The Beneath

by S. C. Ransom

  He gives me a twisted smile and turns away.

  “Please, untie me,” I beg again. “They’re not that bad. They can help us!”

  The water has pushed Dane’s motionless body up towards me. I strain across, trying to lift myself up so that I can reach him with my feet. He’s so close! But I lose my grip and sink under the oily water. Spluttering, I pull myself back up and try again. I catch his arm with my foot and pull. He bobs towards me. In the noise and confusion in the shadowy, echoing room I can’t tell if he’s alive or dead, but I manage to wedge him between my body and the machinery. He is on his back in the water, and I fight against the current to get my face close to his to see if I can find any sign of life.

  On the other side of the wheel the Farmer is smiling calmly as the water rises, swaying gently as he turns to watch the torrent. I think he has lost his mind. I shout over the thunder of the water.

  “Have you realised why Lily was able to control the Crop? Why Dane sent me up Above to bring her down?”

  I see him stop swaying, his back to me. He is listening.

  “Do you remember the Breeder – your Breeder – who sneaked a baby Above to stop the sickness? Do you?”

  He doesn’t turn.

  “The baby lived. Lily lived, and she came back down to help us.”

  “That girl is no daughter of mine,” he says.

  “She is! Let her help! The Aboves are kind – they don’t want to hurt us!”

  He turns round, and his gaze is as icy as the water churning around us.

  “She’s not my daughter. My Breeder made a big mistake. She took another’s child Above for medicine, thinking I wouldn’t punish her, but she was wrong. When she came back I sent her to the Crop, and disowned our child. I didn’t want her filthy blood contaminating my line.”

  “So who is it? Who is your daughter?”

  He laughs.

  The swirling torrent is at my chest. If I wasn’t tied on I wouldn’t be able to stand.

  Fighting the current, the Farmer grabs another rope and lashes himself to some huge pipes leading away from the wheel. The water is now close to the top of the tiny tunnel, which is the only way out. He shouts over the roar of the water.

  “I should have got rid of you then!”

  Then he disappears under the spray and foam. I pull against the ropes but they are too tight. There is no time to think about what he’s told me. Dane’s face is next to me as the water rises, and I try with every last ounce of strength to keep him close. I wish that I could stroke his cheek. But by bending over I can just reach his lips, and I kiss him gently.

  “Goodbye, Dane,” I whisper as the water rises over my chin.

  It’s time to die.

  * * *

  Will and I tore down the spiral staircase and shot out of the doorway at the bottom. I struggled to run in a straight line.

  “Wait,” I gasped to Will. “There’s no point just running off; we need to know where to find people. Why don’t we shout?”

  He took a deep breath, lifted his fingers to his mouth and gave a deafening whistle.

  “HEY! COMMUNITY! We need you here – NOW! This is an EMERGENCY!”

  People started appearing at the ends of the tunnels and from doorways, then a large group of men came running round the nearest corner. Among them were some of the group we had first run into. They didn’t look happy at being disturbed again.

  “What do you two think you’re playing at?” spat the one with the beard. “You’re supposed to have gone.”

  “There’s no time to explain,” I panted, still trying to get my breath back. “I don’t know how, but there are police from Above up by the Crop, and they are going to be coming down here at any moment.”

  “What!” The man nearest to me stepped back in indignation. “You’ve let the Aboves down here? That can’t happen!”

  “It’s true,” said Will, “and they’ll be here any minute. You mustn’t fight them. They have guns.”

  “Now you’re talking nonsense. If there are Aboves down here looking for a fight, then they’re going to get one.” He smashed his fist into his palm and looked around at his friends. “Who’s with me?”

  There was a clamour of hands and raised voices as they jostled forward.

  “WAIT!” bellowed Will.

  He whistled again so loudly that everyone fell silent.

  “Please let us negotiate for you. No one needs to get hurt.”

