The Retreat (The After Trilogy Book 1) (18 page)

“Surely Tina told you why we're here,” she pressed. There were other consequences the soldier couldn’t understand. By telling him, Romy would betray her knot. And that was something she was physically incapable of doing.

“You better get out of here right now, or Atlas will be hearing about this,” she said calmly.

The man laughed and Romy faltered. “You think Atlas will listen to you? He’s shoved you in this junk pit for a reason, you stupid bitch.” He kicked over a pile of books, which thudded onto the floor, spines contorting in a splayed sprawl.

For the first time Romy felt more anger than fear. But she knew showing her anger was a grade-A bad idea.

Atlas hadn’t placed her here because he disliked her. That she was sure of. But doubt nipped as she wondered if this soldier was right on one count. Would Atlas
listen
to her? He always brushed off her questions.

And he thinks I’m a child.

“One way or another you’ll tell me the whole truth.” He leaned towards her, glancing over her body once more. “And the sooner you tell me, the more pleasant it will be for you.” He leaned away, smiling. “But tell you what. I’m feeling charitable. How ‘bout I give you some time to think it over?”

Terror held her still. She didn’t trust that smile for a second.

The camouflaged solider strolled for the door, thumbs hooked in his belt.

“I’ve already told you why we are here. There’s nothing more to tell,” she choked out.

The man didn’t break his strutting walk. “Anyone finds out I was here and I’ll slaughter your knot.”

Romy gasped.

His black eyes turned back to her, framed with white lashes. “Same time tomorrow, darlin’?”

“I
’m getting a handle on the tracks around camp,” Elara said to Thrym just as Romy kicked the door of their bungalow shut behind her.

Romy took in the scene. Phobos sat at the small round table watching Elara with a perplexed furrow between his brows. Elara looked back with slight disgust as she disappeared into the bathroom
to change. Since when did any of them leave the room to hide their bodies?

Meanwhile, Thrym stared at
her
. And Romy tried not to stare at anyone. Especially now that she knew about the thing between Tina and Atlas. When did things start getting so complicated within their group? More than ever, she needed something solid to hold on to with both hands, and it wasn’t there.

“I got some more seeds,” Phobos added, digging into his pocket. “I’d like to take some seedlings if possible.”

“Good,” Thrym said. “Add them to the stash.”

Romy already had a collection of tiny seeds in her pillowcase, and the large slit in her mattress hid some of their other collected supplies. She got the job for looking the most innocent.

“We’ll have to watch pack size,” Elara warned.

Romy asked, “What packs?” They only had a bunch of seeds and some clothing full of holes.

The group ignored her.

Thrym nodded. “On second thought, it might need to just be seeds, Pho. There are too many necessities we’ll have to take: clothing, blankets, medicine. Now, about that. We obviously won’t be able to take the tech, so I’ll have to rely on old medicine. Houston keeps stocks.”

“Ro, have you been able to get into the soldiers’ supplies?” Elara asked.

The word “soldier” froze Romy to the spot for a few seconds as memories of the soldier in her office assaulted her. She exhaled a shaky breath.

Elara awaited her reply, cute nose wrinkled.

Romy recalled the question and drew out the folded map from inside her light jacket. She hadn’t wanted to damage the document, but it was the only way to sneak it from storage without anyone noticing. “There aren’t any windows to the supply room. The only way in is a keycard. I really don’t know how we’ll be able to get in,” she reported. “But I did find
this
.”

Romy spread the map on the floor, since the table was full of plates and food. The knot put their heads together over the document, staring down.

“It’s from 2021,” Phobos noted.

Thrym traced a finger over the date. “Pretty ancient.”

Elara sighed. “And a lot has probably happened since that time. How much do you think global warming changed Australia?”

The group looked at Romy.

She blinked, sitting back on her knees. “Modern Australia contains the largest inland water body in the world. I remember how excited I was when the researchers brought back the news.”

They looked down at the map. The map of Australia below them showed a mass of desert land in the centre. According to Romy’s information, a good portion of this was now a lake.

“A map isn't much help if we don’t even know where we are,” Thrym said in frustration.

She knew that one. “Jimboomba!” Romy exclaimed.

Phobos leant away, covering the ear closest to Romy.

She grinned at him, unabashed. “We’re in Jimboomba.”

Thrym put his nose close to the map, blue eyes squinting. “Jimboomba. . . .”

It took them several minutes of searching to find Jimboomba on the map.

Phobos eventually located it. “Jimboomba,” he drew out. “Am I saying that right? What kind of word is it?”

Romy inspected the map. “Aboriginal, I think.”

“Well, they certainly live up to the ‘original’ part.”

