The Beneath (24 page)

“But I can’t leave Aria,” I protested, whipping round in time to see Dane catch her arms up behind her back. She gave me a tiny smile.

“Please go, Lily. You’ve done all you can, and now we have medicines. The Breeders will be forever grateful.”

“Enough!” called the Farmer with an edge of steel in his voice. “Dane, take her away now.”

“No!”

I stretched out to reach Aria but Mason grabbed me and held me back. Dane led Aria to the door. For a moment her slim frame was silhouetted between the heavy drapes.

“Goodbye, Lily. Thank you for everything.”

And then she was gone.

CHAPTER 21

I found myself staring at the empty doorframe, a hollow feeling in my chest as I fought down the rising panic. What were they going to do to her? I glanced sideways at Will, trying to gauge if he was up for a fight, but he still looked exhausted. The sound of Aria’s footsteps faded.

“What’s going on?” he asked in an undertone as we turned back round to face the Farmer. “Do you think…”

“I don’t know,” I answered out of the side of my mouth. “I really don’t.”

As I spoke the Farmer lifted his hand.

“Silence. Take these two to the lift.”

Mason, who still held my arm, tightened his grip and started manoeuvring me towards the door.

“But Aria…” I began, trying to turn back. Will grabbed me by the arm and helped lead me out.

“Shh! Come on, let’s get out of here before they change their minds.”

“What? Are you just going to leave her? Aren’t you going to fight?” As I spoke, Mason continued hauling on my arm. Will was only just able to keep pace behind us. He looked quite white again. As our eyes met he raised his eyebrows and nodded towards Mason, then lifted his finger to his lips.

“Oh, I mean, yes, there’s no point,” I blustered loudly, hoping that Mason wouldn’t realise that Will and I were having quite a different conversation.

“What’s your plan?” I mouthed at him as we marched down another endless tunnel.

“Secret weapon,” he mouthed back, smiling.

We reached a big crossroads in the tunnel. Air blew across our path from the larger tunnel coming from the right and Will stopped dead in the middle of the junction. Mason dragged me a few paces further on before he realised that Will had stopped.

“Come on,” Mason growled. “You’re going up. You don’t want to be late for the lift.”

Will turned round so that his back was to the wind, then raised one hand to his mouth before producing an ear-splitting whistle.

Mason turned around in anger. “What’d you think you’re doing, disturbing everyone like that? You’re lucky it wasn’t rest time or it’d be right back to the Farmer for you.” He let go of my arm but shoved me in the back,
forcing me down the tunnel ahead of him. “Come on, I’ve got better things to do than this.”

Will stayed still for a moment, scanning down the tunnels, but nothing happened.

Mason stopped and went back to him. “I’m supposed to get you two to the lift. Don’t you want to leave?”

As he spoke I could see Will clenching his fists and rising up slightly on to the balls of his feet. He was going to try and fight Mason.

“Will, no, you’re not fit enough!” I called as he dropped into a boxing stance.

Mason stopped dead and crossed his arms with a sigh. “Look, lad, you have to come with me. There’s nothing here for you now. It’s time to go.”

Will started to move around him as if he was looking for the best angle of attack when we heard footsteps. Three Community men appeared out of the mouth of the main tunnel, stopping dead as they saw us. One began to laugh.

“Come on, Mason, are you going to fight the boy? One solid blow and he’ll be down.”

Will looked around then dropped his arms, outnumbered. “OK, you win. Just take good care of them, won’t you?”

Mason hustled him up next to me and we started walking again.

“Them?” I asked in a low voice. “What on earth were you planning on doing?”

“I hoped that Foggy might come running. He’d scare these guys, and then we could go and get Aria. We can’t leave them both behind!”

Foggy. With everything else going on I had forgotten about him again. But I knew that Will really loved him and would be horrified at the thought of leaving him down with the Community.

“I really thought he’d come if I whistled,” he said, his voice breaking. “What am I going to tell Mum and Dad? We’ve had Foggy since I was ten. He’s a member of the family.”

“Do you think he’ll have made his way out already? It’s possible, right?”

“Possible but not very likely,” he said, looking back over this shoulder. “I mean, how would he have got past the Crop? They’d make mincemeat of him.”

