The Decaying World Saga (Book 1): Tribes of Decay

by Garza, Michael W.

  She slipped behind a crate, leaving a single eye to look out beyond her hiding spot. Several groups of soldiers rushed through an opening in the exterior wall and continued around the walkway, all of them dressed in black fatigues and armed with multiple weapons. They raced across the chamber in a lengthy procession until the last of them finally poured out of a far side exit as quickly as they entered. Mia decided to make a run for it.

  Her foot hit the bottom stair before she got a reaction. The response was loud and clear. The first shot went wide, but the second ricocheted off the stairs, missing her by a hair. Mia raced to the top and through an opening before the third shot hit the wall.

  The adjoining chamber was a dizzying sight both high above and far below. The walls of the immense manmade cavern were lined with a series of sporadically placed platforms, most connected by stairs running up and down. Something told Mia that she needed to climb, but her platform didn’t offer a choice. She was running down a moment later, several steps at a time, nearly taking a tumble before she made a turn and reached the platform below. The stairs continued downward, but the sound of boots hitting the grated flooring above encouraged her to slip in through an archway attached to the platform. Mia eyes met a pair as confused and frightened as hers.

  “Help me.”

  Mia’s plea slipped out in a whisper. An old woman stared back at her with a stoned expression. The pale skin of her cheeks was a stark contrast to the mane of pitch-black hair hanging down around her shoulders. The old woman reacted a heartbeat before Mia rushed past her. She grabbed a hold of Mia’s hand and pulled her into the light.

  “Come, child.”

  The light rained down from an open ceiling. One look revealed the long walkway crossing from the room above and a sudden recognition told Mia where she was. Several people scurried out of the old woman’s way as she led Mia to the far side of a spacious workspace. She motioned toward a long line of plump sacks stacked in front of a container.

  “Quickly now,” she said, pointing.

  A moment later and Mia was hidden, crammed into a tight space with her knees pulled up against her chest, between the row of sacks and the metal container. Shadows danced across the walls as figures moved beyond her view. The sirens continued their chant in the background in unison with the flashing red lights. A scurry of motion drew her attention to the opening at the end of her hiding spot. The old woman came into view, her ragged clothes were made of the same material as the sacks. A sudden fear on the woman’s face chilled Mia’s heart. The voice that followed her stare confirmed the fright.

  “Did someone run through here?” Connor asked. He was close, but Mia couldn’t see him. “Come now, out with it.”

  The woman’s eyes went to the floor. She shook her head slowly and replied.

  “No sir, no one.”

  Mia was drawn to the woman’s hand. The flutter of the material covering her legs revealed her panicked shaking. A rush of sound followed, none of which Mia could identify. Mia squeezed her legs into her chest, closing her eyes. Her thundering heartbeat blocked out everything else. It felt like an eternity before she had the courage to open her eyes again.

  “He’s gone.”

  Mia heard the woman, but could no longer see her. She steadied her nerves before sliding out into the open. A small group joined the old woman, all of them focused on Mia as she got to her feet. The group whispered to one another while nervously peering at the room’s exit.

  “I’m called Agnes, of the Provo Tribe. Not that I expect you to know where that is,” she said then rubbed her hands together before reaching out to Mia. “Come along, there’s not much time now.”

  Mia didn’t know what she meant. She was hopeful Agnes would be able to explain what caused the alarm and more importantly how they could get back to the surface. Agnes pulled her around the backside of a line of crates parallel with the exit and all of Mia’s questions evaporated.

  “Jacob.”

  The old man was barely breathing. Blood covered his shirt from a wound in his chest. The color drained from his face as he turned his head in her direction and grinned.

  “I’m glad to see you.”

  Agnes leaned in close to Mia and whispered in her ear.

  “He doesn’t have much time.”

  Mia tried to hold back her emotions as she slumped down next him. She ground her teeth as her eyes swelled.