Elara snorted. “Lame.”

“You are.”

“Queensland, Australia,” Romy breathed.

Elara stared at the map. “Did you say here?” She pointed at the east coast of Australia.

Thrym nodded.

Elara was already shaking her head. “I don’t think we’re that far inland. Pass me a fork or something,” she said to Phobos. “Where’s the scale on the map?”

Elara measured the distance based on the map scale, and tapped the fork against her thigh. “Three days ago we took a patrol to the beach,” she thought aloud. “We covered a hundred kilometres in two hours to get there. This map says the route is only fifty kilometres.”

“But the route could have changed time and time again,” Thrym said. “Maybe you didn’t go directly to the coast.”

“Or the location is just different altogether,” Elara countered.

“Regardless, Atlas told me we’re in Queensland, Australia," Romy said, "so it’s safe to assume we’re on the East Coast. That means . . .” She looked up at Thrym.

He raised his eyebrows. “. . . That if we trek west, we come across the lake in the middle.”

There were many holes in the theory. After lengthy discussion it seemed likely the lake was situated further south. A large water inlet—Murray’s River—was already present in 2021. As water levels rose, it made sense that existing waterways would simply grow larger.

Romy walked over and sat on her bunk, staring at the wall opposite her. The soldier was going to come again tomorrow.

What was she going to do?

A gentle hand brushed back her hair. “What’s up? You’ve been acting weird all night.”

She gazed into Thrym’s blue eyes. Eyes she trusted. And eyes she’d do anything to protect.

If the soldier found out Romy told her knot, he could make good on his threat. She doubted any one of her knot would be able to keep their cool if they knew.

She wasn’t willing to risk their lives.

“Nothing.” She smiled. “Just tired. Nothing a good sleep won’t fix.”

“I grabbed dinner from the Hull on the way. Sure you don’t want to eat?”

She shook her head, dislodging his hand, which was still stroking her hair. “No. I’m not hungry.” The memory of the slimy man still made her insides twist. Food wasn’t an option right now.

“You sure?” Thrym bobbed his head down to catch her eye.

Romy hesitated before tightening her resolve. She flashed him a quick smile, turning away to enter the bathroom. Maybe she shouldn’t judge Elara for escaping here.

Everything was just so out of control. And it was compounded by the fact that she simply didn’t know the rules down here. How could she protect herself against a soldier? Against someone with more power than herself?

. . . What was more powerful than the soldier?

The corners of Romy’s mouth flipped up in a smile.

I
t was Phobos’s turn to brave the Hull to get the knot breakfast. But Romy offered to take his place, leaving much earlier than she needed to.

Romy grabbed a bread roll for herself. She’d come back for the others’ food in a few minutes.

She dodged a couple of gawking Earth humans, mumbling rushed apologies as they attempted to engage her in conversation. Even if you were only speaking to one person, fifty others were listening and repeating your every response in whispers, until everyone was discussing what you’d said. It was unnerving.

Chewing on the bread, she made for the exit. But something stopped her in her tracks. The soldier from yesterday, he was in the clearing outside, by the Mandate’s hologram screen. Romy backed away from the exit so he wouldn’t see her.

She watched as he crossed the clearing to enter the storage and supplies building.
Crud
. There went her plans to barricade the door from the inside. Was he going to the supply room, or was he going to wait for her in the archives? She slid onto a bench to watch through the wide window. She’d only go in if he came out.

“What are you looking at?” a blunt voice asked.

Romy jumped and glanced around at a girl who looked to be in her late teens. She had orange hair, freckles, and the most amazing violet eyes.

The hull didn’t have long tables and benches like the orbito. Instead, there were smaller circular tables, each of which held around ten of the Earth humans. There were eight others at this table . . .  who she’d somehow missed while focusing on the soldier.

“Uh. . . .” Romy stalled. Throwing caution to the stars, she decided to be honest. “I was wondering what that soldier’s name is.” She pointed out the window. The soldier was disappearing inside, but the girl who’d first spoken answered anyway.

Romy was relieved to see her face screw up. “That’s Lucas. Or, as we like to say, Mucus. Officer Cayne.”

A laugh burst from Romy’s lips. Mucus. She nodded. “Suits him.”

The girl eyed her intently. “You’re not half as snobby as you appear to be.”

Romy bit into her roll again, wondering how to take the backhanded remark. She wasn’t really surprised at the girl’s statement. She and her friends simply grabbed food and left, making no effort to fit in. At least the others worked alongside the people of the settlement. Romy didn’t. She stayed inside all day, dashing in and out of the Hull every second or third day to get food.

Romy shrugged, meeting the girl’s remark in kind. “You guys are pretty full-on with all the staring and questions.”

