Children of the After: The Complete Series: A Young Adult Postapocalyptic Action and Adventure series (40 page)

* * * * *

A knot formed in Tammy’s stomach as they raced ahead into the unknown. Already they had passed the furthest point they had made it thus far into the City of Angels. Ahead, as the giant steel door slowly screeched downward, fog gushed out from beneath it in thick plumes. Sam stood within the fog, a panicked look on her face, as the door closed down above her. Already, it was only a foot above her head, and with each second it dropped. Tammy couldn’t help but feel they had made the wrong choice.

Ahead, the distance between her and Jack increased as Will began to fall behind. She knew that above all else they needed to stay together. There was nothing she could do but keep running and hope they all made it. Apparently, Jack had different plans. Reaching his hands out before him, Tammy watched as his spine seem to go rigid as he ran. Ahead, the massive steel door screeched in protest as it appeared to slow significantly in its descent. Already, Sam had been forced to take a step back behind the door and it was becoming too low for her to stand in comfortably. She was ducking. Time was running out.

Even when Tammy realized that there was no hope of making it in time, it became evident quickly that Jack had not yet given up. As his shoulders appeared to relax, ahead the door again began to fall faster, but not before Tammy felt herself yanked off the ground and flung carelessly forward as if she were a ragdoll. Hurled end over end, Tammy hit the steel floor hard and rolled in a tangle of limbs beneath it and into the chamber beyond where Sam reached down to help her up. No sooner was she on her feet than Will came through in a crumpled ball as well, followed by mere inches by Jack himself. Sliding on his back, as the toes of his sneakers rubbed at the lip of the door above him, Jack came to a screeching halt before barreling them all over. They had made it, but just barely so. They were together. There was still hope.

As she clambered to her feet, Tammy’s hope was immediately crushed. All about her, the fog flashed red and orange as the deafening siren broke the silence again and again. Though this section of the corridor was dimmer than the previous one, ahead she could already see where another door had dropped to seal them in. From here she could see no exit. There were no doors that remained open, no chambers, and there appeared to be no adjoining passageways either. They were trapped. All hope fled from her like water from an overturned bucket. They had lost before the fight had even begun. Like the aliens that Will had just freed, they were now captives. Even so, Tammy knew that they couldn’t give up. She
couldn’t
give up. There had to be a way. It was her job to guide them, and she couldn’t fail. Everything depended on them succeeding.

Letting go of the defeat that she’d felt just a moment before, Tammy stood on her toes as high she could, trying with all her might to peer through the dense fog that was waist-deep and wafted higher in tendrils and plumes. As in the previous section of corridor, strips of lights illuminated the floor that was now blanketed with fog, making it glow eerily and appear that much more dense. Between the blinding flashes of red and orange light in the piercing screams of the siren Tammy concentrated her focus, looking for alternatives to the doorways that were obviously sealed.

Striding away from her companions, she walked the length of this section of corridor. Scanning every inch of every wall, her search was fruitless. There was nothing, no escape. Throwing her head back to scream in defeat, she peered up to the ceiling nearly twenty feet above. There, like everywhere else, the ceiling was a puzzle of scrap metals that had been pieced together to form one continuous structure. At regular intervals, flashing lights blinded her as she traced the ceiling from one end to the other. If it had not been for the strobing lights reflecting off the fog and then back to the ceiling once more, Tammy would have never noticed the grate almost directly above her.

Nearly shouting in triumph, she jumped giddily up and down on her toes, pointing towards that which looked like an air vent above her. Though it was easily twenty feet out of reach, Tammy knew that Jack could get them to it. Turning her attention from the grate to her companion, she saw the grin on his face that cemented her belief. There was no need to discuss it and, as if he were a fictional superhero, Jack lifted off the floor, soaring straight up towards the ceiling to grasp the grate above.

