugged at her, trying to pull her under the train’s wheels. Celia strained to stay in place.
The end of the train passed, and suddenly she was clear. She looked across at Anand, highlighted in red from the train’s rear lights, then back at the end of the train, which was slowing to a stop.
A mélange of bright blue, red, and yellow washed in the red light popped into view a hundred feet farther down the wall. As soon as he was clear, Beaners was running in their direction. Celia realized that was probably a good idea—the people operating the train would be eager to find out who had left a vehicle on the tracks.
Chapter 12
Celia studied the number on the wall as they trudged into the next station: 226859. It didn’t seem like the sort of number you’d give to a special door, say the door leading to the outside world, but what did she know? They’d driven for two hours before their vehicle had been crushed. Maybe it was far enough.
“I say we take a chance.” Beaners eyed the number on the wall. “If it’s a town, we steal some grub and slip back down. I can’t wait any longer. I need to eat.”
Celia wanted to disagree with Beaners out of principle, but she didn’t see another good option, although she’d prefer to ask for food rather than steal it, if possible. She hoped with every fiber of her being that they would surface on the streets of Los Angeles, or Tokyo.
As they climbed the dim stairwell, Celia glimpsed the tip of Beaners’ enormous cherry-red shoe with each step. It was caked with mud, splitting at the sole. What would he do in the real world, she wondered? Find a circus and pretend he was a guy in a costume? It wasn’t as if he could get a job as a car salesman, or a bank teller.
“What are you going to do when we reach the real world?” she asked, keeping her voice low.
“Eat chocolate. Lots of it.”
He had a plan. Celia had to give him that.
The stairs ended at a steel hatch. Anand gripped the latch, then paused. “Ready?”
Celia and Beaners both nodded. Anand slipped the latch and pushed the hatch open. Squinting in the bright sunlight, Celia followed Anand up and out, into a garbage-strewn alley. A rusted bicycle missing one wheel was leaned up against a windowless brick wall beside a green dumpster.
Celia pointed out the dumpster to Beaners. “Why don’t you hide behind that until we come back?”
“Sure, hide the clown with the trash,” Beaners grumbled as he stalked behind the dumpster and squatted on his haunches.
As they left the alley, Celia tried to look like she knew where she was going while she took in the scene. This place was more urban than Record Village, with big neon signs running down the sides of buildings. The streets were narrow, there were no vehicles, and they were busy, though not rush-hour in New York City crowded. People walked briskly, heads down, no smiles or eye contact. Perfect for two people trying not to be noticed.
Casinos took up about half the block. If not for the towering wall serving as a backdrop to the line of five- and six-story buildings on the opposite side of the street, Celia would have wondered if they’d surfaced in Las Vegas.
They passed an all-you-can-eat buffet just as a guy pushed open the door. The smell of fried chicken wafted through, nearly making Celia swoon. At that moment she would have given up just about any non-essential body part for a chicken leg, or even a wing. All she could think about right then was food.
“Any ideas?” she asked.
“No good ones. Why don’t we go inside a restaurant and look around? If anyone asks we can always pretend we went into the wrong place.”
They chose a big, bustling place called Smiley’s Delicatessen. Hunks of deli meat sat on display behind glass at one end of a long counter; loaves of homemade bread were stacked on shelves behind the attendant, a stocky middle-aged guy who could use a shave. In the center of the wall behind the counter, a wheel of chance was spinning.
“One cent, one cent,” a small woman with chubby cheeks and black glasses that pretty much swallowed her face was chanting. The edge of the wheel was divided into at least fifty slivers, each with a price flashing. There was a huge range, from one cent to three hundred dollars, but most clustered around ten dollars. As the wheel slowed, the woman’s chanting grew more urgent.
“One cent, one cent, one cent...”
The wheel clicked to a stop on twenty-five dollars. The woman punched the air. “Dang it. I can’t catch a break this week.” As she dug into her purse, Celia exchanged a glance with Anand. She’d been expecting jousting, or car races, or a dance marathon. This was just strange.
A skinny guy dressed in a black jumpsuit pushed open the deli’s door. “Coop! Hey Coop. April Swails is on one of her runs. You don’t want to miss it again.”
A guy in a brown trench coat sprang from his booth by the window. “I’m coming. Wait up.”
Half the patrons of the deli followed, many clutching half sandwiches from their unfinished lunches. Some abandoned their food, though. Quite a few, in fact.
“I’m going to use the bathroom. Why don’t you do the same?” Celia raised her eyebrows and glanced at an empty table that had a quarter of what looked to be a corned beef sandwich sitting in a crowd of potato chips.
They found the bathrooms, waited thirty seconds in front of the doors, then took different routes toward the exit. Celia sna
tched a small pile of ham from one plate, a nearly-intact half tuna or chicken-salad sandwich from another. She grabbed a single-serving bag of Bark’s barbecue potato chips. It made a crackling sound.
The guy behind the counter looked up. “Hey. What are you doing?”
They bolted toward the door.
As soon as they got outside, they started eating. Celia felt vaguely guilty, since Beaners was hiding behind that dumpster with an empty stomach, but her pockets could only hold so much; it made sense to gorge herself, then refill her pockets for Beaners. Or something like that.
Food had never tasted so good. It was as if until now she’d been eating fake food, and this was the real thing. She could smell the caraway seeds in the bread as she pulled out a sandwich. The potato chips burst with flavor; the sensation of the salt melting on her tongue was exquisite.
Anand had stuffed so much in his mouth that his cheeks were puffed out. When Celia saw it, she had to cover her mouth to keep from spewing food as she laughed.
“What?” Anand said with his mouth full, then he burst out laughing. “Oh, God, this is good.”
Celia stuffed some sort of pastry in her mouth. “If Beaners could see us right now, he’d tear our jugulars out.”
Anand closed his eyes, looking pained. “Screw that clown. Wait, did you say he’d tear our jugglers out?”
“Jug-ul-ar. The big blood vessel in your neck.”
Anand shrugged. “If you say so. I’m guessing Beaners knows more about jugglers than jugulars, though.”
Celia rolled her eyes. “You and Beaners should form a comedy team. Come on, let’s find more food.”
As they breezed past a set of wide open doors that led into a casino, Celia glimpsed a chaos of flashing lights, spinning wheels, bells, electronic trumpets, and excited shouts. People’s faces were flushed, eyes bright with excitement as they rolled dice and fed slot machines.
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