Sunscorched

by Jen Crane

  “Yeah?”

  “I really think Kade’s driving that bike.”

  Cooper wheeled around to look for himself. “What? What makes you think that?”

  “Built like him.”

  “World’s full of oversized bad guys. That’s how they stay alive so long—bigger than everybody else.”

  “No, I really think so,” she said. “They keep flashing the headlight, and the last time it flashed off, I could swear I saw two men. And the front one looks like Kade.”

  “How sure are you?” he asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Give me a percentage.”

  “Eighty?”

  “Is that a question?”

  “Okay, I’m eighty percent sure that’s Kade and Grant behind us,” Nori said. “And no one has shot at us yet, so…”

  Cooper stretched his neck to either side, cursing under his breath. Nori held her breath when he finally downshifted and steered the bike to a stop on one side of the tunnel.

  Brakes whined as the other bike came to a sliding halt. The tunnel erupted in dust, and Nori pulled her shirt over her nose.

  “What the actual hell, guys? Why wouldn’t you stop?”

  “It is you!” Nori yelped, hopping off the bike and running to Kade.

  “‘Course it’s me.” He shook his head. “Who else would chase you that long?”

  “We didn’t know. I mean, we weren’t expecting you, of all people. What are you doing here? How did you find us? What happened to Bannera?”

  “Well,” Kade said. “Turns out Princess Buttercup,” he nodded in Grant’s direction, “was more attached to the idea of a grand gesture than actually staying in Bannera. He came clean after just two days. By that time, I’d healed a bit, and, well, here we are.”

  “Two days?” Nori repeated. “How did you catch up to us?”

  “We came on the Surface,” Kade gushed. “On actual roads, beneath the sun in the open sky!”

  Nori laughed with him. “You’re not serious.”

  “I am. Now that I know how to ask the right questions, someone who owed Grant a favor knew how to get to the Surface. We exited somewhere outside Bannera and just followed the roads South all this way.”

  “You’re lucky you weren’t killed,” Cooper said hotly.

  “We almost were outside Laredo,” Grant said with a shiver.

  “You went through Laredo?” Cooper threw up his hands. “What were you thinking?”

  Kade stalked toward Cooper, who had to look up to meet his gaze. “I was thinking of finding the fastest way to Esperanza. The fastest way back to help you and Nori.”

  Cooper breathed hard for several tense moments. “Yeah, well,” he said. “It’s dangerous out there. A wolf-eat-wolf world. People are looking to take all they can from you.”

  “That’s one benefit of being me,” Kade said seriously. “The only people who ever mess with me are trying to prove something, not take something. And usually too drunk to fight.”

  “Did you love it?” Nori cut in. “Did you love the feel of the sun on your face as you travelled the open road?”

  “At first I hated it,” Kade said. “It felt like someone was always watching me, like I was too exposed. But once I got used to it,” his eyes glazed over, “I knew it’s how people were meant to live.”

  “I wish we could’ve seen it before,” Grant said. “When there were trees and birds and animals. It would’ve been something to see.”

  “I always wanted to ride a horse,” Kade admitted.

  “You and this cowboy hangup.” Cooper said and shook his head.

  “You never know,” Kade said defensively. “Maybe someone built a Subterranean Ark or something.”

  After the things Nori had seen these last few months, the idea wasn’t nearly as preposterous as it once would’ve been. Maybe there was a stable of animals out there somewhere, just waiting for the Earth to heal. The idea gave her hope, at least. “Well, where to now, boys?”

  “To the 25th Parallel. To Esperanza. To Norman and Ana,” Cooper said and pretended to cheer with his water canteen.

  The thrill of having her friend happy and by her side again, combined with a sliver of hope for the future, and topped with the knowledge they weren’t far from her parents filled Nori with a rush of joy she couldn’t contain. She jumped and threw her arms first around Kade, then Grant, and finally Cooper, who went rigid with shock. Finally, finally, he relaxed enough to squeeze back. He clutched her to him until she let go then cleared his throat, but his grin remained.