  As he spoke, a howl echoed down the corridor to our left. Everyone froze. Two short seconds later the men leapt back as Foggy stampeded through them, practically bowling Will over. As Will hugged him there was another sudden noise from the right. It was women screaming.

  Everyone spun round.

  “Can they have got in already?” I asked the nearest man.

  “They have to come this way,” he replied. “Something else has happened.”

  The screaming became more distinct.

  “Run!”

  “Get to the stairs!”

  “Water! The water is coming!”

  At the word the men looked at each other then turned and most of them ran, scattering down different tunnels.

  “Get the women!” called one of the older men. “They must get up the stairs.”

  “Where’s the Farmer? Is he down from the Crop yet? He needs to be here.”

  The bearded man who had talked to us the day before rounded on me.

  “What did you say about the Crop? And where’s the Farmer? What have you done with him?”

  “The Crop turned against him. He ran, and I don’t know what happened to him. That stairway is full of armed police who’ll be here any minute. What’s the problem with the water?”

  As I spoke, a dark stain on the floor spread around the corner, and just ahead of it, running hard to keep ahead, was Carita with a bundle in her arms.

  “Carita!” I yelled. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re being flooded. Drowned like rats in a bucket,” bellowed the man with the beard. “This is all your fault!”

  He towered over me for a second, fists raised, and I thought for a moment he was going to hit me, but then he turned and ran too.

  Carita reached me, gasping for breath, just ahead of the water. It was only a few centimetres deep but it was already thick with dirt, rubbish and belongings.

  “You have to help me. I need to get Reilly out of here, but Aria is in trouble.”

  Will was by my side, his hand on Foggy’s head. Carita looked startled as she saw the dog, but swallowed hard and carried on.

  “Dane was looking for her. The Farmer has gone to the Rotunda and opened the sluice gates. If they go there to try and stop him they’ll die.”

  As she spoke, the filthy water rose up over the edge of my Converse. It was astonishingly cold.

  Will grabbed Carita by the arms.

  “Get the baby up the stairs. You’ll find some people coming down, but tell them you have to evacuate – tell them it’s an emergency. Lily, go with her, tell the police what’s happening. I’ll get Aria.”

  “No way – you’re still ill. I’m coming with you.”

  There was no time to argue. I could see more people wading through the ankle-deep water towards us.

  “OK, Carita,” said Will. “Please, get up the stairs now, tell the people that the Crop is gone, there’s no danger. Just get up there!”

  I grabbed her by the arm as she turned.

  “Which way, Carita? How do we find Aria?”

  She nodded down the tunnel, tears streaking her face.

  “Follow the water. There is a low, narrow tunnel leading into the Rotunda. That’s where it’s coming from.”

  I grabbed Will by the hand and we set off down the corridor, running as fast as the water would let us. It was easy to tell the direction, but increasingly difficult to go at any great speed. Foggy kept up behind us, nuzzling our hands whenever he could. The water was treacherous. It was full of things it had picked up from the floo
r, and all sorts of rubbish was banging against my legs.

  When the water reached my thighs, I knew that there was no going back. Either we found Aria and Dane and managed to shut off the water, or we would drown. There wasn’t time to get back to the stairs.

  We rounded a corner and saw the water roaring out of a tiny, low tunnel. The water level wasn’t quite up to the top of the tunnel, but it was impossible to see what was at the far end.

  “How the hell are we going to get through there?” I shouted at Will over the thunder of the water. “It’s way too hard to swim through.”

  “I don’t know,” he shouted back.

  We had to get in there. The water was already over our waists, and Foggy was doing a doggy paddle behind us. Will felt around the edge of the tunnel entrance.

  “If there was only something we could hold on to,” he said, “we could pull ourselves through. But there’s no handrail. I’m going to have to try swimming. Stand back …”

  He launched himself forward into the foaming water. I could see his legs thrashing against the current and for a moment I thought he was making headway, but then he tumbled back, disappearing under the surface. Foggy barked – a shockingly loud noise in such a confined space – and dived under the water.