“I’m not so sure,” I said. “When we were up there the things definitely backed off, and I thought that was because of Foggy. He must be really frightening to whatever they are. I guess they’ve never seen a dog before.”

As I spoke I realised that I could be quite wrong if what Dane told me was true. If I was the Farmer’s daughter, perhaps they didn’t attack because I was there and unwittingly controlling them. If that was the case then Foggy would never have survived alone. I tried not to think of that horrible smell as the Crop advanced, of my fear that, whatever it was, it was about to finish us off.

“And without Foggy,” Will continued, “we’ve got no hope of rescuing Aria. How can we live with ourselves if we leave her behind?”

“In here.” Mason’s voice cut across us.

We had reached the lobby by the lift.

This time it wasn’t so dark and I was able to see the lift more clearly. It was entirely ancient, with every bit of exposed metal rusted. The floor was the least rusty-looking part, which was a relief. I turned to Will as we were hustled inside – he looked white and strained.

“We can’t leave them, Lily, we just can’t!”

But it was clear we didn’t have any choice. Three of the men were standing in a loose semicircle around the lift, and Mason was standing guard by the archway into the main tunnel. We would never get past them all.

“You’re right,” I whispered very quietly in his ear. “We’ll just have to find a way to get back down again.”

He nodded once but didn’t turn to look at me. Snatching a glance at his profile I could see the tears glistening in his eyes. Reaching for his hand I gave it a quick squeeze, hoping that it might comfort us both. He squeezed it back and then dropped it as the men suddenly stood up straight. The Farmer swept round the corner and each of the men stepped back slightly, dropping their eyes. He stopped in front of the old brass plate on the wall outside and stuck his key in the lock. There was the sound of clicking as the key turned, and then the Farmer stepped into the lift with us, pocketing
the key as he went.

One of the men pulled the heavy outer grille across the gap, and as soon as it clicked into place the lift groaned into life. Far above us I could hear the machinery whirr into action and the lift lurched upwards, making us stagger. The horrendous noise of the lift scraping against the wall hurt my ears, and I could see Will wincing too.

I knew what we had to do. As soon as the lift got us to the top, and we got out of the warehouse, we were going to go straight to the police. It was the only sensible choice, and the only way left for us to save Aria. If we could persuade them really quickly then hopefully the Farmer wouldn’t have time to find her and drag her back up to the Crop.

I was a bit surprised that the Farmer hadn’t considered we might do that, and the more I thought about it, the odder it seemed. It was hard to think though, with the awful scraping noise. I glanced over at Will, who had his fingers in his ears. The Farmer seemed completely oblivious to it, watching the stone wall race past, and as I watched too, the hair on the back of my neck started to stand up. Something was badly wrong.

The Farmer wasn’t there to save us from the Crop, to protect us as the lift sped upwards.

The screeching of metal on stone abruptly stopped. There was only the comparative silence as the lift carried on clanking, working its way up the shaft. Will caught my eye then turned to see what I was looking at. He realised
the problem immediately.

“He’s not letting us go, is he?”

“I don’t think so. There’s no gate – nothing to stop them swarming in.”

“How do we stop this thing?”

He spun round again, staring at the walls before turning on the Farmer. Grabbing him by the arm, Will pulled him round to face us.

“Where on earth are the buttons?” yelled Will.

The Farmer smiled slightly and shook Will’s hand from his arm. “It was very naive of you two to think that I was ever going to let you go. You know far too much. It’s time to accept your fate.”

CHAPTER 22

Dane is walking me towards the cells. He’s not talking because too many people are watching us – watching me. The women all look distraught, and Maria reaches out for my arm as we pass her. She is very pregnant.

“Is the rumour true?” She looks between me and Dane, who nods.

“He’s let them go but she’s to be punished.” He is using his Listener voice, trying to sound commanding, but Maria knows better. She steps forward, barring my way down the tunnel.

“Thank you for the medicine, Aria. That was unbelievably brave. I’m so sorry that … this had to happen. I wish it could be different.”

“It was my friend who got the medicine, not me.”

She gives a tight smile. “But it was you who found the
friend.” She rests her hand on her round belly. “This one has a chance to live now.”

