Down and Out: A Young Adult Dystopian Adventure (The Undercity Series Book 1) (14 page)

“Oh, good. That is comforting. Don’t like many people despite yourself, do you?”

She laughed again. “No, not many. Doesn’t pay. Almost always ends in disaster.”

They pushed the carton out into the centre and made their way into the back room. This one didn’t seem to be too bad. There was still dirt and mould everywhere, but no mounds or strange remains. Teddy opened a tall cupboard, hoping he wouldn’t find anything nasty inside. A broom and mop fell out, and he jumped back.

“Careful, those might clean you to death,” Georges said while she rummaged through another shelf.

“Oh, funny. Spend a while thinking that one up, or was that off the tip of your tongue?”

“Ah, I don’t believe in rehearsing my humour... takes the edge off.”

He handed her the broom. “Enjoy.”

She stared at it as though it was a foreign object. “What do you want me to do with this?”

“Go clear out the front,” Teddy said, waving her away.

“Clear the front? And what are you going to do?” She held the broom at an arm’s length.

“Don’t whine.” He handed her a box of plastic bags, which seemed to be in good shape. “I’m going to try to tidy up this back. If we’re lucky, I’ll find some cleaners that are still useable since we have no water. You’ll need to triple the bags to make them strong enough to hold anything. Throw out anything too caked in mould to salvage.”

She cocked her head to the side and knitted her eyebrows together. “Who put you in charge?”

He straightened up. “Do you know what needs to be done? Do you know how to handle bottles of cleaning supplies ready to burst at the lightest touch?”

“No,” she admitted and wagged a boney finger toward him. “But I didn’t come to be part of the sanitation crew. I came as an investor on a sightseeing tour.”

“What do you think you’re involved in?” he demanded with a shake of his head. “This isn’t a business. This is survival.”

“My dear boy, all business is survival, and all survival is business. Anyone who thinks otherwise is into religion, and that is a whole different business.”

Exasperated, he turned back to his cupboards. “Just go.”

The Upperlord left, grumbling, and Teddy found the cleaning supplies he was hoping for. Most of the bottles burst years ago and spread their contents everywhere. They mixed and corroded the wood before drying up into crystalline puddles. He grabbed a few bags and tripled them up before throwing away whatever he could.

It was a tedious afternoon and by the time they took a break, it seemed as though they achieved little. Georges surprised him by working hard and doing the worst tasks although she did not stop grumbling whenever he came near. They chose the stall Jolon and Teddy first explored to dump everything since it had a rolling aluminum door they could pull down to seal it off, and no one wanted to touch the lump of remains.

He folded out his sleeping mat. “Pa, we’ll be at this forever if we don’t find some water to assist us.”

His father stretched out on his makeshift bed. “Tomorrow, we’ll split up, and you and I can search for water while the others keep going here.”

Teddy turned toward Georges, half expecting the Upperlord to complain, but she was snoring. His brother rolled his eyes and gazed upward, knowing it was useless to object. He stretched out too despite how hard the floor was, put his hands behind his head, and stared at the vast expanse above him.

“What are those?” Jolon asked, pointing a thick finger to the sky.

“Don’t know. Lights of some kind,” he answered, watching the pinpoint lights appear all over the dimming sky. “So this is night.”

“It’s Twilight,” his father said, sighing. “Magical, isn’t it?”

He drifted off, dreaming of a world without walls and windows.

––––––––

“S
o, I figure water flows downward, so... so... sooooo... where do we go?” Pa asked as they left the food court.

“We could check that?” Teddy suggested, noticing a filthy stand with a diagram like a map peeking out from under the dirt.

“Yeah, we could,” his father replied with a pleased expression.

They hurried over and wiped away a layer of dust. “Here we are,” he said, jabbing a finger on the tiny sign declaring ‘you are here.’ He traced over the red lines, which spread out every which way. “This place is huge. If these places are all useable, we might fit everyone and their pets.”

“Don’t get too excited, my boy. So far, luck is trotting along with us, but the chance of this whole place being accessible is a tad much to hope for.”

“How do you do it, Pa?”

“Do what?”

“Flip from ‘we’ve got miracles happening all around us’ to ‘don’t get your hopes up’.”