  I felt suddenly alone.

  Seconds later, both emerged. Will managed to step aside from the main torrent and stand up, pushing the hair out of his eyes.

  “It’s no good. The water is just too fast, and I’m still weak,” he gasped, grabbing for Foggy’s collar and pulling him close.

  “What’s that you’ve got there, Foggy?” I asked.

  As he had surfaced a rope had caught over his back.

  “Where’s that from?”

  I pulled on the rope briefly and it went taut. Following it along under the surface, I realised that it disappeared into the tunnel.

  “Will! Look at this – it must be tied on to something inside. We can use this!”

  Will pulled on the rope and nodded.

  “You stay here, Lily. We don’t know how long the tunnel is. I’ll go through and shut it off.”

  “Yeah, right,” I said, hands on my hips. “You just swim in there and flick a switch and the Farmer will be happy with that. No problem.”

  “Crap. You’re right. Both of us have to go. At least let me go first, and if there’s any trouble just let go of the rope – the current will take you out here again.”

  I took a deep breath. I could feel my heart pounding and realised that the shivers running down my spine had nothing to do with the cold water.

  “I’m good to go,” I said.

  “Right, Lily Blackthorne, let’s do this.”

  He grabbed me and kissed me hard before breaking away to look at the dog.

  “You stay here, Foggy, OK? Stay.”

  As we spoke, the water reached the top of the low tunnel. Then Will was gone, kicking his way into the tunnel. I counted to five, took several more deep breaths, and dived in after him.

  The cold hitting my face nearly made me take a lungful of water, but I pressed my lips together, concentrating hard, and started to haul myself along the rope. I tried opening my eyes but I could see almost nothing. The buffeting of the water was vicious, and my knuckles scraped along the wall as I was pulled backwards by the torrent. Slowly, slowly I dragged myself hand-over-hand along the rope. My lungs began to burn. How long could I hold my breath? How long did I need to try for? The pounding in my ears was deafening, and the urge to breathe in was almost unbearable.

  Another grab and pull, another stretch along the greasy rope, trying to get and keep a firm grip, time and time again. What if I had already died and this was my punishment for what I had done to Aria, to be pulling myself forever along an endless rope, gasping for air? I could do no more, it was impossible. But then the rope pulled me forward, and Will was hauling me up and into the air.

  I struggled to suck enough oxygen into my lungs as I grabbed at him, gasping.

  “Quick,” he shouted, shaking my shoulder. “Over there! Keep hold of the rope.”

  We were in a big circular room with a huge sluice gate at one side. The water level in the room was almost up to the opening in the gate, but it was still pouring in. Next to the gate I could see mostly submerged machinery, wheels and pipes. Several dark shapes were bobbing around in the water near the biggest wheel. We pulled ourselves along the rope, reaching the other side in a few moments.

  The wheel had a turning handle just above the level of the water.

  “Here,” gasped Will. “Got to turn this.”

  With one of us on each side we managed to turn the wheel a small amount.

  “Is that the right way?” I called, unable to tell if the gate was closing.

  “No idea. Do more.”

  Half the wheel was submerged, so to turn it we had to sink under the water and brace ourselves against the machinery. As our heads broke the water again the gate groaned.

  “Yesss!” shouted Will. “Again!”

  As we started getting some momentum on the wheel, I had time to look around. The shapes in the water were bodies bobbing lifelessly on the waves. I recognised Aria’s shirt.

  “Will, we have to stop, look!”

  “No! Just need a few more turns.”

  I had to look away as we made the last few turns of the wheel, which got easier as the water volume reduced. Finally it was down to a trickle and the roaring of the water was replaced by the roaring of blood in my ears.

  “I can do this now,” said Will. “Go and see.”

  I waded and swam around the mechanism as quickly as I could.