  “Even with four of us now,” Cooper said, “we’ll have to go around Monterrey instead of through it to get to Esperanza.”

  “That’ll take longer, I assume,” Nori prodded.

  “It will. And we’ll have to navigate beneath a mountain range. But we can’t risk Monterrey…” He cocked an eyebrow in Nori’s direction. “Not to mention your solar restrictions.”

  She bristled, but let it go. It’s hard to argue with the truth. “What’s so bad about Monterrey?”

  “Monterrey’s the gateway to the 25th Parallel,” Cooper said. “Both Subterranean and Surface. If you want to get there, it’s the quickest, easiest way.” He kicked at a pile of rocks. “And when people want something, there’s always some jerk there to make it harder to get. Gangs, pirates, coordinated syndicates, the CCC… You can’t spit without coming across raiders of some sort.”

  “Yeah, but, nobody’s gonna mess with us,” Nori said. “Not with you and Kade around.” She shot an apologetic look at Grant. “No offense.”

  “None taken,” Grant replied. “It’s true I’m not known for my thuggery.”

  Kade thrust his chest out. “Oh, and I am?”

  “Is there any answer that’ll keep me out of trouble?” Grant asked.

  Kade’s grin was easy. “No.”

  Their happiness nearly lit the dungeoned depths of the tunnel. The realization hit Nori so hard breath abandoned her in a rush. She wanted that. To adore and be adored. She wanted a partner with whom to share tiny moments of joy, with whom she could dare to hope in a cold, dark, apocalyptic world. The thought had never occurred to her in the cocoon of her parent’s house. She didn’t have many friends. Any friends. Her parents were all she’d ever had, and ever needed. Romantic love wasn’t even on her radar. Was she only thinking of it now because she missed the warmth and adoration of her parents? Probably. She tried to dismiss the idea, but it didn’t go away easily. Would she ever have it? Was it even possible for her?

  “I’m sorry for the extra miles,” Cooper’s cool voice cut into her thoughts. “Believe me, I’m tired of the bike, too. But it’s safest to go around.”

  Nori nodded and tried to shake off her disturbing musings. “You think my parents will be okay?”

  “I’m sure. They’re going with a group. They’ll take the right precautions.”

  As she rode deeper into the earth toward Esperanza, Nori’s thoughts remained with her parents traveling on the dangerous landscape above her. She hoped Cooper was right.

  42

  Una Sorpresa de Montaña

  Nori stood on the bike’s foot pegs to speak close to Cooper’s ear. “Something’s different.”

  He turned, his face close to hers, and the corner of his mouth pulled up in a smile visible even in profile. “It is. Can you feel it?”

  “It’s…pressure,” she said. “What is it?”

  “We’re going under a mountain. Creepy, right, to think of all that rock on top of us?”

  “More like terrifying.” Nori’s shiver was due to more than the increasing cold. “How far, you think?”

  “Under the mountain range? Probably thirty miles or so.” Her grip tightened on Cooper’s waist, and he put his hand over hers and squeezed. “The good news is the road to Esperanza is on the other side.”

  She nodded and forced a smile. Her parents were just on the other side of the mountains. She could withstand anything for a few miles if it meant fin
ding them again.

  The four developed a system of communication. Since they rode second, if Kade and Grant wanted to stop, they flashed the headlamp three times. If it was Nori and Cooper who needed a break, they simply stopped, and the other two pulled alongside.

  It was when Kade and Grant’s headlamp flashed off that Nori saw so far ahead. She stood on the foot pegs to see over Cooper and slapped his shoulders. He laid on the brakes, bringing the bike to a sliding stop as Kade and Grant skidded in beside them.

  “Thank God you finally stopped.” Grant hopped onto one foot as he extricated himself from the bike before Kade had even moved. “My navel’s trying to eat my backbone.”

  “How someone so wiry can eat so much, I will never understand,” Kade said, smiling and shaking his head.

  “I know you’re not talking about me. You eat enough to feed a militia.”

  Kade shrugged. “I’m a big guy.”

  Grant’s snort echoed through the chamber.

