Down and Out: A Young Adult Dystopian Adventure (The Undercity Series Book 1) (3 page)

“How far did we get last time?”

“One flight,” Teddy answered.

“Oh, yeah, Jolon tripped over his two klutzy feet and tumbled back down,” Caden whacked Pa on his shoulder. “Good idea leaving him home this time.”

“Now, Cad, it’s not his fault his one leg is shorter than the other.”

“Ah, huh, makes him unstable, I know, poor thing,” she said and went forward.

Teddy ignored his sister’s lack of sympathy and went with her up the steps. Their candles cast little light, and the gloom of the tunnels was unsettling. Bits of gravel and rubble made the stairs slippery as rocks stuck in the treads of his boots. Alert for danger, they all kept silent though the sound of their crunching of feet bounced around them.

At the top of the first flight, their father moved in front, beads of sweat trickling down his face. Teddy paused and took a drink from his flask. The air was hot and thin, making him somewhat lightheaded. He inhaled a long breath and trailed after Caden. More debris covered the second level, and they tread with care in case it hid weaknesses, which might cause the whole staircase to fall apart.

The third landing was almost impassable. The outer wall had collapsed into a heaping mass of rubble and twisted metal. Teddy inched onto part of the pile, holding his light high.

“Not much here, but broken cement and such. No way through, either. Not without an extensive excavation,” he told them as he came back to the steps.

After handing his lantern to Caden, their father took out his map, turning it about to find their location. He tapped the paper with a finger.

“Appears as though this doesn’t lead to much.” He peered further up the staircase. “There’s more up this way if this thing is accurate.”

Teddy frowned. “Pa, half of this is missing. How are we gonna get up to the next level?”

“There’s always a way, boy. We always find a way.” He put on his playful and infuriating grin.

Caden snorted in exasperation. “Remember, Ma will kill you if we come back in pieces.”

“We’ve always gotten back, yes?” he said with a laugh.

“Yeah, sort of and not always without wounds.”

“This debris contains some metal,” Pa said as he crammed the map back in the front pocket of his grey stash, pulled out a folding shovel, and began to dig. “Let’s check if anything can help us.”

Shaking his head, Teddy propped his lantern on a step and took out some gloves. “You wanna toss this rubbish downward?”

“Best way to remove the stuff. Stay clear of the stairs. Don’t want to block our way down.”

“Yeah, that would be peachy,” said Caden as she lobbed a slab of crumbling wall over the railing. It fell into the black void and hit the bottom with a clang. The noise echoed around them.

Teddy grabbed a bent metal sign and shovelled rubble over the edge. Dust and dirt whirled around them, forcing them to wear the respirators they kept in their packs. After what seemed to be hours, he rested, coughing as he sipped some water.

They cleared a fair portion of space on the narrow cement landing, enough for them to continue upward. Weary, they all put away their masks and took a thirst-quenching drink. Pa studied the next flight of stairs as they rested.

“These break off half way. If we can stretch these steel braces across, we might make our way up.”

Exchanging a fatigued glance with Caden, Teddy rubbed at his forehead before assisting his father as he hoisted one of the warped metal beams upward. He grunted, his arms straining under the weight, but they maneuverer the girder across the gap in the steps.

Pa huffed as he pushed at the beam. “Well, I don’t think we’re gonna move this any further without help.”  He began to climb the slender bridge, holding tight to the edges and gripping with his toes. Teddy moved in behind him to be able to catch him in case he fell.

After a few precarious moments, his father stood on the lip of next landing. “Okay, I’m up.” He pulled out his handlight and swept the beam about. “All appears good from here. Not too much rubble.” He set his light aside. Kneeling, he held out his hands. “Cad, you next.”

She frowned and put down her lantern before starting to climb. “If I fall, I will blame you for the rest of your life.”

Teddy steadied her from behind. “Me? I’m not the one who came up with this silly idea.”

Her foot slipped as she hit the halfway point and she yelped, but their father leaned down and seized her hand.

“I got you.”

She muttered something incoherent as she passed him and crawled to a safe spot near the landing’s back wall.

Pa tilted his body toward Teddy. “Hand me the lights.”

