Embattlement: The Undergrounders Series Book Two (A Young Adult Science Fiction Dystopian Novel)

by Hinkens, Norma

  “I’ll check in with the others, see if there are any updates on the pack’s movements,” Sven says, when we’ve finished doing what we can to make Panju comfortable.

  Jakob waits until Sven’s out of earshot and then reaches for my hand. “I was worried sick about you when the Council members came back. Jett said you were planning on joining up with an Undergrounder militia and didn’t need them. Something seemed off. I didn’t trust him.” His voice trembles. “I wasn’t even sure you were still alive.”

  I blink, suddenly overwhelmed by the emotion in his voice, coupled with the cold brutality of everything that’s just happened. “I’m glad you came,” I say, squeezing his hand. “You saved Panju's life.”

  He studies me for a moment, a wounded look in his eyes.

  I know he wants me to say I’m glad he came for me. Truth is, as badly as we need his help, I’m not sure how I feel about having Jakob here. I pull my hand free from his grasp. “Is Big Ed okay?”

  “He’s fine. I didn’t tell him I was cutting out to look for you though.”

  I frown. Knowing Big Ed, he’ll set out after Jakob. After all, I made him promise to keep an eye on him. “I hope he doesn’t come searching for you,” I say, in a disapproving tone. “There are Rogues in the area.”

  Jakob twists his lips. “Then come back to the base. There aren’t enough of you left to protect yourselves. And Panju won’t make it to the wilderness. She needs medical attention, antibiotics.”

  I whistle for Tucker and get to my feet. “We’re going to Shoshane City first. We’ll get what she needs there.”

  Jakob rumples his forehead. “Shoshane City? What for?”

  “It’s a long story.” I sigh, too exhausted to have to defend my decision again to divert the mission for an abandoned child. “Let’s just say we have a delivery to make, and you have a few more stitches to take care of.”

  Tucker and I make our way back over to Trout who’s still hunkered down in position monitoring the hillside, Izzy tucked in at his side. I throw myself down beside her and ruffle her hair. Tucker licks her chin and snuggles in between us.

  “Did a bad dog hurt Panju?” she asks, a solemn look on her pale face.

  I give an uncertain nod. “It’s a good thing you listened to me and stayed in the tree until Trout came and got you.”

  She sucks on her thumb forcibly for a moment or two as if something’s suddenly occurred to her. “I miss my mama,” she announces.

  I smile sadly at her. “Me too, Izzy.”

  Trout and I exchange a knowing look.

  “So the wolves have definitely gone?” I ask, peering into the shadows.

  “No sign of them since Jakob took that shot,” Trout says. “Might be a good time for us to move out.” He bites his bottom lip. “That’s if Panju can handle it.”

  I hesitate when I see the pain in his expression. Trout keeps his cards tight to his chest, but I have a sneaking suspicion Panju is a little more than just a friend to him. I can’t lie to him about her chances though. He’s always been brutally honest with me. “She’s not going to make it unless we get her to the city soon,” I say. “We’ll have to carry her, and that will slow us down considerably.”

  “Sven and I can handle it and keep up the pace. It won’t be a problem,” he says, in the kind of tone that tells me he’ll die trying.

  I gesture at the vacant hillside. “There’s a good chance the wolves will get back on our trail with the scent of more blood to lure them. If we keep going, we can’t afford to let down our guard for one minute.”

  Trout jerks his head in Jakob's direction. “What’s going on with him? Mutiny at the base?”

  “He was worried when the Council members arrived back. Jett told him we were joining up with an Undergrounder militia, but Jakob has a sixth sense for when someone’s lying. I think he was half afraid they might have killed us.”

  Trout hikes an eyebrow at me. “Us? Or you?”

  I throw him an indignant look.

  Trout laughs. “You know he was just waiting for an excuse to come after you like a hero. That’s how he rolls.”

  I shift uncomfortably. “All I can tell you is that Panju wouldn’t be alive right now if he hadn’t come.”

  “And you wouldn’t be alive if he hadn’t persuaded the Council to infiltrate the Craniopolis. Jakob’s a good guy.”