  Nori barely registered their words. She and Cooper had left their bike, creeping farther into the tunnel.

  “What is that?” she heard Grant say.

  Cooper’s headlamp reflected on a smooth blackness draping over the road.

  “Is that water?” Kade said behind them, jogging to catch up, but Nori and Cooper had already bent to take off their shoes.

  “How deep?” Kade asked.

  “Don’t know,” Cooper said and tossed his boots to the side. “One way to find out.”

  “Wait for me,” Nori squealed, hopping on one bare foot.

  “You guys go ahead with that,” Grant said sourly. “I’ll work on lunch. Or dinner. What time is it anyway?”

  “Time to eat,” Kade agreed, trudging back with Grant to unpack the only food they had left: dry protein pellets.

  “I think it’s a cenote,” Cooper said, touching the fresh water to his lips. He waded into the pool, and Nori followed. It was shallow at first, but deepened enough to swim as they left the path and made their way toward a door-sized hole low on the rock wall.

  “What’s a seh-no-tay?” The water was freezing, but Nori relished the feel of something besides caked dirt on her skin. She was radiant, alive. Frigid, but alive. She scrubbed at her face and hair as she swam, taking the opportunity to de-grime.

  “Sinkholes from collapsed bedrock. They’re all over this area. It’s groundwater. Fresh.”

  “You think our bikes can get through?” she asked.

  “It’s shallow along the path and deeper here. This hole letting water in is probably new, where the limestone’s collapsed even more.” He held his hand in the air. “Feel that? There’s a breeze. Chimney effect.” He nodded toward the jagged hole in the wall. “I bet there’s an opening that goes aboveground somewhere through there.”

  “Let’s go see it.” Nori’s excited jump sent waves in Cooper’s direction. “It must be dark out or we’d see signs of sunlight.”

  Cooper frowned and eyed her, but didn’t answer.

  “Oh, come on, Cooper,” she begged. “Please?”

  “I don’t think—” he began, but she cut him off.

  “Fine. I’ll go myself.”

  “Oh, no you won’t.” Cooper’s voice was stern.

  Nori’s chest inflated. She did not take orders well.

  “Let’s go eat,” he said softly “Aren’t you starving?”

  “Starving?” she scoffed. “For a little scenery, for a little fun? Yes!” Nori’s heart pounded with excitement as she climbed through the hole and into the cavern before Cooper could argue.

  “I didn’t bring a flashlight,” he said through clenched teeth, ducking through the hole after her.

  “I’ll see for both of us, don’t worry.”

  Nori’s view of the breathtaking cenote at night was a privilege worth the risk. A thousand tiny stars shimmered and twinkled down through the cloudless sky through a hole in the ceiling big enough to drive a car through. She pushed onto her back in the limestone void and hung weightlessly in the cool, calm water.

  “My God. So gorgeous.” Cooper’s words whispered over her as he drew closer.

  “Isn’t it?” she said. “I feel like I could float right up to the stars and polish the ones not glowing as brightly as the others.”

  Cooper turned his head to the side, and a line formed between his brows. “What an odd thing to say.”

  Nori glanced away self-consciously, and he quickly added. “No, I mean, it’s an interesting thing to say. Why worry about the dull ones?”

  She lowered her feet to stand in the chest-deep water, and her shrug sent ripples between them. “I like to see everyone have the same chances,” she said. “Some things just need a little extra help.”

  Cooper’s lips pulled into a crooked smile, and he nodded. Even in the dark, Nori could see approval, and maybe even admiration, in his eyes. She was suddenly glad of the darkness, for it concealed her flaming cheeks and fidgeting hands.

  She found a wide, shallow ledge and leaned back, hands behind her head to watch the natural light show through the earth-framed hole.

  “As much as I’m enjoying this,” Cooper said after a while, “we’d better get back.”

  “I knew it couldn’t last,” she said. When she sat up and looked away from the stars, for the first time she noticed a partially obscured marking in a corner of the cenote. “Cooper?” she said.

  “Hmm?” He was more relaxed than she’d ever seen him. Maybe the side trip had done both their souls some good.