He passed each one up before climbing. His fingers gripped the edges of the girder as he willed his feet to stick to the metal.  Breath shallow and nerves taunt, he climbed beside his father. He blew the hair from his eyes and tightened his jaw as he peeked downward.

“The journey back is going to be a bugger, isn’t it?”

“Eh, we’ll tackle that later. For the moment, up, up we go.”

Caden grabbed a lantern and inched her way toward the top. Pa whistled as he climbed as though going for a leisurely stroll. Teddy trailed after them, and they ascended two more flights. They stopped at the last landing.

Filthy glass double doors, which begged to be opened, stood at the other end. This was what he loved about scrounging, finding a new area, discovering how life once was. He wiped away some of the dirt to reveal a plastic film with coloured images blocking his view.

“Masks on,” Pa said, taking the precaution that shielded them from any toxic gasses lurking behind the sealed entrance.

In one sense, he didn’t need to fear, at least not for Teddy.  He had his breath caught in the knots in his stomach. His father tossed a crowbar his way and put another one to the seam between the doors. Together, they forced the panels apart an inch. Caden leaned in, peering through the opening before she shook her head. Trading a glance with Pa, he nodded. They tried again, putting all their effort into it.

Teddy grunted through his mask as he flexed and strained his body. “Can’t we just break the glass?”

“That would be cheating,” Pa said with a snicker.

She scrunched her nose. “Yes, let’s be fair to the inert piece of hardware blocking our way.”

The doors creaked open inch-by-inch until she could hold her lantern high and let the light through. A soft wind blew at her hair as the air escaped. Pa and Teddy waited, but she backed away. They went at it again. This time, the two of them grasped one frame and heaved until they had space to go through.

Panting, they wiped the sweat from their faces, Teddy’s excitement mirrored in his father’s eyes. He grinned, gesturing to Teddy to go first. His hand shook as he held his lantern high, hoping for safe passage into the unknown.

At first, he saw little, just another room. Slowly, he realized it was a foyer with another intact pair of clear doors several feet beyond. Dust and cobwebs covered the area; otherwise, the place was clean of debris. He stepped forward with his sister and his father behind him. The glass was cold against his fingers, and their lights reflected off the surface, showing them distorted pictures of themselves. His father took hold of one of the handles and pulled. The door swung open and another gust, stronger than the last, rushed past them.

Teddy slung his stash off and took out his portable air tester. He pressed a button and hoped the batteries were still good. While his father always made certain their equipment worked in top order, working batteries were a rarity. The lights came on. Green. Good, breathable oxygen levels. He gestured a thumb’s up to his father and sister and took his foggy mask off. A tingle of fear and doubt touched him as he hesitated before taking his first breath. It was the same sensation he always experienced and shared with the others when experiencing the unknown of a new region. He inhaled stale, but breathable, air with a metallic flavour. Relieved, the three of them laughed.

“Amazing how spotless this area is,” Teddy said, scanning the space with his light.

Caden put her fingers on the next entrance, staring through the glass. “It’s weird how some areas are rubble and some are almost pristine. Looks like a solid barricade of crap and dirt this way.”

“Must be something about the way they’re built,” Pa said, searching his supplies.

“There’s another room over here.” Teddy crossed to the wall on the right and tapping on a set of smooth tan doors. The metallic sound echoed through the room. “Huh, elevator?”

“I’d say so.”

“Got a single door over here.” Caden placed a hand on the silver bar across it.

“Just wait,” their father cautioned. “We’ve gone far enough for today. Let’s see if we can figure out where we are.” He sat down on a stone bench near the wall to their left. She held her light over the book in his hand as he flipped the pages to discover where they were. “Mon... Montgom....”

“Montgomery Mall,” Teddy said. “Ummm.” He turned toward the others and pointed at the words carved above the trim. “East entrance.”

“What’s a mall?” asked Caden and Pa laughed.

––––––––

P
a bounced around like a child with a cookie. He would not hold still. The instant they returned from scrounging, he swept their mother in his arms and twirled her around. “We did it; we did it!”