His father laughed. “Depends on how hungry I am. The world can appear rosy or gloomy depending how full my stomach is. Now, according to this, there are levels further down. This has potential. What do you say we search for one of these stairwells and explore?”

“Fine, but I’m bringing lots of cookies,” Teddy said. He gestured to the path on his left. “I think we go this way.”

“So, what do you think of Georges?” his father asked as they went.

“She’s interesting.”

“Interesting... hmmm, and cryptic. In what way?”

“In the—I don’t know if I trust her, and I’m not sure I want to because she seems shallow and self-absorbed—way.”

“That is what she wants everyone to believe. That is her defense mechanism... her protection. She is quite intelligent and caring. She just doesn’t want anyone to know. Comes from having to survive with her sister. Belinda is a cold person. She’d kill Georges if she found out she came here.”

“So, won’t she be suspicious when Georges doesn’t appear today?”

“No, she often disappears in a moping, alcoholic funk for days at a time. Her sister won’t miss her for at least three or four more days. Here we go,” his father finished, pointing to a large double door.

They donned their oxygen masks, and he nodded as his father glanced at him before pushing the door open. It moved slowly, but easy, surprising both of them. He entered first, flicking on his lantern. Their footsteps echoed as they went. He paused at the next landing and went to inspect the door, but his father stopped him and pointed downward, so he went on. Two more landings and two more doors later, he wondered how far down the place went. His mask itched and his breath created moisture, tickling his nose. He wanted to check the air, but his father kept them going until they reached an impasse.

Teddy checked his meter, which read as borderline, but breathable. He slipped his respirator off and studied the steps below. “Water?” He stared at the brackish pool filling the stairwell.

“Water,” his father repeated. “Now, what do you think, drinkable or poisoned muck to strip your insides? He rubbed his hands together. “This might be good.” His father slung off his stash, flipped back the flap, and fished out his water tester. It was a crude system he fixed after an Upperlord had tossed it away.

“Well?” he asked while his father scooped some of the liquid up and tipped a few chemicals in. “Wait.”

He stopped breathing.

His father’s shoulder’s slumped in disappointment. The water in the vial turned a putrid green. “Not so much. Well, we keep searching.”

Exhaling, Teddy swiveled around, trying to decide which way to go. “Where to? We either go back up or through that way.” He indicated the door to his left. “Masks on, dear boy, and forward.”

He grinned at his father, donning his mask before checking the levels on his gauge. After, he pushed against the door. It opened part of the way with a scraping protest, which crept down his spine.

Wary, he slipped in. Darkness obscured the dank space that echoed with the slightest noise. He shivered as the chill of the room wrapped around him and cut through the cloth of his shirt, his t-shirt, and into his skin. Pa tapped him on the back and removed his respirator. The air smelled rancid with the heavy weight of oil and rust.

“Not the greatest, but breathable. Keep your meter on to signal for dead pockets. Damn, it’s cold.” He lifted his light higher. The place was almost empty.

Teddy studied the lines marking the floor and making stalls everywhere. A rusted, dented sign dangled from a bolt on a pillar. “Parking level C, what kind of place is this?”

“A parking garage. Didn’t any of your books mention them? No? Well, they are not exciting. People parked their cars here.”

“Cars. What a strange idea. Yeah, they’re a great resource for us for fuel and oil now, but I can’t picture ever needing one. Can you imagine going so far you needed something other than your feet to get there with?” Teddy said as the biting air made him wish he brought a coat.

“Wouldn’t mind one for the journey here,” his father admitted.

“They’d never get over the bridge—too much junk in the way. Do you ever crave for open space, Pa?”

“Oh, yes. I have dreamt about vast expansive fields ever since I was younger than you. My father shared tales about the past, the same tales his grandfather told him.”

“He was one of the original survivors, right?”

“Yes, he was but a baby when everything changed. Now, everything is only stories his Pa passed down, and my Pa told me when I was so small.”

“You are lucky you knew your extended family.”

His father gave him a side hug. “He would have liked you lots, my Pa would.”

“Do you think we’ll ever live beyond walls, or do you think this is life now?”