  “I’d like to point out that my hunch about Connor might have been a little closer to the mark than you believed.”

  The sarcastic cut was enough to get Mia to laugh at him. She took a hold of his hand and squeezed.

  “I don’t know where I’m going to go,” she admitted. “Something’s going on with the soldiers, I think they’re looking for me.”

  Jacob shook his head.

  “No, they don’t care about you,” he said. “I think these people are slaves.” He gasped then coughed, blood spilling from his mouth down his chin. “This is what awaited your people.”

  Mia glanced up at Agnes then back to Jacob.

  “There was never a paradise for us,” she said.

  Jacob coughed again and it drew her eyes to his.

  “You make sure you get out of here and build a damn paradise for yourself.” His coughing worsened and he began to choke. His grip tightened on her hand and she lost her battle with her emotions. She leaned over him and pulled his hand to her chest. His coughing suddenly stopped and he looked up at her. “Thank you.”

  He took one last breath then closed his eyes for good. Mia clenched her teeth so tight that the pain rode up her jaws and into her temples. She let his hand go then wiped the tears from her cheeks. She gathered herself enough to stand and face the growing crowd behind her. Mia knew what she needed to do for Jacob, but at the moment she couldn't bring herself to consider it.

  “Something’s happening topside,” Agnes said. “The soldiers aren’t at their posts.”

  “We have to get out of here,” Mia announced, raising her voice so everyone could hear. She didn’t understand the alarms nor did she comprehend the soldiers’ response. “How do we get to the top?”

  Agnes glanced at the dozen or so onlookers, each of them waiting for her reply.

  “We don’t,” she said. “They’ll kill us.”

  It wasn’t good enough for Mia.

  “Then stay here and die,” she said as she started for the archway leading out to the open cavern. “I’d rather die trying.” She was out on the platform before Agnes caught up with her.

  “You’ll never reach the top.”

  “Then help me,” Mia said.

  Agnes looked back at the crowd, most of them anxiously watching the walkways above for their familiar watchers.

  “You don’t know what you’re saying,” Agnes said. “The remains of countless tribes are locked away in the bowels of this God forsaken place.”

  Mia climbed the stairs then froze mid-step.

  “Can you take me to where they hold you?” she asked.

  Agnes studied her face.

  “I’ve been here longer than I care to remember,” she said, “and I’ve watched most of my people die like animals.”

  Mia had heard enough. She scanned the faces of everyone gathered in the archway. “I won’t die here a slave,” she said. “The story of my people deserves a better ending.”

  Agnes slowly nodded.

  “I’ll show you the way, but I can’t promise they’ll help you.”

  The answer was good enough for Mia, but that wasn’t what struck her with sudden panic. She caught sight of him from the corner of her eye. It took her brain a split second to register what she was seeing. Mia looked out across the open space between the stairs and the nearest platform to find Connor aiming his gun directly at her.

  ♦

  Rowan moved through the ventilation shaft on his hands and knees with only a vague set of directions from Himu on how to proceed. Doctor Olric’s assistant crawled in the darkness behind him, no doubt drip
ping blood from his face, thanks to a pair of punches to his broken nose. Garret was in the rear, ensuring their captive had nowhere to escape. Himu was resistant to tell them what he injected Garret with, but one look at Erin’s remains gave them a probable glimpse of what awaited. Rowan couldn’t shake the view of the undead surge coming over the walls of Canaan moments before the screens cut out.

  The crawl lasted longer than Rowan anticipated from Himu’s description of the route; however, the exit was exactly where he said it would be. He stopped short of the slotted vent and peered out at a small, dim room. A single light, inlaid in the wall, shown down on the lone door of a dirty, but empty space. A slight push sent the vent plate forward and Rowan scrambled out. He grabbed Himu by the arm the moment he crawled into the light and the pair waited until Garret was up before turning to face the door.

  “Where are we?” Rowan asked.

