Just as the Lurkers are stalking toward the truck, the engine roars to life and the headlights carve the gloom. He reverses the truck, kicking up a spray of rocks and debris as he cuts the steering wheel sharply. Surging forward now, he speeds away, toward the front of the building with Lurkers chasing him.
Clumsily, I retrace my steps and drop to the warehouse floor below. “Jericho, we need you to grab four barrels of gas and place them by the door. As soon as we hear a horn we have to open the doors, toss them into the back of the truck and jump in behind them as fast as possible.” The words pour out of me fast and furious. Time is ticking away, our fates jeopardized with every passing second.
Jericho bounds to his feet, not needing any explanation, while Will and I take his place at the door. I doubt any Lurkers stayed behind, but I do it anyway. When he returns with the final barrel, he isn’t winded in the least.
“All set,” Jericho says.
I am out of breath, anxiety getting the better of me. We wait for what feels like forever until an engine rumbles beyond the doors and a horn blares.
Will yanks the wood from the door handles and swings the door wide. The rear of the pickup truck is right in front of us, waiting. Jericho places one barrel into the bed, and then another. Will and I struggle to carry one together and barely manage to get it inside when we spot Lurkers advancing.
“Get in!” I scream.
Abandoning the last barrel, I dive into the back of the truck, Will and Jericho a step behind me. The vehicle dives forward. Will slams the hatch shut, saving a barrel from slipping out, as we rocket headlong away from the warehouse.
Baying and crying rings out over the sound of the engine. We are tossed around as we careen over bumps. When the ground beneath us flattens, I look behind me and see the slain bodies of two Lurkers. I want to clap, to celebrate somehow, but more pace us. Wind rushes through my hair as Sully accelerates. The front gate fast approaches.
“Hold on!” I hear Sully shout seconds before the grill of the truck meets with the metal of the gate.
“Oh my gosh!” I cry.
The truck collides with the gate. The angry blast separates the chains that held both sides in place and sends their mangled remnants flying. Will, Jericho, and I slam into each other, as well as barrels. My jaw meets with an elbow, my stomach with a skull. But the worst pain comes when my head meets with a moving barrel. A kaleidoscope of pain flares behind my eyes, and for a moment I fear I cannot open them. But when I do, I draw in a sharp breath.
A navy sky rolls out like a stretch of jewel-crusted velvet before my eyes. We are out of the warehouse, off the property, and headed toward Sully’s hideout. We’re on the open road. We made it.
“Everybody all right?” I hear Sully’s voice and realize he’s talking through a small, side-sliding window at the back of the cab.
I sit up and see we haven’t been followed. Will is rubbing his lower back and Jericho holds his hip, but all in all, we’re okay.
“We’re fine,” I yell back over the wind and the growl of the engine.
Will turns toward me. An unhurried smile bends the corners of his mouth. We say nothing; just hold each other’s gazes briefly. We’ve achieved a victory. All of us have. We now have the means to journey to New Washington. We now have a say in our destiny.
Chapter 4
Shooting down the road, the tires of the stolen pickup truck glide over the asphalt. I’ve never been in a vehicle, never even seen one this close, until now. I’m sitting with my knees tucked to my chest, my back resting against the side of the rear compartment. Overhead, the sky is an endless stretch of indigo, shimmering and dizzying in its vastness. At any given moment, an Urthmen convoy could stop us, or a single Urthman could spot us. The risk is grave, graver than it’s ever been since I left the forest. But try as I may, I can’t seem to keep from smiling. Wind rushes at me in a cool roar that whips my hair and clothing and sends them billowing. My insides bubble, teeming with both adrenaline, and pure excitement. A fit of hysterical laughter effervesces in my chest. I take every measure to suppress it, but it’s hard. We aren’t safe, not by a long shot. The chance of being seen remains a constant threat. Still, I’m giddy.
That sentiment doubles when Sully pulls off the paved road and navigates the truck between trees and shrubs.
Heading toward his hideaway, he slides aside the small window at the back of the cab. “Hey Jericho, once we get close, I’m going to slow down. I want you to start clipping the trip wires.”
