“They are, and I will leave them in your capable hands,” Patti said with a shiver. “I’m heading back to the hotel. These old bones don’t play well with the rain.”
“Yer hardly old, Mistress Fry,” he said with a snort.
“You’d be surprised,” Patti replied with a chuckle.
“Could ye check on Kat for me?” Callum asked. “I won’t see her again until morning.
“I’ll drop by her room along the way.”
“Thank you,” Callum said, and Patti disappeared into the night.
“Are ye ready for this?” he asked the volunteers.
They nodded one by one.
“And ye know what to do?”
“We do, Sir,” a woman replied.
“Good. We’d better get moving then,” he said, gesturing to one of the waiting guards.
The man lifted up the metal lid that covered the storm drain’s entrance, and Callum climbed down the ladder. The rest followed, and they grouped together at the bottom of the shaft.
It was damp and chilly, and a small river of water flowed down the tunnel toward the drainage point. Slime covered the walls, and the air reeked of mold.
Callum knew he needed to hurry. It was better not to tempt fate with the recent rains, and he still had to make the trip back. In silence, he set off, and the rest followed. They reached the exit without mishap and studied the area outside.
Nothing moved, and he removed the grate that covered the hole. It was covered with moss, and he was careful not to disturb its growth. It would hide the grid from curious eyes, camouflaged by the green foliage.
He gestured at the nearest volunteer. “Off with ye.”
“Yes, Sir,” the man replied, ducking through the exit.
The rest of the volunteers followed, and he replaced the grate with a soft clang. “Good luck to ye, and may your mission be successful.”
Without a whisper of sound, the small group of men and women merged with the night. Their Watch uniforms blended well with the darkness, and the thick clouds hid them from view.
Callum lingered for a few seconds before he turned back the way he’d come. He’d covered only half the distance when the first missile smashed into the walls. The tunnel shook, and water splashed up to his knees.
He waited for the worst to pass and hurried further, but it was only the first blow of many to come. As he’d feared, Sikes was giving it his best shot. Now that it had begun, it wouldn’t stop.
Once he was back on the surface, he rushed about shouting orders, but there wasn’t much he could do. The people of Prime had been warned, and the areas close to the wall evacuated. Guards were set at strategic points. More patrolled the streets, reassuring frightened citizens and keeping the peace. Come morning, he’d survey the damage, and the engineers would attempt to repair the damage.
The only good thing about all the chaos was that it might give the volunteers a better chance. With everything that was going on, the soldiers might be too distracted to notice a few strange faces.
Finally, he returned to the hotel, where he met Patti outside Kat’s room. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. I gave her something to help her sleep,” Patti said.
Callum sighed with a mixture of relief and exhaustion. “Thank ye, Mistress Fry.”
“It’s nothing. Off to bed with you, before you fall over,” Patti admonished. “You’ll need to be in top shape tomorrow.”
“I know. There’s just so much to worry about,” he said, rubbing one hand across his eyes. “What if our plan doesn’t work?”
“You’ve done all you can for now. The rest is up to fate,” Patti said, ushering him toward his bedroom.
As the door shut behind him, he fell onto the bed without ceremony. Patti was right. There was nothing more he could do. Their plan was set in motion, and only time would tell the outcome.
***
The next morning, Callum was up at the crack of dawn. It was impossible to sleep with all the noise anyway. He washed, dressed, and combed his hair before making his way to the kitchen. The place was abuzz with activity as the staff prepared breakfast for the many hungry mouths outside.
A line had already formed in the common room, a mixture of hotel staff, volunteers, and the homeless. Every face wore the same expression, one of fright and disillusionment. Their temporary reprieve was over, and the war had begun.
Kat stood behind the counter, serving up bowls of porridge. Her sleeves were pushed back, and her hair was drawn into a messy bun. He liked her new look. It seemed more genuine and less like a mask than her old outfits did.
He kissed her cheek and studied her face. “How do you feel, lass?”
She nodded and flashed him a brief smile. “I’m coping.”
“Are ye sure? This noise is enough to make even my hair stand on end,” he said.
“I’m sure. You don’t need to worry about me,” Kat replied. She dipped her hand into her pocket and showed him a pair of earplugs. “When it gets too much, I use these. It helps a lot.”
Callum smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
“Starving,” he admitted, taking the bowl she offered.
“It’s not very tasty, but it’ll fill your belly,” she said.
He took a bite of the porridge and pulled a face. “No kidding. This tastes worse than a piece of cardboard.” Nonetheless, he finished the lot and handed his bowl over. “Thanks fer breakfast. Now how about another kiss?”
Kat laughed and shooed him away. “Off with you. I have work to do, and I’m sure you do too.”
Callum took the hint and left the hotel. It was time to find out how much damage had been done during the night. He’d hardly taken two steps, however, when a strident voice drew his attention.
“Sir! There you are. I was looking all over,” a guard yelled, heaving for breath.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“It’ll be better if you see for yourself,” the man replied, casting a look around. He dropped his voice to a low whisper. “It’s awful, Sir. Just awful.”