Focusing to remain aloft, Jack reached out to grasp the edge of the metal grate above him. It appeared industrial with a square frame and interwoven wire mesh, but obviously wasn’t intended for the purpose it was being used for here. Grasping the edge of its metal frame, he lowered his body, hovering telekinetically, and yanked hard. Though the metal frame flexed, it didn’t budge, snapping back to its original shape as soon as he relented. Again Jack yanked upon the metal and again he was met by defeat. It was complicated, trying to levitate and gain leverage upon the steel. It would be easier if he could brace himself against something. Looking about, it became apparent that even if he turned upside down to use the ceiling as the floor, he wouldn’t have the advantage he needed.

“It’s no use. I can’t get it open,” Jack shouted over the screeching siren.

“If Fairy Pickle were here he could do it,” Will shouted in reply. “He’s heavy enough to pull it down.”

Jack shook his head. His brother’s suggestion was useless. Fairy Pickle wasn’t here, but then it struck him. Heavy. All he needed was more weight. Grinning down at the defeated faces of his companions below, he watched as their expressions changed as he lifted them each up and off of the floor. Ahead of them, somewhere, he could hear a growing rhythmic pounding that sounded all too like metal-clad boots marching upon a steel surface. He couldn’t help but feel time was running out.

Concentrating now on keeping all four of them aloft, Jack wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned his attention back to the grate just above them.

“Each of us have to grab a side. Then I’ll simply let us fall and hopefully our weight will tear it free. Then I’ll catch us and lift us up the duct.”

It was a simple plan, and in under a second each of them was grasping an edge of the vent’s steel frame with the tips of their fingers, pulling themselves up with their arms. With their faces only inches from one another, he couldn’t help but note that Tammy’s breath was sweet, like that of an infant. It was an odd realization, but one he would have to further pursue later. Jack released his control and let them fall.

As expected, Jack watched as he and his companions fell a few inches before they caught their own weight upon the grate with grunts and groans of exertion. Just as he had hoped, the grate gave way, but only one side. Swinging down, Tammy now clung to the lower end of the vent as she collided with Jack across from her before letting go and beginning to fall. Both Will and Sam slid towards the lower edge, each of them hanging on a precarious angle, but for now they clung for dear life. Focusing, Jack reached out with his telekinetic power, wrapping it about Tammy gently before hefting her weight upwards, saving her from a fall that would have at least injured her. Lowering her the final inches, he was forced to shift focus again as Sam’s grip finally gave way. Watching as Samantha fell, her arms flailing, Jack couldn’t help but wince as she struck Will’s leg, knocking him free as well. Both of their grasps having failed, they tumbled down as invisible power slowed and finally ceased their falls. Jack could feel it wearing upon him. It tired him, just as if he were doing the task physically. Quickly he lowered his siblings to the floor and, slowing his own fall, he dropped down as well, landing between them with a soft thud. In the near distance, his thud was echoed by the ever nearing thrumming of metal on metal.

“Everyone okay?” Jack asked over the siren.

Watching the replied nods, he looked up to where they would exit the chamber. It was a small passage. One Will could fit in easily, and likely one the girls could maneuver within as well, but Jack doubted it would be the same for himself. Just looking at the ventilation duct beyond the grate, he doubted seriously that he would be able to manage movement once within its confines, let alone the fact that it appeared to go straight up. Once inside, they would have to climb. Fearing that their time was running out, Jack knew they needed a plan.

“We need to get moving,” Jack began.

“Then lift us up there,” Will replied.

“No. I think Sam should go first. She can teleport up ahead of us and find us a route further into this place. Will, you’ll go next. If you keep your back against one side of the ducting, you should be able to climb up with your hands and feet like you’re walking on all fours. Then Tammy will follow you. I’ll take the rear on this one. If anyone falls, we’re all gonna fall and if you are all behind me I won’t be able to see you to stop you.”

“Sounds good, Jack,” Sam shouted. “I’ll go take a look.”

Without waiting for so much as a nod, Sam vanished. Looking up, Jack watched as she reappeared just inside the duct before she began plummeting down towards them once again with a scream. Again she vanished and another scream echoed out of the duct above, though this time it was shorter. A second later a third scream came quieter than the last. Jack could only imagine opening your eyes to find yourself falling over and over again, but there wasn’t any help for Sam now. She was brave, and would find them a way through the ducts.

