by D. S. Murphy
I knew one thing for sure. These rebels had no idea what they were really up against, and their foolish, unearned confidence was going to get them killed. But Jacob wouldn’t let me leave, as if I were the enemy!
And Trevor had sold me out, trading Damien’s blueprints for a seat at the table. I kicked his tent as I passed, bending the metal pole until it leaned crookedly.
I was still wearing pink pajamas, and the long leather jacket Jazmine had left for me. I was weak after my blood letting, and felt slow and foggy. Between escaping the citadel and getting attacked by Penelope, my body needed more elixir to heal.
I stopped in my tent, planning to change clothes and take a quick shower to calm my nerves. I frowned at the pile of clothes on the floor. Trevor must have given up the laundry attempt after discovering the blueprint for the purification engines. It’s not like I was keeping it a secret from anybody, I’d just forgotten about it.
My eyes landed on the shirt I’d been wearing in the citadel and I stiffened as I caught the slight scent of something sweet. I grabbed the shirt and rushed to the bathroom, examining the fabric under the light. It was still covered in dried blood, from when I’d stabbed Mary. When she’d been high on elixir.
I grabbed a small bucket and carefully washed the fabric, squeezing the cloudy water into the plastic vessel. Then I held the container up to my lips and drank as much as I could.
The water was sour, but I thought I could taste just a tiny bit of elixir in the liquid. I put the edge of the shirt in my mouth, chewing on the fabric to loosen the fibers.
Gradually I felt the sharp edge of my anxiety loosen, and I was filled with a soothing calm. Fear and anger was replaced by conviction. I wasn’t going to be bossed around or told what to do. I was back in the narrow hall leading to Penelope’s cell before I realized where I was going. Two stocky guards were outside the door to the garage, wearing ridiculous tinfoil hats and cloves of garlic around their necks.
Their eyes narrowed as I approached. One was holding a flaming torch, and the other gripped the handle of the pistol tucked in the front of his pants.
“Relax boys,” I said. “Jacob sent me down to check out the prisoner.”
“I don’t think so,” one said. “We are under clear instructions, not to let anyone in. Especially not you.”
Part of me wanted to attack them. But it would lead to a battle I wasn’t ready to fight. I might have been able to take them both if I surprised them, but I had their full attention now, and they looked like they were itching for a reason to pull out their firearms.
I squeezed my fists, feeling frustration roll through me in waves, filling me with a warm glow. It wasn’t the explosion of power I usually got when drinking elixir, but a subtle hum that ran along the surface of my skin. I pushed deep within myself to tap into the feeling, expanding my awareness.
“You will let me in,” I said calmly, stepping closer to the first man and gazing into his eyes. His jaw went slack and his pupils dilated. He reached for his pocket and pulled out the keys.
“And you,” I said, turning to the other, “are going to get me a pen and paper.”
I didn’t stop to think about what I’d just done or what it meant. I unlocked the door, then opened the back of the truck. A minute later I was inside.
Penelope’s eyes widened when I walked in, and I saw something that looked a lot like shame as she scanned my body and the white bandage taped to my neck.
“Back for more?” she joked feebly.
“Not exactly.”
“I’m sorry,” she said after a long pause.
“I know. How are you? They said they were interrogating you.”
She turned up her wrists and showed me the blistered scorch marks on the back of her hands. The blackened flesh made me feel sick to my stomach.
“UV penlight,” she said, marveling at her own skin. “Feels like a blowtorch.”
“That’s awful,” I said.
I held out the pen and paper.
“Last time I was here, you told me where Damien grew up, do you remember?”
She nodded.
“I need to find it.”
“I’ve never been there,” Penelope said. “It was over a hundred years ago, maps from the Before are mostly destroyed.”
“But you said it was near a compound. Do you know where the compounds are? Can you draw a map?”
Penelope frowned but held a hand out for the pen. I tossed it to her and slid the paper across the floor, being careful to stay out of her reach this time.
Her lip twisted up but she didn’t say anything. I watched as she traced long, clean lines across the paper, frowning and biting her lip. In the center was the citadel, marked with the tall towers. She drew trees and mountains, and then circles for the compounds, labeling them. Nine compounds in all, radiating out away from citadel like spokes of a wheel. I held my breath when she marked one Sezomp and tapped thoughtfully with her fingers.
“Near here, I think. I’m not sure about the distances,” she said. “But Algrave to the citadel is at least a day’s walk, it should take you about a week to reach.”
My heart sank as I stared at the paper. It was one of the furthest compounds away. I’d never get there in time. I jumped back as I felt Penelope reach towards me, gripping my foot and lowering her head.
“Take me with you,” she begged, squeezing my leg tightly. “You know I don’t belong down here, like this.”
I held my breath, looking at the chains and the metal collar around her neck. Of course she didn’t belong here. But I couldn’t let her loose in Havoc. How could I trust her after she’d attacked me? What if she killed others?
“I’m sorry,” I said, pulling away. “I can’t. But I promise, I won’t leave you. No matter what.”