Before I can reply I hear the sound of running footsteps, and I see Lance coming round the corner, very red in the face. Dane sees him too, and I hear his sharp intake of breath. Lance reaches us and stops, bending down for a moment as he gasps.

“He hasn’t, has he?” Dane’s question is urgent.

Lance looks up and nods miserably, still unable to speak

“NO!” Dane slams his fist into the wall.

This is bad. I feel the cold fear racing down my spine.

“Tell me!” I shout, grabbing at his sleeve. “What’s happened?”

He turns towards me and I see the water glistening in his eyes. “The Farmer has taken them up himself.”

My knees turn to jelly. The small crowd of women in the tunnel are silent, mouths open in horror. There is only one time that the Farmer takes anyone up in the lift, and they never come back down.

I want to fight, to scream, to lash out, but instead I run. Dane doesn’t try to stop me as I dodge everyone and race down the familiar tunnel, trying to run away from my own thoughts.

They will be sacrificed to the Crop, torn to pieces and eaten alive. I can feel the bile rising in my throat as I think about it. Is it already done? Has the lift delivered them to their end? We all know roughly what happens – the
rumours tell us that, but none of us knows the truth.

Does Lily have the Affinity? Will she know what to do?

It was our plan that brought her here, but we didn’t expect this. It’s my fault that she’s in that lift, waiting to be delivered to the Crop.

The tears in my eyes make it hard to see, and I stumble as I misjudge a corner. As I fall I catch my shoulder on the wall. The force spins me round and I end up in a heap on the floor. All I want to do is curl up into a ball, but as I sit there hugging my knees I hear an unexpected noise. Something is whining and scraping in a room a little way ahead. I get to my feet and creep along the tunnel.

The room is gloomy. This part of the Community is where we store things now, and people rarely come this way. Most of the rooms are full of boxes or are unfinished. I peer round the edge of the door and then start back in surprise.

“Foggy! What are you doing here?”

The dog is wearing a belt as a lead, and it’s wedged between two rocks. The more he’s pulled, the tighter it’s got, and he’s desperate to get past me and away. He looks even bigger in this tiny space. I’ve never noticed the teeth before, and I don’t want to get anywhere near them. He starts to whine. I know that I’m going to have to go into the room. I feel my heart pounding as I start to edge my way round the wall. The smell is terrible and I breathe through my mouth to stop me gagging. As I get closer I see the knot on the collar.

I’m going to have to touch the dog.

All I want to do is run, and I feel cold and clammy. My hand is shaking as I reach forward. The dog jumps up and licks my hand, and I yelp and leap backwards, rubbing my hand down my trousers to get rid of the lick. Foggy sits down immediately, almost as if he knows I don’t like it. Taking a deep breath I edge closer again.

First I try to loosen the lead from between the rocks, but it’s wedged fast. I pull with all my strength but it won’t budge. Now I have no choice. I reach out for his collar, feeling the fur on my fingers. It’s more slippery than I expect, and that makes it worse. There is something horribly creepy about fur.

I concentrate on the collar and the lead that is knotted tightly on to it. It takes me a moment to work it loose, finally releasing the dog, and with an astonishing burst of power he’s gone. With a single bark he shoots down the corridor and disappears round a corner. I slump back against the doorway, drained.

“Find them, Foggy,” I whisper to the walls. “Help them.”

The lift shuddered to a halt.

Will was looking at me in absolute horror as the Farmer’s words sank in, and both of us stepped backwards in the lift, away from the gaping cavern. The dim light from inside the lift lit up a small circle of the space and I could see the closest columns, rough-hewn from the rock. On
the floor at one side was the stick we had brought from Nan’s, abandoned during the race to get away from the Crop.

The Farmer strode out of the lift and picked up the stick, shaking his head. He walked to the closest column and reached up, where a small recess was carved out of the rock at about head height. He lifted out a small box, and seconds later I heard the rasp of a match. He lit an old-fashioned oil lamp, adjusting the wick before he lifted it out of the recess. Then he turned towards us.

“There is no point in trying to run. The Crop will find you. Follow me and it will be over with quickly.” He turned and walked away.