The orange-haired girl pursed her lips, observing the surrounding crowds. Most of the people gathered were grinning at Romy like she’d shared a secret with them.

“You could be right about that,” the girl decided. She jerked her head in the direction of a woman who was trying to catch Romy’s attention by bobbing her head from side to side. “I reckon that one would combust if you spoke a single word to her.”

The table erupted into hooting hilarity. Romy found herself giggling, too.

The girl pulled her arm across her mouth to dislodge a few crumbs. She wiped her hand on her faded trousers. “So, what’s your name?”

A boy to Romy’s left snorted. “Don’t act like you don’t know.”

“I’m Romy,” she said, holding out a hand.

The girl, blushing faintly from the boy’s remark, shook Romy’s hand with three decisive pumps. “I’m Nancy. Don’t wear it out.”

The same boy groaned. “You’re so lame sometimes.”

“You’ll
be
lame if you don’t shut up.” The girl neither looked angry nor sounded angry as she retorted.

Nancy focused on Romy again. Her eyes flicked to the left and Romy glanced over her shoulder to see the soldier,
Mucus,
bee-lining for the Hull.

Romy met the girl’s eyes and something passed between them.

Nancy pushed up from the table. “You travelling with us today, space monster?”

What was with the name calling here? “What does that involve?” she asked.

“It involves stealing a car and guns, sneaking past the sentries, and target shooting.”

For a long beat she thought Nancy was joking. But no one laughed. Romy chewed her lip. “I don’t think Atlas would like that,” she hedged.

The teen crossed her arms. “You always do as you’re told, little sky girl?”

The answer was yes. That was just how life on the orbitos was. But . . . she was on Earth now. A slow grin spread over her face.

“No,” she replied. “Not anymore.”

A thrill raced through Romy as a table-full of teens grinned back at her. What they were about to do was against the rules, and the danger of it sent adrenaline straight to her fingertips.

In twos and threes the table dispersed—in different directions. Romy walked beside Nancy, trying to rein in her excitement.

Nancy moaned. “Everyone’s gonna suspect us if you keep that up.”

“Keep what up?” Romy’s steps slowed.

“You’re supposed to be going to sort papers. It’s not your bloody birthday. Slump your shoulders or something.”

Romy attempted to slouch.

Nancy moaned once again. “Just, never mind. Have you ever slouched in your life? Pick up the pace. Everyone’s staring.”

The two girls took a weaving path through the settlement. Nancy glanced casually around before pulling Romy down an alleyway. They ran to what Romy thought was a dead end, but as they got there, the violet-eyed girl slid a propped board to the side and squeezed through the gap.

The other teens were already on the other side. Two were dragging a large leaf-covered net from a vehicle wedged between the fence and an abandoned-looking bungalow.

“No one knows this is here,” Nancy said quietly. “Took us ages to get all the parts. But Eddie is a fair-dinkum mechanic.” She slapped a small boy on the back, who stammered his thanks.

Romy stood aside as Eddie jumped in the car and six others began to roll the car out of the wedged space. Nancy and Romy trailed after the rolling vehicle.

The others kept up their pushing for five minutes. Then, without warning, they all abandoned their shoving and ran to the vehicle doors as the car rolled to a stop.

“This is the pinch,” Nancy said. “The ride’s only really big enough for five people.”

A quick head count told her there were nine present, including herself.

“Shotgun not boot,” one yelled. The cry was quickly echoed by all. The group stared at Romy.

“I don’t know that she’ll actually fit in the boot, though,” a tall, lean girl said.

Romy looked at the boot and had to agree. She was the tallest there by far. “Uh, I can try?”

Nancy crossed her arms. “No. It’s your first time. And you didn’t know shotgun rules. Hannah, mate, you take the boot this time.”

The girl, Hannah, appeared mutinous for a moment, but a few pushes from the others had her grumbling and trudging to the boot.

After a few minutes of squeezing, everyone else managed to cram into the car. Eddie drove and two others crowded into the front beside him; a smaller girl stuffed into the area in front of the passenger seat. With five in the back, Romy ended up on Nancy’s lap, head bend forwards at an uncomfortable angle. It would have made more sense for Romy to be on the bottom, but she kept the observation to herself.

“The door won’t close!”

Romy couldn’t see who was speaking.

Nancy grunted from under Romy. No wonder; she was smothering the poor girl in her armpit. “Just hold on to it, then. We’re only driving twenty minutes!”

Eddie started the engine, and the vehicle lurched into motion.

Laughter bubbled in Romy’s throat. “This is ridiculous,” she burst out. Giggles erupted from her, muffled by the shoulder her face was smooshed into.