Now that I had the map, I needed a plan. My hands shook as I studied Penelope’s rough sketch. A week away, on my own. I had to gather supplies without drawing suspicion, and I still needed a map from the before. Even if I could reach Sezomp, there’s no guarantee I’d be able to find Fanno Creek. Most of the signs from before had been torn down and reused, or rusted over to be unreadable.
“Are you crazy?” Trevor asked when I came down for breakfast the next day. I’d slept in, better than I had in days.
“What?” I asked.
“You went to see her again, after Jacob told you not to.”
“She’s my friend, and they’re torturing her. I had to see if she was okay.”
“She attacked you.”
“That wasn’t her fault. She’s starving, because the rebels won’t feed her. If she’s dangerous, it’s only because of how they’re treating her.”
“It’s worse than that,” Trevor whispered, leaning in closer. “The guards, they say they don’t remember what happened. They think you compulsed them. People are already talking. They don’t trust you, and now they don’t trust the other chosen as well.”
Had I compulsed them? Could I compulse humans? Only if I had significant quantities of elixir, Master Svboda had told me once, but I’d barely consumed a few drops of second-hand elixir.
“What do you expect,” I said, “from men who wear tinfoil hats? Those superstitious assholes are afraid of everything.”
“Don’t you get it, you’ve made yourself an enemy here. They could kick you out.”
Fine, I thought. I was leaving anyway. I knew Trevor was just upset because he was worried about me, but I was also still pissed about him for going through my things.
I’d always thought he was on my side, first, but now I realized that may not be true anymore. I couldn’t count on him to defend me, or side with me. I couldn’t depend on anyone.
“I can’t believe you’re okay with attacking the compounds,” I said, changing the subject. “People could die. Don’t you remember Algrave; Mrs. Gibbon’s strawberry rhubarb pie, playing hide and seek in the apple groves, spending Saturdays at the library with a good book – do yo
u regret everything? Because I don’t. Think of the hundreds of kids in Algrave who have never known anything else. Never known violence or danger. You’re going to take all that away.”
“It doesn’t matter, if it’s built on a lie. Something has to change.”
“Not like this,” I said.
“Promise me you’ll keep your head down, at least for awhile, until I can convince the others you’re on our side.”
I bit my lip, then lied to his face.
I knew what he was like.
“I promise,” I said.
“Good,” he said. “You don’t have that many allies in here. And curate Marcus is going back to the citadel.”
“He is? Where is he?”
“He left already.”
I turned and raced towards the entrance, leaving Trevor speechless. I caught up with Marcus at the main entrance, gathering his sack. He was wearing his curate outfit again, beneath more rugged travel clothes.
“You’re going back?” I asked.
“I have to check in, and keep up with my duties, or I’ll be suspect. But I’ll be on a tight leash, and I’m sure the king will have spies watching me.”
“You have to stop this,” I said. “It’s madness. You’re a curate, you’re supposed to take care of people, their health and well-being.”
“It’s out of my hands now,” he said.
“What about the attack on the wedding, did you condone that also? Violence goes against your creed.”
“I didn’t know about that attack,” he said. “And using you like a scapegoat like that, I’d never have agreed to it. But there are too many people living here now, they’re getting restless, and they’re burning up with anger. If we don’t find an outlet for them soon, something bad is going to happen.”
“So we go to war, because they’re bored and restless?”
“All they want is peace, freedom.”
“Don’t they have it?”
“No. As long as the elites rule, even while living out here, we still feel the king’s authority. We are outlaws, outcasts; in the wilderness, there are no laws, we are not protected, we don’t get the weekly elixir, life is harsh and brutal. We can’t go outside because of the ash, or the elite, or the slagpaw, they live in fear every day.”
“So how is turning off the machines going to help? It’ll just create more chaos and violence.”
“I agree, I’m not in favor. I’ve told them as much. Unfortunately, I can’t stop it. You overestimate my powers of influence. I trade in information only, and it’s risky enough for me to return to the citadel. If I’m caught, I will be killed.”
Something nagged at my mind, and I realized what it was... I knew someone in the citadel who dealt with information. He’d called himself an information specialist once. The technician.
“What if there is another way?” I asked. “To get the compounds on our side, instead of making them our enemies.”
“It’s always good to have options.”
“Find Zane, in the citadel. I don’t know his last name. He has access to surveillance. When I was living in the citadel, I saw bodies of two children, I’m sure they were killed by elites, inside the walls. Someone is covering it up. If you can find proof, it means the treaty was violated. If the elite are breaking the rules, it will create sympathy for the revolution.”
“The rules are somewhat more fluid in the citadel for elites,” Marcus said.
“There’s no room for flexibility in the compounds. If people break the rules, they’re held accountable.
There can be no feeding without consent; and the legal age for consent is 17. Everybody in the compound knows the rules. The elite have to be held to the same standards, or the whole thing fall apart. Also, there’s one more thing. I need a map of the Before. Zane, he might have one.”
“You’re not planning anything reckless, are you?”
“Maybe,” I said slyly.
“Promise me you’ll wait till I get back at least.”