Turning his gaze to Will who still stared at the open ducting above him, Jack hefted him up and into the opening above, and watched as he braced his back just as he had been instructed and began to climb. Watching until Will was lost from sight, Jack next lifted Tammy and likewise deposited her into the ducting above. For a moment he had forgotten about the rhythmic thrumming of steel on steel that had been growing louder and louder, but suddenly his attention grew alert once more. The thrumming had stopped.

Giving Tammy one last push, he watched her scamper up into the steel confines above before turning his gaze down the corridor. There ahead of him, the great steel door that sealed them in began to rise, revealing what appeared to be exactly what he had imagined through the fog. Looking back at him were dozens of pairs of what could only be steel boots. As the door rose, more and more of the steel-clad newcomers were exposed, but Jack wasn’t about to wait around long enough to greet them. Tearing his attention away from the door, he looked up and lifted off the ground.

Rising into the ductwork, it was just as he expected. With his hands ahead of him, the duct was barely wide enough to permit his shoulders. He wouldn’t be able to climb now that he was inside. Instead, he would be forced to use his power, and use it he did. Though the duct was all darkness and shadow, he could make out the wriggling form of Tammy above him and took a second to admire her retreat before berating himself for it. There were much more important things to think about now than girls. He needed to stay focused.

* * * * *

Swallowing once again the bile that arose in her throat, Sam looked upwards towards where she could see light, and focused her senses. The wrenching sensation of falling vanished, only to return an instant later, and opening her eyes she glimpsed the light as she fell past it. She focused and closed her eyes again. The light whooshed past once more, but this time she could see that it was another vent, into another portion of the alien city. Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes. Swallowing hard, she banished the falling sensation once more and blinked to a position above the vent. Reappearing, she pushed her hands and feet out as she began to fall once more, bracing her back against the opposite wall of the steel ducting.

With her rubber-soled boots screeching against the metal beneath her, she slowed to a stop and carefully lowered herself to the vent to have a better look. Peering out between the slats of the vent, she could see little of what lay beyond. Like below, the floor had strips of lights as did the walls, though here there was no thick, steam-like fog. Something in the air smelled foul, once again making bile rise in her throat, but Sam knew she had to be tough. There was no telling what they might find in this place. For all she knew, the invaders didn’t just enslave races of humanoids, perhaps they herded them, butchered them, and ate them as well. Maybe that was the smell that threatened to make her vomit upon those climbing below her.

Looking down, Sam could see little to nothing below. Occasionally on her way up she had briefly noted splits and cracks in the duct work as she plummeted back down, but even those did not allow the intrusion of enough light into the shaft to allow her vision to penetrate the darkness. Blinking upwards over and over in rapid succession made her nauseated, and she no longer held any concept of just how far she had traveled up the ducting. Thus far there had been no branches in the duct. She could only assume that it traveled straight up the entire length of the alien structure. Even so, she was ready to be out of it. Though she normally wasn’t claustrophobic, the duct was beginning to make her feel more than a little uneasy.

It was quite some time before Sam began to hear the huffs and puffs of Will climbing beneath her, interspersed with reassuring comments from both Tammy and Jack. It seemed Will was growing tired of climbing. Straining her eyes beneath her, it was just minutes after hearing them that Sam began to notice movement in the darkness below and just minutes longer until she could make out Will’s silhouette.

Turning her attention back to the corridor beyond the vent, she still noted nothing but empty space. Whatever it was, it was sparsely traveled. Listening intently she could hear no sounds, unlike other portions of the ducting when she had come up. It seemed this area was vacant.

“Will,” Sam said, turning to again look down into the darkness.

“Yeah?” he sighed back, obviously exhausted.

Sam couldn’t help but feel sorry for her little brother. Both she and Jack could use their ability to climb, yet he was forced to strain for every inch.

“I’ve found a way out of here. Tell Tammy and Jack. I think it is safe.”