“You got it,” Jericho replies. “We won’t need them anymore.”
The gravity of his words, of their implication, hits me. We won’t need trip wires to protect us from Urthmen search parties. We’ll have a degree of freedom. My smile broadens. Freedom is a state of existence June and I have never experienced, none of us have experienced. True, the road to the underground city will be dangerous. Urthmen roam the land. But as Sully has told me, far fewer live near the desert. The likelihood of encountering them will be lessened the closer we get. And Lurkers don’t stray beyond the heart of the forest. Imagining a life that doesn’t include constant running and hiding causes tears to moisten my eyes. I blink them back as we veer right and Sully slows.
Jericho rises and balances on his knees, removing a small pair of wire cutters from his pants pocket. Once he’s close to the first wire, he snips it. The click of his tool is the sound of shackles being removed. I want to clap and cheer, to celebrate.
We’re moments away from the safe house where June waits. The dilapidated white house is in sight. We are by no means safe, especially now that Jericho has cut each wire we passed, yet my spirits remain undaunted.
Sully pulls the truck close to the bomb shelter. When we reach the spot where the door is covered by bramble, he stops and turns off the engine. Will and Jericho climb out followed by me.
“We have to hurry and get out of here fast. If there’s a patrol at the warehouse already, they’ll flood the area in no time,” Sully says.
His statement returns me to reality. My smile capsizes. My thoughts return to June’s immediate safety. “I’ll go get the kids,” I say.
“Great,” Sully says then tosses me his keys. His eyes do not hold their usual twinkle of mirth. To the contrary, they are hard. His brow is low and his jaw is set determinedly. “Jericho, Will, help me load the barrels into the camper.”
Both men nod then turn to unload the truck. I run to the covered patch beneath which the hatch waits. Throwing branches and leaves to the side, I unlock the latch, open the door and descend the ladder.
With each step my foot lowers, my anticipation mounts. I can’t wait to see their faces, to see June, Riley and Oliver and tell them the good news.
As soon as my feet hit the concrete floor, I see them. Oliver’s arms are folded across his chest. He resembles Will so much that I do a double-take. Riley’s arms are wrapped around her midsection and June is wringing her hands. They are in the far corner of the room, huddled and deep in conversation.
June’s gaze flickers toward me, and her eyes widen. “Avery!” she cries as she runs toward me. “I was so worried!” She doesn’t slow before she slams into me and clamps her arms around my waist. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she says, her words muffled by my shirt.
“Me, too,” I mumble under my breath.
Riley and Oliver make their way toward me. Their steps are timid, their expressions cautious. They fear the worst has happened. I can see it in their eyes.
“Everyone’s fine—Will, Sully, Jericho—we’re all fine,” I say and watch as their features smooth. “But we have to leave now.”
“You got the fuel?” Oliver asks, amazement coloring his words.
“Yes,” I answer. “And we need to get out of here right away. Urthmen will be in the area any minute now.” I look from face to face, letting the seriousness of our situation temper any excitement they may be feeling. We aren’t out of the woods yet, literally. “Let’s go.”
With
June, Riley and Oliver in tow, I scamper up the ladder and see that Jericho is pouring fuel into what I assume is the gas tank while Will is heaving the last barrel into the camper. I make my way toward them then load the kids inside. Sully is approaching. He pushes a two-wheeled vehicle.
“What’s that?” I ask.
“It’s a motorcycle,” Sully replies.
“Why do we need it?”
He shrugs. “You never know. Plus, I love this thing. I’ve always wanted to ride it, but I never had any fuel.” He looks at it adoringly. “This is my baby.”
“Well then I hope you two are very happy together,” I say with a smile before I toss his keys back to him. I turn and climb inside.
We had already loaded the camper with our personal belongings the night before, as well as enough food and water to last the trip. I hadn’t bothered to take a good look at the interior of the camper last night. But now that I know it will be our home for the next week or two I take it in.