I was tired of making promises I couldn’t keep, and for some reason lying to a curate felt even worse than lying to Trevor. He read the hesitation on my face and sighed.
“I promise I’ll try,” I said finally.
“Then peace be with you,” he said, reaching for my hand. He took my palm in both hands and I felt him press something cold into my palm. I uncurled my fingers and saw the outline of a vial of elixir, about a third of it left.
“Just in case,” he whispered.
“Won’t you need it, for your trip?” I asked.
“I’ll be fine,” he said. “Curates have stationed outposts, if I reach one of those I’ll ask for an armed escort of the king’s guard.”
I tucked the elixir into my pocket and watched him leave until he was out of sight. Part of me wished I could go with him. Even though I knew the citadel would be dangerous, it was better than sitting around doing nothing.
“Are you really going out there?” a voice asked behind me. April was leaning casually against a cement pillar, wearing loose dark clothes, her face in shadows. I hadn’t even seen her there.
“Why, you going to tell on me?” I glanced over her head to make sure nobody else was around.
“No, I agree with you. This cure, it’s the best chance. That’s what you’re after, right?”
“Penelope gave me a lead,” I whispered, stepping closer. “But I need a map of the area around Sezomp, from before the Culling, and it could be weeks until Marcus comes back.”
“I have a map,” she said quickly.
I grabbed her arm and pulled her down an empty hallway. We ducked into what must have been a bathroom once, with broken mirrors and tiles, and the remains of a few standing stalls. From the smell, some of the guards still used it as a urinal.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I found it, years ago,” she said, brushing her dark bangs out of her almond-shaped eyes. “When I was a kid, in a store for a garage station. A map of the whole area, the state they used to call it.”
“You have it here?” I asked, my pulse rising. “Can I see it?”
“No,” she said. “I left it, outside. In the place I used to stay, before coming here.”
I frowned, then poked my head out of the room to study the main entrance. Four armed soldiers were on duty. One of them scowled at me when he caught me watching him.
“Jacob will never let me out of here,” I said.
“There’s other ways out, if you don’t mind climbing.”
“I love climbing,” I smirked. “Lead the way.”
12
After stopping to change clothes, I followed April down into the depths of the structure, turning corners and narrow passages I’d never seen before. I felt like the underground mall was bigger than the whole of Algrave, and marveled at how many people had once roamed the halls. There was room for thousands – and nobody even lived here, it was all just shops and restaurants at one time. I couldn’t get into the armory without arousing suspicion, so I’d stolen Trevor’s gun on the way out.
I knew he kept it in his tent, for protection. He’d be mad at me for leaving, and for stealing it, but he’d be glad if I had a weapon out there. Not that I planned on using it. Firing a gun in the wild was practically suicide, as you’d be alerting all the nearby monsters. But it would deter most human enemies, and I felt safer with it.
I was more or less a guest of Jacob’s in Havoc, but his colony couldn’t be the only one in the city. Outside it would be a free for all, and we didn’t know what we were getting into. I also grabbed a hunting knife as long as my forearm, with jagged edges on the back, and I kept the vial of elixir Marcus had given me close. Plus, it wasn’t like we’d be gone long.
Hopefully, we’d return before anybody even noticed we were gone.
“There,” April said finally, pointing above our heads. I could barely make out the discolored panel in the ceiling.
We were in s
ome kind of storage or surplus warehouse, full of toppled racks and heavy machinery. April dragged an empty metal shelf from against the walls. It screeched against the concrete floor and sent shivers down my spine. She nimbly climbed up the makeshift ladder and popped open the panel of an air duct, revealing the sides of a metal chute that continued up into darkness.
“You have to jump to catch the ledge,” she said, “then pull yourself up into the tunnel.” I watched her feet leave the top of the shelf and held my breath as the shelf wobbled beneath her. She kicked for a minute, then her feet and legs disappeared into the hole in the ceiling. I climbed up after her.
Reaching into the chamber, I could only feel the smooth, cold metal sides of the chute. I took a deep breath, then jumped up, facing the way she had. Even though I was taller, my fingers barely caught the flat handhold. Using my knee and butt as leverage in the narrow tube, I managed to get an elbow around the level surface and pull myself up into almost perfect darkness.
“This way,” April’s voice hissed in front of me. I followed the sounds of creaking metal, feeling my way forward. We came to a 90-degree turn, and then another. I felt the air growing cooler, and fresh. Then I saw light ahead, illuminating April’s crouched silhouette.
A pile of gray ash covered the ground in front of a panel with slots of metal. April took out a screwdriver and removed the screws, then nodded and pulled out her mask, and handed me one as well. The rubber pressed against my chin and forehead, covering my face and trapping my warm breath against my mouth and nose.
Gently, she pushed out the panel, holding on to it so it wouldn’t fall, then turned to hang from the rim of the opening and drop down below.
I followed her outside. She stashed the panel behind some rusted trash bins. We were in a narrow alley between buildings, half filled with debris and garbage. The loose ash fell into the gap, still sizzling in the air.
“Shouldn’t we cover up the entrance?” I asked.