  “Why would there be a CCC sign, logo—whatever—down here?”

  “There wouldn’t.”

  “There is.”

  Cooper went still as death and followed her line of sight. “I can’t see anything. Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “The one that looks like a biohazard warning. It’s the same one.”

  Cooper’s hand flew to the top of his head and he rubbed it nervously.

  “Why would it be down here?” Nori asked again.

  He didn’t answer, but his breathing changed. Exhalations came quickly, forced. Relaxed Cooper was gone.

  “Cooper?” She watched his face as it hardened. “What are you thinking?”

  Intense, gold-flecked eyes shot to hers. “I’m thinking we’ve got to get out of here. Now.”

  “What? Why?” she whined. “No one could find that. No way someone’s looking for it. You said yourself the hole letting water into the tunnel was new. Unless someone came through it like we did and brought a waterproof flashlight, they’d never see it.”

  He was already halfway across the water, swimming for the hole that led back to the tunnel.

  “Wait,” she called. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  “They wouldn’t be coming from the tunnel like we did,” Cooper said, snatching up his boots.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “We gotta move,” he ordered, stomping toward Kade and Grant.

  Kade was up in a flash. “Where’s Nori?”

  “Coming,” she called, not yet out of the water.

  “Grab your stuff,” Cooper said. “We’re leaving.”

  The biceps of Kade’s thick arms bulged as he locked them across his chest. “Explain.”

  Cooper let out an exasperated growl and looked between Kade and Grant, who had yet to move. “Fine. Nori,” he glanced her way as she trudged up the tunnel, “found a symbol on an obscure wall inside the cenote—”

  “What kind of symbol?” Kade cut in.

  “One we’ve seen before, one used by the CCC.”

  “But,” Nori shook her head, joining the conversation, “why would the CCC post a symbol where no one could find it? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I think…” Cooper let out a long breath. “I think this might be a back door to their headquarters.”

  Nori’s wild glance shot to Cooper as Kade and Grant sputtered disbelief. “You can’t be serious,” and, “Wait a minute, now,” preceded her frenzied, “Wha
t?”

  “I think the hole above the cenote is either some kind of escape hatch or secret back way into the CCC’s headquarters—or both—located somewhere within this mountain range.”

  “Nori, are you sure that’s what you saw?” Kade asked.

  “I… Yeah. I’ve seen the symbol before. It was there on the wall. Small and smudged, but it was there. I mean, I’m pretty sure. No, definitely. It was definitely there.”

  “Let’s go,” Kade said, pulling a flashlight from the bike’s saddlebag.

  Cooper’s head snapped toward the fighter. “Where? Back in there?”

  “Yeah. Let’s take a closer look.”

  “Nooo.” Cooper stepped between Kade and the water and held out a hand. “We need to get across the water, to the other side of the tunnel, and keep moving.”

  “Why are you in such a hurry?” Grant narrowed his eyes. “And what makes you so sure they have a headquarters under this mountain? Or a headquarters at all. How could you know that?”

  Cooper’s head fell back as he heaved out an impatient breath. “I know wherever there’s a CCC symbol, there’s trouble. This one is obviously meant for a very specific audience, and we’re not it. Let’s keep moving before we find trouble again.”

  Kade was watching Cooper suspiciously, too.

  “Oh, come on!” Cooper’s typically cool demeanor evaporated.

  “I’m going to look for myself,” Kade said with finality. Grant grabbed his own flashlight and followed him into the water.

  “Ah, I’d better make sure I saw what I thought I saw,” Nori told Cooper in a rush, abandoning her effort to don dry socks.

  “Fine,” he seethed. “We’ll all go. But follow my lead. And for God’s sake,” he shot a look at Grant, “be quiet.”

  43

  A Hidden Agenda

  “Told ya,” Nori quipped, relief warring with dread as Kade’s flashlight illuminated the stenciled red emblem.

  Cooper cursed.

  “What now?” Kade pointed his light from the symbol to Cooper’s face.

  “Now we go back to the tunnel and get the hell out of here,” Cooper said, “like I wanted to do in the first place.”