With his heart sinking into his boots, Callum followed the guard to the top of the wall. It was a dangerous venture with missiles bombarding the structure. The stones vibrated and shook with every shot, and bits of mortar dropped to the ground. The stairs that wound up to the stone walkway groaned and swayed beneath his feet. More than once, he had to pause and hold on for dear life.
The situation was bad, that much he could see. The engineers and builders of the city would have their work cut out for them. Even then, he didn’t know how long they could last. The walls were meant for marauding dinosaurs. They weren’t meant to withstand this kind of punishment. He also didn’t know what had the guard in such a frenzy, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.
When they finally reached their destination, he realized it was in the same spot that he and Sikes had their conversation. That meant nothing could, and his stomach turned into a ball of knots.
The guard waited for a brief lull in the barrage of missiles flying their way. When it came, he said, “Look over the wall, Sir. You can’t miss it.”
Callum dared a peek over the edge, and his blood ran cold. A row of sharpened stakes had been planted in the earth not far away. On top of each stake was a severed head. It didn’t take much to figure out who the slack faces belonged to. He recognized more than one of them. The volunteers.
“What does this mean, Sir? Who were they?” the guard asked.
“They were our own, sent to broker peace among the soldiers,” Callum replied.
“Does that mean…”
“Aye, our plan failed.”
“What do we do now, Sir? If this keeps up, the wall will fail,” the soldier said. “I don’t want to fight them. I know some of the men down there. They’re my friends.”
“It won’t come to that, I promise,” Callum said with a deep sigh. “Can I trust you to keep this a secret for now? I don’t
want to spread panic.”
“Others might see this, Sir,” the guard pointed out.
“No, they won’t. I’m pulling everyone off the wall. It’s too dangerous up here anyway,” Callum said.
“Maybe, but it still doesn’t fix our problem,” the guard said.
Callum eyed him. “Yer quite clever, aren’t you?”
The guard turned red and began to sputter. “I’m s…s…sorry, Sir. I meant no disrespect.”
“I don’t mind, lad. I appreciate brains in my soldiers. I’m not like the general who demands blind obedience.”
Relief flooded the guard’s face. “Then you’re a better man for it, Sir.”
“Maybe I am, and maybe I’m not,” Callum said. “All I’m asking from you is time. Time to think of a solution. Can ye give me that?”
The guard nodded. “Yes, Sir. I can.”
“Then it’s settled. Let’s go back. There is much to be done,” Callum said, returning to the staircase.
His heart was heavy, but he wasn’t about to give up. He couldn’t. Not when the whole of Prime depended on him. Their plan had failed. Now it was time for a new one, and this time, it had to succeed. There was no other option.
Chapter 16
Rogue sat hunched on the side of the boat with one hand trailing in the water. They moved fast, and she was fascinated by the way the liquid frothed and churned around her fingers. For once, she didn’t have to be afraid of anything inside the river, especially the predatory Clidastes.
They were traveling in a small motorboat with a single onboard-motor, and it was a marvel in her eyes. She’d never seen the like before and was amazed that the Exiles had kept it running all these years. “What do they use for fuel?”
Seth shrugged. “They make it themselves, or they used to back at the zoo. Don’t ask me how. I know it has something to do with vegetable oil.”
“Vegetable oil,” Rogue repeated, growing ever more astonished. What else was possible, and what more was there out there to discover?
Her mind ranged far and wide, flying on the wings of her imagination. “Do you think there are other cities out there? Other survivors? Continents even?”
“I know there are,” Seth replied.
“How?”
“Right after the Shift, a network of amateur radio operators kept communication channels open for a time. Through them, we learned that quite a chunk of the earth was sent back in time, not just Portland.”
“Radio operators?” Rogue asked with a frown. “I’ve read about them, but I don’t know how they work.”
“Radios operate on frequencies. They can communicate with others using the same frequency. The distance depends on how strong the transmitter is, and you need electricity to power it.”
“You lost me there, but carry on,” Rogue said.
“There’s not much more to say. The network petered out after a while. One by one, the operators disappeared.”
“Why?”
Seth shrugged. “Lack of electricity? Range? Maybe the equipment broke down or got old. There are a lot of things that could’ve happened.”
“They probably got eaten,” Steven said, adding his two cents.
Rogue wrinkled her nose. “Thanks for ruining the picture.”
Moran shot Steven a nasty glare. “It doesn’t matter if the radio network no longer functions. The fact is, there are other people out there. We just don’t know where they are, that’s all.”
“Has anyone ever thought to go look?” Rogue asked.
“Of course, but it’s dangerous. You know that,” Moran said. “Wandering around in this world is tantamount to suicide.”
“Not necessarily,” Seth said. “I lived out here on my own for years.”
“That’s because you’re special,” Rogue said, flashing him a smile.
“So are you,” Seth replied with a wink.
Moran rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Young love is so corny.”
“I could use a little bit of corny in my life,” Bruce said, nudging her with his elbow. “Couldn’t you?”
Moran refused to answer, but her red cheeks gave it away, and everyone laughed.
“Corny is good,” Bear said.
“I’m pretty corny,” Steven added.
“Alright, enough,” Moran cried, throwing her hands in the air. “I’m sorry.”