  “He does have a knack for saving lives.” I give a flippant laugh. “And charming kids. Izzy bonded with him right away. Must be a Septite thing.”

  I’m downplaying Jakob’s contributions because it makes me uncomfortable to be indebted to him, especially when I know he has feelings for me that I don’t have for him anymore. But Trout’s right. The Council wouldn’t even have attempted to rescue me if Jakob hadn’t forced their hand. I glance over at him, still seated at Panju's side. I made a vow to myself in the bunkers that I would lay down my life for Jakob Miller if it ever came to that, but so far he’s the one who’s stuck out his neck for me every time. Which is more than I can say for those lame, lying Council members Owen recruited. Inadvertently, I’ve whittled them down to the few good Undergrounders among them, and we’re all the better for it. Maybe Jakob belongs here after all.

  Trout and I put our heads together and come up with a makeshift stretcher fashioned out of Jakob’s one-man tent and some sturdy branches lashed with nylon to transport Panju. When Sven lifts her onto it, she moans, a pitiful bleat with little conviction. It scares me how quickly she’s fading. Her eyes roll around for a moment or two, unfocused and glistening, and then she closes them again like a newborn too weak to participate in what’s happening around her.

  Jakob tucks the coats tightly around her trembling body. “She’s in shock. If we don’t make it to Shoshane City before infection sets in, she has no chance.”

  I reach for my pack and buckle the straps. “I need you to stay by her side. I’ll lead the way. Sven can take up the rear with Rummy and Won. We’ll keep Panju between us so we can better protect her if we come under attack.” I watch as Buck and Elijah reach for the stretcher. Owen’s harrowing trek to Fort Lewis on the Rogues’ combat stretcher flashes to mind. I’ll never forgive Rummy for what he put my brother through. No matter how hard he works to redeem himself.

  Our pace is frustratingly slow. Rummy and Won complain constantly about anything and everything, which increasingly grates on everyone’s nerves. Between Izzy and Panju, we’re forced to stop too many times to have any hope of making it to Shoshane City by nightfall. And Tucker’s not great at long distances either now that he’s older.

  “It’ll be dark out soon,” Jakob says, gesturing at the faint red of the waning day striping the horizon.

  “We have to push on,” I say. “Panju’s deteriorating by the minute.”

  “She needs antibiotics,” Jakob says, throwing me a rattled look. “And what if there’s no one in Shoshane City after all? We’ve nothing but the word of a six-year-old that the Undergrounders are even fleeing there.”

  I trace my fingers across my forehead. “They’re fleeing somewhere. Our camp, Frank’s. Izzy’s. Other bunkers too. Where did they all go?”

  Jakob throws me a curious look. “I wonder if my parents are there.”

  I avert my eyes. “Maybe.”

  Truth is, I’m not sure I want them to be. The Millers were none too fond of me before, and they certainly won’t approve of me now. Not that I need their blessing anymore.

  The hills are flush with dawn, the morning crisp and overcast, when we reach the outskirts of Shoshane City. We huddle wearily just inside the tree line, staring through the foliage in utter disbelief at the sprawling canvas of devastation. Shoshane City was once a cool place to live. Not anymore. I peer through Trout’s binoculars at the acres of rubble and debris piled high from one end of the city to the other. Tangled steel girders and metal signage jettisoned all over like instruments of war. Carcasses of buildings with shattered glass fronts, burnt out vehicles strewn like discarded casings fro
m the awful savagery that went through here. A once proud city shelled and shaken.

  A light wind kicks up a thick cloud of swirling dust over the gutted remnants of concrete buildings. The few still standing are heavily cracked, sagging like giant sacks of wheat.

  I shiver at the awful memories of tales told by bunker light of flames whipping hundreds of feet into the air, the sky bleeding for weeks. I swallow hard, hoping Ma didn’t suffer too much.

  The lucky ones, or unlucky ones—only time will tell—made it to the bunkers before the air became too thick to breathe. It was a year before we saw the outside world again. But it wasn’t the one we had left.