Both of us were pressed against the back wall of the lift. I remembered the journey up with Dane and what happened when the Crop arrived, and I could feel my whole body shaking.

“No, no, this can’t be happening,” I whispered, almost paralysed by fear.

“What can we do?” cried Will, staring around wildly and feeling the walls for some controls. “They have to be somewhere!”

“Shh! Don’t let them hear you!” I hissed, shaking myself into action. “There was a huge gate – you know, one of those concertina grilles – across the doorway before. Where is it?”

We lunged for either side of the lift doorframe, both trying to find the concealed grille. I could just see it,
pressed back into the lift frame, but although I could get my fingers to it, it wouldn’t budge.

“It’s locked into place,” I said, trying and failing to prise it out. “We’re never going to move that.”

Will joined me, peering into the dark recess. He tried too.

“It’s no good,” he said, standing back, “and we’re wasting time. We can’t go down as the lift is blocking the way on to the ledge. Maybe we could make a break for the stairs going up – just run for it.”

He spoke in a whisper, even though the Farmer was too far away to be able to hear us. I could still see the pool of light as he walked further into the cavern full of columns.

“I’m game for it,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Count of three?”

He nodded and reached for my hand.

“Three!” he shouted.

We leapt out of the lift and darted to the left. We hadn’t gone more than a few steps when the light from the lift went out.

“Damn! Did you see where we needed to go?”

“No, just that it was this general direction, around the back of the lift shaft. Let’s keep walking, but keep your hands out in front in case we hit something.”

I looked around but could no longer see the Farmer’s lamplight, and within a few seconds there was a grunt and Will’s footsteps stopped.

“Ran into a column,” he said. “Keep going left and we’ll find the wall.”

We turned, but at that moment the lift groaned again and started to move. In the darkness it was impossible to tell exactly which direction the noise had come from.

“Will, stop! With the lift gone there’s a huge hole to fall down. We must be more careful.”

“I’m glad to see that you two are putting up a fight.” The booming voice made me jump. “The Crop do like a chase. It improves their appetite.”

I put my hands out in the dark and found Will. Grasping hands tightly we circled around, desperately trying to see where the Farmer was standing. Eventually I glimpsed a small puddle of flickering light. The Farmer was bending down as if he was talking to someone. Or some
thing
.

“Look, he’s over there.” I pointed using the hand that was clasped to Will’s so he would know where to look.

“What’s he doing?”

“It’s difficult to tell. Whatever he’s looking at is still in the dark.” I hesitated for a moment. “Could we rush him and grab the lamp? If we had that then we could find the way out.”

“And risk walking headlong into whatever he’s got over there? I don’t think so!”

“We have to try something!” I cried. “I don’t want to just stand here and wait for those things, whatever they are.”

As we spoke the lamplight was getting closer, but
we didn’t know where to run. My breath was coming in short, sharp bursts and I could feel Will’s fingers tighten hard around mine.

“Would you two like to see our secret before you die? I don’t often do this, but I think for such special guests I could make an exception.”

He was nearly on us. I wanted to run and hide, but the light was mesmerising, and somehow I was rooted to the spot. And then he was there, just a few metres away from us.

“Let’s see what we have here,” he said with relish.

The Farmer raised the lamp and fixed it to a hook on the nearest column, then turned a knob on the side. The flame shot up, making everything much, much brighter. Will and I were side by side, facing him, but he was watching something behind us. Smiling, he put his hand to his lips, but I couldn’t see clearly what he was doing.

There was a moment of silence before I heard the horribly familiar slithering noise. Seconds later the smell of rotten meat washed over me and I felt my legs turn to jelly. Was this really it? Was this how I was going to die?

I was shaking so hard I could barely move. I was suddenly icy cold, and every breath was a shallow gasp. Whatever the Crop was, it was right behind me. If I did have any sort of “Affinity” for it, as Dane believed, now was going to be the time to test it.

I felt Will’s fingers circle around mine as he swore under
his breath. He took a step closer, pressing against me.

“Don’t turn round, Lily, please. Just keep your eyes shut.”

I dragged in a deep breath and closed my eyes tightly for a second. But I had to know. I had to confront the truth.

I turned to face the Crop.