Nancy was snorting and hiccupping beneath her.

The car bumped along for what seemed like an age. And Romy realised this was a chance to find out more information.

“I thought there were soldiers watching the settlement,” she started. “Don’t they notice you going in and out?”

“There’s a section they don’t bother with because they reckon sheer cliffs block anyone from entering. But me and Eddie found a way beneath them,” Nancy said with a grin. “Awesome, huh?”

“Very awesome,” Romy agreed, deep in thought.

However funny the predicament was, not moving her legs for that long turned out to be unpleasant. And it was possible her neck would never straighten again.

After falling out of the car, closely followed by the violet-eyed Nancy, Romy stretched tall, looking around her. Nancy wasted no time before dashing off into the bush, orange hair bobbing like a torch against the dry leaves.

The area where Eddie stopped was similar to the forest Romy had hiked through after they crashed. Eucalyptus trees rose high and extended as far as she could see into the bush. Any ground not covered by grass and wiry shrubs was red dirt. The only difference to this area was the random array of target boards hanging from the trees.

Nancy was returning to the clearing, carrying weapons. Romy smiled as she realised the girl had been retrieving the guns from a hiding spot. She handed Romy a small one, calling it a “baby gun”.

She passed another small gun to the others, who began squabbling over it. Nancy kept the largest for herself.

Romy studied the weapon and quickly found the safety. She slid the magazine out and pointed it into the bush while she pumped the rack a few times to empty any forgotten rounds. She snapped the magazine back into place and raised the weapon, staring down the front sight. It was foreign to the battler guns and a
lot
tinier, but had the same parts overall.

She looked up and found Nancy and the crew gaping at her. “What?” she asked.

Nancy held out her own gun. “Jeez, looks like you should use the AK-103 instead.”

Romy shook her head as she studied the much larger weapon. “I’ll begin with this baby arm. Shooting battler guns in space and shooting on Earth will be very different. I imagine the wind and light will take a little getting used to. Not to mention the pressure and temperature.” She looked around, studying the environment with interest.

“Did you just calmly insert ‘battler guns in space’ into a sentence?” a boy asked. He didn’t wait for an answer. “That is freakin’ cool.” The boy slammed a fist in the air, making Romy smile.

They couldn’t understand that the opposite was true. Everything
here
was “freakin’ cool”.

“Yeah?” grunted Nancy. “I’m just thinking about 'baby arms' and feeling freaked out.”

The freckled girl guided Romy in front of the tree with the closest target.

“I don’t really know how weird this will be to adjust to. So I guess you should just give it a go.” The girl shrugged.

Romy held the gun out with two hands and let Nancy adjust her grip. The battler guns were gripped on both sides; the shooter sat in a rotating chair, which allowed them to swing the weapon and follow the Critamal ships. It was odd to have her hands encircling the weapon—awkward. But Nancy was adamant it would get better.

Romy studied the target. There was a slight breeze, and she had no idea what gravity would do to the bullet’s trajectory. But there was no point in trying to guess what would happen. She squeezed the trigger.

Laughter trickled behind her.

Nancy was grinning. “Hey, at least you got the same tree . . . or maybe the roots.”

Romy gave her a sheepish look. Her shot had gone straight to the bottom of the tree. She pumped the rack and raised the gun again, tilting it upwards.

She pulled the trigger.

“You got the board,” Nancy said. “Hey, not bad!” She turned to the others, who were cheering. “You see that? I taught the sky girl everything I know.”

“You can’t claim that,” another girl called.

“Just watch her, Freya,” Eddie stammered. Nancy threw him a look. There was no missing the fondness sparkling in her purple eyes.

For the next hour Romy practised with the baby gun. She hadn’t missed the target since the second shot, and had even hit the bulls-eye several times.

She clicked the safety on and dangled the weapon at her side.

“I wanna see the sky girl shoot the AK-103,” a larger boy called. His name was Fred, and he was the one who’d gotten so excited by her “battler” comment.

A chorus of “me too’s” chimed from the others. Nancy approached with her gun—the largest gun. A challenging gleam lit her eye. Romy had watched the girl shoot it. She was good. Hadn’t missed once.

“You game?” she asked.

Romy wasn’t sure. But she didn’t want to lose face in front of the young Earth humans. “Sure.”

Whoops and shouts followed Romy as she made her way to the rightmost area, where Nancy had practised. She could barely see the target in the distance. It was much farther than the few she’d practised on.

“Now this one’s gonna kick. Make sure you prop it on your chest. And brace yourself or you’ll end up flat on your back. Not that that wouldn’t be funny and all, but I don’t want to have to explain a broken nose to Dr H. or Tina.”