  Himu pinched the bridge of his nose and held his head back. His face was beginning to swell around his eyes as the blood continued to trickle down from his nose into his mouth.

  “It’s a supply room,” he said. “No one ever comes in here.”

  “And we can get out without your card?”

  Himu nodded.

  “Sit.” Rowan gave him a shove that ended with him on his back. Himu groaned but remained on the floor. Rowan kept his eyes on Himu as he leaned in close to Garret. “How are you?”

  Garret shook his head then tilted it to one side.

  “I can’t get the ringing out of my ears,” he said. “I’m hot, shaking.”

  “I…I don’t,” Rowan struggled with his response. “I don’t know how I can help you.”

  Garret’s face hardened. He clenched his jaw then ignored Rowan’s concern. “We need to find Jonah and get out of here.”

  Himu chuckled and Garret stomped toward him.

  “You think that’s funny?” he demanded. “I’ll bash your head in.”

  Rowan grabbed him before he could do any damage. Himu’s smile vanished as he threw his hands up in front of his face.

  “There’s only one way out of here alive,” Himu said.

  “And what’s that?” Garret asked.

  Himu put his hands down and shook his head as he made a silent calculation. “I guess it doesn’t matter now,” he said. “Doctor Olric will close off the way.”

  Garret took another step toward him.

  “What way?”

  “There’s a safe passage on the bottom floor of this hive. The commission used it to get out without anyone noticing.”

  “What’s a hive?” Garret asked, growing increasingly frustrated.

  Rowan stepped up next to him.

  “What’s the commission?”

  “A hive is what we call the sections of the colony and the commission is the group that led us,” Himu explained. “They’ve known about the evolution of the infected for some time. They also knew about the gathering.”

  “How?” Rowan asked.

  Himu got to one knee then hesitantly stood up.

  “Does it matter?”

  Rowan changed his mind.

  “How can we get to this safe passage?”

  “I told you that Doctor Olric—”

  Garret grabbed a fist full of Himu’s shirt.

  “Take us there.”

  Himu put his hands up again.

  “Fine.”

  “What about the soldiers?” Rowan asked.

  Himu smiled.

  “I can’t help you there.”

  Rowan led them toward the door.

  “If the doctor got a hold of Jonah,” Rowan surmised, “he’ll probably take him down to that passage with him.”

  “If he didn’t just kill him,” Garret countered.

  The remark was a harsh reality check. There was no way to be sure they’d find Jonah. All they could do was hope the boy was headed for the passage. As best as Rowan could tell, there were few other choices.

  “We need to hurry,” Garret added.

  The comment brought Rowan and him face to face and the view was startling. The whites of Garret’s eyes were clouded over, streaked with red. The sight was an instant reminder of the war going on inside his body. A war Rowan knew would end with Garret succumbing to the infection.

  “What’s the fastest way to the safe passage?” Rowan asked loud enough for Himu to hear. “Is it close?”

  Himu shifted uncomfortably before replying.

  “The soldiers will shoot you on sight.”

  “I didn’t ask you that.” Rowan grabbed him by the arm then pressed his knife against his side and urged him to move toward the door. “You lead the way and remember, we may not survive this, but I’ll make damn sure you don't either.”

  The inner workings of the facility were alive with movement. Rowan was forced to walk with one arm around Himu to ensure he didn’t alert anyone of their presence. A general alarm was sounding, highlighted by flashing lights at short intervals along every walkway. Most of the soldiers were in a mad dash, rushing off in one direction or another. Hesitation kept Rowan and Garret at a slow pace, each aware they’d never reach the safe passage ahead of Doctor Olric unless they sped up.

  “There’s a security station ahead,” Himu said then groaned at the confused expressions of his captors. “Where the soldiers monitor the compound,” he elaborated.

  The description was enough to paint the picture and Rowan urged him on. They came to a final split in the central corridor and stopped. A guttural snarl drew the attention back to Garret. He was down on his knees, his arms wrapped around his stomach.