Silence fell over the boat, but it was a companionable silence. The kind that didn’t need any words to make it bearable.
Rogue took the opportunity to savor her surroundings. It was strangely peaceful, chugging upriver on a boat in the deep of night. On either side, the forest loomed, the left charred and burned by the fire, the right green and lush. An occasional hunting cry echoed from the trees, evidence of the nocturnal predators that stalked the night. Thankfully, they were safe. Safe, maybe, but not warm.
She drew up the collar of her jacket and tucked her hands into her pockets. The wind was chilly, and a few drops of rain warned of a coming storm. Sensing her discomfort, Seth drew her into his arms. His body heat enfolded her, and she closed her eyes and smiled. Perfect. Just perfect.
***
Several hours later, they left the boat hidden in a clump of bushes. Seth passed around a vial of his vile-smelling concoction, and they dabbed it onto their skin. It was meant to hide their scent, a necessary evil since they continued on foot in the dead of night. Not that it was any guarantee of safety. If they stumbled across a pack of raptors or a T-rex on the prowl, their lives were forfeit.
With every sense on high alert, they snuck past the ruins of Portland with its eerie atmosphere. They gave the Utahraptor’s territory a wide berth and kept to open spaces where nothing could surprise them. Even so, it was a nerve-wracking trip, and Rogue heaved a sigh of relief when the walls of Prime loomed on the horizon.
At the same time, they spotted Sikes’ army and witnessed first-hand the effectiveness of his catapults. Rogue winced as the massive chunks of rock slammed into the wall over and over again. Each hit sounded like the crash of lightning followed by the deep rumble of thunder.
Moran whistled. “Sikes means business.”
“Yeah, we’d better get in there,” Bruce agreed.
Dawn was fast approaching, and Rogue knew they needed to hurry. “Not to be a buzzkill, guys, but we need to pick up the pace. The only way we’ll make it past Sikes’ army is without being seen.”
“They’re like ants,” Steven said, pointing at the soldiers. They covered a vast area, circling half of Prime. “Getting past them won’t be easy.”
“We can do this,” Bruce said. “Follow me, stay hidden, and keep up.”
Without another word, he set off, and they obeyed his instructions to the letter. His route led them past the army and kept them from sight. They reached their goal before the sun broke across the treetops and heaved sighs of relief. But, they still had to brave the storm drain.
Bear used brute force to wrench the grate from the entrance, and they braved the dark interior without hesitation. There was no time to stop and light a fire for torches, and they had to navigate by feel. As they moved deeper into the tunnel, all light faded away until it was pitch-black.
Rogue stretched her eyes open wide, searching for the faintest smidge of light. It felt like she was blind. Not only was it dark, but it was the complete absence of light that bothered her. There was no getting used to it. The eyes could not adjust. There was simply nothing to see.
“Seth?” she said, and the quiver in her voice betrayed her nerves.
“Just hold on to me,” he said, taking her hand.
With one hand on the wall and the other on Seth’s back, she inched her way forward. The stones were wet and slimy to the touch, but it was better than having nothing concrete to guide her way.
“It smells just as bad as I remember,” Moran said, her voice echoing around them.
Rogue wrinkled her nose. “Thanks for reminding me.”
“Is this a sewage pipe or a drainage pipe?” Seth as
ked.
“I think it’s supposed to be a drainage pipe, but when it rains a lot, the sewers overflow and flood this place.”
“Awesome,” Seth remarked.
“Yeah, we nearly drowned in a river of shit the last time we came through here,” Bruce said.
“Shut up, will you?” Rogue cried. “I’m trying really hard not to think about that.”
Bruce chuckled, and silence descended once more.
The minutes ticked by with excruciating slowness. Each step felt like an eternity, and Rogue had to fight to keep from turning back. She hated the dark, and she hated being underground even more. Just when she thought they’d be stuck down there forever, Moran whooped.
“I see a light, people!” Moran cried.
“Finally,” Rogue mumbled, her pace quickening.
They clustered together around the ladder and stared at the round metal disc above their heads.
“Do you think it’s guarded?” Rogue asked.
“I’d bet my ass it is,” Bear rumbled.
“Ladies first,” Steven said, waving a hand at Moran.
Bruce shook his head and shoved past them all. “Here goes nothing.”
He climbed up the ladder and pushed aside the cover while the rest watched. When nothing happened, and no one showed, he climbed out the rest of the way. Once they couldn’t see him anymore, Moran called out to him. “Everything okay up there?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On what the man with the crossbow decides to do.”
Moran looked at the others with alarm. “Oh, shit. What now?”
“We go up,” Seth said. “If we don’t, they’ll kill him. Besides, we were expecting this.”
“You’re right, of course. There is no choice,” Moran said. She grabbed the rungs and climbed up without a backward glance. One by one, the rest followed.
Rogue went last. Each step was a leap of faith. She was betting on the unknown, and anything could happen. But the thought didn’t deter her, for she knew she was in good company. Whatever lay ahead, they’d see it through together.
Chapter 17
The Extinction Series | Book 4 | Primordial Earth 4 Page 10