The interior smells vaguely of mold and earth. The scent is divine as far as I’m concerned, as is the look of the place. Cabinets in a light wood color are mounted high and run the length of the wall opposite me, and a small window sits above a sink. On either side of the sink, odd-looking contraptions are situated. Doors that are darker in color and hinged sit below knobs and buttons. I’m fairly sure they’re machines of convenience those who came before us used in their kitchens prior to the War of 2062. Regardless of their purpose, I marvel at their design, at the sleekness and craftsmanship. Moss colored curtains, though tattered and faded, hang on both sides of the four windows and match the stripes in the fabric of the seats. Beside the kitchenette, two seats face each other, a table that juts from the wall between them. Long, couch-like structures are positioned opposite each other past the table. I sit on one. My backside sinks in immediately, the cushions cradling me. I’ve never sat on anything so comfortable. I suppose this is what it would feel like to rest on a cloud.
June is already seated across from me between Riley and Oliver. “It’s so comfy, right, Avery?” she says. “And did you see the room with the toilet? Can you imagine? A toilet is on the camper!”
“Where does the, you know, waste go?” Riley scrunches her features and asks.
“Yeah, right. Where does it all go? Do we have to bring dirt with us to cover it like we do normally? And what’s the other thing hanging above it, you know, the handle with the circle at the top with holes all in it? What’s that for?” Oliver asks.
Thoughts of Urthmen and Lurkers have transformed to ones of comfortable seats and bathroom equipment. A smile rounds my cheeks. “I have no idea,” I answer. “All of your questions are great. I just don’t have the answers to any of them.” I start to chuckle. Quickly my chuckle blossoms and becomes full-blown laughter. The children join in. Before long, we’re laughing like loons.
We’re laughing so hard, we don’t notice that Will is standing nearby. “What’s so funny?” he asks, grinning.
Between giggling fits, June says, “Poop. We’re wondering where the poop goes.” She’s gasping, tears rolling down her cheeks, as she clutches her belly.
Will knits his brow. “Huh?”
His reaction draws howls and more laughter.
“The toilet,” I manage. “There’s a toilet on this thing.”
Still perplexed, Will says, “Okay,” and shakes his head.
He clearly doesn’t get what we’re laughing about, but I don’t care. For once I feel light and silly and a bit woozy, unlike I’ve ever felt before; unlike myself.
Sully’s voice echoes about our merriment. “Are we ready?” he asks. I assume he’s loaded the bike into the camper. He’s behind the steering wheel. Jericho is in the passenger seat. “Let’s see if this thing starts.”
Theatrically, he lifts the key high then inserts it into the ignition. The engine splutters for a brief spell then turns over.
“Yes!” I exclaim. “It works!”
“I knew it would,” Sully says. I see his eyes in the rearview mirror. They watch me. I toss him a wide smile, and he reciprocates with his own.
He guides the camper over rough terrain. The vehicle is unwieldy compared to the pickup truck as it lumbers begrudgingly over rocks, brush and overgrown grasses. Slowly, but surely, however, we make it to a paved path. We follow the road for a while, until Sully turns off onto another.
“We’re going to get on the highway,” Sully announces.
“What’s a highway?” I ask. I vaguely remember hearing the word once or twice but never understood the context in which it’d been used.
“It’s a long roadway that connects towns and cities. In our case, it’s the road that will take us to the underground city.”
Evading debris that clutters another paved path, Sully turns onto a wide, open street. Houses and shops are absent. All that’s visible is an endless stretch of blacktop, the beams of the camper’s headlamps lighting the immediate space before it.
My head swivels. I look to the left and right, then behind us. We aren’t being followed. We’re alone. Pattering an elated beat, my heart thumps wildly. We’re leaving. June and I are in a motorized vehicle and actually leaving the woodland held hostage by Urthmen.
“Woohoo! We’re on our way!” Sully’s fist pumps, his voice booming as it fills the camper with enthusiasm. “Yeah!” he cheers and bangs his clenched fist against the side of the camper.