  “It burns.”

  The declaration echoed down the hall, louder than Rowan’s nerves could handle. He flung Himu to the ground and slid his head out into the split in the hallway ahead of them. One direction ended at a closed door and the other an elevator. The view directly across from them dominated the scene. A railing spanned the length of the hall, opening out to a cavernous space. Countless platforms lined the walls all the way down, most of them connected by stairways. The view in the center of the space dropped into darkness, while the ceiling above was only a few stories higher.

  “We have to get down there?” Rowan asked, eyeing the intense drop.

  Himu rolled onto his back and sat up.

  “Yes.”

  “And that’s the security station?” Rowan asked, pointing at the closed door at the end of the walkway.

  Himu nodded.

  “There’s no telling how many soldiers are in there,” he added.

  Rowan had a follow-up question, but movement from the doorway stopped him.

  “We’re going now.”

  Himu’s response was lost in his throat. Rowan slipped the knife into his pocket, grabbed Himu and pushed him out into the walkway in the direction of the elevator. Rowan turned around and forced Garret to his feet. They started moving with Rowan behind both of them, pressing a hand between their shoulder blades.

  “Hey.”

  Rowan didn’t turn around. He lowered his head and pushed harder on his convoy.

  “Stop, stop now.”

  Himu stumbled over his feet and fell.

  “Help me.”

  Rowan never stopped, pressing on as he dragged Himu with one hand and pushed Garret with the other. A shot rang out behind them and Rowan flinched. One glance told him there were more soldiers than he could count running in his direction.

  “I’m on your side,” Himu yelled.

  Rowan snapped back and continued forward. Garret slammed into the elevator door as Himu was yanked to his feet.

  “Open it.”

  Himu hesitated a heartbeat too long and Rowan pulled his knife and jabbed the tip of the blade into his side for motivation. Himu screamed as he moved, slipping his hand over the control panel beside the door. All three figures fell forward when the door slid open. Two rounds slammed into the back of the elevator before the door closed and a moment later the smooth interior was silent.

  23

 
“I’ve had about as much of you as I can handle,” Connor announced. “And unfortunately for you, my father’s waiting for me to depart.”

  Mia knew what was coming, but she didn’t move. Instead, she cringed with anticipation. She saw the sequence that followed in slow-moving images. A figure leapt out from the archway connected to Connor’s platform the moment his gun went off. Mia heard the trailing sound of the bullet whizzing by her.

  The gunshot was followed by Connor’s yell as the figure slammed into him, sending him over the railing. Connor hit the edge of the next platform down and his leg bent back on itself at the knee. He was left lying motionless on his stomach in the center of the platform. It took two deep breaths for time to speed up in Mia’s mind. It took less time for her to recognize the face of her rescuer standing on the platform across from her.

  “Jonah?” Mia’s legs quivered and nearly gave out on her. “Is that you?”

  The boy took one last peek over the railing for good measure before looking up at her with a cunning smile.

  “It…it’s not possible.”

  Jonah appeared to be much more willing to accept that the siblings had extraordinarily managed to find one another. His response was less emotional than hers.

  “I thought you were dead.”

  A firm grip from Agnes pulled Mia’s emotions back in check for the moment.

  “Stay there,” Mia ordered Jonah. “We’ll come and get you.”

  Jonah snarled at the directive, but crossed his arms and did as he was told. It took Mia’s group several tries to figure out how to get to Jonah’s platform. They had to backtrack in and out of a number of supply bays before reaching the correct section of the massive central chamber. The insightful trek highlighted a lack of posted soldiers throughout the complex.

  Jonah met Mia in the archway leading out to the platform and the two wrapped their arms around one another. Mia was overcome with a joy she never imagined she would feel again. Jonah buried his face into her shirt and wept loudly as she rubbed her fingers through his hair. She had to push him away to get him to back up. Mia looked down at his swollen, red eyes and it nearly crippled her.