His enthusiasm was contagious and sent everyone dancing around the table even though they didn’t know why. Deb shouted and spun about, and even Jolon cheered. They all celebrated except Caden, who stood by the door with her arms crossed, her face puzzled and cautious.

“Did what?” she asked. “All I saw was yet another building.  The only good thing about it seemed to be the lack of junk.”

Pa waved a finger at her. “Ahh, but the magic exists in the contents of the mall.”

She traded an uncertain glance with Teddy, and somehow he got the message.

“What’s that?” he asked for her.

Their father sighed and settled himself on his stool, reclining against the wall as he stretched out his legs. Deb crawled on his lap, staring into his eyes. He touched her hair.

“Oh, everything you might think of. Your grandfather told me the stories your great-grandfather told him about these places similar to our markets only bigger—dozens of stores selling hundreds of thousands, millions of items—clothes, dishes, batteries—whatever you could imagine, and it’s all waiting for us to find.” “If the stuff isn’t all trash by now,” Caden said.

“Oh, no.” Pa smiled. “This is our moment. After so many years, this is our moment. Some of what we find may be use- less, I’ll admit, but there must be so much more.” He leaned forward, hugging Deb. “You understand what this means?”

Ma studied him, her hands on her hips as though bracing for his latest endeavour. “What are you thinking now, Truman, dear?”

He gave a wicked grin. “It’s time. It’s time.”

“Time for what?” asked Jolon.

“Oh, please. Tell us,” Caden demanded as he paused and winked.

He tweaked Deb’s nose. “It’s time we got ourselves a brute. Yes, that’s the next step.”

Ma’s face mixed with fear, disbelief, and hope. “Oh, Tru.”

Teddy traded glances with his family, anticipation running through everyone and questions poured forth like the candy from a broken gumball machine.

“Where do we get one?”

“What are they like?”

“Does it have to live here? I’m not sharing my bed.”

That was Jolon and his practical nature. Teddy shoved him.

“What? It might stink.”

“Brutes aren’t an it; they’re people like us.” He glanced over at Pa, feeling a twinge of doubt. “Right?”

His father ruffled Teddy’s hair. “You’ll get to decide for yourself when we go up.”

He grinned even though his insides turned knots at the thought of getting to be a part of the purchase. All the rest of the day he flipped from excitement to dread, his mind active with scenarios ranging from happy-ever-after to doom and destruction. Sleep was a fitful friend who refused to linger and so when morning came, he sat near the kitchen table and waited.

He fidgeted with a little plastic box his mother kept spoons in. His parents were awake; he heard them moving around in their bedroom right next door. Yawning, he listened in on their conversation.

“Must we take Teddy with us?” his mother asked.

“Yes,” Pa answered with his ‘don’t worry’ voice.

“But....”

“No, dear, I understand. The danger is real, but the boy must learn, he must make contacts. He’s old enough now, and Caden isn’t ever going to be strong enough.”

“She’s bold enough in spirit.”

“Yes, but if anything happened to....” His father paused.

“Dear, you’re....”

Their door opened, and she closed her mouth, ending their conversation as she caught sight of Teddy.

“Well, ready to go?” Pa’s voice was cheerful, but his face unreadable.

Teddy acted as though he had not heard them. “All set.”

Ma gave a trace of an anxious smile as she pushed her hair out of her face and went to the cupboard.

“Good. A helping of breakfast and off we go,” his father said with a wink. He sat and began sorting through some papers.

Teddy waited, but if they wanted to share any concerns with him, they didn’t give any indications. After eating his food in silence, he followed them out.

When they first stepped from the service lift connecting Uppercity and Undercity together, the sheer intensity of the place made his heart beat faster. The air was thinner, fresher while strange lights filtered down from half-covered windows high above. He wanted to get a glimpse of what lay beyond them, but the glass was all too murky and dim.

A constant, annoying whirring pulsed under the clamour of people, reminding everyone their source of power belonged in the control of the Magistrate and the generators ran as long as they all behaved. It was an effective way to ensure a law- abiding society. Darkness was rare, relegated to corners where the streetlights didn’t reach. He wondered what made them glow. The streets were clean too, tidied every night by Underlings paid in rotting vegetables and ragged clothing, and whatever castoffs they deemed as salvageable.