  Aria’s long hair was floating out around her head, her eyes shut. Dane’s motionless body was in the water next to her. Blood was streaming out of a wound on the side of his head. He had been wedged up against the machinery with his face clear of the water, supported by Aria, but it looked as if her efforts to save him had been too much for her. I hauled her up but couldn’t get her free – she was trapped by her hands. I felt along her arms until I got to the rope round her wrists. It was tied tight, the knot a hard ball. I looked over at her face – was I too late? She was floating limply, her face nearly submerged under the surface of the water. We needed to help her, but until I could get her free it was going to be impossible.

  I dived under the water, desperate to get closer to the knot. The water was dark and murky, which made it really hard, but I could see and feel just enough to work out what to do. Surfacing for air I worked at the knot, pulling and twisting, digging at it with my fingernails, and at last there was a tiny amount of give. Aria still hadn’t moved. I tore at the rope until finally it was loose enough to wrench her hands free.

  I turned Aria over so that she was on her back in the water. Will was back by my side, leaning over. “Aria, come on, you know you can hear us. Open your eyes!”

  He gently slapped her face but there was still no response.

  “Get behind her, Lily. Let’s see if we can pump some of the water out of her.”

  I knew exactly what he wanted me to do. Remembering my school first-aid class, I got behind her and clasped my hands around her middle, just under her ribcage. Then, bracing myself against the machinery, I pulled back and up sharply. A stream of water flew out of her mouth.

  “That’s it, Lily, that’s what she needs! Again!”

  I squeezed her hard, and more water shot out. Then I did it again. And again. Nothing was happening.

  “We need to give her mouth-to-mouth now, Will. I can’t feel her breathing. Hurry!”

  Will leaned over but then Aria gave an almighty cough and started to thrash about, arms lashing out. Will dodged out of the way. She coughed again so violently that I thought she would be sick. I stayed behind her, rubbing her back and talking to her gently.

  “Come on now, Aria, just breathe. That’s it, breathe…”

  The coughing slowed a little.

  “We need to check the others,” said Will, pointing at Da
ne and the person who I assumed was the Farmer.

  The Farmer hadn’t moved. The water was now almost still, only swirling around by the entrance to the tunnel where it was still flowing out.

  Leaving Aria propped up against the wheel I waded over towards the bundle of wet clothes that were floating in front of the huge pipes. Taking a deep breath I pulled at them, turning him over. His face was nearly as grey as his jacket. The rope that he had used to tie himself on was wrapped around his neck, trapping him below the high-water mark. The Farmer was dead.

  It seemed as if a lifetime had passed. I was curled up in the armchair at Nan’s house with Will’s back resting against my knees. A tray of steaming mugs of tea was sitting on the little table, and I breathed in the familiar smell, finally beginning to relax. Nan was trying to usher the last of the social workers out of the house.

  “They’ll be perfectly OK with us, I assure you, and as soon as either of them asks to go back to the rest of their people I’ll call you and let you know.”

  The short, friendly-looking woman turned in the doorway of the small sitting room and smiled at the figures wrapped up in a huge duvet on the sofa.

  “Are you two sure you’ll be happy here on your own?”

  “We’re not on our own,” Aria mumbled, snuggling deeper down into the folds. “We’re with our friends.”

  “All right then, Mrs Wakefield…” Her voice faded as Nan led her down the corridor and the door closed.

  I could see through a tiny gap in the curtains that the policeman outside was keeping the press further down the street. They descended on the social worker as she reached them, and I turned away, thinking back to earlier in the day.

  There had been endless policemen and doctors, and hundreds of photographers desperate to get pictures. Everyone from the Community was led, blinking, into the light. They had lost everything in the flood, but there had been only one fatality – the Farmer.

  Dane had regained consciousness just before we got him to the stairs, and although he had to go to hospital to be checked over, he had insisted on coming back and was by Aria’s side, a large dressing bandaged to his head. I couldn’t see, but I would have bet that he was holding Aria’s hand under the duvet.