  I slowly pan the grisly scene. A sinking feeling drags me down like wet sand. There’s no indication at all that there are any Undergrounders living here. This isn’t what we’d hoped to find. I throw an anxious glance at Panju. She’s ashen and sweating profusely. If she doesn’t get antibiotics and fluids in the next hour or two, she won’t survive another night out here.

  “It doesn’t look very promising,” I say, passing the binoculars to Trout.

  He peers intently into them for several minutes and then sucks in a breath. “I see someone!”

  My heart pounds like a leaden weight against my ribs. “Is it Undergrounders?”

  Trout shakes his head. “I can’t tell from here. I only see one person.”

  “Where?”

  “Tall building to the far left with the window frames ripped out, top floor, just inside the doorway.”

  I take the binoculars from his outstretched hand and focus in on the building he’s pointing to. At first I don’t see anyone, but then a shadowy movement catches my eye. A tall figure comes into view, a gun dangling from his shoulder. “I see him! He’s armed.”

  “I’m guessing he’s the sentry,” Trout says. “He’s got a bird’s eye view of anyone approaching or leaving the city from up there.”

  “Then he’ll be an ace shot. We’ll have to find a more indirect route in.”

  I feel a sudden tug on my sleeve and look down to see Izzy peering up at me. “I wanna see my brother!”

  I lean down and squeeze her bony shoulder. “You will, I promise. Just be patient a little longer.”

  She jams her thumb between her lips and saunters over to pet Tucker, who’s keeping a watchful eye on Rummy and Won.

  I let out a relieved sigh, thankful she has a diversion so I can think this through properly. “Let’s go over our options,” I say motioning everyone to sit down. “We’ve established that there are people living here. We just don’t know who, yet.”

  Sven bars his arms across his chest. “I can scope the place out. Find out how many sentries they have posted. Watch their movements for a few hours.”

  Jakob shakes his head. “We don’t have time for all that. Panju's lost too much blood.”

  “A couple of us could circle around behind the building the sentry is in and try and find another way in,” Trout says.

  “And then what?” I ask.

  “Go building to building until we find someone who’ll help us. Once they realize we’re not a threat, they’ll take us to whoever’s in charge.”

  I rub my hand across my forehead. “Except we don’t know for sure that they’re even Undergrounders. I like the idea of keeping the element of surprise, just as a precaution.”

  “Is too late for that!” Won says, jumping up. He gestures frantically over my shoulder with his bound hands.

  I scramble to my feet and spin around. My blood chills. A little girl in a tattered blue skirt is clambering over the rubble toward the city in full view of the sentry.

  8

  A fist of fear slams my gut. I snatch the binoculars from Trout and focus in on the gutted doorway where we spotted the sentry. A flurry of activity breaks out there. Two—three figures in the doorway, another one skulking inside the concrete frame for cover. One of them points at Izzy. My legs almost buckle beneath me.

  “They’ve spotted her,” I say in a hushed tone. “There’s four of them up there now.”

  I pass the binoculars back to Trout in a daze. I was worried Izzy would complicate things, but I never anticipated anything like this. If something happens to her, I’m responsible. I’m the one who brought her here, who promised to get her safely to her brother.

  “They kill us now!” Won wails.

  Sven shoves him back down in the brush. “Keep your trap shut.”

  “He’s right,” Rummy says, throwing me a look of disgust. “You let that dang kid gave you the slip, and now our number’s up. She’s going after her brother, ain’t she?” He leers up at me. “Blood’s thick—least most o’ us feel that way.”

  I clench my fists and will myself to walk away. Rummy’s never going to let me forget that I left my brother behind. Not that I ever could blot out the memory. And now if something happens Izzy, I’ll have that on my conscience too.

  I shield my eyes from the morning sun, and study Izzy’s progress in the distance. I wish I had Sven’s enhanced vision. Without the binoculars it’s impossible to tell what’s happening in the lookout building, but it’s a fair bet to say they’re trying to decide what to do about Izzy. “What do you see, Sven?”

  He jerks his head in the direction of the building. “The sentry just gestured down at Izzy again.”

  “Looks to me like they’re arguing about what to do,” Trout says. He hands me the binoculars, a somber look on his face. “Just say the word and I’ll go after her.”