“Hmmm. I’m ever hopeful, Teddy, ever hopeful. Still, does it matter? All we got is now, and so this must be our joy. You all are my joy, you, Caden, Deb, Jolon, and your mother. Every moment I am thankful for each of you because otherwise I would be worse than Georges; old, cynical, afraid, and living an empty existence watching life go by and yet unwilling to alter anything.”

“She is here, though, now, helping us. That is progress.”

He stopped and stuck out his chin, running a hand through his stringy hair. “This is true.” The beam from his light danced about as he swept the room. “Look.”

Teddy raised his handlight to where his father indicated. At first, he wasn’t certain what he was in front of him—the whole area was so black and empty. Next, he perceived it was an extensive pool of water as the light glistened on the rippling surface.

“More water,” his voice dropped out of reverence before something precious. “Do you think it’s deep?”

They inched towards the edge, testing each step in case of a fault in the ground. Pa crouched and found a piece of stone and tossed it in the pool. The pebble sploshed and sent out ripples before settling again.

“So far so good.”

Grabbing his father’s arm, Teddy paused. “You don’t think there’s anything in it, do you?”

“Can’t tell, not sure,” Pa said, shrugging. “Still, I survive by being paranoid, and one never can say. First thing to do is test for quality. After, we’ll test if it’s safe.”

He didn’t like the sound of that any more than he liked the idea of getting closer to the lagoon. It was so dark and still, and the place was eerie. They stared at the water, neither one moving. He nudged his father.

“You first.”

“Maybe we should....”

“I doubt it’s any good.”

“Yes, perhaps we should leave it alone.”

“Good idea.”

They took an involuntary step back.

“This is water—gallons and gallons of water. More water than I’ve ever seen in my life, Teddy.” “Nothing to be afraid of.”

His father shook himself. “Right. What could be in there? This place is deserted with nothing for anything to live off that we know of.” He removed his stash and pulled out his kit. “So, let’s check if we can drink it. If this is good, we may have enough here to supply everyone.”

Teddy shone some light around, scoping the area as his father worked. The pool seemed to extend about thirty feet in both directions with a long ledge that disappeared into shadows on the far side. He turned his handlight toward the water, trying to penetrate the depths, but it seemed endless. Something flashed in the corner of his vision. It glimmered a moment and was gone.

“Pa? Did you see that?”

“Huh? What?”

“Something’s shiny is in the water. At least, there was.”

His father peered at where the light hit. “Might be a pipe,” he said. He mumbled under his breath as he put his equipment away. “There are lots of pipes and other waste. This is undrinkable at the moment—too much oil and such—probably from cars. The best we can hope for is to be able to use it for such things as cleaning and sewage.”

“I’m not taking a pee in there,” he said, backing away as something glimmered again. “Something is moving under the surface, and I’m not going to bare anything valuable as bait.”

“Ah, Teddy, you’re getting ahead of yourself. We’ll get some more lights down here later and see what we can make of things. You never know, we might be able to get some steam energy happening to make life a little easier.” He straightened up and stretched his back, turning away from the water.

“In the meantime, let’s keep searching. There’s another door over in that direction and, oh, hell!”

Teddy whirled around at his father’s yell and faced a ratdog larger than any they had ever encountered before. The creature’s eyes glimmered yellow in the light, and its teeth glinted with ugly stains of brown as it bared them in a rictus snarl.

“Oh, damn,” he gasped, backing up, his hand going to his knife.

Another ratdog joined the first, their cone heads down low ready to attack. They stank like rotting food. Teddy clutched his blade in his hand and crouched down.

His father yanked out his knife. “No sudden moves. I’ll draw them this way while you try to get behind them. With any luck, we’ll...” He got no further as the nearest ratdog screeched and charged. His father whirled and struck. The creature yelped, but tried to sink its teeth into Pa’s arm.

Teddy scrambled to help his father, but the second ratdog cut him off. He wrenched around as the beast went for his leg. His heels touched the edge of the pool, and he tried to stop himself from falling in, but the animal lunged forward, and he went backward. Water swirled around him as he went under and everything went dark. Indiscernible tentacles wrapped around his legs, he broke the surface for a moment gasping for air before he went under again. The more he fought, the more entangled he got. His lungs burned, but he could not reach the surface again. A strong force yanked him downward. Every part of him screamed for air, but there was none.