“Okay.”

Moments passed as Will relayed the short message below and, surprising to Sam, she could hear both Tammy and Jack’s replies. Even so, she waited for Will to relay their words to be certain.

“If you think it is safe, they say go ahead and check it out.”

Sam didn’t delay. Focusing on a point ahead in the vacant corridor, she closed her eyes and blinked out of the ventilation duct. Letting the dizziness pass, she opened her eyes once more to find the corridor just as it had been. Empty. Standing in the space, she realized that it was a three way intersection shaped like a tee in the corridor, leading off in three separate directions. Unlike large human habitations, there were no signs that she could see. No directions showing stairs or elevators, let alone invasion leaders’ quarters. Sam was at a loss. She didn’t want her siblings and Tammy to climb out of the shaft, only to find they had landed somewhere even less safe than before. No. Instead, she would have to do some scouting. Turning to her left she peered down the first leg of the tee and vanished, only to reappear where the corridor took a ninety degree turn.

She hadn’t been prepared for what she saw. Looking into the vast room ahead she witnessed the malnourished visages of hundreds if not thousands of humanoids not unlike Tammy. They were packed, dozens to a cell, in what appeared to be cramped rooms with glass walls. There was no room for them to rest. They had to remain standing to permit them all in such confined spaces. Cell after abhorrent cell lined both walls and beyond the first, where she could see through them, lay row after row as far as she could see. The smell of feces filled the air, and looking about she saw no sign that food or drink had even been given to these prisoners.

Turning in an attempt to look away, she noted a child in one of the nearer cells, looking out at her with wide eyes, tears streaming down its cheeks. Children. In cages. Starving. Then it struck her. If there were this many caged slaves down this one hall of the alien city, what were down the other halls? The other floors? Was it possible that all those they had thought lost were actually taken prisoner? Could it be possible all humans remained, enslaved by whoever was the reason for this invasion? Could Mom and Dad be alive? Was it possible?

Sam shook her head. She couldn’t get her hopes up. These weren’t humans. They weren’t her parents. But they
were
people. They
were
parents and children and brothers and sisters. She couldn’t just leave them like this. Whether or not they could understand her words, she raised her hands in gesture as tears began to stream down her own cheeks.

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to help you,” Sam said to the room filled with cells, before turning to focus down the hall to the intersection once more.

She left them behind in an instant, returning to the tee in the hall before turning and blinking to the end of the middle corridor. Rounding the corner, it was just as she thought. Here, just like before, were hundreds of glass cells filled beyond capacity with thin, sickly looking people of a race she had not yet seen before. Though they banged upon the walls of their cells, and she could see some shouting and others crying uncontrollably, she heard not a single sound. The glass of their cells permitted not a peep to escape. Their screams carried to none, enveloped by the glass and consumed in silence. Sam’s shoulders shook with convulsive weeping that threatened to shatter her. No one deserved this. It was worse than torture, letting people slowly waste away beneath the feet of their families and loved ones. She had to set them free. Again, she blinked away from the room.

In the intersection once more, she peered down the last hall and vanished to reappear at the entrance to the third and final room. Opening her eyes as bile again rose in her throat, she crumpled to her knees as tears streamed from her unchecked. Before her, just as before, stood row after row of cells. Only this time they were filled with humans. She didn’t know how she knew. She could just feel it. They were the same as her, and she looked on them with pity and anger unlike anything she had ever felt before. Trying to see beyond her tears, she wiped her face with the back of her sleeve to reveal the cell that lay nearest to her. There, beyond the glass, a pair of deep brown eyes locked with her own as her tears were matched upon the face of another. Looking back at her, Sam saw a small girl, perhaps nine or ten, who stood within the glass, her shoulders squared and unafraid. Her skin was an almond color and her face was framed in a bob of chestnut hair, but it was the small girl’s eyes that didn’t fit. Thin and caged as she was, the girl’s eyes weren’t like those around her. The girl’s spirit was yet to be broken and Sam could see the ferocious intelligence behind the tear-rimmed eyes.