  I flick him a grateful smile. “I know you will. I’m just not sure that’s the best thing. They can see she’s a little kid. But they might start shooting if they see you.”

  I study the darkly-clad figures as they move around on the top floor of the crumbling building. They observe Izzy for several more minutes as she totters across the debris in the direction of the city, and then three of them disappear back through the doorway.

  I rub my fingers around my temples, willing the stabbing pain to go away. I wish I could be sure they were Undergrounders. If they’re Rogues, and one of us goes out there after Izzy, they’ll shoot to kill without question. I take a deep breath. It’s risky, but it’s better to take the risk than do nothing at all. And it’s mine to take. It’s the only way to find out who we’re dealing with, and still give Trout, Jakob and the others a fighting chance to blaze a trail out of here if they have to.

  I grab my pack and pull out the closest thing to white I can find—a dingy gray sweatshirt that’s falling apart at the seams. I shake it out and tie the frayed sleeves to a stick. Tucker wags his tail expectantly. Reluctantly, I signal to him to stay.

  “I’m going after Izzy,” I say, handing my pack to Trout. “If they start shooting, I want you and Sven to get the others out of here right away. Head straight for the wilderness.” I lock eyes with Trout. “Don’t come after me, no matter what.”

  Jakob grabs my arm. “I’ll go with you.”

  I shake my head. “Panju needs you here.”

  Jakob’s eyes cloud over. “It’s too dangerous, Derry. We should make some kind of plan first, at least find a vantage point to cover you from.”

  “If they won’t shoot a child, maybe they won’t shoot a girl either. They might think I’m her sister.” I lean down and ruffle Tucker’s neck and gesture to him to lay down. “You’re in charge of Tucker until I get back.” I can’t meet Jakob’s eyes. If I don’t make it back, he’s the only other person I can trust to take care of Tucker now that Owen and Da are gone.

  Sven frowns. “I have the best chance of reaching Izzy and bringing her back safely. I can outrun all of you.”

  I shake my head. “No. You’re a definite threat. They’ll shoot you on the spot, and clones aren’t bulletproof. I learned that the hard way.” I finger the pouch with Mason’s ashes in my pocket and blink back a sudden tear. I promised myself I’d give Mason a proper funeral when the time is right. I’m not sure that time will ever come, but at least if I die, I’ll die with a part of him
with me. “I’m the one insisted on bringing Izzy here, and I’m gonna see this through, however it plays out.”

  “What if they take you hostage?” Trout asks.

  “Wait for me until sundown. If I’m not back by then, head for the wilderness. You still have Won and Rummy as bargaining chips.”

  A flicker of doubt crosses Trout’s face. He rubs his one-knuckled finger, frowning. “Panju won’t make it to the wilderness.”

  I throw a quick glance across at the motionless figure on the stretcher. “I know. I’ll be back with help as soon as I can.”

  He exchanges an uncertain look with Jakob. I know what they’re thinking. If I don’t come back, Panju will be dead before nightfall.

  I tuck my hair inside my collar and reach for my gun. I accused the Council members of being a pack of cowards for abandoning Owen, but right now fear is wreaking havoc on my mind. I’ve put myself out there as a leader, it’s time to pay the piper.

  Jakob’s eyes glisten with emotion. He reaches down and rubs Tucker’s head. I swallow hard. It’s a subtle signal, telling me they’ll both be all right. I turn away and grip my makeshift surrender flag in both hands.

  “Good luck.” Trout pats me awkwardly on the shoulder.

  I nod good-bye to Sven and he gives a quick bob of his head in return. If he’s afraid, he doesn’t show it. His face is oddly devoid of emotion, like only a clone can accomplish. In his mind he’s in the zone he was trained for. For that I’m grateful. I know I can rely on him to do whatever it takes to get Trout and the others safely out of here if need be.

  I peer into the distance at Izzy’s retreating back. As young as she is, somehow she’s found the grit to keep going, despite what happened to her parents. She’s determined to find her brother. The least I can do is follow in her footsteps, and reach inside for my own courage. I raise my flag and steel myself for whatever happens when I step out from behind the cover of the brush.