His passion is contagious. I find myself mirroring his action, cheering and knocking my fist against the camper wall behind me. Will and Jericho follow suit, thumping their fists against the camper walls. Oliver and Riley join in and the vehicle erupts in a roar of excitement.
Though I am tired and hungry and am venturing out into uncharted lands toward an uncertain future, I am thrilled, an emotion I’ve never felt in my entire life.
Chapter 5
Golden light glows against a pastel-blue sky as the sun hovers just above the horizon. Day broke a while ago, bathing the world around me in bright, unforgiving beams. The landscape beyond the windshield is stark. Faded pavement gives way to tall grass and bushes laden with berries.
I glance over my shoulder and see June sleeping beside Riley. Riley’s arm is draped across her waist, both girls snoring softly. Oliver sits at the table. His arms are folded in front of him, his head resting atop them as he naps. My gaze moves to Jericho. His expression is one of complete serenity as he dreams, his enormous body dwarfing the seat he occupies. Will is across from him, sprawled out on a long, fabric covered seat. His features are relaxed, his aquamarine eyes closed. Sully is next to me. His profile is illuminated by the early sunlight. Though wearied from traveling, he remains a welcome sight. All of them are. I realize how fortunate I am to know them. Our lives are entwined now. They are mine and I am theirs.
With a thankful sigh, I cast my eyes to the highway once more. Occasionally, a car litters the side of the road. Each that we’ve passed looks the same as the others. Broken windows, chipped and rusting frames, and brush growing in and around them, the sight of the cars unsettles me. People, humans just like me, drove them at one point. Now they are little more than eerie reminders of a world destroyed.
“Not as exciting as you thought it’d be, huh?” Sully’s drowsy voice interrupts the numerous thoughts rattling around in my brain.
“I have no doubt our trip will be exciting, just not in a good way.”
Sully makes a soft snorting sound that resembles a laugh, but the corners of his lips only lift briefly.
“You okay?” I ask.
He blinks several times then shakes his head. His jovial demeanor has long-since faded, replaced instead with a brooding calm so unlike him I start to worry. Ruffled sandy hair sticks up in tufts, and his eyes are bloodshot. Several times his hand leaves the steering wheel and rubs the back of his neck. His exhaustion is evident. I don’t know how he’s continued driving as long as he has. Many hours have passed. Everyone has slept, except Sully.
I want to do something, to help him somehow. I don’t know how to drive. Jericho said he would try next, but he left the passenger seat a while ago in favor of a couple of hours of sleep. Will and the children dozed off earlier. Only Sully and I are awake, and Sully seems to be on the verge of nodding off at any moment.
“What can I do to help?” I ask after I see him rear his head and widen his eyes unnaturally, as if forcing them open.
“Nothing, I’m fine.” His eyes leave the road and land on me. As they do, the front end of the camper veers slightly to the right, to where his gaze has traveled. He catches his lapse and adjusts the wheel accordingly, straightening the front end of the vehicle. “Whoa,” he says. “That’s not supposed to happen.” A small chuckle passes through his lips.
“I’ve never driven and even I know that,” I joke.
He grins widely, a glimpse of how he is when he’s fully rested returns. “So Will’s still asleep I take it.” His words are more of a question than a statement.
“Yup. Will, June, Riley, Oliver, and Jericho are passed out on those couch things in the back.”
“I thought it got quieter now that Jericho knocked out. You know how loud he gets, always yapping and making a racket.” He shrugs and rolls his eyes.
I chuckle. “Yeah, I know, right.”
In truth, Jericho is soft spoken. I can’t imagine him ever being rowdy.
“It’s good to hear you laugh, Avery. And smile. Both are nice. You’re always so serious.”
“What else am I supposed to be?” I squirm in my seat. “Keeping June alive after my father died was not exactly something that kept me laughing and smiling.”
Sully nods solemnly. “I guess not.” After a moment, he adds, “What about Will? Didn’t it help when he came into the picture? Having another adult, another person to hunt and make decisions with, didn’t that help?”
The Underground City (Book 3): Planet Urth, no. 3 Page 5